The GunsOnPegs Podcast

To mark our half-century - 50 full length episodes - we recorded a special episode LIVE at Clays Bar in London. Chris and George reflect on the origins of the podcast, recall some dreadful drinks, and reward some of our most loyal listeners. The 'studio audience' have their say on matching tweeds, whether side-by-sides are de rigeur or passé, and we build the ultimate Desert Island Shooting. Also: George goes for a pee.

After a break of waaaay too long, Chris and George return with a fascinating special guest in the form of Peter Mackie, sledging enthusiast and Chairman of the Irish Grouse Conservation Trust. We discuss the age-old issue of whether to shoot through or stop for lunch, there's an update from a US correspondent and offer some words of comfort for a calculating beater. Peter shares the story of how the IGCT has painstakingly built partnerships with a wide array of disparate bodies in order to help bring Irish grouse populations back from the brink.

For this episode Chris and George are joined by not one, but two special guests: Corry Cavell-Taylor and Marcus Janssen of Bradshaw Taylor, the parent company of, among others, leading countryside brands Schöffel Country and Le Chameau. We learn Schöffel Country's origin story, and how GORE-TEX came to the UK shooting market. We also learn about the highs and lows of fly fishing for Huchen, aka the 'Danube Salmon', and what the future might have in store for Schöffel Country. Corry and Marcus help us to resolve the issue of the shooting buddy who always 'forgets' his wallet on shoot days, and we debate the way that shooting is priced: should it be 'per bird', 'per bang' or for the overall experience, PLUS the danger of hubris on the peg.

Former Chairman of the National Gamekeepers' Organisation Liam Bell is our special guest for this episode. We discuss the challenge of naming dogs, the importance of shooting mentors, the future of gamekeeping and ask whether the profession is in need of a re-brand.

Chris and George are joined by shooting royalty, the G.O.A.T, George Digweed MBE. Despite being a World Champion clay shot multiple times over, game shooting is where it all began for George, and game shooting is still where his heart lies. George offers up his views on practicing for days in the field, greediness on the peg, defending shooting in a public sphere, and how he has maintained his hunger to compete at the top level for more than five decades.

Making his second appearance on The GunsOnPegs Podcast, Patrick Galbraith - Editor of the Shooting Times and BMX enthusiast - discusses his recently-published book In Search of One Last Song: Britain's Disappearing Birds and the People Trying to Save Them. Buy the book here: https://amzn.to/3dpsZwU We also offer advice to syndicate members up and down the land, ask what 'Best' means when it comes to shotguns, and tackle the question of how whether to hide one's passion for shooting or embrace it. PLUS Dan Cooper from Weber returns with a cracking barbecued partridge recipe for you to try > https://bit.ly/WeberBBQDanCooper

Team GB Olympic Trap shooter and shooting coach Georgina Roberts joins the podcast to talk about her life as an international competitive clay shooter. We also talk about her route into shooting and her mission to bring more women and girls into shooting though her recently acquired business, The Shotgun and Chelsea Bun Club. We also answer the questions: does simulated game shooting encourage bad behaviour on the peg, and what do you do when the price of a day's shooting you've signed up for suddenly jumps by £500 per person?!

Paul Childerley - gamekeeper, shoot operator, deer stalker, Fieldsports Channel regular and kickboxing world champ - is our guest this time around. We discuss the challenges of running a shoot over the last three seasons, what it takes to become a kickboxing world champion and the importance of looking after your mental health. We also deal with a particularly foxy shooting dilemma involving doves, and other people's other halves, Donate to the Len Eadon tribute fund: https://leneadon.muchloved.com/ Elderberry Porth - https://thewreckingcoastdistillery.com/shop/elderberry-porth/ Use the discount code MADDAMS4FREE to get free delivery Download the app to win a Beretta - Bit.ly/gamecardapp

What would you do if your employer's father was poaching your birds on the peg? Would you tell someone if you thought the cartridges that they were using would damage their gun? Should you take a dog to a country show? Should we adopt the Spanish practice of employing 'secretarios' on shoot days? Find out the answers to all this and more in our first ever podcast recorded in front of a live audience! Chris and George are joined by Ben Randall (@gundogapp) to host a podcast with a live audience made up of former podcast guests, celebs of the shooting world, Members of the Most Noble Order of the Garters and fans of the GunsOnPegs Podcast. Recorded LIVE at The Game Fair 2022 Special thanks to: - Borders Distillery & Kerr's Gin - https://www.thebordersdistillery.com/product/kerrs-gin/ - Yorkshire tonic - https://bit.ly/3BNZHC1

