Game shooting debut: It’s only a day away

Tomorrow is my game shooting debut as a gun and I cannot wait.

I leave Stamford in a few short hours to head south to the Ashburnham shoot in west Sussex to meet the shoot’s host, Jeff Jefferies, who will no doubt take care of everything as effortlessly as he normally does when he holds the annual Young Shots Day for Shooting Gazette readers.

All of my kit is packed; the Barbour has been cleaned, a new flat cap bought the, old Wellingtons buffed and my trousers pressed and there is a tip for the keeper is in my billfold. Be prepared as the motto goes.

I am in no doubt that the nerves will begin to set in after the pegs have been chosen, but they will be met by a awesome wave of adrenaline. I’m expecting that feeling I used to get when I read in front of the whole school during assembly and the first words were something like ‘She sells sea sells on the sea shore’

I had the chance to get my eye-in during September when I travelled down to the Chavenage estate near Tetbury to shoot on one of the West London Shooting School’s Game Flyer Days.

It was great practice and you’ll be able to see how I got on in the forthcoming November issue of Shooting Gazette. Possibly the only thing missing from that day was the fact that I couldn’t take my quarry away with me but that will hopefully all change come tomorrow.

I’ll also have my editor Will Hetherington on the peg with me for some moral support although I’ll have to make sure that I don’t shoot too well!