A few weeks ago, my rough shooting syndicate had just finished shooting at one of our favourite estates and we got talking to the gamekeeper about shoot-to-kill ratios and the difference between walked-up and driven shooting.
The keeper expressed his view that on a walked-up day he would expect a ratio of two to one. I must admit we all burst out laughing – surely he was having a joke or we were just really awful shots… which, in any event, may have been fair comment.
Only last weekend I was shooting in an ancient Dorset woodland. The cover was pretty hard going, with low-growing bramble in sedge reeds, whose only purpose was to give cover to the pheasants and tangle and trip anyone trying to get a shot at one that a spaniel had extradited from its cozy refuge.
Couple that with the fact that a tree seemed to jump up right in front of me just as I mounted my gun and pulled the trigger, it was challenging to say the least. At the end of the day, I had emptied 31 cartridges of number five lead for just four birds in the bag, a shot ratio of 7.75 to 1. I wasn’t in the least bit disappointed, it had probably been the best day of my season so far, the dog had worked really hard and I personally enjoy the challenge of shooting in such tricky and exciting conditions.
Time to re-evaluate
Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Sporting Gun.
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Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Sporting Gun.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Thermal spectrum
Paul Austin explores both ends of the thermal market with latest high-end release from Zeiss alongside a surprising entry-level offering from Xinfrared
Roe, rucks and new ground
Jon Snowdon and his team have much to keep them busy and a new tool to help them
Tales from a lifetime of foxing
Join Mike Powell as he explores the evolving world of fox shooting, drawing from a career that spans seven decades
Fox rot about Charlie
Patrick Hook responds to claims that fox numbers are dangerously on the wane
The sniff of success
Join Ryan Kay as he navigates the fascinating dynamic between a handler and their canine companion
Adventures of Nick & Ted
A new chapter in the histories of Sporting Gun and Sporting Shooter has Nick Ridley reflecting on the dogs he has trained over the years he has been associated with the magazines
The problem: Inflammation in the nervous system
Vet's advice
Gundogs Q&A
No problem goes unsolved as Sporting Gun puts your questions to the gundog experts
Stop-start!
Fran Ardley continues her training tips on disciplining your dog to the stop whistle and the exercises you need to do
Gundogs at the Game Fair
Organising the Game Fair's prestigious gundog competitions: behind-the-scenes with Francesca Prentice
