Over the years, what I have enjoyed in regard to shooting has changed. I don’t do long haul travel as much as I did. Indeed, regrettably, it’s been a few years since I was in the US chasing chukkar, quail or whitetail, and longer still since I was last on safari in southern Africa. I could not afford to do what I was lucky enough to do in the past, nor would I be able to recreate experiences like running out of money in Namibia, and living off income from meat shot near the Namib and ferried to the capital across the vast sands in a Land Cruiser with supplementary water tanks.
On the home front, I have not done many big formal driven days in recent seasons either, but I have done a lot more walking-up and smaller days with friends. You might say that I have returned to my roots, the shooting of my childhood in Kent, wandering the woods and fields of my grandmother’s small farm. I have, of course, done my fair share of big bag shooting, but what I have rediscovered is the joy of the small day, the small bag, and the big smiles that go with it.
I have had, in particular, great experiences walking-up grouse and snipe on English and Scottish moors. For wing shooting satisfaction, there is very little to beat it (provided you’re reasonably fit). But perhaps my favourite sport and recreation now is going to see my pals in Northern Ireland. It’s the craic, they’d say, and I really do love it too. Before you even consider the fabulous sporting potential for shooting or fishing both sides of the border, the people are still so friendly. It’s human. And, the Guiness really does taste better! It is almost as if the clock is turned back there to a happier and more innocent age.
World class
Denne historien er fra March 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 March 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
