The Field – August 2019

WWW.THEFIELD.CO.UK 147

COUNTRYESTATE

QUERIES

SOMETHINGTO SLIPINTO

GAMEBIRDSINTHEGARDEN

Q

Iwouldliketoquestion
thecorrect/bestwayto
carrya gunandin
particularthefashiontocarrya
brokengunoveryourshoulder.
Aftera drive,beit gameorclay,I
putthegunbackinthegunslip.I
amsurprisedbythenumberof
peoplewhowalkroundcasually
withit ontheirshoulder.Is this
reallyappropriate? Or is it the
‘selfi e shot’?

Q

AfterreadingyourcolumnI ampromptedtowrite.A female
pheasantandher 12 chickshavetakenupresidencyinmy
garden.Althoughtheyaremakinga messofthelawnandeating
seedlingsandplantsI amnottoconcerned.Doyouthinka local
gamekeeperwouldbeinterested in taking them. Any help you can offer
wouldbeappreciated?
CM, by email

A

MikeSwanfromtheGameandWildlifeConservationTrustsays
thehenandherchicksarelegallywildgamebirdsand‘taking’
themoutofseason,eventoreleaseelsewhere,wouldbeillegal.
Allonecandois hopetheysoonmaketheirwayoutintothewider
countryside, which is what normally happens in this situation.

WHEEZE OF THE MONTH

Insectsandtickscanbea real

painwhenwalkinginthewoods

atthistimeofyear.However,if

yousmeara chestrubonyour

legsandanklesit seemstodeter

alltheannoyingbitinginsects.

Thesamewithyourarms.Orrub

it ontheundersideofa hatto

stopthegnatsfromflying

aroundyourface.

WB, by email

JET,BYJOHNCOSTELLO:labradorJethuntsducksandgeeseinCanada.Sizeis

no impediment – she will retrieve the largest birds to hand courageously.

PADDYANDRUPERT,BYNEILCORNER:labradorsPaddyandRupert are

pictured here on Grinton Moor in Swaledale, North Yorkshire.

http://www.thefield.co.uk/gundog-awards

If you havea photographyouwould like to

enter,pleaseemail

[email protected]

Full terms and conditions apply

GUNDOG

AWA R DS 2019

EntrantsforGundogPhotograph

oftheYear,capturingthebestof

our companions in the fi eld

PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE MONTH

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

A

Betweendrives,the

moderncustomis toslip

thegun.It shouldalways

becarriedprovenempty

andmuzzlesdownincasethezip

orfastenerfails.Therightwayto

removea gunfroma slipis to

grabthebarrelsthroughthe

materialandthentobreakthegun,

fingeroffthetrigger.Checkthe

chambersareemptyandassoonas

themuzzlescleartheslip check for

barrelobstructions.

A gunmayalsobecarried,

unloaded,brokenovertheforearm

ortheshoulder,muzzlesforward

andsecuredwithonehand.The

dangerwiththismethodis that one

mayinadvertentlyknock

somethingorsomeonewiththe

buttofthegun.It is acceptable,

however,if donewithcare.

Theoldmethodofcarryinga

gunontheshoulderclosed,trigger

guardup,withmuzzlesbackbut

neartheverticalis not universally

acceptable now.