Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2015 i Shooting Gazette

For me, the image above encapsulates many of the attractions of driven game shooting in the UK. It was taken on a day at the Stuckeridge shoot down in Devon, and shows a team of visiting American guns getting stuck in to some very well presented pheasants. And it’s quite obviously raining, a lot. One of the notable factors of our shooting season is that it coincides with the darkest, wettest and coldest months of the year. For some, the onset of autumn and winter signifies the start of a gloomy period, with limited hours of daylight triggering the recognised condition that is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). For those of us lucky enough to be involved in this wonderful sport our gloom descends on February 2 when the shooting stops.…

This is an anthology of shooting excuses, gaffes and anecdotes which you might actually find useful during the season. Not only does it provide very easy access light reading for those moments when the Financial Times is a bit too topical and War and Peace is a bit too serious but it also contains some honest advice for game shooters who might like to kid themselves sometimes. For instance you may have worked this out for yourself but perceived wisdom when buying a pair of breeks, according to the book, is to buy as large a size as possible, accepting you will grow into them. Vanity is one thing, comfort is another. Other interesting titbits include this from a shoot owner whose keeper suggested they shoot through on wet day…

The summer was not kind to everyone. It rained, grouse numbers suffered, moor owners jumped off tall buildings, Cecil the lion fell victim to a bow-wielding American dentist who is now on the endangered list, and pre-pubescent followers of One Direction now have no direction. If that weren’t enough, Chancellor George Osborne and DEFRA’s head girl Liz Truss went on a joint levelling offensive, proclaiming the need to further loosen the stays on rural planning, to bring more affordable housing to every village in the country. In doing so they are simultaneously threatening both Green Belt land and the inherent ambience of village life in one fell swoop. The 18th century political commentator Edmund Burke once commented that “those who attempt to level never equalise” and “to make us love…

How's the estate shaping up for the season? “We’ve been doing a huge restoration project on the house over the last four-and-a-half years. It’s involved several rooms, which we hope to bring into use for shoot lunches and teas. With the shoot, we have always been looking at how we can improve things, tweaking here and there. We’ve added an additional two drives, one of which is predominantly partridge and one of which is pheasant. It will be great to see how they come on, but being a traditional working estate, you have to balance everything out. We have a working farm here so it is always a careful decision adding or taking away drives.” How many days' shooting did you manage to enjoy yourself last season? “I try not…

There is a certain part of the West Country which is as close to driven game shooting’s Mecca as you can get. Yes, there are parts of North Yorkshire and Wales which offer an eye-watering amount of heavenly sport, and we would never discount Scotland’s bounteous delights, but where Somerset and Devon meet there is a genuine game shooting Utopia. This is where the modern concept of high bird shooting was born and has subsequently developed, with shoots like Castle Hill, Chargot, Miltons and Molland all leading the field. In fact, mere mention of these hallowed sporting valleys sends a shiver down the spine of the intrepid game shooter. Hardly surprising then that people will travel from all corners of the world to this most rural and quintessential part of…

I write this on the evening of our first shoot of the season. There is nothing as stressful as the first day because of the multiple pressures of combining so many apparently unfamiliar aspects; everything from the minutiae of remembering what to serve at elevenses or ensuring there is enough soap in the lavatories, to the big issues of how the birds are performing or whether all drives are available to shoot comes into play. This season the big issue is the lateness of harvest. In the years I have been selling shooting I can’t remember a year when it was as late at this one, which hasn’t been helped by how early we start shooting. In the early years there was little shooting in September, but now the early…

Just before the woodcock fall, the snipe come through the Galloway Hills. Rather than migrating in a recognisable pattern, they seem to swirl like shreds of flying grass in every eddy and undercurrent of the wind. The geese fall onto the Solway mud with an almost audible thump, the woodcock come through from Scandinavia over the course of a few short days, but the snipe move in strange, crazy patterns which are obscure and indecipherable. On a normal autumn day’s walking on the hill, you might see one or two snipe, but there is also a chance that you might find 40 in a few hours when you least expect it. Despite having observed these mysterious movements for several years, I am still almost as blind as I ever was.…

