Chris Parkin looks at The Stalking Show. This year the Stalking Show will be held at the Staffordshire County Showground, 13th – 14th April.
I have started to consider The Stalking Show as a must attend event because it is of a clear benefit to the stalking community who all share a direct passion for their hobby. Let’s face it, that hobby or profession is very often an intrinsically solitary pursuit in remote locations so the opportunity to gather, talk, share tips, advise and discuss new matters is a rare pleasure.
I visited the first show two years ago and had a wonderful day out looking at focussed dealers and distributors displaying kit of direct interest to the stalking community. Year two brought journalistic video pressures and the need to fill the ‘game bag’ with stories and footage, I was pleasantly surprised to see the single day I had planned was simply not satisfactory, there was so much to see, so I returned for the Sunday as well. The expansion of the halls and balcony area gave me the ability to see rifle, ammunition, optics, night vision equipment and thermal imaging hardware. Electronic aids are a fast-paced market with constant updates and new models, these are often difficult to capture the value of from online advertising alone, without tactile perception to reinforce that motivation for one of the most expensive kit purchases you are likely to make.
This is not to ignore the clothing we all rely on, the knives we use daily and the ancillary stalking kit like carcass trays, drag bags, shooting sticks and boots. For the serious stalker, the vehicle displays, and especially pickup truck customisation with drawers and dog cage options, are something you really need to see and handle with your own eyes and hands before opting to customise your own vehicle. The dog handling, deer tracking, and retrieval tasks are seeing the growth that drives a lot of European hunting pastimes and you now see more of the electronic tracking tools and physical injury protection jackets for your cherished and valuably trained hunting companion, who may not speak, but certainly conveys priceless information through body language alone.
Then arrive the items you rarely see if you do not already use one or covet that of your neighbour, the chiller. Keen amateurs can no longer rely on a few days of predictable frosty winter weather to store a carcase for home butchery and at the other end of the spectrum, professional stalkers have the opportunity to look at the pre-built and bespoke chillers available that are made to measure for their exact needs, location, and space. No more manual handling, let’s look at hoists and other larder ancillaries including cutlery, stainless steel hardware and simple items like trays, mops, and buckets.
Away from the consumerism of product desire and purchases, what of the stalking itself? At The Stalking Show 2024 you will meet stalkers in the UK, outfitters from overseas and have the opportunity to meet UK stalking and field sports agencies and clubs who support, help direct, and convey our passion to the wider mainstream media of the UK and beyond. There is constant debate over environmental issues that need to be addressed, and the continual sometimes beneficial updates to stalking laws like the use of electronic sights, coupled alongside some less enthusiastically faced factors like the lead ammunition debate that seems to constantly simmer awaiting a full boil.
And when you have harvested your quarry, be it for resale to a wider audience or self-sufficiency needs, you can check out all the latest cooking and recipe ideas as well as having those possible trophies measured and scored for a medal you can appreciate for life.
Demonstrations in the arena always draw a good crowd and let year’s stag calling and bellowing filled the whole showground with a wide variety of good, bad and indifferent call vocalisation to draw that trophy. You can stop by your favourite shooting club and don’t forget, there are also rifle training facilities and practice items like steel targets from gongs to full silhouettes on display and sale without the arduous shipping fees to add on top of physically large and bulky items. Perhaps at this point I should remind you that when you are keen to enter a show, you might not notice some of the outdoor displays on the way in and I myself was guilty of not seeing some of these until I departed last year. We all love a high seat or deer hide and there is nothing better than to get inside or climb up to picture it overlooking your favourite fields on your stalking lands. Do you fit, will your rifle, will be comfortable, do you want one, three or five delivering sir?
At the end of the day, you will have enjoyed a fulfilling experience and not just for the stalking, rimfires and centrefire rifles will share the display space with kit and calibres that cross over for pest control and foxing too, you may also see the big game rifle and outfitter to facilitate the trip of a lifetime to America, Africa or Asia for exotic quarry” But, do not overlook European sporting options because once you have been on a wild boar hunt or seen giant European stags, your horizons may change.
So come along, visit The Stalking Show 2024, it’s open 9am to 4:30pm on the 13th and 14th of April at the Staffordshire County Showground. Well behaved dogs are allowed, and bring the kids too, it is never too early to introduce them to the sporting adventures you may one day share. There is plentiful free parking, disabled access and a plethora of food and drink to fuel your experience among friends who share your passion.
With thanks to The Stalking Show and Chris Parkin for this post.
The Stalking Show 2024 – Key Details
Dates: 13th – 14th April 2024
Times: 9am – 4:30pm
Location: Staffordshire County Showground, Weston Road, Stafford, ST18 0BD
Ticket Prices: Online – £15.00, On the gate – £20.00
