In only a few days the Pheasant Season starts. It is such a beautiful time of year with the leaves changing to their autumnal colours and the occasional early morning frost. It is also a wonderfully exciting time of year as it means the shooting season is in full swing.
But The Royal Berkshire is also very much in full swing and has been for some time. We enjoyed a wonderful, busy and sunny September hosting charity shoots, simulated days, private lessons and game shoots. Meanwhile the team in the Gun Room and Country Store are thrilled as to how well the new ranges of clothing and guns have been received
So what of the coming season….what can we expect? One thing is for sure, those of us lucky enough to find ourselves stood on a peg must not just realise, but also appreciate how lucky we are. A shoot day is a reflection of a whole year’s work and many hours of hard work from the countless men and women who make the shooting world what it is. As I mentioned last month shooting is a fantastic and popular sport.
So please ensure you are able to enjoy your day or days by being fully prepared. Make sure you and your kit are ready. It is never too late to have a lesson. It is often the smallest tweak to your technique that makes an almost instant and significant improvement to your shooting and…thereby the day. As I once heard said by a famous sportsman “You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way”.
As you enjoy reading the rest of this Bulletin, I wish you happy and safe shooting. But, please let the season be about much more than just pulling the trigger. Let it be about celebrating all that is great about our sport. Let it be about sharing the thrill of shooting with new people and making new friends. And crucially, let it be about enjoying eating game and ensuring you never leave a shoot day without taking game home with you.
Jonathan