This story is about what became known as the Vanishing Fox. Pheasants in the care of Bruce, a local keeper, were being killed around one of his release pens, and he was understandably anxious that I find and deal with the vulpine problem. Yet every time I’d been through the area, my adversary had seen me and taken off. The location in question lies on the side of a very steep hill, and as neither of the two nearby roads provides a suitable approach, any foxes are long gone before you can get near them. One foul mid-October night I decided to target the fox that had until then eluded me more times than I could recall. The air was thick with moisture, and there was a persistent mizzle. Not…

Such was the success of the Churchill XXV that other makers had to rapidly follow suit to keep up. Holland & Holland was no different and in 1930 introduced its Brevis gun with 26½” barrels. The trademark “Brevis” was a marketing masterpiece, being derived from the Latin meaning ‘short’ and it is still a registered trademark of Holland & Holland. It was originally designed with 26½” barrels, weighing 6¼lbs, and was described as: “The ideal gun for grouse and partridge driving.” Such short barrels were too radical for many sportsmen and it was decided by Holland & Holland that all guns up to 28” in length could be entitled to the Brevis moniker. Thus the name Brevis came to apply to shotguns with a barrel length of 28” and below.…

The Hunter GTX Extreme® from Lowa is the boot of choice for guns and keepers who demand strength and comfort when out in the field. Handcrafted in Germany using the finest leather, SPS midsole technology and Vibram outsoles, your feet will be stylish and well-supported, while the PRIMALOFT® insulation and GORE-TEX® waterproof lining will keep your feet warm and dry. For more information visit lowa.co.uk. To win a pair of these Lowa boots find the 11 listed words and send the completed entry form to: Wellysearch, Shooting Gazette, 7th Floor, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU. Entries to arrive no later than October 31. The first correct entry to be drawn will win. August’s winner was C.N. Matthews from Dorset.…

You might be forgiven for having never heard of Chapuis Armes. While this French firm has a fearsome reputation for producing double rifles of enviable quality from its factory to the west of Saint Etienne, its shotguns have very rarely found their way across the channel to the UK. Master gunmaker Stephane Dupille of Stephen & Son is now hoping to change that as an official dealer for the French gunmaker. With over 24 years’ experience in the gun trade making stocks for the likes of Holland & Holland, Purdey, Boss and Atkin, Grant & Lang, it would be fair to say Stephane knows his stuff, so his backing of these guns is a fairly significant statement in itself. I must admit, however, to some nerves on picking this gun…

Engineering: Nothing particularly new or different, but very well executed. 8/10 Handling: A delight. Remarkable recoil control and very comfortable. Only let down is a lack of barrel selection. 8/10 Looks & finishing: A very attractive gun indeed, frankly remarkable for the money. 10/10 Reliability & customer service: Chapuis has been building guns for a long time, as has Stephane Dupille. You are sure of good quality service. 8/10 Value: A tremendous price for a gun that looks as good and shoots as well as this, though value over the longer term as yet unknown. 8/10 Overall: 42/50…

Mid-Devon is well blessed with top quality hotels that cater for shooting and fishing parties. Gidleigh Park services north and south Devon shoots, has provenance and a chef to die for. Email info@gidleigh.co.uk Lewtrenchard Manor is family run, has great style and friendly staff and is ideal if striking further west to Caerhays Castle – info@lewtrenchard.co.uk. Finally, The Arundell Arms caters for shooters, fisherfolk and donkey wallopers – reservations@ arundellarms.com.…

THIS YEAR it was the turn of the Eastern Counties Golden Retriever Club to host the annual Golden Retriever Breed Club inter-club working test. The event was held on the Ampton Estate by kind permission of Peter Rushbrook, writes Di Ewings. When the first such event took place in 1979, five golden retriever clubs took part and Eastern Counties hosted in that year, too. Since then the event has continued to grow and this time we were pleased to welcome 12 of the 13 breed clubs to the venue. Each team consisted of four dogs – two novice and two open – and all handlers received a goody bag put together by Sporting Saint and Nature’s Menu, together with a copy of our late president’s book, Irish Sporting Memories. Our…

