Central Otago, New Zealand
A fine combination – the first frosts, a lovely Beretta double and big coveys of California quail. They are hard work and you’ll cover ground.
‘Ladies and gentlemen I put it to you that field gunning is not a rational sport. If you think it is, try adding up all your spending – guns, ammo, truck, fuel, clothes, gundogs, dog food, vet bills – to get a cost per kilo for game birds on the table. Then destroy all the evidence because that way lies madness. The fact is we do it because it makes us happy.
For some of us that comes from charm and style (which is why we’re attracted to anything in our lives, however logical we imagine ourselves to be) and side-by-sides have all of these in spades. Charisma counts, as any girl will tell you. They haven’t gone the way of the horse and cart for a very good reason – they can be very beautiful and despite a century of new technology there still isn’t a better instrument made for upland bird hunting. This kind of gunning has remained almost unchanged for centuries – a dance between dog and game and perhaps two smoking barrels.’
from Hunting Life – Moments of Truth
Peter P. Ryan www.faraway.co