Clays2Game_lady

Well my 2021/2022 game shooting & beating, finished as quick as it started; or so it seems!

I managed a full season beating (and took more than one tumble whilst in the line), kicked off my season with a driven duck day with my fave team of guns and ended the season having stood on peg with my dad twice, and on one of them; shot side by side with him and bagged myself my first cock pheasant, and did 2 beater’s day, where I managed to bag my first ever Partridges.

I also introduced 4 ladies into the beating line; 2 of whom went on to be accepted into the team and become regulars in the line with me, and on the last beaters day, one of them stood on peg and shot her first ever game birds. I have so proud of those ladies, and grateful for the gamekeeper and shoot captain for allowing me to bring new ladies to the shoot with me, and making them feel so welcome and part of the team.

My 2022 ladies clay shooting events have hit the ground running; I have sold out for the first Bun Club event if the year at Sporting Targets; third one in a row! And we are already taking bookings for the next one in April.

I have also now ‘met’ the new (to be) owner of Bun Club via a zoom call, and can’t wait until it’s publicly announced who she is.

I’m also humbled to now be able to share, that I’m the 2021 winner of the BASC ladies star of target shooting award. I really cannot thank everyone enough who nominated me. I just wish my mum was here to show her it.

I have plenty to keep me busy over the next few weeks and months, inc articles to write for The Countryman’s Weekly, a blog post to write for a lovely shooting accessories/gifts company, as well as all the planning and hosting Bun Club days that I do. I will also be looking at taking on some local pigeon shooting, and trying to organise a affordable ladies game day for the 2022/2023 season.

On a slightly sad note, I have decided to put my Miroku MK38 up for sale as of this weekend, she doesn’t quite fit with what I need, so the hunt is on for her replacement, and until then, my trusty old Lanber will come out of retirement.

Well, i’m not even a full month into 2022 yet and it’s already looking like this year is going be a GREAT one for my shooting journey.

I have 2 days left in the beating line; which i will also be shooting on for one of those for beaters day. I’m on a driven day on Saturday with my dad; we are sharing a peg- so that could get interesting! it’s our first time out on peg, shooting together…

I have hopefully managed to secure myself some local Pigeon and Corvid control, which will keep me out of mischief until game season starts again, and will be asking my pigeon shooting mentor, Steve, to come and check out the permission with me and give me his advice and guidance.

My ladies days at Sporting Targets with The Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club have started to take off already; first event is in February and i have over 20 ladies booked so far, and also have bookings for the next one in April! I best get my bake on!

Currently trying to decide if to sell my current gun and buy another; i am rather fond of my Miroku, but it’s a rather special gun i have my eye on, owned by a friend and is more of an allrounder than the MK is….

I have also been approached to write a blog post about my shooting journey for a lovely shooting related business; who handmakes amazing feather pins & wreaths amongst other things. I truely am humbled that the lady who owns the business has approched and asked me to to this, as it will appear on her website.

End of February, i will be involved in a different sort of shoot; a photoshoot! one that has come about after taking part in The Naked Huntress Calendar for 2021 & is for a photographers project involving inked ladies (although i’m not so sure i fufill the ‘lady’ part), hoping we can re-create in real life 2 certain pin up tattoos of mine as well….

Last but not least, i do have some BIG news to share with you all, but that will have to wait to be shared with you all for a few more weeks yet…

To those who have a few more days left of the seasons like me; shoot straight and enjoy the days we have left. This season has gone so fast, I have loved being part of the beating team and being out in the field, and will be counting down the months until i can do it all again.

When I started hosting The Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club ladies clay shooting events this year at my local ground, I did it to ensure that local ladies would get the chance to have a go at getting into clay shooting like I did, and to hopefully encourage more ladies into the sport. I certainly did not foresee how much these days would grow and expand out into the ‘other’ side of the sport I love; game days and beating, and that I would achieve the personal goals I set for myself and more! 

So far I have hosted 4 of these ladies days, the last one had 57 ladies attend; crazy seeing as the first one of this year only had 8 ladies attend, but some of those original ladies have not only attended each event I have hosted, but have also gone on to apply for their shotgun licence, have lessons and buy their first gun. So as the events popularity has grown, so has my confidence and ambition; if I could encourage ladies to take up clay shooting, then could I encourage them into the field? be it on a game day or in the beating line or even both! 

