‘How to be Asked Again’ is a step by step guided to modern shooting etiquette filled with amusing quotes and anecdotes which will instruct the Gun on how to be the perfect shooting guest – and hence how to be asked again.

The author, Rosie Nickerson, has dedicated the book to her father, Sir Joseph Nickerson, who introduced her to the world of shooting and conservation. Rosie was inspired by an amusing book, ‘I’ll Never Be Asked Again’ which was given to her as a young girl. It was about a young Canadian girl who goes grouse shooting for the fi rst time with her English fi ancé and gets everything wrong.

'Would you like me to have a go?'

Rosie has been steeped in the dos and don’ts of shooting since early childhood and shot her fi rst bird, a grouse, at the age of nine. Inspired by the fact that so many adults are taking up shooting and have missed out on the learning curve in the fi eld, this book will tell you all you need to know. It sets out to cover what happens, or what should happen, from the moment you receive an invitation to arriving at the shoot. With Rosie’s close affi nity with country pursuits – she has interviewed beaters, keepers, fl ankers, pickers up, shoot organisers, shoot owners and grouse moor owning earls and dukes – her knowledge of the shooting world is second to none.

Following the ranks

Knowing how to behave on a shoot is absolutely crucial if you ever hope to be asked again, writes Jonathan Young in his introduction to the book. Few other sports make you quite so dependent on return invitations in order to be able to practise them, so doing the right thing on the fi eld is vital.

‘The illustrationsby Oliver Preston are hilarious and complement the amusing quotes and anecdotes throughout the book.'

Travelling to remote parts of the country can be challenging and it is important to allow plenty of time as a late arrival is rather frowned upon. But even the best laid plans can go awry, with a combination of red tape and bad luck, as one lady discovered. Rosie Nickerson describes how Julia Plumtree, then known as Julia Proudfoot, had an interesting time getting to a shoot on Islay. She was scheduled to travel from Heathrow to Glasgow on the first flight, changing at Glasgow for the Islay plane and arriving in time for the second drive. Suffice to say her plans went awry.

Her ticket was found to be invalid, so she had to buy a new one, which delayed her. Because she was late, her luggage could no longer go in the hold, which meant that she was almost arrested for having a shotgun in her hand luggage. She missed her plane but caught the next one. However she was stranded at Glasgow airport with no hope of a connecting flight to Islay due to stormy weather. A spirited lady, she unearthed a pilot of a small seaplane who eventually agreed to fly her to Islay.

'He'll never know. He went to bed hours ago....'

Journey’s end

By now guests of her host Sir John Mactaggart were assembled in the dining room for lunch when Lady Mactaggart saw a plane in the bay. Sir John immediately took out a rowing boat to see what had befallen the little aircraft. To everyone’s surprise, as they reached the plane the cockpit opened and a tweed-clad leg and a Gucci heel appeared. However, there was no warm welcome for the lady, all she got was ‘Quick for God’s sake get into the bloody boat,Proudfoot, it’s got a leak. We’re going to sink.’ So her adventure wasn’t quite over, but she did manage to shoot three drives in the afternoon and also provided a memorable entry for Sir John’s game book.

The book has several such amusing incidents. The illustrations by Oliver Preston are hilarious and complement the amusing quotes and anecdotes throughout the book. If your New Year resolution is to join the world of shooting and increase your social standing in the world of country pursuits, make sure that ‘How to be Asked Again’ is in your Christmas stocking.

FIELDFACTS

‘How to be Asked Again’ by Rosie Nickerson with illustrations by Oliver Preston.

Quiller Publishing, Wykey House, Wykey, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY4 1JA

Tel: 01939 261616

www.countrybooksdirect. com

Price: £20

Email: info@quillerbooks. com for a complete list of Quiller books.

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