A Basic Shooting Glossary

Whilst I can’t claim this to be comprehensive in any way, it should give a shooting novice some idea of the terms used. It is good form to know the terminology if you are going on a shoot, as novices will be easily spotted if they fail to understand the phrases and words used.

All Out! – What beaters call at the end of a drive

Bag – Game killed that day

Beaters/Drivers – They flush out the game by ‘beating’ the ground

Couple – Wild ducks are counted by the couple

Covert – A wood (silent ‘t’)

Covey – A group of grouse or partridge

Drive – Each sweep taken up during a day’s shooting

Gun – This doesn’t just refer to the actual firearm but the person shooting it, as well

Hill – A Scottish moor

Loaders – They load guns

Peg/Stand – Where the guns are located (although for grouse shoots it is called the ‘butt’ and for duck shoots the ‘hide’)

Wisp – A group of snipe

William Hanson
Tutor, The English Manner

Sticking to Your Guns: Shooting Etiquette Faux Pas

October sees the pheasant, woodcock and capercaillie shooting season begin and so listed below are The English Manner’s top etiquette blunders to avoid at all cost when out in the fields.

-       Never attend a shoot if you have never held a gun or had adequate training. Being dangerous is considered frightfully rude

-       Pick up all spent cartridges at the end of drives. This used not to matter but now in the environmentally-friendly society we live in, it is considered bad form not to

-       Make sure you mark your quarry for pickers-up and their dogs: never leave a dead bird to rot

-       Always ask what one is allowed to shoot before commencing. Hosts will have different rules from each drive to the next

-       The polite guns never boast about their scores

-       In the unfortunate circumstance that one shoots something that one is not supposed to, or that you cause a fellow gun an injury, it is expect that you leave the party immediately. Other guns are expected to be discreet about the incident, too. NB: If a major accident occurs, unwritten rules of etiquette dictate that the guilty gun never shoots again

-       Restrain yourself: a shoot is not the place for loud, bawdy behaviour

-       Under no circumstances should one shoot a white pheasant

-       Never swing your gun along the shooting line or in the direction of other guns

-       Make sure each bird shot is dead before proceeding onto the next one. It is better to use both barrels on one bird than two barrels on two birds (with the first barrel not yet fully killed).

-       Do also remember to tip the keeper. Anything from £15 upwards is usual; more if he has cleaned your gun.

Unsure about the terminology used in this blog? Next week: a beginner’s guide to shooting terms.

William Hanson
Tutor, The English Manner

CLA Game Fair

The Country Landowners Association (CLA) Game Fair is this year held on 24 – 26th July at Belvoir Castle and is well attended by well over 100,000 visitors every year.

Most of the attendees are not landowners themselves, but are interested in the countryside, country life and country sports such as shooting and fishing.

First held in 1958 to encourage the return of shooting as a sport after the end of the Second World War, the fair moves to a different site every year – with over 500 acres of grassland needed to host the event together with at least 1000 feet of good riverbank fishing, finding a suitable venue is no mean feat and past locations have included Harewood House, Chatsworth, Blenheim and Stratfield Saye.

Together with displays of country sports and competitions, a multitude of trade stands have encouraged many more visitors over the past few years, selling everything from 4×4 vehicles to guns from Purdey and clothing by Barbour, Burberry and Joules and the great British wellie from Hunters and Dubarry.

Dress is relaxed, but if visitors are invited into the CLA Members’ Enclosure ensure casual but tidy, with jacket and tie for men.  Flat caps are actively encouraged here!

The English Manner are more than happy to advise attendees of this or any other event. See our website (www.theenglishmanner.com) for contact details or comment on this blog post.

Alexandra Messervy
Founder, The English Manner