My first willing lady who was keen to make the transition from clays to game like I have, is a keen clay shooter, who when she was offered the chance to attend one of the bun club days at short notice, replied ‘let me move my hair appointment, I’ll be there!’ -(now that’s dedication!). Her husband is a fellow clay & game shooter (and is also the one who falls down badger sets whilst beating) so was keen for her to experience her first game day this season. I had already sorted him out with a peg on the driven duck day with me (& poached his duck), so it only seemed fair that when I spotted a post in one of the ladies shooting groups, offering spaces on a novice only game day, that I thought of his lovely wife and suggested she get booked on, she certainly didn’t hesitate in saying yes and asked if I would be her peg buddy, which I accepted with pleasure. 

As the day drew closer, the shoot had another peg come up and as it was short notice, I asked if my dad could take it, as although he had shot game before (many years ago), he had never done a driven day and it would be good opportunity for him to get back into the field and see how he felt about coming out with me on any days i booked on (clearly I had forgot the ‘trauma’ of him trying to teach me to drive all those years ago). This did mean that Hannah would need a new peg buddy, but it worked out well, as it meant Steve, her husband, would be able to stand with her, and I would stand with my dad. 

The shoot is a small local syndicate who each year hold a day where they welcome new guns into the sport with a reasonable sized bag and price, and the emphasis is on safety, learning about being in then field and getting your first bird. 

Everyone drew their peg numbers (and yes, by the third drive no one could remember what peg they should be on!) and we took up our places on our pegs. I explained to dad what we class as a sporting shot and which birds he should let go, information that it would seem went in one ear and out the other and did cause us to have ‘words’ with each other on the first drive, as his version of a sporting shot and my version, differed somewhat! And I may have had to remind him that he was on a proper shoot and not back on his poaching days! Needless to say his first drive was very successful, but more importantly, so was Hannah’s, as she shot her first mallard on the first drive with a swift and quick headshot much to her relief and Steve’s delight- and all three of us were delighted with her success and skill. 

The day ended with a driven duck drive, which dad found a tad overwhelming and I struggled to keep up as his loader, but seeing as he had filled his bag quota (and then some more!) I didn’t feel too bad for him. Hannah also went on to have a few more successful shots and her and Steve took home a brace of her ducks for dinner that night. So not only had a achieved my goal of getting a fellow lady gun out on her first successful game day, but I had also had the pleasure of being with my dad on his first proper game day (It has to be said, I’m not sure I would want to be stood on a peg near him, as it seems he’s still a rather good shot and I don’t think I’d stand much chance of getting any birds!) 

So, I had not only achieved my goal of a encouraging more than one of my ladies into applying for their shotgun licence and getting their own gun, but also two sell out ladies clay event and getting one of the ladies out into the field on a successful first game day, what was my next goal? Well, to get some of the ladies into the beating line with me! I asked any of the ladies if they would be interested in joining me on a days beating and had 4 ladies request to join me. 

I’m lucky that the shoot I beat on isn’t that hard going for us beaters, and that the keeper Is on side with letting inexperienced newcomers join us, so 2 weeks ago I took 2 of the ladies with me. The whole team including the guns, made both ladies feel welcome and part of the team, and took time to explain why we do what we do, the benefits of shooting and beating and answered any questions they had, as well as making sure we did not lose them in the cover crops! 

Both ladies only started shooting this year and via the Bun Club events I have hosted, so had never been on or involved in a game shoot before, but both kept up with the team and followed all instructions really well, didn’t stop smiling all day and have said they would happily join me again, and i have taken a third lady out; again, never been beating before and she ahs said she would come back out with- success!

This is what shooting needs, more places and people who are willing to give newcomers to this sport a chance of being out in the field for a sensible price, and support and encourage them.

I certainly do not see or class myself as a ‘influencer’ as some keyboard warriors have suggested, maybe they could instead follow my example and divert their energy and time into supporting newcomers into the field, and cheering on those of us that do, and who do it for no financial gain or want of recognition but to ensure this sport we love, is carried on for future generations. 

I don’t feel I will be alone in bidding a glad farewell to 2021, this year has been one of the hardest and bittersweet years of my life, and being able to get out shooting & beating, has kept me sane and given me something to focus on.

In April of this year, my amazing mum, Shani, passed away after living with Myeloma; Blood Cancer, since 2015. She was also on Dialysis 3 times a week due to it. Initially, the doctors told her she had 18mths and she would never walk again, to which she replied ‘I don’t think so!’, so if you ever wonder where my stubborn streak comes from…

Mum wasn’t my biggest fan when I started shooting, she felt it would be another passing expensive hobby (I’m guessing she chose to block out the motorbikes, horses and tattoo parts of my life!), but then she started seeing how much I enjoyed the sport, and how many people it opened me up to meet  (I think she hoped I’d meet a nice country gent!), it also gave me and my dad something to bond over and spend time together doing; which as mums condition declined, has helped us both massively. I also don’t doubt she knew about the various guns we ‘smuggled’ into the house without her knowing about them…

I had volunteered to host The Bun Club days at Sporting Targets before mum passed away. My best friend, who I will and do ‘affectionally’ call ‘Mellors’ (all will be explained) persuaded me to host these days when it came clear that they needed a new host for their up and coming days this year, and he promised me it would all be ok and it would be easy…famous last words! But those days have actually got me through this year, and so has the support from him,the people involved in Bun Club and some of the ladies I have met on them.

So I feel an open and heartfelt thank you needs to be written and shared from me, to acknowledge those who have got me through this year when I needed good friends and people around the most, and also a nod to the sport that I have come to love and encourage others to get involved in.

* ‘Mellors’- his nickname came about as he calls me ‘Lady C’ after Lady Chatterley (yes, THAT book/lady!) as when our paths started to cross more and more last year during lockdown, he thought I was ‘posh’  &  quite frankly he made me nervous (we won’t bring up the bush/tree incident!) , and even now I have a healthy dose of respect for him, even if I do drive him up the wall and we have our fall outs…and unlike the 2 characters in the book, we will never be more than just friends, but his friendship and promise that he will always be there for me when I need him, have stood true; even when I’ve put that to the test (initial phone calls of ‘I need you’ were when I crashed my car & then hit a muntjac 2 weeks later!).

It was him who was there for me when we were given mums final diagnosis in February, he sat and held me as I went through every emotion possible and back in the space of 10minutes, who held my hand in the hallway when the hearse arrived on the day of the funeral & it was him who came back that night to check on me and my dad. He also persuaded me to keep going with the bun club days and stop doubting my ability to shoot; I just need to LISTEN more & stop being stubborn and doing things my way, as 9/10 times, he is right with what he tells me…although I’m still not sorry for shutting your fingers in my gun on that SIM day! So thank you ’Mellors’ for being there this year for me, and my dad and for encouraging me to take on Bun Club days.

*Victoria, aka VKL, and Maxine, owner & Manger of The S&CBC (Bun Club)- thank you for believing in me, supporting me, listening to me and watching me flourish running these days for you at Sporting Targets. What started out with only 8 ladies on the first ever one I hosted, has ended with 57 ladies on last one and over £2k raised for charity. You’ve both tweaked things behind the scenes for me when I’ve had ideas, dealt with countless emails and messages from me and never let me give in & up when I started to doubt myself and my ability to run these days!

These days have given me something to focus on and work through my grief of losing my mum, they have made me stronger, more determined and fulfilled personal goals I never thought I would achieve.

*Steve, my pigeon shooter mentor and close friend. We might not have been able to get out on crop protection this year, but you encouraged me to put pen to paper instead & follow your lead in writing articles, which I have enjoyed and the feedback I have had, has really surprised me, as I don’t feel what I write is that good! But seems people disagree. You also provide a little place of calm and kindness, where I can come to hide away from the world for a few hours and just drink tea, relax and get my thoughts in order.

*Rob, my oh so patient shooting instructor and friend, its only taken you nearly 3yrs of trying to get me to shoot skeet and crossers without having a meltdown; and even now you get ‘the face’ . I would not be where I am with my shooting & writing if it wasn’t for you. You sussed me out and how I think on our first ever meeting back on my first ever Bun Clun day in January 2019, and I’ve been trying to break you ever since!

*The Editors of The Countrymans Weekly, for accepting my first article I nervously submitted at the start of this year, and have gone on to request more (despite the trolling over the first article!)

*Mark, aka the ‘tea boy’ and creator of The Naked Huntresses charity calendar & all the other fab models who I have met since agreeing to take part for 2021, and maybe another year….Friendships have bloomed, laughs have been had “Just call me Janey!” & taking my clothes off and climbing up a tree in North Norfolk, in Autumn, to pose for a photo for said calendar has never been more liberating… or freezing! Can I have a warmer month next time please?

