Shooting tips, gun dog training and field sports queries | Shooting UK

Does this deer have a perruque head?

At the end of the rut a yearling buck on my ground was still in dark velvet and showed no signs of drying. The buck has an ear-high four-point head and appears in excellent condition. Is this a perruque and, if so, how long will it take to develop?

My ferret is too fat!

A friend has given me an extremely fat ferret which hasn't been worked for several months. I read recently that I should put it on a cereal based diet. Do you agree? How can I get it back into working shape? What weight should an 'average' ferret be?

Pigeon shooting solution

I read your piece about disturbance to pigeon roosts and the effect this has on subsequent decoying days. Instead of shooting the wood, would the disturbance still be the same if I flighted the birds half a mile away as they return home in the afternoon?

I can't shoot quick enough!

I started shooting recently and love it, even though my scores are dreadful. My problem is I don't seem to have enough time between seeing the clay and swinging my gun to catch it up. What am I doing wrong?

I'm always breaking my hide poles

How many hide poles do you go through each year? I bend and break no-end of them and I'm still searching for a really sturdy set that won't let me down. Which makes can you recommend?

How bad are rooks for game birds?

Do rooks do as much harm to nesting game birds as carrion crows and magpies. If so, what's the best method of control?

I want to re-blue my barrels

Is it possible to re-blue a complete barrel set with the kind of cold blueing compounds sold in gun shops?

Swans on my flight pond

Last season I tried to attract duck to a small spring fed lake - but without success. I fed barley in the shallows, but apart from one or two mallard it only managed to attract three resident swans.

How does trigger switching work?

In your gun tests you often mention a gun's trigger is switched to the second barrel by an inertia mechanism. How does this work?

Semi-auto needs to be cleaned

I have a five-year old Remington 1100 20-bore semi-auto, which I use for all my pigeon shooting. It's been generally very reliable, but now it occasionally refuses to cycle to the second shot. What's the likely cause?

Do waterhens kill mallard ducklings?

Do waterhens kill mallard ducklings? We have a lot on our flight ponds and the duck don't seem to stay long once their broods have hatched.

Is .243 okay for anything bigger than fox or roe deer?

I have been offered a very nice and very accurate rifle (I have tried it) but it is in .243 and some of my friends say the cartridge is okay for fox and roe deer but not for anything bigger. What do you think?

I want to shoot faster

I always watch the best shooters at our club and can't help but marvel at how easy they make everything look. They seem to have all the time in the world to mount the gun and break the clay.

At what distance should a deer rifle be zeroed?

Opinions differ as to whether a deer rifle should be zeroed at 100 yards or 200 yards. What is your view?

Should I spay my dog to reduce the risk of cancer?

We have a 17 month-old springer bitch which my son takes beating. She has had her first season and the vet recommends we have her spayed to reduce the risk of cancer later in life. Is this right?

Thay are shooting too close to the public!

A local farmer has been given permission to hold driven shoots on land close to houses in our village. The shooting is so close the pellets are hitting the residents' trees, and pheasants are dropping dead in their gardens.

How much of a problem are grey squirrels?

Grey squirrels have received a lot of bad press lately in relation to the decline of woodland song birds. How much damage do they do to game bird nests and how are they most effectively controlled with the minimum of labour?

Can I legally shoot dogs destroying my animals?

My neighbour's dogs are persistently chasing and killing my valuable rare breed poultry, and he will not control them. Have I the right to take summary action by shooting them if caught in the act?

Are these split rifle shells safe?

All the samples are split where the cartridge has been 'necked down'. I'm sure that this isn't usual, as my .222 does not show splits in the empty cases?

Is my friend stalking legally?

A friend of mine would like to stalk in Scotland, but his firearms certificate says it has been issued only for the control of vermin. The landlords of the estate say all deer on their land are classed as vermin. Can he legally shoot deer on this land?

Are deer stalking courses either necessary or desirable?

