The government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has seen a great many recreational shooters staying at home, unable to enjoy our beloved hobby. And although it has been a tad galling watching tribes of MAMILs trooping past in endless mutli-coloured gaggles while being told that we can’t stalk a roe buck or try and winkle out a trout or two on a deserted river bank, we do as we are told in the interests of the many.
Clay grounds are closed and the countryside is quiet. Except, of course, that nature doesn’t pause for anybody or anything. And for many, shooting is not ‘sport’; it is an essential part of our livelihoods. With the pastures full of lambs, fox control is absolutely critical right now. Likewise for farmers drilling spring crops – without vigilance, the season ahead could be a write off. So when Andy is not on the tractor, he is on pigeon patrol.
“The wet autumn and winter put so many farmers behind. Not just a week or two, but months in some cases. So as the weather has improved, everybody has been racing to try and make up for lost time. And of course nobody could predict how long the weather window was going to be so there was definitely a bit of a rush in some areas!”
Denne historien er fra June 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
Denne historien er fra June 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