*Kath at BASC who pretty much raided their offices to send me as much stuff as she could for the last 2 mega Bun Clun days I hosted, meaning all the ladies who attended went home with a goodie bag filled with as much information and guidance on shooting we could provide , and of course, a free baseball cap!

*The staff at Sporting Targets who have embraced the last 2 huge ladies days and ensured they ran smoothly and well, encouraged me to book more ladies on & have really pushed for the ladies to come back with offers on lessons and membership.

*The gamekeeper and beating team, who make trudging through thick, wet, heavy mud and battling tall cover crops, worth it. The banter and stories we share, the wildlife I get to see & just being out in the fresh air with likeminded people.

And last but not least, thank you to all the ladies who have attended my Bun Club ladies days at Sporting Targets this year, some of you have gone on to apply for your licences, buy your first gun, book lessons, do your first game day or come out beating with me! And I am incredibly proud of you all. Some of you have attended every single one I have hosted, some have done it as a one off experience, but I have formed so many good close friendships with ladies on these days; I have a small band of fellow ‘trouble makers’ who have formed a ‘Rob’ fan club and won’t shoot with another instructor; although we are yet all to get together to have a group lesson with him- i think that may just tip him over the edge!

Being able to get out on the clay ground, and out beating, has had such a positive effect on my mood and wellbeing this year. I’ve been able to just stop and breathe and take time out for myself.

I’m so proud of what I have achieved this year, and thankful to those who have helped me achieve it and supported me through this year. I don’t know what 2022 holds; all being well, I have 4 game days in January booked, and a few more beating days before the season ends, after that- who knows! All I know is I need to trust those I know I can, not be so hard on myself or doubt myself so much and know I have my mums sheer grit to get me though whatever 2022 decides to throw at me.

So It would certainly seem I am making up for losing all my game days, beating and ladies clay shooting events last year, as so far I have managed to do all 3 in the space of a few weeks of this years game season starting.

You know you are dedicated to field sports, when you cut your holiday short by 2 days so you can get out with your favourite team of guns on a driven duck day. I did have some slight pangs of nervousness and wished I had not spent all summer just messing around on the clays instead of practising properly and using my pre-booked lessons, oh and I had just bought a new gun, which I had only been out with twice on the clay ground- so no pressure!

I was peg sharing with my usual in the field mentor, Richard, who ‘casually’ asked as I climbed over the gate on the walk to our first drive, “You’re not scared of cows are you?” luckily I am not, as we soon had an audience of rather curious cows gathered behind us as we stood waiting for the signal that the first drive was to start; which was pre-emptively started by a rather ‘keen’ gun.

To say the first drive was intense would be an understatement, it was 360 shooting, with me and Richard stood near enough back to back at one point, as though we had agreed we would peg share, it had been done on the understanding and blessing of the shoot captain,  that I could have my own peg if I didn’t struggle with getting any shots, and from the off I had found my feet, so Richard took up position on the peg next to me and had the great delight, in his own words, of watching me take a shot that was a joy to watch & take, and one that both of us will remember for a long time, I asked him why and his reply is one I will treasure: 

“Driven duck often requires guns to have a much greater sense of gun safety and muzzle awareness due to the potential 360 degree nature of the shooting. Your duck came in from behind you and you correctly raised your gun vertically, turned around and addressed the bird as a true driven target conscious that of the line of guns extended to your left and right. Your footwork placed your weight forward onto your leading foot and your gun swing was fluid and controlled. This allowed you to place the pattern exactly in the right place and result was a text book kill”

The second drive was just as successful for me, with me rather tongue in cheek (and bravely for me!) ‘poaching’ a neighbouring guns duck (I’m still not sorry Steve!), and headmitted he couldn’t be mad at me as it was a great shot, and so another confidence boost for me.

The third and final drive of the day was a tad quieter; I had a wonderful lady and her Labrador join me on my peg as my personal picking up team, but the majority of the ducks gave my peg a wide berth! I managed to get one duck, which resulted in said Labrador being sent to a do a water retrieve, at which point I broke my gun, put it away, and stood, watched and chatted to his owner until the horn sounded to say the drive was over. Overall I had bagged myself 5 ducks and had the great pleasure of not only being back out in the field & being successful, but also catching up with friends, old and new, that I had not got to see last season.

