THERE’S ONE SIMPLE rule on the Artemis shoot that everyone has to obey: it’s exclusively a shoot for HPRs, so no spaniels nor retrievers are invited to take part.
What’s more, on shoot days the emphasis is always on working the dogs, not filling the bag. It’s not a place for hot barrels — it’s rare for the bag to exceed 15 or 16 birds — but it is a great shoot for hot dogs that love to run. I was reminded of this when I paid a visit on a crisp, frosty winter’s day.
I say ‘reminded’, as I first visited and wrote about the shoot for this column five years ago. It covers some 600 acres of dry, gorse-dotted heath and forestry in the Brecks, on the Suffolk-Norfolk border.
Demos Diomidous established the shoot nearly 20 years ago. Today Demos, a retired dentist, summers in Cyprus, but he comes back for the shooting season and rarely misses a day. He doesn’t have a dog of his own but he hardly needs one, for the shoot is never short of dog power.
On the day of my visit there were three Guns — Demos, Joe Norman and Miles Toon. Miles was handling his German shorthaired pointer, Tia. Because of the nature of the shoot, the maximum number of Guns is four.
Working for the Guns was a team of four dog handlers, plus amateur keeper Adam Peck, who is also an HPR enthusiast. Adam’s black GSP, Millie, proved an impressively fast and athletic dog, appearing to flow rather than run over the ground.
Denne historien er fra February 12, 2020-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra February 12, 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
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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