Shooting Interview

I first met Ursula-May Halifax at the Mauser/Swarovski range weekend in 2012 and wrongly assumed that she was a typical, upmarket PR person, you know what they say about assuming? I was wrong as a wrong thing; probably too much rubbing shoulders with the pseudo toffs at the CLA! It turns out she’s an accomplished hunter and guide I was very interested in getting her perspective on the hunting scene in the UK, as there are few females who stand toe to toe with the guys in this area. So over to her!

“I’m 25 and run a modest deerstalking and hunting business in Oxfordshire ‘Deerstalking.uk.com’.

I was born in Whitmoreans Wolverhampton. Although growing up ‘in town’ as it where, I was not destined to exist in such an environment. But I had a fantastic up bringing with my sister, Stella-Marie and enjoy nothing more than the nostalgic sound of children playing out on their bikes in the street late into the long summer evenings and the smell of the dust on the concrete road. Listening to the next door neighbour play his guitar and the sound of the test match cricket coming from the kitchen with dad listening with childish excitement. Sometimes the accent slips now and again but it is a good reminder that I am very proud of my roots.”

THE THIRST

I was in no way whatsoever borne into the ‘hunting aristocracy’! My mother worked in psychiatry and my father was a lecturer in Humanities and Economics. He tried to hunt the odd animal in Burma with a homemade bow and arrow with child hood friends but I’m sure they were fairly unsuccessful… Besides he was more obsessed, and still is, with aviation and cricket!

From the age of four I constantly longed for the outdoors. There were tantrums and tears on a daily basis and I could not understand why I could not be outside as much as I wanted. It was hard then to explain such feelings. Now I can; it’s a feeling of thirst that your body can not do without it!

As I grew older I found ways to escape the city and my parents took me on long holidays to Pembrokeshire so that I could be on the farms and let off some steam. They could not really afford to send me on shooting trips as I would have liked but, they went without so that I could have a horse riding lesson once a week and encouraged me to take up night classes studying horticulture (OK it wasn’t farming or hunting, but it was outside and was the beginnings of my track to the shooting field). School was of a slight inconvenience to me, I spent my time in Portacabin classrooms, being taught while daydreaming about my life in the wilds.

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW

Nearly 20 years on here I am now writing this article in the South of Sweden (Skaane) with two of my best stalking clients. Day two into a boar and fallow hunting trip. Yesterday we were out in the forests hunting fallow. They have some of the biggest examples I have ever seen, beautiful, palmated and majestic beasts. My two clients shot one each with rather spectacular heads (it’s not the size that counts…). I had three shots and have bagged the memory of necking two beasts freehand, one of them on the run. This is after all, Sweden! All together we shot five animals yesterday and we still have two days hunting to go!

I cannot really say that anything or anyone in particular influenced me into hunting, it just evolved with me. I have always been fanatical about animals. Rescuing pigeons and songbirds and fixing small broken bodies, but the thirst was always there simmering away beneath the desire to fit in and be fashionable. But there is beauty and irony in the art of hunting… not shooting, hunting!

FIRST GUN

I did not get my first gun until I finished university. I studied Agriculture at Harper Adams University College, they had a clay shooting ground, but I didn’t really fit in and couldn’t find anyone that wanted to teach me. I put it down to having the wrong accent and no land, which now makes me chuckle. I paid £300 for an absolute nail of a side by side that a ‘friend’ whom of course knew all about shooting sold to me. Even at the price I had to save to get it. The gun broke within weeks as it was just old and well past its due date, I was absolutely gutted. In fact I had waited 17 years for this gun; I think I probably got slightly emotional in the gun shop when I was told it wasn’t fixable. The gentleman I brought it from would give me no refund and I couldn’t afford to buy another one.

But, all was not lost, and it’s important that I mention this. I purchased my ammo from ‘Just Cartridges’ (Charles Bull). Charles was and has been of great inspiration to me. He more or less gave me his 12 gauge Browning 325 Grade 5. Not only that, he taught me to shoot it!

So as far as my formal training is concerned, it has consisted of shooting lessons with ‘Just Cartridges’, watching the line of guns shooting at Glympton with the hope of maybe one day loading for anyone I possibly could and making some errors of judgement along the way. As long as I’m learning the mistakes will still happen, just less frequently I hope.

RIFLES AND DEER

I have completed my DSC1 and 2 regarding formal rifle training. My first rifle was a Marlin .243 purchased from Cellar Armoury, I no longer own it! Pete asked me what makes and models I aspire to? Well, I don’t, I currently own a customised Heym bolt-action in 243 Win, with sound moderator and Zeiss scope and a customised Bruno 452, 22 rimfire. They cost me a fortune that I went hungry to have, but I chose them because I like them and for no other reason. Now I could own many different makes and calibres but what’s the point? They would get little use at this moment in time and besides I would have to clean them all and I’m busy trying to live and hunt. I could be persuaded to recruit a Blaser as I am having a good time with my friends R93 9.3x62 and another in 300 Win Mag, we shall see!