Two weeks later I was back out on the clay ground, this time hosting for The Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club on one of their ladies days at Sporting Targets. This one was an extra special event for me, as not only did I have 49 ladies booked on and attend;half of whom had never shot before, but also because the Bun Club renamed the shoot ‘The Shani Boswell Memorial  Shoot’ in memory of my mum who passed away in April with Myeloma, which is a blood cancer. My fabulous co-host, Zoe, organised a charity raffle with amazing prizes ranging from a lesson and a bottle of their own gin by Sporting Targets, to a subscription gifted by The Countryman’s Weekly. Overall, we raised £1070.00 that was donated to the local Dialysis Unit in memory of my mum.  We also ran a competition involving a giant cartridge, and the well deserved winner was the lady who climbed IN it!

I was bought back down to earth from my highs of my game day and successful ladies clay shooting event, by the keeper on the shoot I beat on, with a plea of would I go on stop this weekend as we were short. Now I am not a morning person and the 5am alarm call did not impress me, but I had a 45min drive to allow me to wake up a tad more and feel more human, and i did quite enjoy hearing the countryside stir and come to life as the sun rose; even if the pheasants decided to stay in bed! 

As much as had missed the banter with the fellow beaters, I had not missed the battle of getting through thick cover crop and got lost more than once! although at least I didn’t fall down a badger sett or 3 (Mr Noel!) 

Said fellow beater did get his own back on me for laughing at his misfortunes, as when he held back the last of the cover crop for me to emerge from on a drive, he yelled out ‘I’m just pushing a big bird out’ Luckily it was taken with the good humour from me as it was intended with, and funny banter and comments like that are what makes a good beating team.

A good few braces of pheasants were taken home by us all, including for me, a pair of stunning Melanistic pheasants that the younger members of the beating team solemnly told us were called ‘Ben & Jerry’. I confess ‘Ben & Jerry were converted into dinner for my friends the next day and their feathers have been transformed into a feather wreath for myself.

So within 3 weeks, I’ve managed to make up for all the time and experiences lost last year due to Covid & lockdowns, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of this season has in store for me.

So this year, instead of shooting on Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club days, i took on the position of hosting them at Sporting Targets.

There is so much more to this role than just turning up and meeting/greeting the ladies and issuing rosettes at the end , and i’ve had to learn fast and think on my feet at times, as well as listen to feedback from the ladies and change what i’ve been able to.

The first one of the year, was a very gentle introduction into being a S&CBC host, as i only had 8 ladies book on! The second in Aug, i had 14 ladies and started to get a better idea of what worked and what didn’t, and what needed tweaking, although i must admit that it did not fully prepare me for the last 2 events, where i had 49 & then 57 ladies booked on!

I host these days, as i want to encourage ladies into shooting via the route, places and people who supported me into it, and the ’payment’ i get from hearing and seeing ladies return for lessons, applying for their licences and getting out into the field, is enough for me.

The Oct event at Sporting Targets was held in memory of my mum, who passed away in April with Myeloma, which is a blood cancer. What started out as a normal bun club day, turned into a full scale event with goodie bags to be put together, a charity raffle organised and a fun photo competition. Out of the 49 ladies booked in; half had never shot before!

We raised £1070.00 for the local Dialysis unit in memory of my mum, and i had a flurry of bookings for the next & last event of the year in Dec.

Well; if i thought 49 ladies was a lot, then we smashed it with 57 booked on! As it was Christmas, and we had so many ladies booked on, we held another charity raffle; this time for the grounds choice of charity, Parkinson’s UK, and the ladies raised £880.00!

Although i said i wouldn’t, i have now agreed to host again for 2022. As much as i love doing these days; the last 2 mega ones have really required a lot of planning & organising and I’ve not being able to spend as much time with the ladies as i wanted to, but it’s a catch 22, as i don’t want to put off any willing ladies who want come and give this sport a go, so i won’t cap the numbers.

I do have to say, VKL & Max at Bun Club HQ, have had endless patience with me and have tried to tweak and change things as much as they have been able to when i have asked them, and i think this year has been a huge learning curve for the 3 of us.

Lets see what 2022 brings!

There are many naked charity calendars out there, but the naked huntress is the only one i appear in!

