KEEPING a gamebook was obligatory when you started out shooting in my day,” says Sir Johnny Scott, who made his first entry at the age of nine. “Much of my early record-keeping was just rabbits but by the time I’d reached 16, it had really started to fill up.”
Whereas the left-hand page of Sir Johnny’s gamebook is set up to record the bare facts of shoot location, names of the Guns attending and the species shot, the right-hand page is more lyrical. “It is more of a diary form,” explains Sir Johnny. “I record the weather and how the birds actually performed. It is a pleasure to read back at the end of the season, partly out of respect for the quarry.” Given the level of detail, such enjoyment at reliving the days through his gamebook is unsurprising. It is immersive. He mentions each drive and everyone involved; not only the Guns but beaters, keepers, pickers-up and their canine companions.
Freddie Braithwaite-Exley also has a keen eye for detail, which
