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Over the past 2 years, I’ve been fortunate to make some great friendships. I’ve even spent a few days afield with some of you. I appreciate the friendships, and I’m grateful that their are like minded people out there in this world. Here’s to your friendship and another great year!

May we’ll all live to see another Fall season.

I wanted to share a note that I received from my dear friend Julian. Julian is a great writer…I look forward to reading many more things that he has to write about the uplands and gun dogs!

Setter Feathers…

Hi Shawn,

It’s been a while since I’ve e-mailed I’m afraid, but things here have been pretty hectic what with work and shooting.

Our bird season ended on the 1st of february, and inspite of late heavy snow the 2009/2010 season was superb!
I don’t think I have ever seen so many woodcock concentrated on the ground where we shoot, pushed onto the coastal strip by harder weather inland.

We worked hard for our birds, slogging through knee deep snow drifts, and clawing, scatching, cover, but that’s the way it ought to be in my opinion.
To fold a wild cock pheasant with the little side by side 20 bore, after it has been flushed from cover by my lab or cocker, is for me the ultimate, and this past season the dogs truly excelled themselves.

Hazel, now just 5, put on a sterling performance with impressive retrieves on wounded running birds, and young Rowan in her first season of work, retrieved three pheasants which had fallen way out into the river Spey, on our last day out on the first of feb. I can only guess at how cold the water was, but labs being labs, she returned twice more undaunted.The writing continues to go from strength to strength, as I have now been in print in the Shooting Times for the last seven consecutive months. I thank my lucky stars that the editor likes my work, and shall be pitching articles at other monthlies in the spring.

I sincerely hope that things between yourself and Karen remain good, and that your shooting season was also a memorable ( for the right reasons) one.

Spent yesterday in the city of Edinburgh with Emma, visiting Emma’s eldest daughter at the University there. Whilst there, we called in to Dickson & MacNaughton gun makers, and had a serious drool over the beautiful round action guns on display.
Mind you, at £95000.00 per pair, I’m afraid that we shall be confined to drooling only!

Yours in sport as ever,

Julian.