Jack Charlton – an extraordinary man

I heard on the news that 1966 World Cup-winning footballer Jack Charlton has died. My big brother had tears in his eyes later in the day and I must admit even I took notice, while my sons both commented, not that any of us are football fans.

Apart from his great achievements in football there was another reason why ‘Big Jack’ is so highly regarded both in our household and in the countryside.

When I was still at school in 1983, Channel 4 made the brave decision to air a series called Jack’s Game. During the course of the series, Jack participated in a variety of fieldsports, including minkhunting, rough-shooting, driven grouse and pheasant shooting and beagling. Every Sunday afternoon we were treated to Jack, who was a real countryman, casting an unbiased eye over that week’s subject. He was often accompanied by experts whose names will be familiar to Shooting Times readers.

The pigeon-decoying episode featured Archie Coats, roe-stalking was with Richard Prior, highland stalking with Lea Mcnally and the wonderful wildfowling episode with Arthur Cadman. Looking back, the series was a marvellous document of country pursuits in the early 1980s.

My brother still has the series, unfortunately on VHS tape, but my sons tell me that it is available to view on the internet; they only remembered Jack Charlton because they had watched the Jack’s Game tapes with their uncle after a Saturday spent beating during childhood.

Jack was a great footballer and not afraid to stand up for the country sports that meant so much to him and helped him relax in his spare time.

It’s a shame that none of the current generation of sports stars are as committed to the cause as Jack Charlton.

Tess Thompson, via email

love?, 01 July 2020). To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. In my humble opinion, he missed out key points about walking a foxhound pup.

Mr Negus mentioned that he himself hasn’t walked a hound puppy for a significant number of years, not since marrying and having a child. Whilst nothing much has really changed in terms of walking pups over the years, half of the joy of hound puppies is allowing the children to play and explore with them. There is a degree of fear, however, when the children, the hound and the terrier go absent together.

He failed to mention the anticipation of seeing your hound puppy at the puppy show, “Will he/she remember me?” being muttered around the ringside as all walkers hope that their pup wil be judged the best. Even if you don’t know who has walked which hound, you can tell from the reactions as hounds are called out.

Whilst competition is fierce, we all want the ultimate prize of ‘best working hound’, we are equally happy with ‘best dog pup’ or ‘best bitch pup’ knowing that the confirmation will stand them in good stead for their future work.

I remember with great pride a particularly special hound to me, Stanza, was awarded

‘best bitch pup’ and then ‘best pup’. The tears flowed! Stanza subsequently went on to show well, work well in the field and produce a number of litters.

Another special hound, Dasher, whilst he didn’t win at the puppy show was awarded ‘best working hound’ and his prodigy survive him.

The joy of puppies and watching them grow up is marred only by having to take them back to kennels. The upside to this is that they start the next part of their journey. Walking out, coupled to an older, more experienced hound.

Which brings me to my next point. Mr Negus did not once mention putting his puppies on leads. I have had hound puppies sent to me for lead training because puppy walkers had returned them to kennels without ever taking a lead near them. Lead training is always easiest during the early days, when the puppy first arrives at home, than at 12 months.

It is also better if the puppy hasn’t started hunting false scents of rabbits and deer. Huntsmen have commented that it’s been easier to keep them true in the field once they enter if they haven’t been let run on anything as pups.

If your puppy was successful at the hunt puppy show you can, if you want, follow it around the hound shows for a chance to see it against the best of the rest and catch up with fellow supporters, hopefully on a sunny day.

Then the final stage, hunting, starts and the new entry learn their trade. While mounted, you find yourself scanning the pack at the meet for a familiar face or catching the eye of huntsman or whip at the end of the day for an indication of how your puppy has performed. Then it’s time to make an entry into the hunting diary, complete with details of hounds we’ve walked being out – even better if it was a good day.

Hound puppies become part of the family when they come home, and whilst they leave the house they never leave the family. We follow their journey and remember their personalities. We’ve had pups play the piano (normally in the middle of the night), sleep on the Aga, sleep on the kitchen table, wake the neighbours in the middle of the night and give us high fives – even when back in lodges. Hounds are unlike any other breed. They work as a pack and as puppies are a bit, well, clueless, frankly, which is part of their charm. I feel this did not come across in the article at all.

Whilst I applaud you for stretching the boundaries of what we come to read in Shooting Times & Country Magazine, I wish it had been executed better.

Jane Goult,

North Yorkshire

‘‘The wildlife of today is not ours to dispose of as we please. We have it in trust. We must account for it to those who come after.’’ King George VI