The naked huntress calendar was created back in 2015, when Mark, our fabulous photographer, creator and tea boy, made, in his own words, a ‘silly remark’ about his wife taking part in a charity nude calendar whilst having breakfast with friends, to which one of the ladies there replied ‘I’ll do it if you are brave enough to take the picture’- and so the Naked Huntress was created.

6 years later, a feature in the ‘The Field’ magazine, the calendar has raised just shy of £28k (& counting) for The Pancreatic Cancer charity that it supports, and it was my turn to ‘dare to bare’ and feature in this years (2021) edition.

Mark and his fantastic team of admin ladies, who have featured many times themselves over the years, do not select the models for the calendar; ladies enquire about how to take part and are asked what aspect of country sport they are they involved in, and any lady brave enough to go naked for this calendar is automatically accepted onto the team.

ALL the ladies who feature are real ladies; no paid models here! We are all involved in country sports, from beating, picking up, shooting, hunting, to fishing, and we are all ages and body shapes, some of us have tattoos, some of us have scars, but we all love country sports and are proud to feature.

I had the pleasure of having my photos taken with 3 other ladies; whom i had only met that day of the photoshoot! and we gained the nickname the ‘Norfolk Nudies’, The ice was broken within minutes of us taking our robes off in preparation for the first photo, by model S, who looked at me, smiled and said ‘nice boobs’. I think Mark knew from that point he was going to have this work cut out keeping us 4 from giggling all day!

I was coaxed into taking part in the calendar by model D, who also runs the naked huntress twitter page (Twitter has ALOT to answer for with my shooting journey so far!). I had followed the page for a few years and admired the ladies who took part and shared their tweets, and D had tried to get me to consider taking part after i started clay shooting and had been out in the pigeon hide a few times, but i personally did not feel i fitted the description of being involved in country sports until i did my first game day, which was a success, so it was time to put my big girl pants on, or in this case, take them off! and bare all.

Mark is highly professional, and us ladies always have a female chaperone with us at all times. The usual format will be that Mark will ask us to pose in our dressing gowns first, so he can see if the shot will work, and then turns his back while we disrobe and hand it to our chaperone and get into position, once we are happy and comfortable, we tell Mark we are ready, he turns round and takes the shots he wants and then turns back away while we get handed our dressing gown and get wrapped back up in it.

Mark will then review the shots with the model, and any she does not like, are deleted in front of her. No filters, no staging, just natural locations and ladies.

It took Mark and the other models awhile to coax a relaxed, natural smile from me during the shoot, mainly as being in a field in mid October in North Norfolk with nothing on, is bloody cold! but once i started to relax and see the stunning photos Mark was capturing, the photos spoke for themselves. One of the highlights of the photoshoot for me, was when model S and her dogs were posing. The dogs were looking every which way apart from straight at the camera, until a cock pheasant strutted out behind Mark…. the instruction of ‘DO NOT MOVE’ was issued to us, as the dogs sat alert and eyes set on this pheasant, and the final photo was certainly one for Model S to treasure.

In between the lockdowns last year, i made the most of being out with the beating team and persuaded most of the team to buy this years calendar as yes, i was in it, and took the good natured teasing i knew i would get, but overall the team was supportive and said i was brave to take part.

The 2022 calendar is now on sale and can be ordered via the naked huntress social media pages; twitter, facebook or instagram, but be quick as every year they have sold out!

I don’t appear in the 2022 edition, but i may come back and do another year if asked, and certainly recommend any ladies who may be contemplating in asking if they can take part, to contact Mark or the admin ladies via the naked huntress social media pages and have a chat, its a decision you wont regret.

On September 25^th 2021, it was the 10^th anniversary of The Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club (S&CBC or ’Bun Club’) being created.  

To celebrate, the club held a 10th anniversary shoot at Barbury Shooting Ground, with a meal and drinks party afterwards, where members and non-members of the S&CBC were welcomed to book on and join in the fun.

Ten years ago on that date, Victoria Knowles-Lacks, took four girl friends for a group-shooting lesson and made a cake. Little did she know back then what she would go to on to create and achieve 

What Victoria and Bun Club members have created 10 years later, has not only shaped an industry but also changed so many lives; including mine. It has seen women enter our beloved sport, make life-changing friendships, blossom in confidence, change careers and even get married! 

It has been such a journey, not only for the club, but for the members and the industry too. A lot has changed in 10 years and the Bun Club is so proud of the work it has done to put women’s shooting firmly on the map.

