Rifle Shooter – July 2019

18 http://www.rifleshootermagazine.co.uk

PICTURES:

SLOTS MEDIA; EMILY DAMMENT

W

hen we talk about the hunting community, what

do we mean? Of course, at its most basic level,

it describes our collective involvement in

hunting, whichever form that may take. For

most, we can add to that a shared set of morals or values –

the desire to kill cleanly, the responsible management of

populations, and the duty to maintain and protect the

countryside. Moving on to less tangible elements and we

arrive at what, for me, represents the true essence of the

hunting community – the generosity and kindness of the

people within it.

All around us, the glue that holds society together is slowly

eroding – 50% of over 75s regularly go a month without

speaking to anyone, neighbours are more likely to argue over

hedge trimming than lend sugar, and an ‘every man for

himself’ attitude seems to be gradually taking hold. Yet in

the midst of all this, scattered throughout the UK, resides a

relatively small network of people who are well and truly

bucking the trend (if you’ll excuse the pun).

Four years ago, when I first became involved in the hunting

community, the thing that transformed my vague interest into

passionate engagement was not only the joy of spending

time outdoors, nor the acquisition of delicious wild meat or

the opportunity to get close to nature (although they all

played their part). What really sealed the deal was the

openness and warmth with which I was welcomed into this

small, seemingly closed-off world.

With all this in mind, an invitation from Justin, a British

expat friend living in Denmark, to attend what he had dubbed

the Community Hunt immediately piqued my interest. The

THE COMMUNITY HUNT

Emily Damment joins a pair of travelling hunters on a week-long expedition, arranged

via social media, to showcase the generosity and strength of the hunting community

FEATURE Stalking with Emily Damment

“HUNTING USED TO BE TAUGHT FROM FATHER TO SON;

NOW, IT NEEDS TO BE PERSON TO PERSON AS WELL”

BELOW: Dan’s

shooting wagon

certainly has

character!