AS the start of the pheasant-shooting season approaches, a mixed bag of hardy enthusiasts looks forward to participating in a fieldsport for reasons other than marksmanship—exercise, camaraderie and contact with Nature being only some of them. Having been a head gamekeeper on several shoots in different counties, I appreciate the importance of these special folk, who keep their heads down: the humble beaters. The simple fact is that you cannot operate without them and they come from as wide an array of backgrounds, motivations and characters as the shoots themselves.
What is a beater? He or she is a member of an all-important team that, under the direction of the gamekeeper, lines out and walks through cover, with the aim of flushing the game over the waiting line of guns. That sounds simple, but, like a
