Being way out west – and Ireland is west to Englishmen – and that the country was a little wild, it wasn’t that remarkable that Clint Eastwood had joined our shooting party. Not the real Clint, of course, but his cinematic legend buried in our memory, the Man with No Name who’d inspirited us boys with his monosyllabic coolness, constant cheroot smoking and lethal ability to clear leather with his Colt 1851 Navy revolver before the bad guys pulled their pieces.
Now no-one could call common snipe bad guys. In fact, they’re heroic to all in love with the undomesticated remnants of the British Isles inhabited by these buff-and brown sprites: the windy and wet, boggy and plashed, boot-sucking places where the only meetings are with stern-gazed hairy cattle. But to shoot a snipe you have to beat them to the draw, to mount and shoot before that flicker of wings jumping 40 yards out and now twisting skywards has reached another 15 yards and safety.
It’s never easy bagging Gallinago gallinago when he’s doing his fandango. Sometimes he'll be in generous mood, announcing his departure with the double note of ripping cotton, but often he’ll just ghost away, barely visible against the bleached grasses and mosses, a whiter shade of pale. A difficult shot, then, but not impossible, especially with practice. Sir Hugh Gladstone recounts the exploits of Patrick Halloran, a professional fowler from Kilkee, Co Clare, who, aged 69, shot 762 walked-up snipe in the 1924-25 season, part of a lifetime’s bag of more than 40,000, his best run without misses being 23, including five right-and-lefts.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 2020-Ausgabe von The Field.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 2020-Ausgabe von The Field.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
A sweet-pea Summer
Sweet peas are enjoying an Instagram moment’ but to appreciate fully these charming flowers one must hasten back to the real world, says Ursula Buchan
Top sporting stays
Effortlessly smart and with superb shooting and fishing on the doorstep, these British hotels are the perfect base for fieldsports enthusiasts, says Madeleine Silver
Tradition with a twist
Showcasing the finest British produce from honey, beer and butter to game and venison, this month’s trio of dishes truly encapsulate the taste of Britain, says Philippa Davis
Daylesford
Organic farming at its finest
The best of British breeds
When it comes to developing and establishing the world’s most popular gundog breeds, Britain has a lot to be proud of, says David Tomlinson
Ping and you're winning
An email alert for burgonets coming to auction draws Roger Field’s attention to a promising lot. Meanwhile, a sale from novelist John le Carré’s estate temporarily raises an eyebrow
Saving the queen of flowers
Trailing clouds of glory into your garden, historic roses are as vital a part of British heritage as a Gainsborough painting and must be preserved
Long live the sporting pub
Not just a place to drink, the right kind of country pub is a beacon for fieldsports enthusiasts. The Star Inn in Harome is one such spot
The sole survivors
An increasingly casual attitude to what we wear has given rise to the so-called dress sneaker’ but proper gentlemen's shoes will never go out of fashion
A win in the willow
The cricket bat industry is steeped in tradition yet must move with the times to meet demand, opening a lucrative door for landowners in the process