http://www.rifleshootermagazine.co.uk 53where I aim. Mike is also an assessor
for DMQ through the National
Gamekeepers’ Organisation’s
assessment centre, and is a trainer for
many other firearms courses, which
makes him a really good choice to
carry out our tests for us.
These woodlands we are operating
in, although privately owned, have
permissive access to the public. In
theory, they have to stay on mown
paths, but in practice they are
everywhere, or can be. Safety is
paramount, and making sure that we
are able to shoot accurately is
essential. Taking the skills test is a
check and measure for us and the
owners of the woodland; none of usT
he summer is the hardest time
for us. This project is almost
exclusively woodland stalking,
so with high cover and thickets
it makes it very difficult to spot and
stalk deer, let alone shoot them.
This is also the time of year that we
take our annual skills test. This is a
simple shooting and safety test that
we all complete – to make it fair, we do
it at an independent location. We
chose Carlton Moor Range in
Derbyshire, where owner Mike
Dickinson has a superb range,
shop and rifle workshop. We
were going to take the
test at our base in
Wiltshire, but I neededsome work done on a couple of my
rifles, including a new butt plate on my
Blaser R8 Professional Success. I find
that it is the one thing on the rifle that I
don’t like. The butt plates wear out
really quickly. Mike is a rifle and stock
smith and can fashion anything from
anything. I was also getting him to cut
down my old BRNO .22 rimfire to make
it a little bit more usable. It is the old
style rifle with a hugely long barrel, and
he can make it a little shorter and it will
still retain its accuracy. I have owned it
since I was 18 and it has done a lot
of work, but is still perfect
(other than to look at!).
The action is still really
good and the bullets goGREY IS THE
NEW BLACK
Tim Weston has been out stalking a challenging yet diminutive quarry, keeping
on top of muntjac numbers, and putting his team’s skills to the test at the range
STALKER’S DIARY
PICTURES: »
TIM WESTON
Ranges like
Carlton Moor offer the
perfect place to practise
important safety and
technique skills.
http://www.carltonmoorrange.
comBELOW: The annual
skills test is an
important part of the
team’s overall
management plan