Harvest had started. It was mid-July and with the rape cut on a few of the fields it would be my first trip out this year. With Covid-19 in mind, the decision had been made on the shoot where I control the foxes for the season to go ahead, but only on one area. It will only be four drives that are close together; the thinking is the beaters will be able to walk from one drive to another, therefore removing the need for the beaters’ cart. I am sure many aspects on most shoots this year will be different, but it’s good to see that a big effort is being made to keep everybody safe. I know we are fed up hearing about it, but we all have to put plans in place to make it work so we can enjoy the sport we all love.
The drives we are shooting this season are mainly partridges with a few pheasants mixed in. I think I got most of the foxes in this area shot in the spring, meaning there shouldn’t be litters of cubs coming out of every field they cut, but like everybody else when lockdown came I had to stop, so there could well be a vixen or two bringing on a litter of cubs and that’s the last thing we need with the birds arriving soon.
The place I chose to sit would give me a chance to look over two fields that had been cut. Now, I don’t like shooting on rape stubble as I have missed so many foxes as a result of my bullet deflecting off the tough stalks, and I’ve had to watch the fox run off. After waiting a couple of hours, that is not the best feeling in the world!
Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av Sporting Shooter.
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Denne historien er fra October 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
