Shooting advice, country and field sports Q&A | Sporting Gun

What is the best way of disposing of deer gralloch?

I have heard of several different ways - but remain confused as to which is the best?

Are these split rifle shells safe?

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?

Are deer stalking courses either necessary or desirable?

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?

Is taping the end of my rifle-barrel safe?

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?

What's happening to all the songbirds?

When will the media and the general public sit up and realise what the real reason for the decline in our songbird populations really is?

What's the best way of keeping the screws in my shotgun tight?

One of the screws which attach the fore-end wood to the iron on my gun keeps shooting loose. The screw passes through a clearance hole in the iron, and is threaded into a metal insert in the wood. What's the best way of keeping the screw tight?

Do anti-bark collars really work for gun-dogs?

One of my gun dogs barks constantly in the kennel and a neighbour has complained about the noise. How can I stop him? Someone said I should try an anti-bark collar. Are they effective?

I get bad eyes when pigeon shooting

I've just bought some mesh curtain camo netting which is light, compact and a great colour.
The only trouble is when I look through
it I end up going cross-eyed and get bad eye strain. Do other people get this?

My dog doesn't use its nose

How can I encourage my two-year old labrador to use his nose more often when I send him for a retrieve? At the moment he seems to prefer using his eyes - and he's starting to ignore whistle commands. What can I do?

I never find deer antlers. Why?

Everyone's expressing concern at increasing deer numbers, but why do I never find cast antlers during my walks through the woods?

How much of a problem are grey squirrels?

Grey squirrels have received a lot of bad press lately in relation to the decline of woodland song birds. How much damage do they do to game bird nests and how are they most effectively controlled with the minimum of labour?

My ferret is too fat!

A friend has given me an extremely fat ferret which hasn't been worked for several months. I read recently that I should put it on a cereal based diet. Do you agree? How can I get it back into working shape? What weight should an 'average' ferret be?

Game dealer only wants head-shot deer carcasses

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?

Do cartridges underperform when cold?

Is it true the performance of cartridges is reduced when they get cold? If so, how can this characteristic be overcome in frosty weather?

Will my cartridges still work, even after 30 years?

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?

Do you need a game licence to validate insurance?

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?

Why do pigeons so easily ignore the decoys?

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?

Does the colour of a gundog reflect its quality?

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?

Are deer alarmed by strange smells, such as coffee?

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?

Can you use too many pigeon decoys in a pattern?

Can you overdo the number of decoys you have in a pattern and, if so, do you set yourself an upper limit?

Do you eat during the course of a 100-bird competition?

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?

Why won't my dog listen to the whistle when in the water?

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?

Why should I wait before going to find my shot deer?

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?

If my pheasant lands on the land opposite, is it still mine?

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!

Why are jill ferrets better at rats than large hobs?

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?

Pigeon shooting solution

I read your piece about disturbance to pigeon roosts and the effect this has on subsequent decoying days. Instead of shooting the wood, would the disturbance still be the same if I flighted the birds half a mile away as they return home in the afternoon?

I can't shoot quick enough!

I started shooting recently and love it, even though my scores are dreadful. My problem is I don't seem to have enough time between seeing the clay and swinging my gun to catch it up. What am I doing wrong?

I'm always breaking my hide poles

How many hide poles do you go through each year? I bend and break no-end of them and I'm still searching for a really sturdy set that won't let me down. Which makes can you recommend?

How do you hit low incomers?

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?

How to train a terrier

Friends say it's impossible to train a terrier to walk to heel and respond to whistle commands. My wife has just bought a Cairn bitch and I'm determined it should behave itself when I take it beating.

What weight trigger pull should i get?

I am thinking of having the trigger on my Browning 325 sporter regulated, as it has gone a bit 'creepy'. What's the best pull weight to ask for?

How many decoy machines will run off a battery?

How many 'whirlies' can you run off a normal battery? I want to run more than one, but don't want to lug the extra weight.

Why do spaniels drop to shot?

Why do people train spaniels to drop to shot, but not labradors?

How many decoys do i need?

How many decoys would you say are necessary to make a basic horseshoe pattern?

How long will it take my new dog to bond with me?

I am getting a fully trained gun dog next month. How long do I need to settle her in before taking her out working? What's the best way of speeding up the process?

Pistol grip or Prince of Wales?

What's the difference between a standard pistol grip and the much classier sounding Prince of Wales style?

What shot size is best for clays?

What is the best all-round shot size for shooting club sporting clays? I want to buy cartridges in bulk, so I need a good compromise.

My puppy is scared of people

I brought springer pup from a trials breeder. I was told it was a little stand-offish but the pup is petrified of people - it panics whenever it sees someone approach. How can I deal with this?

What is a healthy diet for a ferret?

What, in your view, does a healthy diet consist of for a ferret? Do you feed it the same stuff each day or do you change it regularly? What do you give it to drink – water or milk, or both?

Use your body to swing the 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.