where are the orange hats, blue jeans an pick up trucks? an how come no pitchers of pump guns and auto loaders?
also, did you shoot dem funny lookin birds on the ground? or did you jump up out of yo fox hole an shoot em as they flew by, scared half to death by some wogs beating on pots an pans wid ah spoon?
yo dogs are nice. do any of em tree coons or possums?
Dear, oh dear, oh dear,
Ed your knowledge of British Upland Game shooting is as sadly lacking as your knowledge on Colour Case Hardening. Please let me elucidate.
We don't wear Orange Hats or any other bright colours, they stand out in the sombre colours of the moorlands, anyway we have no need for them, we know the difference between a human being and a flying Grouse. Similarly our farmers don't have to paint 'Cow' on the side of their livestock during the deer hunting season. We know the differences, between two and four legged mammals.
Blue jeans are not worn as they are useless pieces of apparell, they are not hardwearing or waterproof and they absorb moisture very readily leading to chills and possible hypothermia. We dress according to the weather and in suitable clothes and colours that blend in with the surrounding countryside. Hence the popularity of Thornproof Tweeds and Barbour waxed jackets and leggings. Above all it's sensible clothing for the climatic conditions met with in the uplands.
Pump and self loading shotguns are restricted here to a total of three rounds maximum by Law, but neither are seen very often, we are game bird shooting, not trying to knock down an incoming enemy bomber. We do not feel the need for heavy anti aircraft fire. We like to give our birds at least a sporting chance of getting away. I have never found either of these guns to balance like a double barrelled shotgun. The traditional shotgun for this form of shooting is the side by side, although a few over and unders are seen.
As for pick up trucks, well there are some on most shooting estates and are used to transport both shooters and beaters to their respective places on the moor, they are also used for delivering hampers of food for the mid day meals again for both parties involved, also carrying spare ammunition, and the birds that are shot etc. Some of the earlier pictures in this thread show the best vehicles for moorland, these have six or eight wheels and are specifically designed for operation on boggy land where 4x4's would readily get bogged down to their axles, the balloon like types float over very wet ground with ease.
Grouse are always shot in flight and that in itself is difficult enough. Yes, we use shooting butts usually one gun or two guns per position with perhaps a loader to assist. These serve two purposes, one to give shelter from the worst of the weather during the often hour or so, before the first birds arrive and secondly to give some concealment, people standing in a line over perhaps two or three hundred yards would stand out and the birds would turn away well out of gun range, The grouse fly low and very fast just like the RAF and NATO fighters that use these areas for low level training.
Finally the Beaters cannot be described as Wogs, as you so succinctly put it (Accronym, for 'Worthy Oriental Gentlemen' dating from WW1) The beaters are invariably local people and often of some of high social rank, beating isn't just confined to the peasantry don't you know. Beaters usually carry sticks to 'beat the heather' to put up the birds. At each end of the beaters line there is usually a 'flag man' to tries to turn birds flying off to the side, back towards the guns. Oddly enough, in all the years I have spent on Moorland (over 50 of them) I have yet to meet any coloured man from anywhere in the world either shooting, hill walking, rock climbing or mountaineering, the great British outdoors seems to hold something that they all apparently fear. We have no 'Coons or Possum' in Britain unless they are escaped pets. Therefore nearly all our shooters have dogs that are trained for Bird hunting and/or retrieving. I do hope this information proves edifying.
Harry
