GUNS Magazine May 1956 - Jeffersonian

grandee, and Pozo-Rubio, Grijalba and
Montealegre.
And finally there was old Askins, just
a duke from Texas.
Now bird shooting in Spain isn't
quite as simply done as out on the
Kansas prairies. To begin with the
game isn't hunted; it is beaten. This
requires some three-score-and-ten peasants
to do the driving. And if this
wasn't a considerable requirement on
the personnel side, every shooter must
have a "secretario." This worthy is gun
bearer and handy man and tags along
to tote your spare fowling piece, several
hundred cartridges, coat, sweater,
whisky, shooting stool and whatever
else fancy dictates.
If this seems a bit on the plush side,
let me assure you it is.
The "secretario," besides making life
more comfortable for you, will if he is
worth his salt sally forth when the drive
is finished (there are six drives during
the day) and gather up not only all
your downed birds but a number of
those belonging to your neighbors as
well. He is a very valuable and important
accessory, this institution known
as the "secretario."
He can be sporting too. When the
game commences to wing over, at first ,
by the dozens, later by the score and
'
finally phalanx upon phalanx, it is his
job to keep your spare double charged
and pass it up to you from his crouched 1
Leading gunmaker Agustin Aranzabal's
AYA doubles are used in shoots.
Acknowledged best wingshot in Spain
is Count of Teba, pigeon champion.
Massive, solid construction of AYA superposed is necessary as guns used.in
fast Spanish shooting get plenty of action, need to be rugged for hot firing.
Purdey 12 was used by Duke de Algiciras, who was high gun
in Spanish shoot observed by "Duke Askins" of Texas. Algiciras
shot over 200 chukars during single day's hunting.