20 WWW.THEFIELD.CO.UK
it home.I wasata loss.Thebunnies and
muntjaccontinuedtococka snookandtheir
demisewasnonearerthanwhenI had taken
myfirstrifleshotontherange.
BASCwasanobviousstartingpoint.It runs
Deer Stalking Certificate 1 (DSC1) courses
throughouttheyear,andwasrunninga Ladies
DSC1course,a perfectopportunitytoprove
myself a safe shot. A pre-DSC1 course at
ThoresbyinNottinghamshirecamefirst,the
morning spent explaining the DSC1 syllabus
andanafternoonpractisingthethreeshoot-
ingpositionsrequiredfortheDSC1:prone;
sittingwithsticks;andstandingwithsticks.
WiththeLadiesDSC1cancelledduetolackof
interestmyrifle-shootingintentionsjuddered
toa halt.TheDSC1,whileimpartingeverything
oneneedstoknowaboutdeeridentification,
diseaseandseasons,hasa glaringomission:
whattodowiththatknowledgeasa novice.
WiththeDSC1onholdI turnedtooneofThe
Field’s Sporting Dianas for advice.
W
hen my FirearmsCertifi-
cate (FAC) was granted
lastyearit becameappar-
enttherewasa gapinthe
fieldsports fabric when
it comes to women and
rifles.Havingfiredeverythingfroma .22to
a .500NitroExpress,I stillfeltunpreparedto
takethatcircumstantialknowledgefurther
andwasunwillingtowalkintoa gunshop,
pick up a .308 and ammunition and take
A growingsupportnetworkis gathering
paceforwomenseekingadviceand
guidanceintheworldofdeerstalking
WRITTEN BY ALEXANDRA HENTON
Take to the hills
Stalking
