Did you get yours?’‘
No, dammit, missed. I still find those Authorised Audio-Visual Avian Target bleepers a bit distracting; seem to make me rush the shot – d’you find that too? All that beep-beep-beep, flash-flash-flash, it doesn’t seem to matter how soon I program the app for each drive, they catch me out. Ah well, never mind, there’s another two drives to come. Must try harder.’
‘Look on the bright side, we’ve had three fully certified, stamped and Defra-approved drives so far, so we can register our Natural England Enthusiastic Approval Levels on our laptops over lunch. And we’ve still got two mini drives to come in the afternoon.’
‘So, what’s the bag, is it three or four birds between us? Four, yes? That means one more each and we’ll be right on our limit with one Permissible Sporting Bonus extra – but that will depend on the Defra umpires. D’you think they’ll let us have another, or are they real sticklers here? I suppose it comes down to whether they use the Packham-Avery System or Oddie Odds – but that’ll still probably be it. No chance, in fact, if we’re honest.’
‘Well, yes, probably – but there’s always the option of an NE Appeal. I heard the other day
some chap on a mid-scale pot shoot in Devon – one of those 10/12 bird-baggers with the end-of-day eco-barbecue and council-approved homemade wine – got an extra cock after his claim was upheld. Cost him, mind, and obviously he didn’t actually shoot it, what with the ruling taking six weeks, but then it’s worth a few more quid for the excitement. And those oven-ready tofu-infused birds from Waitrose are really good. Then again they say the Chinese robot-reared ones from Lidl can be better. Sometimes.’
Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Sporting Shooter.
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Denne historien er fra January 2020-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.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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
