One such February day occurred. Tess and I set out into the teeth of the storm. On my little piece of East Anglian coast, wigeon are still considering their next mammoth journey. There are pintail too. And teal zip around in packs.
The lure of the marsh proved too great. I decided on three phases: a walk out at low tide, an afternoon in the woods chasing pigeon, then later back on the saltings for evening flight at high tide.
Phase one was creek crawling. Daytime shooting on the estuary near me has to be approached with caution. It’s a favourite spot for bird watchers, and rightly so. On the Big Farmland Bird Count this year, I was able to report lapwings, curlew, skylarks, grey partridges, linnets and corn buntings on the fields, while on the marshes, for the discerning twitcher, there were all manner of waders, duck and geese.
Entirely alone
While I’m proud of what we do within the shooting community, I don’t wish to upset people, so I rarely venture out during daylight hours when binoculars are poised and telescopes are ready on the seawall. But on the afternoon in question, Tess and I were entirely alone between the dark sky and the foaming deep.
Denne historien er fra March 04, 2020-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra March 04, 2020-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside