Bill Fawcett Reviews
The Great Shoots: Britain's Best - Past and Present by Brian P. Martin
Of all the reviews I have done, this was perhaps the
most difficult assignment.
Let me state up front that I am a hunter, not a
shooter. I value the dog work perhaps more than the
actual harvest. It’s a different perspective, and I
found even reading about the British shoots somewhat
tedious.
Perhaps an explanation is in order. The typical
British shoot involves beaters on wooded hillsides
flushing pheasants (or other gamebirds) down to guns
waiting on stands placed in the valleys. The emphasis
is on high-flying birds and on large quantities of
(expensive) birds. As such, it is by necessity a sport
of the "rich and famous" and the importance of the
various shoots seems to be evaluated by the station of
life of those participating.
|
"Although its pheasants were not always among the very
best, Blenheim in Oxfordshire has long been in the
‘super league’ by virtue of its associations with the
rich and famous."
|
|
However, there has always been an interest in this
sport, a cousin to hunting, and its longstanding
traditions. And with the requirements of large
portions of managed gamelands, and released birds,
perhaps it forms the basis of pheasant "hunting" in
Britain, the home of many of our spaniels. Be
forewarned, although the cover of the book features
two springer spaniels in its illustration, it is not a
book about dogs or dog work.
The first section of the book addresses some general
background information about the shoots. I found the
sections on the game, and the gamekeepers to be the
most interesting. There is a lot of work required to
sustain the high volume of pheasants required for a
successful shoot.
|
"Indeed it was at Hall Barn on 24 January 1910 that he
(Edward VII) enjoyed one of his last few outings,
having had what he described as one of the best days
he had ever known, shooting 2,400 pheasants with the
Prince of Wales, Prince Albert of Schleswig-Holstien,
Count Gleichen, Lord Ripon, the Hon Harry Stoner and
Sir Charles Cust."
|
|
The bulk of the book, divided into geographic regions,
discusses the actual venues and operating policies of
the various shoots in England, Wales and Scotland.
Some of these shoots have histories that go back for
centuries. The book is replete with reproductions of
old gamebook records, and many old and valuable
photographs.
Martin, who is known as an accomplished country and
natural history writer, was an editor at The
Shooting Times for many years. As such he had
access to many of the private shoots in a way that few
others could have. The book was originally published
in 1987, but the second edition includes revisions
made in 2007. For those with a keen interest in the
shooting sports, it would be a fine high-quality
addition to your library.
|
Order your copy of this book from:
Spaniel Journal Bookstore
|
The Great Shoots: Britain's Best - Past and Present
Copyright © 1987 by Brian P. Martin
2007 edition, Swan Hill Press, an imprint of Airlife Publishing Ltd - UK
ISBN 1-904057-86-1
|
Bill Fawcett resides in the Shenandoah Valley of
Virginia with his wife, Cindy, and his Smythwicks
Springers: Jenna, Beebe, Chip and Dottie. He is a
hunter, field trialer, breeder and member of the
M-AHSC and
the ESSFTA. He maintains a public FB ESS
pedigree database at smythwicks.org.
|
