I started my shooting journey in January 2019 with The Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club, at Sporting Targets. Along with my fantastic instructor; Rob Ockwell (who has the patience of saint when it has come to teaching me to shoot) who is a passionate game shooter, there is a strong family link to game shooting – my grandad was a poacher turned gamekeeper and my dad did his share of poaching (in his own words: he could run back then!) as well as the odd round of clays, so it was inevitable I would graduate from just wanting to shoot clays to being out in the field.
I spent that summer learning to shoot clays and was taken under the wing (excuse the pun) of Steve Caple, who has become my local shooting mentor and friend. He has guided me from stepping away from only shooting clays to spending some lovely summer days in the pigeon hide with. He has ensured I was safe in the field and prepared me for when I could eventually take part in a game day.
I was lucky enough to be gifted my first ever game day in October that year, which was a walked-up day, and it was made even more special that I was able to share my peg with my best friend, who had been on a few game days with her dad. She was able to explain to me what to expect, as well as be there to share the day with me.
Now I will admit I learnt a few things very quickly that day:
1.A Beretta 682 Sporting, whilst perfect for its natural habitat of a clay ground, is not a suitable gun to use for a walked-up game day; my arm muscles and shoulders certainly got a workout that day!
2. Ever been made to feel bad by a spaniel giving you a disapproving look? No? well I have now. I was pre-warned that Skye, the beautiful Welsh spaniel, would give us guns the most disgusted of looks if we missed. Her owner was not wrong!
3. If your fellow guns offer you a hand while you climb over a leaning metal fence, accept it with ladylike grace and don’t refuse, or the video evidence of you head diving back over it as you slip, and are only saved from landing in a heap by said fellow guns who offered help in the first place, will be sent to You’ve Been Framed. Luckily, on this occasion they did not capture this incident on video).
On arriving at the shoot, it was agreed that my friend would do the first drive, so I could get an idea of how the day would go and give me a chance to ask any questions. I also had a fantastic in-the-field mentor; Richard Carpenter, who had gifted me the day, and the rest of the guns were keeping an eye on me/supporting me, so it was down to me and my confidence as to how the day was going to go. Well, I will not lie – the first part of the day was a struggle for me; I found my gun heavy and clunky; I did not have the confidence to take the easy shots that the other guns had left for me to take, despite their encouragement. I perked up on seeing my best friend taking such a good a shot on one drive, that she was awarded shot of the day. As we sat in the shoot room at lunch, I was contemplating giving the rest of the drives a miss; my arms ached, I was tired and my self-confidence was non-existent. There was only me and other gun who had not bagged any birds yet and, although there was no pressure from the rest of the team, I knew they were all keen for me have a successful day and I felt like I was letting them down.
The first drive back after lunch, and my best friend brings down a lovely cock pheasant, so I feel the pressure on me even more now! Next drive is the ducks, but for this drive we would be stood on a peg. Richard, my mentor, stood beside me and we waited; we are to let the ducks circle us twice and then take our shots. Richard tells me: “Watch them, pick one, focus on it and take the shot.” They circle us, once, twice and, on their third approach, I pick one, focus, raise my gun, push my safety off and – just as my brain starts overthinking and making me freeze on taking the shot – Richard yells “shoot it!” I squeeze the trigger and to my delight and total surprise, the duck’s wings fold and it drops instantly. Not only have I bagged myself my first bird but I have also managed an outright clean kill – a head shot. It’s not something I had planned, but the relief that washed over me… my main fear had been just pricking one. Before the drive ended, I had bagged myself another. I cannot honestly say I remember the details of that one, but the keeper proudly presented me with the pair I had shot and also, in keeping with tradition, blooded me.
And so we moved onto the last drive of the day, back onto the pheasants and, again, we were to be stood on a peg but this time I would be alone – this one was all on me; no pressure! The birds started to be flushed over us, I took a few shots but missed each time and my new-found confidence started to slip. I knew the drive was drawing to an end and, as the last few pheasants made an appearance, I took a shot and brought down a hen; she crumpled in front of me, yet again, I’d managed a head shot. The cheer from the rest of the team who had been stood watching me and willing me on, was the perfect ending to my day. I had done it; I was exhausted, I could hardly lift my arms up but had an ear-to-ear smile. Not only had I been successful and had managed two head shots, but I had kept my promise to Steve; I would bring him home my first birds I had shot, as a thank you for his time and guidance, and they were personally delivered to him to next day.
Richard was delighted, he handed me a packet of baby wipes with a wink and said he thought I might be needing them that day – to clean my face up before my drive home; although nothing was going to wipe the smile off my face. My dad was equally delighted and proud, and we both laughed and said we thought my grandad must have been with me in spirit.
My next game shoot was a driven day, organised via BASC and, again, Richard was my in-the-field mentor. Our paths were to cross again, when he asked me to beat for the team back at the original shoot on a day in December. I had never been beating before but did not hesitate to say I’d love to give it a go; I wanted to experience as many opportunities and roles on a shoot as I could – and that’s an enthusiasm I still carry with me now.
Clays2Game_lady 