As it turns out, I need a gun-bearer.
I’ve been reading a copy of Shooting By Moor, Field and Shore, an almanac of shooting in England, published 1929. It paints a portrait of a different time and a different world. Furthermore, it points out the inadequacy of my low brow ways. In the brief section on “walk up hunting” as opposed to shooting driven game, the authors point out the obvious burdens associated with “rough shooting.”
“In order to kill game on a rough shoot, you must either walk it up, or indulge in impromptu driving either with the help of a friend of friends. You have to carry your own gun all day, and most probably the game bag as well.”
Imagine the horror of having to “carry your own gun” and game whilst hunting. I should have flipped through this book before I logged a hundred or so miles to shoot only a handful of quail this season, carrying my own gun the whole time.
Mouthful of Feathers 
The horrors!
I understand that carrying ‘one’s own gun’ would be a burden for those unaccustomed to the rigorous life. The answer is lightweight bird gun. A 16 gauge, of course. And maybe a good bird hunting vest to take the strain off the shoulders.
My thoughts exactly Mike!
I thought you were raising your own gun-bearers.
I am, but they are a couple of years away from training…
Will you teach them to call you ‘bwana’ or ‘sahib’? Back to the dear old days of the Empire.