WE DON’T see enough keepers and pickers-up taking their rightful place in the gundog area at the CLA Game Fair, so this year the Mitsubishi Estate Challenge put that right, writes Amy Bates. Eight teams competed for the fabulous prize of a Mitsubishi truck for a year and the Levenghyl Cup. The winning team, Upsall Castle/Kirby Knowle, were not only perfectly presented, but also one of the nicest bunches you could hope to meet. Headkeeper Matthew Sharples, under-keeper Will Benson and pickers-up Glynn Sykes and Paul Stogden were the perfect pin-up boys. The judges, Jim Chattaway and Mark Watson, cast their eyes over the challenge. Impressed by the professionalism and keenness of the competitors, they enjoyed their task and “would offer them all a place in their picking-up teams”. Chief…

THE NORTH Midland Area of the United Retriever Club held its retriever working tests at Welbeck, Nottinghamshire, by kind permission of Mr W. Parente and the estate, writes Phil Wagland. The judges were David Bellamy, Fred Newton, Anna Wagland and Phil Wagland. There were classes for puppy, novice handler and novice. Prizes were sponsored by Alpha, “The Food of Champions”. The puppy and novice handler tests comprised five exercises, judged by Anna and Phil. There were 14 puppies and 10 novice handlers, with three breeds competing. The 33 dogs entered for the novice faced tests simulating work on the Welbeck shoot. In the morning David Bellamy judged a mark in one of the large lakes. Meanwhile Fred Newton assessed work on a long mark in a field of maize. After…

Congratulations to Charlotte Frost from Walberswick for sending us this delightful picture of her pack of eight spaniels. They look like a formidable team of gundogs don't they? HOW TO WIN For your chance to win a Ridgeline smock in this month’s competition, email your high-resolution pictures to: katemaxim@outlook.com. Please put “Gundog Picture of the Month” in the subject line. The winner will be chosen by the Shooting Gazette judging panel. Good luck! The prize will only be posted to winners with a fixed UK postal address.…

Off-road driving 54 Expert advice on how to stay in control behind the wheel this season. Whether it’s deceptively slippery grass, muddy banks or fast flowing streams there are many hazards out there just waiting to catch you out... Will Garfit 77 The modern master of pigeon shooting recounts a day in the hide in the heat of high summer. With the Test match on the radio and the harvest near completion around him, Will depicts a truly classic sporting scene. Field trial tips 102 Field trials and working tests can seem quite daunting but, as Justin Clarke explains, they are a wonderful opportunity for you and your dogs to improve. And you never know, you might just enjoy the whole experience.…

What was your first shotgun? My first gun was an AYA 28 bore which was my reward for passing my Common Entrance exam aged 13. Where was your first shoot day? Two years later, on our family farm near Canterbury in Kent. The bag was about 15 and I can vividly remember my first pheasant. It was a left to right crossing cock bird, which I dropped neatly into a river - I was so pleased I jumped straight in to retrieve it myself. Who was your shooting mentor? My father was absolutely dictatorial about safety when shooting, so as a young lad that side of things was drilled into me from a great height. He was also passionate about nature, conservation and decent fieldcraft. I always stop to appreciate…

Pheasant pancetta & black cabbage SERVES FOUR PEOPLE Ingredients • Four pheasant breasts• 250g pancetta• 200g cavelo nero (black cabbage)• 4 pastry galettes• Game jus• Cornish sea salt• Milled black pepper Method Wrap the pheasant breasts tightly in the pancetta. Season the wrapped pheasant and sear in a hot pan for two minutes each side. Place into a hot oven (200Ð for) five to six minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a further five minutes. Sauté the black cabbage, season and set aside. Place the pastry on the plate, top with the cabbage, slice the pheasant and place on the cabbage. Finish with a little game jus and watercress and serve.…

Dear Uncle Giles I know this is a rather thorny issue but please can you give me some advice on tipping ahead of the pheasant season proper? For instance, if I have experienced what I consider to be a poor day, am I really obliged to tip the keeper before departing in a huff? REM, via email Uncle Giles writes I was fishing the other day and enquired of my hostess what I should do about tipping the ghillie. Her response surprised and impressed me. “By all means give him something,” she said, “but be assured that he is properly paid by us and that anything you care to add should be only a gesture of your appreciation for his efforts.” For the record I did appreciate his efforts and…

TRAVEL Tiverton is the main access point to this area if you are travelling down the M5 and it’s 185 miles from London. If you don’t get stuck in any of the notorious traffic black spots then it’s three hours on the road. If you would rather let the train or the plane take the strain then it’s within easy reach of either Exeter or Bristol, which both have airports and rail connections between the rest of the UK and Tiverton Parkway. STAY Not surprisingly for an area so rich in sporting offerings, and one that is a popular tourist destination all year long, there are many excellent hotels around. But if you are shooting at Stuckeridge then we can’t think why you and your team wouldn’t want to stay…

Gaze across the lake to the ancient stately home during a duck drive and ponder the possibility that Oliver Cromwell's head could be buried in one of its walls, planted there by his daughter, Mary. She reputedly retrieved the skull after her father had been posthumously hung, drawn and quartered in London on the orders of Charles ll, a grisly act of revenge for Cromwell's part in the 1649 execution of Charles l. Cromwell argued that killing the king was the only sure way to bring two bloody English Civil Wars to an end. It did. A century earlier the estate, which nestles in the Howardian Hills, was by all accounts one of Henry VIII's favourite hunting grounds. Unfortunately, his fondness for the countryside didn't extend to Byland Abbey, the…

I READ the Trials and Tribulations article by Amy Bates in the September issue of Shooting Gazette with increasing dismay. It is uncomfortable reading the banging of a drum by someone who is relatively inexperienced and yet by appearing in print their opinion is given validation. At the majority of retriever trials there are four judges, all of whom are "non-partisan" and work hard to ensure the best dogs on the day are suitably rewarded. Trialling by its very nature has a huge element of luck and if that doesn't go your way you are probably not going to win that day. I have had the privilege to compete in and judge retriever trials for over 20 years and I have yet to see a competitor with a well-trained dog…

For a large number of those who go shooting, whether to beat, pick-up or actually point a gun, one of the great joys of our sport is that we get to use our 4x4s for the purpose for which they were designed. For 300 and something days a year, you really might just as well have bought a Toyota Corolla – that Land Rover of yours will just be aerodynamically inferior, have a higher centre of gravity and drink considerably more fuel. But on shoot day it comes into its own, allowing you to show off your knowledge of all those buttons and levers, and justify its purchase to both yourself and the domestic CFO. Even better, there is normally an element of competition between the owners of 4x4s, and…

Human The first day of the new season is always difficult. First you have to find everything. And everything you have to find has been put away so carefully that you have forgotten where to find it. Then you have to refurbish most of it because during the unfeasibly hot summer that we have all enjoyed, but never expected, everything has dried and twisted and knotted and wrinkled and shrunk. Or perhaps we have even got a little bigger? And we haven’t got enough cartridges and we haven’t replaced those leaky boots – who does at £200 a pair for what are still wellies, when all is said and done? And the zip doesn’t work on that jacket and the moths have consumed that rather dapper cap we got for…

I spotted a very nice single-barrelled flintlock gun by Knubley, London c.1800 in an auction earlier this year, but the very low estimate meant that something was drastically wrong with it. In fact, it was irreparable – the barrel had been chopped to 24”, some 10” shorter than its original length of around 34”. It just looked incongruous and since everybody else thought so too, I bought it for a song. Upon examining it, I noticed that the barrel had been cut down very well. This was no teenage boy finding an old gun and playing around with it. In addition, it had a stout all-brass ramrod with a large head that had obviously been made to fit the cut-down barrel. Then I noticed two small holes drilled in the…

During the tail end of August James, a good friend of mine, called me to suggest there were enough pigeons on his wheat stubble for me to have a day’s decoying. Brian, who helps with the keepering on my small shoot in Cambridgeshire, also does the tractor work on James’s farm, and he said there had been a steady trickle of birds across the field while he had been cultivating up the tramlines. Two days later, a Saturday, I was there watching the field. I arrived at 10.30am, which was perhaps a little early for what was forecast as a very hot day when the pigeons could be feeding later. I selected the position for my hide in the middle of the 30-acre field and constructed it with a roof…

