New to the game
By Wilf Wilks.
ALTHOUGH the Glorious Twelfth will have passed by the time this article appears, it is an important time marker for those of us who are involved in harvesting game. Every year there are those who are new to shooting and, even though it is unlikely their first experience will be with grouse, hopefully the excitement of the start of this year’s season will be felt as keenly by them as by us old lags.
For those new to the sport I urge that eating what you shoot is as important as the day itself. Sure, you could just turn up, take a few shots and then go home happy that you have enjoyed good company and had a chance to use your gun on live targets rather than against clays, but that misses the point of shooting.
I mentioned harvesting game and that is how everyone who shoots should think about what they are doing; yes, a corporate day with business colleagues may have other motives but the reality of game shooting should first and foremost be about the food it provides. Compare the flavour of game to what you buy in the supermarket and you will realise you have been missing out and this should be why you got involved in the first place.
There is a place for everything so if you just want to shoot a gun then stick with the clays. There are lots of excellent shooting grounds which provide superb and often quite challenging set-ups. Many people never shoot game or pests but still support the shooting industry with their love of shooting clays.
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