Anyone can make a mistake

There is a fine line between a shot that kills and one that wounds, so why do so few people stalk with a dog, wonders Richard Negus.

- Richard Negus

The maxim for all shooting sports is to kill your quarry humanely and efficiently. Inevitably, despite your best endeavors, there are occasions when this does not happen and the beast or bird is wounded. Your immediate responsibility then shifts to locating the unfortunate and swiftly ending any suffering.

This is why for most wildfowlers the idea of going out on the foreshore without a gundog is akin to venturing forth wearing a polka-dot bikini and snorkel — something that you just don’t do. Game Shots on driven days are supported by a team of pickers-up and their dogs, whose sole job is to ensure the dead game is retrieved and the winged are speedily accounted for.

So it is interesting that, when it comes to deer, how many stalkers embark upon an outing without a dog. Most stalkers, particularly those who shoot alone, are proficient Shots. However, what if the worst should happen and an animal is not cleanly killed?

As an admittedly apprentice stalker I had, until recently, only experienced clean kills, clean misses, or blanks. However, following my recent trip to Borrowdale with restaurateur James Chiavarini, I witnessed for the first time the aftermath of a misplaced shot on a hind (Righting a terrible wrong, 18 March). The only reason James was able to right his wrong was thanks to the professionalism of hill stalker Jonathan Standing and his Hanoverian Schweiss und, Urka (Keeper of the month, 22 April).

Inexperienced

Jonathan is a superb Shot and a great advocate for the need to have a trained deer dog on hand when taking to the hill. I asked Jonathan if this was largely due to him taking potentially inexperienced paying Guns out.