The GunsOnPegs Podcast

In this episode we delve in the GunsOnPegs Podcast Postbag to answer some listener queries that don't quite fit into the regular segments, with a bit of a focus on making your first steps into the game shooting world.   Matt Kidd, fieldsports photographer and writer, former International Fly Fisherman and one-time First Class Cricketer joins us to share his wisdom and offer sensible(?) advice on t...

Vintage gun enthusiast and side-by-side clay shot extraordinaire Simon Reinhold joins the podcast to share his fondness for old guns, sticky drinks and why he thinks competition clay shooting is ripe for a shakeup.   Simon is one of shooting's deep thinkers, and we explore how the worlds of mathematics, psychology and even Oriental philosophies can act as a lens through which to look at game shoot...

What's the right thing to wear for hot September partridge days? What would you do if your partner was sneaking off to shoot without you? Is shooting overpriced? Do shoots make money? Is Stella still a good beer? Why are there so many craft beers? How can we redefine what a great shoot looks like? Discover the answer to some of these questions in this rambling and chaotic episode of The GunsOnPegs...

Renowned wildlife artist and woodcock aficionado Owen Williams joins us for a blather over a glass or two. He shares his theories on the link between the pre-historic people who painted animal figures and hunting scenes on cave walls and contemporary sporting artists, holds forth on the topic of his beloved woodcock. He also helps to offer some advice to a listener in need of a way to spice up a s...

Chris and George venture into the Big Smoke to visit the hallowed and historic Long Room at James Purdey & Sons' Mayfair HQ, Audley House.  Dan Jago, Purdey's Chairman, lets them fiddle with perhaps the most priceless gun in the entire Purdey collection, and explains why it is that so many people the world over desire a gun made in the company's London factory more than any other, and why so m...

Chris and George take over the stage at the Carter Jonas Theatre at the Game Fair and welcome Charlie Jacoby back to the podcast.  Showing the effects of being on stage for two days straight, Fieldsports Channel's Charlie Jacoby tells us about fishing the alphabet, shooting Cabbage White butterflies with dustshot, and ferreting mice with bumblebees(?!?). We also discuss the Unpopular Opinions of a...

Once again, George hits the road to go on an adventure. This time he travels along the south coast to meet Nick Weston, better known as Hunter:Gather:Cook, at his HQ in a stunning 200 year old barn deep in the Sussex countryside. Nick's journey from archaeology student to wild food and fire cooking champion is a fascinating one, and he shares his passion for wild food, whether that be furred, feat...

Our guest for this episode is Ian Coghill, chair of Aim to Sustain, former chairman of GWCT, author, campaigner and all-round sportsman Ian Coghill. Ian's book, Moorland Matters, achieved great acclaim for its thorough analysis of the arguments for and against grouse moor management, and some of the legislative, adminstrative and beaurocratic obstacles to sensible conservation policies.   He joins...

Have guns lost the ability to mark their birds, or is there a deeper problem? What would you do if you learned that your fellow beaters were being paid but you were not?  Ollie Williams, he of Fieldsports Channel and Love Island fame, joins us to answer these questions. He also shares the history and future of his family's Cornish estate, Lanhydrock, and how his sudden rise to notoriety, courtesy...

George and Digby have been on a "work trip" to the Atlas Mountains to experience a Moroccan-style driven boar hunt. In their commitment to creating great content no matter how tough the conditions, we bring you a podcast they recorded on the balcony of a 5* hotel in the burning North African sun, with only refreshing mint tea and cold beer to sustain them. The boys discuss their first experience o...

Purdey Gold Award winner George Ponsonby joins Chris and George to share his passion for grey partridge shooting and conservation. Just a handful of years ago George took the decision to manage the 4,000 acres that he farms with a view to restoring grey partridge numbers in the hope that one day he might be able to enjoy a day or two each season shooting driven English partridges. At this year's P...

In this episode: George has a question about his chickens, and Chris has seen a ferret. Both of these things might be the result of one too many beers the night before the recording. We discuss the rights and wrongs of social media on a shoot day, in response to a listener's query regarding an 'Instaspammer' he encountered last season. How much is too much, and should phones be shot on sight? Anot...

We're back! Once again we've been making big plans for the future, and we're sure you're going to love them!  A bright new dawn is breaking over the podcast, and we, slightly hungover and blinking in the light, are ready to embrace the future. As our first guest for the first episode of this bright new epoch, we're joined by Digby Taylor, Managing Director of GunsOnPegs. He shares the news on how...

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:...

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 t...

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 th...

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 hun...

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...

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...

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...

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 audien...

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...

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 t...

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?