I have been stalking deer for more than 15 years and know the subject inside out. Now I am being pressured to go on a (very expensive) training course so as to have a piece of paper that says I am competent. Are these courses either necessary or desirable? And why are they so expensive?

Is taping the end of my rifle-barrel safe?

With all this rain, I have been advised to put a piece of insulating tape over the muzzle of my stalking rifle to stop water going down the bore. Is it safe to do that?

How do I protect dogs' ears from grass seeds?

My two cockers are inclined to get grass seed down their ears at this time of year. This has resulted in visits to the vet to have the seed removed under anaesthetic. Can you suggest a way of protecting their ears?

Do Hungarian vizslas make good family pets?

I am thinking of buying a Hungarian vizsla as a hunting/hawking dog and which would also be a family pet, but I know little about the breed. Is there a good book on this breed and a trainer or breeder in Somerset whom I can contact?

What's happening to all the songbirds?

When will the media and the general public sit up and realise what the real reason for the decline in our songbird populations really is?

What's the best way of keeping the screws in my shotgun tight?

One of the screws which attach the fore-end wood to the iron on my gun keeps shooting loose. The screw passes through a clearance hole in the iron, and is threaded into a metal insert in the wood. What's the best way of keeping the screw tight?

Do anti-bark collars really work for gun-dogs?

One of my gun dogs barks constantly in the kennel and a neighbour has complained about the noise. How can I stop him? Someone said I should try an anti-bark collar. Are they effective?

I get bad eyes when pigeon shooting

I've just bought some mesh curtain camo netting which is light, compact and a great colour.
The only trouble is when I look through
it I end up going cross-eyed and get bad eye strain. Do other people get this?

Can you tell me about keepers' licences?

I am joining a small syndicate putting down pheasants, while other quarry includes duck, hares, woodcock and snipe. I will be helping out with keepering duties, including predator control but am unsure what licences I need to keep within the law?

Can you help my dog with its phantom pregnancy?

My two-year-old working bitch is experiencing phantom pregnancies. The vet prescribed her some expensive medication, which yielded some improvement. What is the best course of action for a bitch going through this trauma?

My dog doesn't use its nose

How can I encourage my two-year old labrador to use his nose more often when I send him for a retrieve? At the moment he seems to prefer using his eyes - and he's starting to ignore whistle commands. What can I do?

I never find deer antlers. Why?

Everyone's expressing concern at increasing deer numbers, but why do I never find cast antlers during my walks through the woods?

Does the point of bullet impact change when a scope is turned down for poor light?

If I use a variable magnification scope zeroed on the highest setting and in good light, would the point of impact change when the scope is turned down for a poor light situation? This is assuming both targets are at the same distance.

Any alternative to subsonics for rats & rabbits?

I shoot rabbits with my .22 rimfire on farmland. I've been asked to shoot rabbits/rats around the outbuildings and in the owner's garden but do not want to use my subsonics.

Use your body to swing the gun

I keep reading about the importance of using the hips and upper body to help move the gun, but nobody has ever really explained why this should be.

All coppers are...

I read that a police constabulary wants shooters to tell them where they're shooting, and when, so the Armed Response Unit isn't sent out unnecessarily. That's taking the p**s, clearly. No way would I follow such a request from my own police force.

Should I shoot the does first?

I have been told when culling female deer to shoot the doe first because the youngster will stay with her and can be culled at the same time. When I tried it, the fallow fawn ran away and I didn't see it again, which I found distressing.

How do I keep my head on the stock?

No matter how hard I try I can't keep my head on the stock. According to a friend I invariably lift my head to 'watch' the target. How can I stop myself doing this?

How can you tell if a gun is shooting loose?

I have been shooting a Miroku for 10 years without any problems, and wonder if it needs any attention in this direction?

How long can I leave a shot deer?

When I shoot a deer from my high seat, I sometimes leave it where it falls in the hope of getting another shot later. Is this acceptable practice? And, if so, how long can I leave it there before it starts to blow up?