This is a pretty gun which will surely sell on looks alone – it really does need to be seen and picked up. It is based around Chapuis’ own round action design which reminds me of a McKay Brown. The gun features ejector springs in the barrel which are quite powerful and give the feel of an assisted opener in operation. Chapuis has always produced very good quality guns, the problem has been getting them into the UK. Stephane Dupille has taken it upon himself to bring these guns into the country as an official dealer, and with a long and successful history in the gunmaking industry he is sure to provide good service. The master stockmaker has personally selected the walnut on this gun and the quality of the…

Q What choke/cartridge combination do you recommend for my pheasant shooting this season? A All the game cartridges on the market today are so much better than they were 20 years ago as a result of developments in the powders and wads used, which make them faster but they still pattern well. What is very important for this season is that you find a cartridge brand you like and stick with it. Most of the top brands will have a full range for both side-by-sides and over-unders. Start your season on No.6s and move to No.5s and even No.4s as the season continues and the pheasants get older and tougher. Many people say their gun can’t take bigger shot size but this is not the case. It is the weight…

I got a phone call from a chum the other day. “I’ve just been told that I can’t have a new Defender,” he spluttered. “All 90 Hard Top build slots are gone so I’ve got to buy a station wagon with more windows and VAT than I want.” Another estate owner has just bought three identical Defenders – one to run and two to mothball until they are needed. It is extraordinary that a car launched in 1948, and which doesn’t feel all that much more modern to drive, has created fever-pitched buying akin to those horrific scenes from Oxford Street on Boxing Day. I’ve even bought a new Defender myself, although I’m pleased to say that I didn’t fall prey to the prettied-up run out editions. Mine is a…

So far this year the market has been characterised by renewed interest and enthusiasm for properties brought to the market. This has in turn brought new buyers out of the woodwork, particularly from across Europe. There are currently 14 sporting estates on the market, ranging from a 2,500-acre driven pheasant and partridge shoot less than 20 miles from Edinburgh city centre to a spectacular 32,000-acre highland sporting estate in Sutherland offering stalking, grouse and salmon. In addition, we are aware of at least another 10 estates which could be acquired privately. In terms of agreed sales, so far this year there have been eight sporting estates either sold or put under offer, a positive message for the market. Of these eight at least five have been to overseas purchasers. Whilst…

THE LINCOLNSHIRE Area of the United Retriever Club held its open working test at Mavis Enderby, Spilsby, writes Gilly Bell. The 25 dogs and their handlers enjoyed the tests on this superb ground. Thanks to Mr and Mrs R. Avery for hosting again and to Mole Country Store for sponsoring the event. Sarah Coomber-Smith, John Day and Alan Richardson were the judges, and Sue Lowe was the chief steward. There were three tests in the morning for all the dogs. Eleven went through to the afternoon for two further tests. In the first of these, the dogs had to pick a blind placed at an angle on a grassy bank over the water. The final test comprised a four-dog walk-up, which turned out to be an exciting affair. Two dummies…

WHAT IS the Kennel Club thinking? How can a person who has never won an open field trial (never mind made up a field trial champion) become a retriever 'A' Panel judge? Why have they lowered the bar? I quote from the Field Trial Regulations J6c (3) 2015 edition: “Before being added to the 'A' Panel, candidates must have handled a dog to win at least one open stake or in the case of retrievers, been placed second in a two-day open stake and, since being added to the ‘B’ Panel, have substantially increased their field trial experience.” All I can say is that second place is the first loser. This dumbing down of the entry level of judges has to be detrimental to the field-trialling world and calls into…

SHOOT MANAGERS AND game dealers are being urged to work closer when trading wild game shot during the season. The call comes from the Countryside Alliance and the National Game Dealers’ Association following a survey of over 40 game dealers by the Game to Eat campaign. The survey revealed game dealers wanted to communicate better with shoot managers in order to plan effectively for the number of birds they would receive following a shoot day, thus putting an end to ad hoc arrangements between shoots and game buyers. Jack Knott from the Game to Eat campaign said: “It is vital in terms of game handling that the game dealer knows the rough number of game that will be shot, the type that will be available and the dates that shooting…

Is it ever anyone’s place to suggest to an elderly gun that due to their own safety it might be wise to hang up their gun, or is a decision better left to the individual concerned? Philip Soanes posted: “Age doesn't come into it, safety does. I have been on many a driven shoot and witnessed some horrendous acts of shooting in an unsafe manner. All people seem to see is the game bird and anything else around them seems to disappear, "just got to kill it" no matter what and don't care that it's only 10 yards away. Beaters’ days seem to be the worst when guns of all ages really shouldn't be in the line as they are not fit safety-wise to be in that line. Dan Doherty…

Perhaps the best-known book on wildfowling ever written, Fowler’s Moon presents a phenomenally evocative picture of shooting in England a few short generations ago. The pages ooze authenticity, from the salt-flecked engagements with wild geese on the foreshore to the sweaty relief of a pint in the pub after a hard day’s chasing partridges on September 1. As with Ian Pitman’s And Clouds Flying, Fowler’s Moon was an unexpected consequence of the Second World War, produced as it was in the monotonous boredom of a German prisoner of war camp. It seems odd that two of the most famous books on wildfowling were written against such a claustrophobic, austere backdrop, but for some prisoners the confinement seems to have bred a deeper interest in the natural world and driven them…

Q: What are the consequences of shooting down a drone either on a shoot day or if one invades my privacy on my own land? Are there any legal defences to avoid a criminal damage charge? Kieran O’Donnell, via email A: I suspect this is one of those areas where the technology has developed faster than the law. An Idaho manufacturer recently announced that it is selling ammunition designed specifically to shoot drones from the sky. The company’s website states the new product, called Drone Munition, is a three-inch, 12-gauge shotgun load for “targeting aerial drone/ quad-copter training and range shooting systems”. However you would be very unwise to use it here. “Lawful excuse” is a defence to a charge of criminal damage. Section 5 of the Criminal Damage Act…

This summer saw Boxall & Edmiston mark the completion of its 100th gun. You may well say that doesn’t sound like a tremendous number of guns so why is this significant? Well, having observed this company closely from the beginning, seen the stunning guns, met many happy customers and enjoyed shooting one of their side-by-sides, I can testify it is indeed a significant milestone. Of course they are not producing the number of shotguns that some of the more mass market names are, but these guns cost upwards of £24,000 so that’s hardly a fair comparison. This all-British company was formed by Peter Boxall who was once the manufacturing director of Holland & Holland and James Edmiston, former managing director of the famous Sterling Armament Company. So they brought a…

TRAVEL Newburgh Priory is located near to the village of Coxwold, on the bottom edge of the North York Moors National Park. The shoot is around five miles from the A19, making for a four-hour drive from London via the A1 and A168. It's less than 10 miles from Thirsk Railway Station on the East Coast Mainline. Meanwhile Leeds/Bradford, Newcastle and Durham airports are all within 90 minutes. And if you want a car and driver Yorkshire Chauffeur Company and Harrogate Driving Company come highly recommended. theyorkshirechauffeur company.co.uk Harrogate Driving Company tel. 01423 867291 STAY There is lots of shoot friendly accommodation in the area. The Feversham Arms (which comes with a spa), the Carlton Lodge B&B (suitable for smaller parties), The Feathers and the iconic Black Swan are all…

Do you want to know a secret? I know where there are some high quality guns for sale, all handmade, all hand engraved, all stylish and all built by a variety of individual makers. They are available in great numbers. The price range? Absolute bargains at £500-£1,500. The guns? Good old British boxlocks. Since the Italian invasion, younger shooters in particular have moved away from boxlocks, preferring machine-made over-unders. The result is a market flooded with fabulous British boxlocks, with prices lower than ever. A non-ejector boxlock, ideal for pigeon or rough shooting, can be had for well under £500. Boxlock ejectors come in various qualities from plain and functional keeper’s type guns to beautifully engraved and finished best quality examples that retail from about £500-£1,500. A best-quality boxlock would…

