The end of the hunting season is often a busy time for our tracking teams. In many places, there are still plenty of driven hunts going on, most of which have been organised to comply with mandatory shot figures — the aim being to cull any cervids not accounted for before the season for that species closes. Occasionally, the government grants an exception and the mopping-up process can continue, but that doesn’t reduce our workload.
This year was no different. Our association’s tracking teams were standing by right across Belgium, with a few even stationed in Germany and France. I was on call for the weekend with my dog Jazz in a 2,000-hectare terrain close to the French border. It was a real deer-hunting spot, with a good concentration of wild boar too. Some of my colleagues were nearby, in the area we use for our tests. In fact, there were several teams in the vicinity, some just a few kilometres apart. This could prove helpful if we had to deal with an injured animal that could still cover some distance, as it would allow us to switch dogs more readily before things became too arduous.
Better still, because of the relatively short distance between teams, we could tune our radios to the same channel, enabling us to communicate smoothly and inform each other about developments.
Not that there was much happening in my neck of the woods. Most of the area’s hunts started at 9am, and it wasn’t long before the first shots were audible in the distance. But in my location, it was utterly silent. Not a single dog showed up on a track and the beaters found no fresh marks. It was as though all the local wildlife had vanished or decided to gatecrash another driven hunt. The only certainty was that no one was home.
Denne historien er fra April 26, 2023-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra April 26, 2023-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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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United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside