It was just after sunrise when I pulled open the curtains and cranked open the vertical blinds. The frosted scene outside warmed my heart, for today I was guaranteed my first ‘pass-out’ for nearly three weeks. I mentioned in my last blog my lovely wife’s cancer diagnosis and the enforced shielding before her op. Thankfully … Continue reading Scent, Stalking and Sanity – Why I Shoot
We all know that climate change has truly screwed up our old concept of winter. I have enough decades behind me to recall my father having to go and rescue (on foot) my mother who had been trapped in a local school where she worked as a cleaner when I was ten years old. It … Continue reading In The Bleak Midwinter
A hastily arranged Thursday afternoon off work saw me lugging a pile of gear into one of the coverts. I had an itch to scratch and it was all about ‘accuracy”. An issue that had been gnawing away at me since Sunday, the last time that I’d been shooting. The kit involved a game-bag carrying … Continue reading Picking The Right Pellet
The mellow Autumn morning mists have given way to more sombre weather already. We’ve yet to see a first frost here in East Anglia but the overnight temperatures have hit middle-scale single figures. The driven-shooting fraternity are two weeks into their sport where the birds have matured. I won’t join in, despite generous invitations. Put … Continue reading Roost Shooting, Fungi and Roe
The early morning air in my SUV was blue with curses as I drew onto the farm. I’d spent the previous evening gathering my decoying kit and studying expected weather and wind for the morning. I woke and loaded the motor with a very definite field in mind which adjoined a small copse that would … Continue reading A Morning On The Stubbles
In the modern shooting era we are blessed with those wonderful tools called digital rangefinders. They are a superb addition to any hunters kitbag and serve a number of uses. To the small vermin hunter, rough shooting wood and field, they are next to useless. I will expand on that shortly. For the hide or … Continue reading Mastering Range Estimation – An extract from my latest book.
The argument from anti's that we hunters are interfering with nature is not one that I can endure. As explained in the previous section, that we have become the dominant species on this planet is far from coincidence. As the creature at the pinnacle of the food chain, we have an immutable responsibility and authority … Continue reading Shooting – The Ethical Debate (An Extract)
"If shooting quarry accurately and cleanly is important, making sure that you don’t shoot another species in error is equally important. Not just because it’s unethical but also because shooting any bird not on the General License or recognised as game could see you in deep trouble with the law. For example, shooting a stock … Continue reading A short extract from “Hunting and Fieldcraft” – Quarry Recognition
The scribbling started before the metronomic patter of summer rain. Outside, on my canopied garden deck, the tip-tap of precipitation on the glass roof lent punctutation to the creativity and the flow of ink on paper. All around me birds sang a tribute to the blessing of much needed drizzle. A warm, gentle downpour dispensed … Continue reading Writing In The Evening Rain
This book is for anyone who ranges the countryside harvesting meat for the table, undertaking crop protection and protecting vulnerable species from predation. It is for the mature adult venturing into shooting with a limited knowledge of bird and beast. Or perhaps changing from air rifles to more powerful tools. It is for the kid … Continue reading New Book Launch – Hunting and Fieldcraft with Shotgun and Rifle
