Shooting as an art form

When one peruses over the idea of traditional British shooting, one may think of the likes of hearty ladies and gentlemen spilling from the entrance of a grand stately home and gracing the crisp frosty morning clad in tweed and surrounded by working spaniels. Well, this would be my whimsical and ideological perception of the shooting lifestyle at any rate. It is amazing how country pursuits such as shooting have become so much more than simply a sporting activity. Shooting represents a lifestyle, it exudes an ethos of freedom, affability and privilege. There is a certain thrill and excitement that surrounds the sport, the rawness of which is not too dissimilar to the likes of fox hunting or riding. Of course there’s also the renowned social side of these activities, I mean, who doesn’t love a Hunt Ball or a post shoot long lunch on the estate. In addition there is something incredibly exhilarating about the open countryside that sets these activities apart from other sports, fresh air after all is good for the soul!

I think it’s this overall atmosphere that adds to the joys of a day’s shooting. It is a means of escape and release from normal life, and in some respects, a form of expression of the self. How we connect with our gun and the bird is not dissimilar to how we may connect with, for example, a beautiful painting. Art opens up new emotions within us and places us within a realm of creativity and inspiration, just as through shooting we are inspired by the countryside, the people and the power of the gun. The skill of an able shooter is a craft that can be learned and perfected, and great joy can be gained from the process involved. It is not just the act of firing a gun but all the additional aspects that make shooting into an art form. It not only brings people together but it connects oneself with the landscape and the natural world.

There is something very timeless about going shooting which I think again is partly related to the disconnection to the outside world or to urban life. Society spends so much time these days gazing at iPhones or lazily trawling social media but when shooting it is like this aspect of modern living doesn’t really exist. The concentration applied to the shot or the distractions of good company detaches us from this, clearing our minds and thus allowing a clear passage for creativity of thought. Shooting in itself can thus be perceived as an art form and a lifestyle. It is so much more than a sporting activity but a philosophy of life that moulds who were are.


By Mary Woodhouse