• The club has had 22,000+ (and counting) women to their events 
• Won 10 awards  
• Created National Ladies’ Shooting Day 

Prior to January 2019, although my grandad had been a poacher turned gamekeeper and my dad used to shoot, I had never handled a gun before – let alone shot one – but it was something that I did want to become involved in, I just didn’t know how to start. Then I saw an advert for an S&CBC ladies clay shooting event at my local clay ground, Sporting Targets, and booked myself and a friend on to it; the rest is history.  

I have  since attended S&CBC events at various grounds over the past two years, and this year I have gone on to host their events at Sporting Targets in Riseley, Bedford and have the huge pleasure of seeing ladies who have never shot before, follow my footsteps of attending an event, book lessons and start the process of applying for their licence, and I’m so proud of those ladies.

On S&CBC events, ladies are split into four different groups according to the ability level they have booked themselves on; never shot before, novices, intermediate and experienced.

‘Never shot before’/novice and intermediate shoot 30 clays, and all equipment including gun hire and cartridges is provided, while the experienced ladies shoot 75 clays but have to provide their own cartridges.

The ladies are taken out in their groups round the clay grounds by qualified instructors, who coach and support them into smashing clays. Afterwards it’s back to the ground’s clubhouse for a cup of tea/coffee and baked goods, which normally the ladies will have baked themselves, and there is a rosette for best cake/baked goodie, as well one for the highest scoring lady gun of each experience level.

There does seem to be a misconception that ladies who attend these events, will always go on to just shoot on them, but these events do attract a good mix of ladies who shoot both clays and game, and I openly encourage any ladies who attend, to get out into the field and become involved with game shooting, or to go beating,

At the time of writing this, I have a lady who can already shoot, but just needed some more confidence, and has now booked onto her first ever game day after attending the Bun Club events I have hosted so far, and she has requested I join her on the day!

Another recent highlight for me from the last S&CBC event I hosted, was watching a young lady who had never shot before, and was finding the size and weight of a 20 bore too much for her, smash the clays with ease with a .410 that the instructor went and requested for her.

She has gone on to have lessons and not only book on for the next S&CBC event in October with me, but also book onto another ladies clay shooting event at the same ground.

For me, S&CBC events have been a huge stepping-stone and part of my learning process that has enabled me to quickly progress to being out in the field either shooting or beating, and gaining the confidence to take part in charity clay shooting competitions.

That is the joys of the S&CBC; it opens shooting up to women and supports them with which experiences and areas of shooting they may wish to become involved in.

The S&CBC also organises other events, such as ‘Sim Days’ (and men are welcome to attend some of those), rifle shooting experiences, Sporting to Olympic disciplines in trap and skeet, and have had events where ladies can learn to play polo! 

Covid meant S&CBC events and their National Ladies Shooting Day (NLSD) for 2020 and 2021 were put on hold but, as soon as restrictions were lifted, Bun Club was back! And it’s been so good to see so many ladies back out on the clay grounds and getting into shooting in a fun, safe, supported and sociable way. 

I also would not have had an excuse to learn to bake, although Covid lockdowns played a part in that, as all my beating and game days were cancelled so I needed something to fill my weekends. I seem to have perfected my lemon drizzle cake, but I still fail miserably at biscuits; you could probably use them as clays!

Many close friendships have been formed at Bun Club events and I certainly encourage any of the ladies who attend the days I host, to come round the ground with me for some practice shooting afterwards if they are experienced enough to shoot without the qualified guidance of an instructor, but also any of the new lady guns are welcome to come out with us to watch, ask questions and learn the layout of the grounds and stands.

Although I now have my licence and have gone on to shoot pigeons from a hide, partake in game days and beating, and will quite often go out and do some practice shooting on the clay grounds by myself, I will always have a fondness for the Bun Club. Without it, I would not have started shooting and been able to be involved in the all aspects of the sport that I am now, met the people I have and had the opportunities to enjoy the experiences I have. 

Thank you Bun Club, for introducing me to the fantastic world of shooting, supporting me to grow in confidence and experience and allowing me to step up this year and volunteer to become a host for you at my favourite clay ground.

I am proud to be a member and a part of the S&CBC; encouraging more women into this sport via the route I took, so let us raise a glass to 10 more years of the club and its members, and encourage more women to take up shooting, and so become involved more out in the field and on the clays grounds.

