Whatever your previous experience with net, rod or gun, it is likely that spending a weekend in the company of Roger Harrington’s team will improve your knowledge and skills. That was the conclusion Steve and I reached when we heard about the Countryman’s Course run by Bison Bushcraft and decided to go along.
Longer than the standard weekend course, we arrived in East Sussex (along with 5 others) on the Friday lunchtime and transferred our kit into tipis which were up and ready to be our home for the next two and a half days. As promised by the joining instructions, it’s a secure site with open fields flanking a large block of woodland and very straightforward to find. The course briefing promised much hands-on experience, including preparation of a wide variety of game which would be expertly converted by JP into our fully catered meals.
After detailed instruction and guidance our first task was to reccee the surrounding hedges and fields and set up lines of snares (which we manufactured) for both rabbit and squirrel. These were maintained and inspected through the whole weekend teaching much of the fieldcraft and discipline which is required – some were successful too.
The utility of rifle and airgun for all legal quarry was explained in some depth by Roger, with particular emphasis on fieldcraft and safety. Theory was put into practice as over the next two nights, all had the opportunity to join Roger for an hour’s lamping around the fields.
Sessions preparing game were built into both Friday and Saturday and involved pheasant, partridge, mallard, squirrel, rabbit, pigeon and hare. JP then worked tirelessly preparing stews, casseroles and stir-frys while the rest of us roamed the fields!
JP and Rob gave an extremely thorough insight into the welfare, management and use of ferrets in the field, a real eye-opener. Not just sharing their theoretical know-how, a small warren was netted up and hunted through by both hob and gill complete with electronic locators. For the modern ferreter these save many an hour of digging if the ferret lays up on a kill somewhere underground. Late evenings had all the usual informal social banter which everyone comes to enjoy when out in the woods though these were spent, as at mealtimes, in the hut nearby warmed by a log burning stove.
The hands-on activity continued all through the weekend. In complete safety, Roger explained at length the theory and use of both .22 rimfire and 12g shotgun and everyone had the opportunity to try these out for themselves. Tony Deacon joined us for a masterful explanation and demonstration of the art of fly fishing and many of us tested our techniques (or lack of !) too. In the final session Roger demonstrated both the longbow and Mongolian recurved bow and everyone fired off half a dozen arrows. The power these generated was frightening and gave a new insight into how the Battle of Agincourt was won. Incidentally, the manufacture of the longbow is a subject Roger deals with on another of his courses.
What a weekend! A few words cannot really do justice to the time and effort given by
Roger and his team and we left for home late on Sunday afternoon full of good wild food having shared and gained a huge amount of information to take into the future.
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