A bit of hit and miss
Shooting Times & Country|August 26, 2020
Staying out till the wee small hours, Stanley Duncan contemplates whether foul weather is really better for going out wildfowling
Stanley Duncan
A bit of hit and miss

It is not rough weather that makes good wildfowling, though weather does play its part, hot or cold, dry or wet, but it is more dependent on hardship caused through weather than the actual conditions. Duck are driven away by frost but they are more seriously driven away by drought. After frost they return, but after drought they may not return again in numbers for years.

Cold does not necessarily become inseparable from wildfowling. It is more pleasant to shoot without pain, though the fowler has become regarded as a sufferer from the elements. A real wildfowler enjoys his shooting in the heat of August just as well as in the frosts of January.

Summer wildfowl have different habits in winter. New-fledged, the broods of duck go less cautiously about under the cover of night. In remote parts, they move over expansive areas by day, gaining a boldness that is quite remarkable. But as soon as the shooting season arrives they resort to night feeding and exercise cautious tactics that defeat their arch-enemy, man.

With an August setting and evidence of a late harvest, duck attract attention. Laid wheat is the attractive food for these fowl at this season and they flock from near and far. And as I gazed on the scene memories sped back over scores of seasons to similar conditions when the same fields were cropped with wheat, a heavy yield and laid, and the great night that several Guns had enjoyed on the same adjacent marshes in the early 1890s. And now I have tried my hand again.

Delightful

Bu hikaye Shooting Times & Country dergisinin August 26, 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Shooting Times & Country dergisinin August 26, 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
United we stand
Shooting Times & Country

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

time-read
5 dak  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

time-read
3 dak  |
August 02, 2023
They're not always as easy as they seem
Shooting Times & Country

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

time-read
5 dak  |
August 02, 2023
Debutant gundogs
Shooting Times & Country

Debutant gundogs

There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting

time-read
4 dak  |
August 02, 2023
When the going gets rough
Shooting Times & Country

When the going gets rough

Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique

time-read
5 dak  |
August 02, 2023
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
Shooting Times & Country

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

time-read
4 dak  |
August 02, 2023
A step too far?
Shooting Times & Country

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

time-read
6 dak  |
August 02, 2023
Two bucks before breakfast
Shooting Times & Country

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

time-read
6 dak  |
August 02, 2023
Stalking Diary
Shooting Times & Country

Stalking Diary

Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill

time-read
2 dak  |
August 02, 2023
Gamekeeper
Shooting Times & Country

Gamekeeper

Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside

time-read
3 dak  |
August 02, 2023