I have 2 more events this year to host at Sporting Targets in between juggling being out beating and on game days, so i will certainly be busy this season, but I promise I will do my best to keep my blog updated with my exploits out in the field and on the clay grounds.

It seems it wasn’t just the love of shooting i inherited from from grandad, but also the love of tattoos.

Unsurprisingly really; seeing as he was an old school tattooist; who gave my dad his first tattoo at the age of ten!!!

My pin up ladies are a hugely personal piece for me; they are a play on my social media name, they are an acknowledgment of my passion for shooting and how it started (clays) to what its progressed to (game), and they are also a nod to The Naked Huntress charity calendar, which i am proud to support & have been featured in this year (2021).

The start of this piece, has also bought me a new lady gun friend into my life; we started out as instagram ‘friends’ after she commented on the initial drawing of my game lady pin up, and its a friendship that has flourished and become a real life friendship.

I often get asked about, and complimented on what I wear when I’m shooting, and also get asked what kit I use, so I thought I would pop a quick blog post up.

I love getting ‘dressed up’ to shoot, as I spend my days at work in trousers and a shirt, or a dress, so it’s a good excuse to wear clothes that make me feel confident and are separate to my day to day wardrobe.

Most of the clothing & kit I wear & use, are from small British brands and so I’ve provided links to to their website, so you can have a browse and maybe do some shopping of your own. 

I will do a post on what guns I’ve shot/shoot with, as felt they deserved their own blog post (I may have owned a few in the short time I’ve been shooting!).

Clay shooting 

• The lovely printed shirts I wear are either from Hartwell Clothing (www.hartwellclothing.com) or Rydale. I love Hartwell shirts, as they have a modesty button for us ladies; so no ‘gape’. Both makes of shirts, tuck nicely into jeans/trousers or a skirt.

• My shooting waistcoats are from Gamebirds Clothing (www.gamebirdsclothing.co.uk) they have ambidextrous recoil pads built in and lovely deep cartridge pockets.  

• I love my  blazers from Sporting Hares (www.sportinghares.com/beauchamp) close fitting and flattering, but have enough give for me to be able to shoot and not be restricted.

• Boots; For clay shooting I can found in my Fairfax and Favour Explorers or my trusty old favourites, my Ariat Coniston Pro GTX. 

• Ear defenders; Swatcom Active8 in Carbon Fibre. 

• Glasses: Pilla, a pair of yellow lens and a pair purple lens, also have a pair of Oakley glasses that were gifted to me when I first started shooting, which have a rose/pink lens.

• Gunslip: I like to be different, so I had a made to measure floral gunslip made for me by Bradley’s Tannery (www.bradleysthetannery.co.uk). 

• Hat; I can usually be found in found in my NLSD/S&CBC 2019 Hull baseball cap when I’m clay shooting, or can sometimes be found in a gorgeous fedora by Hayfield England (www.hayfieldengland.com) who also make some stunning feather hat pins to compliment them! I also love Spent Shells hat pins (www.spentshells.co.uk)

I’ve yet to find a pair of gloves I’m happy to clay shoot in, and with winter approaching, I’m open to suggestions as to what brands to try?! 

Game days/beating

• Shirts; same ones as what I wear for clay shooting, usually teamed with a gilet; and no, I don’t own a Schoffel one!

• For game days & beating, I wear breeks. Usually gortex lined as they keep the wind and rain out.

• Boots: My Ariats or Aigle Parcours

• Have a lovely Musto tweed suit consisting of matching waistcoat, breeks and coat. for game days; yet to see the light of day! Hoping this season it will have an outing (or 3!). For beating, I wear my Seeland jacket until it starts to get colder and weather really turns, and then my ‘posh’ Schoffel ptarmigan tweed jacket comes out; yes, I really do wear it for beating in!

• Gun slip: Big thank you to The Crafty Rabbit (www.craftyrabbitengland.co.uk) for my game gunslip, it’s a basic green foldable slip, nice and lightweight and I don’t mind if it gets muddy!

• Gloves; I won a beautiful pair of Maude & Fox fingerless mittens (www.maudeandfox.com) via  The CountryMans Weekly, and they have become my go to gloves for when I’m beating. Due to Covid, I lost all my  game days last season- so can’t comment on what the are like to shoot with.