We're back! For Episode 1 of our fifth (!) series we're joined by one of the most recognisable faces in shooting, the Silver Fox himself, Dylan Williams. We discuss a memorable Macnab attempt, as well as the shooting public's inability to assess their relative skill with a shotgun, and the merits distributing pre-prepared game at the end of a shoot day. We also learn about Dylan's varied career in shooting, including the setting up of Royal Berkshire Shooting School, his role as a fundraiser and his work with British Game Assurance. In a new feature we're joined by Dan Cooper, Head Grillmaster at Weber barbecues, who shares a recipe for venison carpaccio. LIVE PODCAST RECORDING - Saturday 30th July 2022, The GunsOnPegs Stand, The Game Fair Send us your submissions to pod@gunsonpegs.com

We apologise for the short break in transmission. Chris and George hop on the mic to share a quick update on plans for the Game Fair, including a return for The GunsOnPegs Podcast Party and news of a Live Episode Recording. Season 5 is imminent. Send your submissions for Whose Bird Is It Anyway, Unpopular Opinions, Shooting Heroes! Let us know if you're coming to our party or would like to be in the audience for the live show - direct your correspondence to pod@gunsonpegs.com

In a special episode of the GunsOnPegs podcast George Browne and Digby Taylor at GunsOnPegs speak to George Davis, Chairman of the Game Farmers' Association about the bird flu outbreak this season. What is the current situation, and more importantly, what can shoots be doing with a focus on the future?

For the final episode in the series we've wheeled out the big guns... perhaps the biggest of big guns, none other than Dave Carrie himself. Dave shares his typically forthright opinions on.. well everything. Dave tells the tale of a £10,000 a bottle whisky, delivers his verdict on the right clothing for sim days (not Aladdin trousers, apparently), and shares his Desert Island Shooting dreams. Dave also gives us the benefit of his opinions on the ethics of extreme high bird shooting, what impact the move to steel will have, and what the future of shooting might look like.

For the penultimate episode of Season 4, The Instagram-famous and self-proclaimed International Man of Mystery Nathan Little (@hotshotlittle) joins Chris and George to explore his passion for travel with shotgun, rifle and rod. We also anoint a true Shooting Hero, discuss the rights and wrongs of cartridge belts, and lay down the law on claiming birds that you didn't shoot. Plus, the dangers of 'local specialities' and what exactly is a 'hard seltzer'?

After a brief pause in transmission, we're back with a very special guest: Megan Rowland, who was recently crowned INEOS Grenadier Countryside Champion 2022. We learn how Megan went from vegetarian to passionate stalker, the idea of Integrated Land Management, and talk about the controversial topics of wolves, lynx and rewilding. We also discuss being the only woman in the room, the rights and wrongs of American gamekeepers and discover Megan's remote Desert Island Shooting dreams. Find Megan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wayfaringhind Find Megan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wayfaring_hind/ Find Megan online: https://wayfaringhind.com/

In this episode of The GunsOnPegs Podcast shoot owner and game farmer Ben Hughes joins Chris and George for a glass of moonshine. As well as the usual shooting chat, including advice for first-time beaters and whether we should (or could) extend the game shooting season, Ben shares the story of how he came to be diagnosed with testicular cancer in his 20s. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08rkzcq/me-my-brother-and-our-balls Music: Local Forecast – Elevator by Kevin MacLeod | https://incompetech.com/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Hip Jazz from Bensound.com

After a brief hiatus, the podcast returns with a very special guest. Toby Ecuyer is the designer of the INEOS Grenadier, a new 4x4 designed and built for the outdoor lifestyle. Toby is a keen fly fisherman and game shot, and he shares his love of the countryside with Chris and George, and how this has informed the process of creating the Grenadier. We also discuss shooting heroes, the joys and dangers of sloe gin, and help a listener with a nice-to-have quandry!

Hampshire farmer Sam Burge joins the podcast to talk about the joys and challenges of running a farm shoot. Sam runs a hugely diversified farming operation, with a private, family shoot bolted on, and gives a great picture of how the shoot has changed over the years and how to run a great low-key shoot day. PLUS: parents behaving badly, the pitfalls of sharing a peg, and is it time to consign old English shotguns to a noble retirement above the fireplace?

Our guest for Episode 4 is Toby Fitchner-Irvine, the man behind the incredible shoot on the Isle of Muck, a 1600 acre island off the West Coast of Scotland. We learn about what Muck and the nearby isles have to offer, the challenges of hosting shooting trips on a tiny island, and the central role that the shoot has on the local community. Also: should you tell your friend that they're a terrible shot?

In a chaotic episode, Chris and George are joined by artist Clare Brownlow and her sporting agent husband Charlie. They offer one listener some marital advice, an American correspondent gets guidance on matters sartorial, and Chris and George get parenting tips. The team also discuss Clare's unique artistic technique and style, how 'directional splatter' got her into trouble, The Game Train ("The Hogwarts Express for people in Tweed) and much much more.

Mark Cunliffe Lister, 4th Earl of Swinton, grouse moor owner and Chair of the Moorland Association joins the podcast for a chat about his life in shooting. We tackle both high and low birds, hen harrier conservation, heather beetle, and we learn all about the challenges and rewards of owning and managing a huge shooting estate like Swinton Park.

Season 4 begins with a fascinating chat with Sam Carlisle, former Shooting Campaign Manager at the Countryside Alliance and current Head of Fishpal. Sam is the archetypal all-round sportsman, as at home on the peg as he is up to his knees in a salmon river or stalking muntjac in his native Suffolk. Listener Favourite "Whose Bird is it Anyway?" returns, and we have a *very* Unpopular Opinion to debate. PLUS Chris and George have an Exciting Announcement for members of the Order of the Garter.

The final episode of Season 3 sees one of the country's top shots, Rob Fenwick of EJ Churchill, join Chris and George for a chat. Recorded on the opening day of the 2021 pheasant season, the boys discuss the enduring appeal of the UK's favourite game bird, the thorny issue of tipping, and the growing popularity of both game and clay shooting.

What does the perfect shooting lodge look like, and perhaps most importantly, where do you site the bar? Chris and George are joined by master carpenter Tim Crump from Oakwrights to imagine the perfect shooting lodge - part barn, part luxury pad and party venue!

In a bout of uncharacteristic good organisation, we have a special episode to coincide with the start of the partridge season and celebrate these special little game birds. We're joined by Barney Stratton, who owns and manages the Stockton partridge shoot in Wiltshire, to discuss our love of partridge shooting, as well as resolve a rough shooting dilemma and debate the rights and wrongs of matching tweeds.

Sam Hargreaves, co-founder Tweedl, of the competition company that has taken the shooting world by storm in the last year, joins the podcast. We discuss Sam's shooting roots, and some of the amazing people experiences and prizes he's been giving away to lucky winners. PLUS we announce the details of an exciting new competition that GunsOnPegs and Tweedl have been cooking up. WIN ONE OF 75 EPIC PRIZES >>> https://bit.ly/gunsonpegsxtweedl

Chris and George look back at an epic weekend at the Game Fair with interviews and clips recorded on location, featuring artillery fire, horse racing, communal singing and some big ideas!

We're back after a brief hiatus with an episode dedicated to the fun that's had before the shooting begins or once the shoot has finished. George Juer, aka The Minister for Fun, joins us as our guest to share some tall tales of exploits and close calls. We've also got a submariner labrador and a Whose Bird is it Anyway featuring an ancient Purdey, an oil tycoon and the German aristocracy!

We interrupt our normal programming to bring you a short Emergency Episode. Normal service will be resumed in a couple of weeks. Shoot Owner Census: https://bit.ly/SOCensus Game Shooting Census: https://bit.ly/GameCensus

Mike Robinson - game chef, TV presenter, deer manager, restauranteur - joins Chris and George to chat about all things deer. Mike shares a couple of recipes, George gets hungry, Chris drinks a pink drink. A special guest drops in to give us an exciting update on the Game Fair Party and we resolve a listener's dilemma. PLUS the podcast sponsors a racehorse?

Richard Crofts joins Chris and George for a glass of something special and to talk about his life hosting days at the famous extreme high bird shoot The Brigands. We hear of a listener's dastardly but very clever plan to bring an annoying gun down a peg or two, and there's an update on the GunsOnPegs Podcast Party at the Game Fair.

Ian Bell, Chief Executive of BASC, is our guest to discuss some of the biggest challenges that have faced shooting and fieldsports over the last couple of years, from Wild Justice to COVID-19. In a wide-ranging and fascinating chat we build a picture of how BASC and other organisations collaborate to help protect and promote shooting in the corridors of power. Ian also offers up some advice to a listener seeking to set the fines for his new syndicate, and shares his Desert Island Shooting.

We're back with a brand new series and to kick things off we are joined by Andrew Gilruth of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust. We talk heather burning, discuss the link between shooting and conservation, the concept of net ecological gain, and ask how best to fund conservation work. As usual, we talk booze, and help out a listener with a shooting dilemma in Who's Bird is it Anyway. We also reveal some further details of the podcast party that will take place at the Game Fair.

For the final episode in Series 2 Chris and George are joined by Paul James, Managing Director of leading cartridge brand Gamebore, to discuss steel shot and the challenges that face the game shooting world ahead of the proposed phase out of lead shot and plastic wads. We've also got a further update on The GunsOnPegs Podcast party, and more listener correspondence!

