An invitation to shoot driven grouse sends Tim Maddams into a bit of a panic, but a lesson at Calvert Sporting soon calms his nerves and proves to be an exciting experience in its own right
Sometimes in life you fall on your feet and this is one of those stories. For a while now I have been working with, and doing my bit for, The Country Food Trust. This charity has been set up to feed the needy in our land with pheasant and partridge meat from shoots across the country, and it’s doing so in the form of ready meals. I have helped develop the recipes for these and I am proud to be a part of such a sensible and helpful cause. Of course, I was very happy, then, to offer them an auction lot for their charity supper earlier in the year… but I did not expect what happened next.
A lovely email from Tim Woodward, who runs the charity for the trustees, delivered the news that my lot (offering to cook dinner for a team of Guns) had been bought by the team that had also bought a day’s driven grouse shooting at the Purdy-award-winning Weardale moor – a lot generously donated by none other than trustee of the charity, Michael Stone. Great, I thought, I love a trip north and watching grouse drives is something I have had the pleasure of doing before. Happy days, maybe I’ll take the dog and give him a good outing pre-season. Then the phone rang; I had been invited to shoot. Driven grouse. Double-gun. I couldn’t say no – I really want to do it, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I have to admit, though, I agreed with more than a little nervousness. This is a unique form of shooting, and I do not wish to completely hash it up or, worse, cause offence (or even worse) with bad shooting or safety. I have seen this sport done properly by some of the best shots in the country; it’s hair-raising stuff... I don’t even own two guns!
Denne historien er fra September 2017-utgaven av Sporting Shooter.
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Denne historien er fra September 2017-utgaven av Sporting Shooter.
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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RSPB gives mixed message on shooting
Having recently attended the RSPB’s virtual AGM, Conor O’Gorman discusses the outcome of the charity’s year-long review of game bird shooting
Causeway for concern
Alan Jarrett’s renewed interest in reading takes him down memory lane to an offshore island duck flight that very nearly ended in disaster
Through a purple patch
The Garrows Estate is taking a conservation-focused approach to restoring the wildlife populations and biodiversity on the Scottish heather moorland.
When the wheels fall off
Losing form on a day’s shooting can be infuriating, especially if you’ve been shooting like a god up to that point. Simon O’Leary looks at some common causes and how to remedy them
Beaches, books & bad behaviour!
The annual Kay family vacation to Northumberland offers a chance to give the cockers a blast on the beach – although they don’t always shower themselves in glory, as Ryan Kay recalls...
Using the Stop whistle
Now you’ve instilled the basics, it’s time to up the ante with some more tricky distance work. Howard Kirby explains how to take the core Stop whistle command to the next level
The humble teal
They may be tiny, but as far as Rupert Butler is concerned, the appeal of this little duck is huge. He recalls some of his most memorable nights in pursuit of these aerial acrobats
Fab all-rounder
Mike is impressed with the Fabarm Elos B2 Field Notte, which offers great value for money, is suited to fieldwork or clays and is future-proofed for use with steel in all choke constrictions
CALL OF THE WILD
Dom Holtam reconnects with one of the purest forms of shotgun shooting as he walks-up woodcock over pointing dogs in the Scottish Highlands
A yen for the Fens
Tony Jackson recounts a memorable duck flight over an area of Fenland in Norfolk with his friend and author, the late Alan Savory
