One of the first things I do when starting a training plan with new customers is to set a list of goals that they wish to achieve over the coming season, followed by what you might call a “shooting basics health check”. This isn’t anything especially exciting. However I think…
Shooting
High pheasant shooting – how to master it
High driven pheasant shooting lesson: It’s getting to that time of the year when the birds are really beginning to fly well.
How to organise beaters’ day
As January approaches, thoughts of keepers, beaters and pickers-up are turning to the end-of- season cock’s or beaters’ days. Originally called keeper’s days — because they were gifted to the keeper to invite whom he wished — the Guns are now usually a mix of the keeper’s guests, the beaters…
Do Guns appreciate the planning that goes into a shoot day?
I wonder if people appreciate the amount of work and organisation that goes into planning a shoot day? The day starts way back in the summer when your poults first arrive in the release pens and the feeding regime, which is a seven-days-a-week job, goes on through the autumn in…
What you need to know about picking-up on a shoot
In my view, game shooting is only defensible if every bird that is shot ends up on the table. Without a decent picking-up team the chance of that happening is slight. What makes a good picking-up team and how do you get to be part of one? You need a…
Bargain shooting kit you’ll want to snap up
Dubarry Leitrim women’s leather boots £149 WAS £279 Stylish and practical, these 3/4 height boots are made from Dubarry’s water resistant DryFast-DrySoft™ leathers, breathable and lined with GORE-TEX®. Dubarry Verney Carron Beauceron Vest £19.95 WAS £44.95 100% Cotton Hunting Vest from Verney Carron, France’s Premium Shooting Brand. Excellent quality and value…
Is this the solution for excess game?
My recent article on the problem of disposing of surplus shot game prompted a lively response, so thank you to everyone who contacted me. Such feedback confirmed to me that it is the biggest challenge facing the shooting industry, and if no satisfactory solution is found it is bound to…
A shooting lesson in ground game
Shooting ground game can be a tricky business, says coach Mark Russell. Here’s how to hit rabbit-type targets!
Why the tweed cap is classic headgear
Who’d have thought it? The humble tweed cap is now a celebrity must-have. Adam Edwards traces its history
5 ways of ferreting
Ferreting for rabbits can achieved in five different ways by a ferret bolting them. Some work better in certain situations, but they all have their place. Some of these methods can be combined together to improve effectiveness. Purse nets Purse nets are the starting point for those beginning a career…
Clayshooting lesson on long, slow crossers
Jonty has has been enjoying his Krieghoff Parcours, which he has shot with for about a year and uses ¾ choke in both barrels with No8 shot Gamebore White Gold cartridges. He also offers tuition for gameshooters at the Crabtree Clay Shoot. A clayshooting lesson on crossers Jonty said: “With…
Do we rely on scopes too much?
I once went out on the hill with an old stalker who bemoaned the use of bipods. This struck me as odd, because I would have thought using bipods meant fewer missed shots and, more importantly, fewer wounded beasts. But according to him, in using a bipod, his guests tended…
Four of the best duck calls
I don’t often leave the house during the wildfowling season without my trusty duck calls around my neck. I am a great believer in the use of calls on the foreshore, and I am convinced that they often enhance my sport, thus producing more food for the table. I carry…
TOP FIVE: Wildfowling gear
Tom’s wildfowling gear is good to go for September 1st. Here he gives a run down on the wildfowling gear he relies on - and why he chose it.
The best shooting kit
Lucy King picks the best shooting kit to suit all budgets including shooting coats, shooting breeks, shooting shirts and fleece gilets
Do you know the four basics for competent shooting?
There are four basic building blocks for shotgun competence in clay and gameshooting. Stance and balance. Gun-mount and the avoidance of head lifting. Gun-swing and an understanding of the gun and target movement. Lead or forward allowance. Target practice The best place to rehearse and train these competencies is on…
How shooters can protect the woodcock
Sportsmen and women are being asked to refrain from shooting woodcock until 1st December, in new guidelines issued by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT). This is due to concern that shooting may be a factor in the decline of home breeding birds. Woodcock has red status The UK…
The 6.5mm Creedmoor round – why stalkers are talking about it
Q: I keep hearing about a new round called the 6.5mm Creedmoor and friends say it is the best cartridge for deer. Is that true? A: The 6.5 Creedmoor is one of the new wave of cartridges designed to get the best possible ballistics from an efficient case design. The…
How to get permission for pigeon shooting
Permission to shoot pigeons is not easy to obtain and it can take time getting to know people before it is granted. Farmers must have complete confidence in the person asking for permission, and as a pigeon shooter you must not let them down. When I’m driving around the countryside…
Is this the most exciting indoor shooting range ever?
A buffalo is staring straight at me. I hear my heart pounding in my ears and then the recoil hits me as I pull the trigger on my Holland & Holland 500. I’m not in Africa, nor am I dreaming, I’m in Middlesex on the brand-new Schiesskino range at the…