At the moment I don’t reload as I am short on hours in the day. But I may take it up one day, in the future. I’m not really caught up in the whole ‘best rifle/calibre/scope thing’ as Pete puts it, no. As long as it is legal, safe, shoots straight and you are happy with it. I mean if you seriously need a ‘rocket launcher’ to drop a muntjac; what’s the point, to me it’s not stalking, but each to their own. I’m just answering the questions I have been asked, my rifles and I have no ‘extensions’!

GOING SOLO

I was taken out by too many ‘guides’ that as it turned out were more interested in other things rather than teaching me to stalk. That is the long and short of it. There seriously needs to be a register for professional hunters and they should all be vetted, no matter how long they have been doing it. Also there are too many people holding ground that they stalk twice a year and fudging cull records because it boosts their ego. I am speaking from firsthand experience.

The first deer I shot was with a guide, and he was fantastic, but I can’t class it as my shot as it was more or less all done for me. None the less it was exciting, that was on a muntjac buck at Ditchley Estate. I was also guided for my first fox there too in my very early stages of shooting game, which was equally exciting!

My first real shot was at Henwood Farm, where I had crawled through the wet grass for hundreds of yards to get onto a roe buck at the bottom of a big hill. I had stalked 20 yards onto him, I lay in the grass and with my nerves and inexperience added together (and a rifle that didn’t shoot straight as it turned out) gut shot him. At first I was ecstatic sure that I had done well, however, he stood there with his back arched and looking as though he wanted to be sick! I fired again as I realised I had shot him in the gut. I was actually saddened at my first ever solo shot. But there is an up-side! I learned from this experience and I can say that I did the right thing by firing again and practicing a sensible follow up.

The best shot I have had to date was on a roe doe. It was in the morning, still and sunny. I stalked onto her maybe 5 yards maximum. She had no absolutely no idea. Once she was on the ground I breathed in so hard for air, I felt as though I had been holding my breath for minutes, frightened to breath in case she heard me, I was positive she would hear my thumping heart.

SHOOTING FOR ALL?

Pete asked about women in shooting and what do I think? I’m not one to jump on the whole ‘rights to rule the world and do no washing up band wagon’. However, as a woman I can say to the rest of the women out there, we have a place, and that place is as equal to anyone else’s, male or female! You have to choose to take your stand and ‘gentlemen’ you must respect that we are here to shoot, live, work, which ever and not to find a suitable partner for romantic liaisons. When I am working I am working, when I am relaxing I am relaxing, respect that please!

Shooting in general is fantastic, it must be as I have spent that last 3-hours writing about it. It is a chartered tradition of our country and our heritage as is fox hunting and we shouldn’t try to shake the ‘mud’ from our roots or let anyone else try to shake it for us. Hunting brings us together in many different ways and it is an integral part of what and who we are, nation-wide.

As I have progressed in shooting, I have has so many people tell me that I shouldn’t be ‘here in this industry’. I have had people make false allegations to the firearms department due to jealousy. But justice always prevails and these people just end up looking silly.

PARTING SHOT

Here is my parting advice and thoughts as I am holding up my team to go boar hunting.

Women in shooting, go for it, be the best! Women that want to get into shooting, learn from the best and make sure you buy your tools for the job from the best. Not the most expensive I add, the best.

Hunting to me is like this, water will always find its level. It is an energy that must get out if there is an opportunity for ittodoso.AslongasIamliving,Iam hunting, no one and nothing is ever going to change that. It is in my genetic make-up. It makes no difference to your back ground, colour, religion, if you own a sun seeker or a rowing boat. Hunting is hunting and if you want to hunt I would only be too pleased to guide you.

Ladies, take to your guns, and stick by them at absolutely everything you do!

Ursula is currently offering the following - muntjac, roe and fallow (England), ptarmigan, elk and ice fishing trips (Norway) with a professional guide (snow mobiles, snow shoes and skis included) and dog sledding trips to see the northern lights with ex special forces Norwegian guide. Boar and fallow (Sweden) and seal in Greenland from September-October. Bookings are now been taken for 2013 Polar Expeditions around the Islands of Spitsbergen (end July/early August) to see polar bears with a professional guide. All inclusive, please contact for details for this rare opportunity. Limited spaces available as the numbers on these trips are kept to a minimum.