http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/ Tips and best advice on matters of country and field sports: gun dogs, training, clay pigeon shooting, game keeping, deer stalking and technical and legal issues en How many clays does it take to really get back into the groove of shooting after nine months without a gun in your hand? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/151002/Whats_the_best_way_to_get_ready_for_a_new_game_shooting_season.html 151002 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun Why is it that you can have a realistic decoy set up with bobbers, floaters and the rest but it takes only one pigeon to settle in a different part of the field and woodies come to it from all directions? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/143279/Why_do_pigeons_so_easily_ignore_the_decoys.html 143279 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun Friends are trying to put me off buying a black and white springer bitch, saying gun dogs with this colouring are notoriously difficult to train, and have cocker in them making them hard to control. They say a 'proper springer' should be liver and white? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/143267/Does_the_colour_of_a_gun_dog_reflect_its_quality.html 143267 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun I have been told not to take a flask of coffee into a high-seat because the deer will smell it and keep away. Are they alarmed by the smell of coffee? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/143213/Are_deer_alarmed_by_strange_smells_such_as_coffee.html 143213 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun Can you overdo the number of decoys you have in a pattern and, if so, do you set yourself an upper limit? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/143205/Can_you_use_too_many_pigeon_decoys_in_a_pattern.html 143205 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun The sight of people tucking into big lunches always makes me feel peckish, but after eating I generally find my shooting takes a dip. Is this usual? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/143132/Do_you_eat_during_the_course_of_a_100bird_competition.html 143132 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun My three year-old gun dog responds perfectly to whistle commands on dry land but, once he's in water and swimming for a retrieve, he turns a deaf ear. How can I change this? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/143068/Why_wont_my_gun_dog_listen_to_the_whistle_when_in_the_water.html 143068 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun I have been told that when a deer runs away after the shot, I should wait 10 or 15 minutes before going to look for it. Why is that? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/143027/Why_should_I_wait_before_going_to_find_my_shot_deer.html 143027 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun If I drop a pheasant on my neighbour's land, whose property is it? I went to pick a bird that fell over the boundary, only to find the farmer had got there before me. I asked him to hand it over, but he wouldn't! http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/143013/If_my_pheasant_lands_on_the_land_opposite_is_it_still_mine.html 143013 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun I seem to recall you saying large hobs are not as good at killing rats as smaller jills. Why is that? I use hobs because they are big and strong. So far I haven't lost one. Am I just lucky? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/143007/Why_are_jill_ferrets_better_at_rats_than_large_hobs.html 143007 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun Is it true the performance of cartridges is reduced when they get cold? If so, how can this characteristic be overcome in frosty weather? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/142984/Do_cartridges_underperform_when_cold.html 142984 Array Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun I sell deer to a game dealer and he has told me he will pay less for carcasses if they are not head shot. I do not want to do this because it?s so easy to wound the deer if it moves its head suddenly. Is the dealer?s demand reasonable? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/139656/Game_dealer_only_wants_headshot_deer_carcasses.html 139656 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun All the samples are split where the cartridge has been 'necked down'. I'm sure that this isn't usual, as my .222 does not show splits in the empty cases? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/139480/Are_these_split_rifle_shells_safe.html 139480 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun Is it true that if you're involved in a shooting accident and don't possess a current game licence, your shooting insurance is invalid? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/143302/Do_you_need_a_game_licence_to_validate_insurance.html 143302 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun My uncle has given up shooting because of old age and he has given me 5,000 paper-cased, Gyttorp 1.1/8oz sixes, bought in the 1970s. Do cartridges like this keep? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/143310/Will_my_cartridges_still_work_even_after_30_years.html 143310 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun I have heard of several different ways - but remain confused as to which is the best? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/143943/What_is_the_best_way_of_disposing_of_deer_gralloch.html 143943 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun When is the best time to start roost shooting, is November too early for the rooks and pigeons? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/150860/When_is_the_best_time_to_start_roost_shooting.html 150860 Array Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun When catching rabbits, what's the difference between a purse net and a long net? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/150827/Whats_the_difference_between_a_purse_net_and_a_long_net.html 150827 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun I have been told it is not necessary to bleed a deer carcass nowadays because modern high-velocity bullets do the job. Is that so? And if not, what is the best way? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/267506/Is_it_neccessary_to_bleed_a_deer_carcass_after_shooting_it.html 267506 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun My three year old gun dog enjoys retrieving everything I shoot, except woodpigeons. He doesn't seem to like loose feathers in his mouth. Is there anything I can do to cure this, or is he a lost cause? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/148883/Why_does_my_labrador_gun_dog_not_like_feathers.html 148883 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun Last year we used medicated grit on our moor, and are not certain if this considerable expense was necessary. We have read the Game Conservancy's regional advisors can conduct strongyle worm counts on our grouse. How do we arrange this? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/148870/How_can_we_get_a_strongyle_worm_count_on_our_grouse.html 148870 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun I want a gundog for my wildfowling and rough shooting and now have the chance of buying a puppy. My problem is it will be left alone for eight hours a day while I'm at work; will this affect its development? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/146055/Will_leaving_a_puppy_alone_affect_its_development.html 146055 Array Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun What are the rules on firing a shotgun or air gun pellet over the boundary? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/145329/Is_it_illegal_for_my_pellets_to_cross_the_land_boundary.html 145329 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun I am finding it impossible to obtain my usual rifle ammunition locally and the dealer says there's none in the country. Is the government trying to stop us shooting? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/145072/Why_cant_I_get_my_usual_rifle_ammunition.html 145072 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun A farmer has asked me to sort out a massive number of collared doves living in his farm buildings. What's the best way to decoy them? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/257399/Whats_the_best_way_to_decoy_when_shooting_collared_doves.html 257399 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun How do you 'hock' a rabbit? (Lincolnshire phrase - joining the back legs to make carrying easier). http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/143962/How_do_you_hock_a_rabbit.html 143962 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun What's the maximum range you reckon you can kill pigeons cleanly? I use 30gram sixes in my over-under. http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/143953/Whats_the_maximum_kill_range_for_pigeon.html 143953 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun I want to use some shot birds as decoys in the future. What's the best way to keep them fresh and how long will they last before they fall to bits and become un-useable. http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/143949/Whats_the_best_way_to_prolong_the_life_of_shot_pigeons.html 143949 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun I have been stalking deer for more than 15 years and know the subject inside out. Now I am being pressured to go on a (very expensive) training course so as to have a piece of paper that says I am competent. Are these courses either necessary or desirable? And why are they so expensive? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/137853/Are_deer_stalking_courses_either_necessary_or_desirable.html 137853 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun With all this rain, I have been advised to put a piece of insulating tape over the muzzle of my stalking rifle to stop water going down the bore. Is it safe to do that? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/137832/Is_taping_the_end_of_my_riflebarrel_safe.html 137832 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun In your gun tests you often mention a gun's trigger is switched to the second barrel by an inertia mechanism. How does this work? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/126470/How_does_trigger_switching_work.html 126470 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun I have a five-year old Remington 1100 20-bore semi-auto, which I use for all my pigeon shooting. It's been generally very reliable, but now it occasionally refuses to cycle to the second shot. What's the likely cause? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/126468/Semiauto_needs_to_be_cleaned.html 126468 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun Do waterhens kill mallard ducklings? We have a lot on our flight ponds and the duck don't seem to stay long once their broods have hatched. http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/126457/Do_waterhens_kill_mallard_ducklings.html 126457 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun I have been offered a very nice and very accurate rifle (I have tried it) but it is in .243 and some of my friends say the cartridge is okay for fox and roe deer but not for anything bigger. What do you think? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/126447/Is_243_okay_for_anything_bigger_than_fox_or_roe_deer.html 126447 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun I always watch the best shooters at our club and can't help but marvel at how easy they make everything look. They seem to have all the time in the world to mount the gun and break the clay. http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/126445/I_want_to_shoot_faster.html 126445 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun Opinions differ as to whether a deer rifle should be zeroed at 100 yards or 200 yards. What is your view? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/126437/At_what_distance_should_a_deer_rifle_be_zeroed.html 126437 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun A local farmer has been given permission to hold driven shoots on land close to houses in our village. The shooting is so close the pellets are hitting the residents' trees, and pheasants are dropping dead in their gardens. http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/126409/Thay_are_shooting_too_close_to_the_public.html 126409 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun I shoot rabbits with my .22 rimfire on farmland. I've been asked to shoot rabbits/rats around the outbuildings and in the owner's garden but do not want to use my subsonics. http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/126407/Any_alternative_to_subsonics_for_rats__rabbits.html 126407 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun I keep reading about the importance of using the hips and upper body to help move the gun, but nobody has ever really explained why this should be. http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/126405/Use_your_body_to_swing_the_gun.html 126405 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun One target I really hate is a low incomer that drops to the ground about 25 yards in front of the shooting stand - and it's even worse when thrown as a quartering crosser. How do you hit them consistently? http://www.sportinggun.co.uk/shootinganswers/126397/How_do_you_hit_low_incomers.html 126397 Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun