4 X 4 GUARANTEED





"Keeper's Cottage" Patrixbourne Kent


  My grandfather was a Gamekeeper and I have a lot of fond memories of spending time with him
as a boy. He taught me many things, nature, basic gamekeeping, trapping, woodcraft and of course
shooting. I progressed from "keeper of the ferrets" to eventually the "poachers 4.10" and finally
the "bank robber's sawn off 20 bore".




Not Moggy but a good lookalike

 As "keeper of the ferrets", Moggy and Poggy, 2 albino ferrets, would be put into a canvas duffle
bag and I would carry them over my shoulder on one side with the lunch pack and short handled
army spade over the other. Grandad had the 20 bore, all the nets, 2 dogs and other gamekeeping
equipment and off we would go. No ATV's or 4 wheel drive then!




So Sweet, with TEETH like Razors!


 One day Grandad catches me with a good trick....... we had just come out of a wood and now
need to cross a small field with cows in it. It has been divided up by a single strand electric fence
and Grandad says it's best to check to see if it's on as we don't want to get a shock. He tells me
you can hear the "pulse" coming, so without thinking I lean down to explore the theory.......zzzzzz
........BANG!! something mule size kicks me in the side of the head and I become the first child in
space! After re-entry is complete Grandad explains that you just wait and you can hear the ......
zzzzz.... in the wire as the pulse passes. It's a BIG learning curve when you are 7.

 Later at the rabbit warren when all the nets have been positioned the two white pink eyed
monsters are released, and down the holes they go, reappearing at nets with angry faces and
gone again in a flash.... several booms from the 20 bore and within half a hour there are 20+
rabbits either shot or netted and no sign of ferrets. 
"Grandad, where are Moggy and Poggy?"
"Oh, sleeping by now"
...... and now the digging begins helped by 2 dogs until 2 white and pink rodents are found fast
asleep and gorged to bursting!




Age 14 with the Rifle Team


 Grandfather was in the army during World War I and had been a sniper in the "Buffs Regiment"
and had picked off quite a few of the opposition during the trench warfare of the Somme. He
therefore taught me pretty well and by the time I joined the Air Training Corp I was a better than
average shot with the .22 rifle.



It's a BSA MKI International Martini Match Rifle


 As the biggest game in the UK is a 7 lb Hare I had never tried "Big Game Hunting" so when I was
at a Phoenix gun show I was quite intrigued with the ad on one stall's desk........ "4 x 4
Guaranteed"...... here was an opportunity to go shooting (sorry Hunting) in Colorado for a week
for $5000.00 and you could shoot Black Bear, Deer and Elk. If you didn't get a 4 x 4 Elk the money
would be refunded....... guaranteed!  
  


TONY DOWN