Just when I think I’ve seen it all, a gun or rifle appears with a feature or mechanism that is totally new to me. The field of antique and vintage guns is full of little surprises, and the learning process goes on and on. I noticed a boxlock ejector gun in an auction recently, the type of which I had never seen before. It was one of those lovely inter-war Churchill boxlocks of the highest quality, but instead of having the usual 25” barrels, they were 22”. I was intrigued. It had the shortest barrels I had ever seen on a boxlock, so short in fact that, being under 24” long, it qualified as a Section 1 firearm. There was no doubt that it was completely original and that it…

It is 11am and I have not left my bed – not the norm, I can assure you. I ache everywhere, but particularly my neck and shoulders, and my skin and scalp hurt to touch. I have no idea how long I slept last night, but I do know it was very little. I was unable to get my core warm, yet my feet were burning and I had a constant headache. Flu, you are probably thinking; well, let me continue. On my left outer thigh is a large, red circle, with a small black speck in the centre – the remnants of a tick’s head. Now it should be clear to anybody who spends time in the countryside that I have Lyme disease. Flu-like symptoms and a red circle…

The Setter from C. Hayman of Weymouth (1926), the Moonraker from Nightingale & Son of Salisbury (1926), the Smokeless from E. Chamberlain of Andover and Basingstoke (1910) and the Pheasant from Frank Lane & Co. of Faringdon (1927). The Grampian from C. Playfair & Co. of Aberdeen (1919), the Special Smokeless from R. Dott-Thomson of Cupar (1910), the Badenoch from Robert MacPherson of Kingussie (1927) and the Teviot from Forrest & Sons of Kelso (1910). The Sporting Ballistic from Pearson & Co. of Grimsby (1910), the British Wonders from Thos. Turner & Sons Ltd of Reading, Newbury and Basingstoke (1927), the Blackpool Special from S. Entwistle of Blackpool (1927) and the Fordingbridge from Alexanders of Fordingbridge (1910). A box of 25 Smokeless Gastights for .410 shotguns from Nobel's Explosives Co.…

We are all familiar with the expression ‘hat-trick’ and we’re likely to associate it, principally, with cricket. With good reason, because it was in 1858 in a match between an all-England team and Hallam at the Hyde Park Cricket Ground in Sheffield that H.H. Stephenson took three wickets with consecutive deliveries. In recognition there was an collection and – yes, you’ve guessed it – they bought him a hat. The term, which first appeared in print in 1878, was adopted by many other sports. Hat-tricks don’t happen often, so when they do they are especially celebrated. And that is more so, surely, when animals with all their attendant uncertainties are involved. In that sense the Gundog International at the Harewood Game Fair recently delivered something special. Sean Moriarty’s English springer…

THE HAMPSHIRE and South West United Retriever Club held its annual junior and novice dog/novice handler, puppy and special puppy working test at Scovellsway Kennels, by kind permission of Mr and Mrs Brown and Annie Buckley, writes Wendy Bardsley. The judges were Henri Fletcher, Jean Baveystock, Annie Buckley and Ricky Ross, and the prizes were generously sponsored by Skinner’s. The number of entries was encouraging, with the event attracting 23 novice dog/novice handlers, 17 in the puppy class and 12 special puppies. Each class held four challenging tests, including a walk-up. Judges Ricky Ross and Jean Baveystock were impressed by the standard of dogs and at the end of the day highlighted to novice handlers the importance of concentrating on groundwork, such as heel work and neat delivery. It was…

THE BORDER Counties and Cotswold Area of the URC held its novice working test at The Elms, Rockhampton, with the kind permission of Mr and Mrs M. Goode, writes Ian Wilson. Judges were Francesca Prentice, Steve Cullis and Frank Wright. Skinner’s kindly sponsored the event. There were three tests in the morning and two more after an early lunch. The first test was a double mark, one into the game crop and the other along a hedge. The handler had to choose which to retrieve first. For test two, a couple of dogs were sat up and a retrieve was thrown into the water. The right-hand dog was required to collect a blind to the right in the reeds and then the left-hand dog retrieved the dummy in the water.…