Game and clay shot, food writer, and "not-an-influencer" Rachel Carrie joins Chris and George to discuss her love of Tequila, shooting and hunting in the media, trolling and more. We dish out some dubious relationship advice and find out what favourite Yorkshire game shoots are. PLUS, we reveal some details of an exciting plan that's in the works...

Have you ever wondered how to take great photos of your time in the field? Chris and George are joined by the multi-award-winning fieldsports photographer Sarah Farnsworth who not only shares her top tips for capturing your shoot days, but her favourite estates to photograph and some advice for a listener about how economical with the truth they should be...

Champion gundog trainer Ben Randall joins the podcast to share his wisdom on training your gundog, whether they work four days a season or forty. We tackle the thorny topic of the etiquette of picking up on a shoot day, from the perspective of guns and pickers up, and George gets a ticking off from Ben!

We're joined by Tom Payne, "expert" pigeon shot, gun fitter, journalist and author for a chat about all things pigeon shooting. Tom shares his top tips for part-time pigeon shots, his views on equipment and whether pigeons migrate. "Whose Bird is it Anyway?" sees us tackle a question of brotherly love (or not), and in "What's That You're Drinking?" we find out why Tom is as famous for his dance moves as he is for his shooting.

Our guest for the High Pheasant episode is noted high-bird shot and all-round nice guy Gerwyn Jones. We find out what it takes to tackle the highest of birds, what he thinks makes a great shoot host, what his favourite drives in the UK are and what decade-old sloe gin tastes like. Also: would you claim a bird you knew you had missed?!

GunsOnPegs founder James Horne joins us for a look back at the origins of GunsOnPegs and how the company has evolved over time, as well as a look to the future and how that evolution may continue in the coming months and years. As usual we find out what everyone is drinking and solve a listener's shooting dilemma.

Chris and George are joined by former England cricket captain and Sky Sports commentator David Gower for a chat about his passion for shooting, the ultimate cricketing shooting team and to resolve a real life shooting dilemma for one of our listeners

Legendary Sporting Agent Mark Firth joins Chris and George to share his wisdom, gleaned from decades of placing guns on the best shoots around, and a drink or two, and some tall tales from the sporting agent's life. We also find out if it is OK to call in sick from work for a day in the field and why Cuba is such an underrated shooting destination.

The Podcast returns with a new season, with new segments, new guests and an actual plan! Our guest this time is legendary grouse shot Phil Burtt, and we pick his brains on all things grouse shooting. We also answer a listener's dilemma, and tell you how you can get your grubby mitts on a pair of *exclusive* GunsOnPegs Podcast Shooting Sock Garters. And, of course, What's That You're Drinking returns "super strong"!

Simon K Barr, owner of Fieldsports Journal and the Gundog Journal, and co-founder of Tweed Media joins us for a drink. We discuss the recent controversial interview with Chris Packham featured in the magazine and his decade-long quest to complete the ultimate challenge - a Macnab.

After Episode 7, in which Daily Mail journalist Guy Adams explained why he thinks shooting should shun the limelight, Charlie Jacoby of Fieldsports Channel got in touch to ask if he could present the counter-argument. Naturally, we were delighted to ask him on. There's also an especially explosive edition of What's That You're Drinking? for you to enjoy.

Edward King, the UK importer of AYA and Rizzini shotguns, joins Frank, Chris and George to share a drink, the fascinating story of how AYA shotguns came to the UK, and his sage advice for those whose gun won't cope with neither high performance nor standard steel cartridges.

Guy Adams, investigative journalist for the Daily Mail, joins Chris and George to tell us what he's drinking, and how shooting gets its PR game totally wrong.

Frank, Chris and George from GunsOnPegs are joined by England and British Lions legend Tom Croft, and his good friend Marcus Janssen, of Schoffel and Le Chameau. There's an exclusive product reveal, plenty of rugby chat, and, of course, What's That You're Drinking?

This episode sees the GunsOnPegs team get together over a variety of drinks to discuss the latest developments in the shooting world, what options might be available to guns left without a shoot to attend this season, and why George is having trouble with geese.

In this episode we're joined by Tim Woodward, CEO of the Country Food Trust on the day that the charity delivered its 1 millionth meal. We get Tim's reaction to this incredible achievement, before finding out what he's drinking to celebrate. From there the conversation roams from Tim's introduction to shooting and his love of beating, to rawkus shooting weekends and the consequent hangovers, and much more.

In this episode Chris and George are joined by Patrick Galbraith, Editor of The Shooting Times and Country magazine and freelance journalist. The discussion ranges from Jesus' preferred fieldsports and the innate spirituality of hunting, to bears, ducks and pigeons, plus there's the favourite feature: What's that you're drinking?