Can gundog training teach a dog to dive after a pricked duck, or is it something they only learn through experience?
Advice
What is meant by the term ‘hardening’ on a shotgun?
How do I know if mine, a Miroku MK38, has been done properly? What problems might crop up if the steel hardening process isn’t carried out correctly?
How do I stop my gundog circling me with a retrieve?
Gundog training with my 11 month-old Labrador is coming on well, apart from displaying an annoying habit, circling me with a retrieve when he returns. Why is it happening and how can I stop him doing it?
Can you go pigeon shooting over water troughs?
A couple of books on pigeon shooting say it’s possible to get a good bag of woodies in hot weather when they visit water troughs or streams for a drink.
How much do working ferrets cost?
What would you say is a fair price for working ferrets? Different people around here seem to charge what they like.
Is hare netting legal – I’d like to try and long net hares?
Is it possible, and legal, to long net hares, and if it is, how do you go about it? I presume hare netting must be done during the day, because hare is classed as game.
Was I right to cull this buck when deer stalking?
I wonder if Richard Prior could cast his professional eye over the attached photo? Is this a good cull beast (pictured, above)?
Are my deer rifle and ammo alright for boar shooting?
I am getting interested in running boar shooting. Can I use my usual stalking rifle and ammunition, or do I need something different for boar shooting?
When should I start training my gundog to jump?
Gundog training: How do I go about teaching my eight month-old Labrador to jump fences? Or is he too young to get started?
My flapper doesn’t always work when pigeon shooting!
I use an electric flapper for pigeon shooting, and also a pigeon magnet most of the time, yet there are days when they don’t seem to work so well.
I can’t hit birds out in front when game shooting!
I'm fairly competent at game shooting, but I do struggle on higher birds and can’t kill them in front, as I tend to do with the others.
Cutting back heather
Q) Richard Prior once said that one of the ways to improve a wood for stalking is to cut back heather in the rides. Do I cut it to ground level and all at once, or in bands, leaving some old heather till next season? Does this matter to the…
Why do some deer bob their head up and down?
When deer stalking, one thing I don't understand is why some deer I encounter bob their head up and down when looking in my direction. Can you explain it?
Could a Boxer become a decent gundog?
I have been told by a breeder that some of her boxers are trained as gundogs, something I find hard to believe.
Do bale hides work in the open when pigeon shooting?
The land I go pigeon shooting on has a big acreage of rape and I sometimes struggle to get a hide in the right place – out in the middle of large fields.
Do white patches on a black Lab mean it’s rubbish?
A friend has been gundog breeding and a Labrador bitch has had a litter of six black pups - but all of them have been born with odd splashes of white either on their chests, or on one of their paws.
Do you take a neck shot at the top or the bottom?
Deer stalking: Is a neck shot done at the top of the neck or the bottom? I’m guessing the target area at the top of the neck on a Roe, for instance, must be quite small.
Is it worth doing my DSC Level 2?
How much does it cost to do a deer stalking certificate? I want to do my DSC Level 2 – do you think it’s worth it?
WHAT are observed and muzzle velocities?
I am new to shooting and getting very confused about cartridge speeds and terminology like 'muzzle velocity'.
Can you get arrested for letting loose squirrels?
Is it true that you can be prosecuted if you catch a non-native species (like a grey squirrel) in the UK, then let it loose?