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Manners maketh man and that’s as true on a shooting line as it is anywhere else. So let’s ensure that before we squeeze that trigger the bird is ours in every way, argues Mike Daunt
It was my oldest friend’s shoot. We were young and in our twenties. the night before all the mates had gone to the local pub for dinner and I had soundly beaten my host at bar billiards. “that’s going to cost you a pheasant or two,” he said as we drove home. He ran the shoot from behind the line, standing where he considered the best place for a back gun. true to his word, he stood himself behind me for the first drive. He was a very good shot and I was totally expecting to be poached. the sun glinted on the cock as it came towards me showing its autumn colours. It was high and curling and I was about to take it when there was a bang from behind me followed by another but, to my amazement, the bird continued on its path. Luckily I killed it first barrel and, to my joy, he had to leap out of the way as four pounds of cock pheasant nearly hit him. It did, however, fall on the bonnet of his newish Range Rover, which he had lazily driven to his stand. Here it left an enormous dent. this story took place many years ago but my great friend and I still shoot and fish together and also, when we can find it, play bar billiards in a pub. this was poaching between friends of an equal ability and was done with laughter and amusement. We didn’t do it very often but occasionally thoroughly enjoyed the fun.
It is totally different when a greedy stranger is found in the line. I met such a man, whom I shall call “So-he-is-top” because he always needed to win and be the high gun. He was the owner of a successful chain of shops and had made his millions. He had taken to shooting late in life but was determined to put the drive and money into the sport as he had done into his business. What he had never realised was that there were certain manners to be adhered to and that shooting was not a competition to be won at any cost. Somehow, he had wangled an invitation from my host, who is also a friend but whom I suspect had also charged him a great deal of money to join the team. I had the misfortune to draw next to him and, on the first drive, he took every bird that came within 50 yards of his peg. After he had shot 10 of my birds on the trot, I had had enough. I emptied my gun and replaced it in its sleeve. As I was a guest I could think of little else to do. However, I should have counted on my host and friend’s intelligence. Between drives he whispered in my ear. “Don’t worry, I’ll sort it.” then he stood next to the ill-mannered gun and, as the first bird approached me and So-he-is-top raised his gun, he pushed his left arm upwards so that the shot went into a grey winter sky.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” shouted So-heis-top.
“teaching you manners,” replied my friend and explained. So-he-is-top started to shout that he had never had any trouble before and that this was disgraceful.
“In that case, I will return your money to you immediately,” replied the host and got out his cheque book, “and you’ll get in your car and go home.”
By this time the drive was over but So-heis-top, by now a humiliated man, had had to accept the cheque and leave the shoot. I was grateful and amazed at two things: that my host had dealt with the situation so forcefully; and that he had had his cheque book with him.
I am afraid to say that I have seen similar behaviour many times on shoots, not to such a blatant extent but enough to spoil a day. It is, of course, completely unforgivable. It is ill manners in the extreme. the guns on either side of the greedy one do not want to confront or complain as it will cause an atmosphere but there will be a feeling of great resentment. In my, not remotely humble, opinion it is vital that the host watches out for greed and stops it immediately and if the gun concerned doesn’t like it then that is too bad and the host should stand next to him, watch him and criticise him until he learns better.
Sir Joseph Nickerson, Lincolnshire farmer, entrepreneur, conservationist and landowner, is one of the greatest names in shooting and his book, A Shooting Man’s Creed, is felt to be the bible of the sport. He is considered by many to be a modern-day second Marquess of Ripon. Rothwell, the estate on which he planted woods with pheasant shooting in mind and founded and ran for many years, was, and is, regarded as a classic example of how a pheasant shoot should be run and laid out. this magus of the shooting world described poaching your neighbour’s birds as “theft” and who am I to contradict such a giant? At the beginning of this 2017 shooting season I beg all of you to ensure that before you squeeze that trigger the bird is yours in every way. It is better that a bird flies through the line without being shot at than that it causes dissension and ill feeling.
It is vital that the host watches out for greed and stops it immediately