Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2019 i Shooting Gazette

How do you feel about the last full month of the driven shooting season? Are you the kind of Gun, beater or picker-up who sees it as a race against time to get as much of your sporting fix in as possible before the curtain falls? Or do you take the popular view of January as the start of the new calendar year and a chance to start afresh, doing things a little differently from here on in – or, at least, trying to? I hope that by the time you’ve read this issue from cover to cover you will agree we’ve started our New Year off with a bang. Quite apart from a fascinating story of new dawns at the Llanforda Estate in Shropshire, we’re also finding out what…

Two new luxury F. Beesley over-unders are now available, the name of the famous gunmaker having been recently resurrected by London Gun Company. The Fenice and the Eleganza are described as “handmade and fine-tuned with sophisticated technology, whilst reflecting the same exacting values that Frederick Beesley always held”. The shotguns are produced in Val Trompia, Brescia, Italy. The Eleganza is built to customer’s specifications, and they will be able to visit the factory in Italy to see how it is made. The Fenice, billed as the “classic model”, is ready to purchase from London Gun Company’s showroom in Chelsea. For more information, visit londongunservices.co.uk.…

I would take the team dove shooting at the Sierra Brava Lodge in Cordoba, Argentina. First onto the plane would be my father, Maurice Jones, who introduced me to shooting and still takes me on a few days each season, always pointing out how I could improve! Second on would be Stuart Perkins as there is nothing like a day with friends. Third, England rugby union legend Phil Vickery, who I watched play in the winning World Cup team in Australia and then locally at Gloucester. It was also a pleasure to meet him in his ambassadorial role for Le Chameau. I am sure he will not be short of a story or two. Fourth on would be HRH Prince Charles. Having shot over much Duchy-owned ground, it would be…

Roughly how many hours research and development go into creating new game cartridges? “It is difficult to put an exact figure on the number of hours spent as the development involves a number of disciplines within the business, including engineering, ballistics, manufacturing and testing, always ensuring the requirements of CIP are adhered to. “With the excellent relationship with our component suppliers and the in-house facilities, Lyalvale Express is able to bring a new product to the market quickly and efficiently.” How difficult is it to produce a cartridge that offers something new to a crowded and extremely brand-loyal market? “Over the years there have been a number of developments, each with its own USP – for example, performance characteristics or a move from a plastic to a fibre wad. Lyalvale…

For your chance to win a bottle of Taittinger Champagne for Picture of the Month, send us a team photograph or a picture of something unusual from your shoot. Send high-resolution images or prints with captions to Shooting Gazette Gallery, Ti Media Ltd, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 7BF or email: martin.puddifer@ti-media.com ONE WOMAN AND HER DOG Kelly Fretwell’s image of her and Kedleston gamekeeper Jamie Maver’s dog, Flow, sent our Facebook page into a spin when we published the pair together a few weeks back. ‘Perfect size for the beaters’ basket’ was the suggested caption to go with pal Lydia Brown’s image; we think it’s perfect in every way. BLOXHAM ON TOP IN OXFORDSHIRE Bloxham School took the highest honour at William Powell’s third Schools Clay Shooting…

THE AUTHOR of the Letter of the Month will receive a pair of Wexford boots from Dubarry of Ireland (RRP £325). The knee-length, side-zip boots – designed for both men and women – are handcrafted from waterproof Dry Fast-Dry Soft™ breathable leathers. The high quality of the boot is reinforced throughout with an insulated GORE-TEX® lining that wicks moisture away from the foot, ensuring the wearer remains dry and comfortable all day. Dubarry’s new hard-wearing durable outsole gives maximum grip whatever the ground conditions.…

1 STOP SHOOTING PALS’ BIRDS Jeremy Corbyn has more chance of being elected leader of the Conservative Party than I have keeping this resolution. Etiquette says you should never shoot a driven bird heading in another Gun’s direction. Quite right. Especially when shooting in mixed company. Mistakes, of course, happen. And they are usually excusable. Who, for instance, hasn’t been in the situation where a bird heading their way changes course just as the trigger is squeezed? And vice versa with the chap next door. But I know the wheels are going to fall off whenever I’m pegged alongside friends – most especially long-time pal and talented sporting artist Keith Sykes. “Pinching” his birds is always especially sweet. Just as it is for him when he thieves mine. Hand on…

DON’T MISS QUALITY IN THE LINE A full report from the 2018 IGL Retriever Championship at Packington MAKE A BIG FIRST IMPRESSION Expert advice for growing shoots hosting their first let days next season CONSUMER CONFIDENCE We meet the team behind the Gun Loss Register DO NOT PUT THAT SHOTGUN AWAY! The UK’s top instructors plan your pre-season practice PLUS A preview of the 2019 Great British Shooting Show THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF SHOOTING GAZETTE IS ON SALE FROM JANUARY 24…

Of all the game shooting disciplines that one might encounter, it is the walked-up day that polarises the emotions most obviously and often, most vividly. A walked-up day is a bit like Marmite; you either love it or hate it. Clearly, we are not talking here of crisp, bright November days walking-up red grouse over perfectly performing pointers in the heather, except of course on the Isle Of Man where this would be illegal as their grouse season ends in October, but more your rain-lashed or mist-sodden gale-force January day, thrashing through briar and swamp in pursuit of the fast fleeing pheasant with a gaggle of rowdy spaniels. To use a nautical metaphor, if the first is akin to messing about in boats, the second is definitely like boating about…

In gun history it is difficult to give a definitive answer to many questions. Who invented the percussion cap, the choke bore, the over-under and so on? It is impossible to ascribe a certain individual to any of these developments, rather they were an amalgam of ideas within a certain time period. So who invented the modern sporting gun, the barrel cocked hammerless ejector? At first glance this seems an impossible question but it is actually quite simple – Joseph Needham of Piccadilly and Birmingham invented it. In patent no. 1205 of April 7, 1874, Joseph Needham took out a patent, not only for a barrel cocked hammerless gun, but also for the first ejector mechanism. In the history of gun development this patent must be viewed as an important…

Just one year later after the Needham patent of 1874, the most famous barrel cocking mechanism of all time was patented, the Anson & Deeley boxlock. It was no doubt inspired by the Needham design and went on to become one of the most famous actions of all time built in its hundreds of thousands. On May 11, 1875, William Anson, foreman of the machine shop and John Deeley, the managing director, both of Westley Richards, took out patent no. 1756 to create a devilishly simple design of hammerless gun. Cocking levers protruded through the knuckle and as the barrels dropped, the fore-end iron pushed these levers downwards. The other end of the cocking lever correspondingly pushed up the tumblers and at the same time the mainsprings were cocked. Hardly…

It’s relatively rare that I get to shoot a 16 bore, so this was a good chance to test one properly. With me was retired headkeeper Bernard Moss, who now works as an instructor here at the shooting school. We started on the 40ft tower as a benchmark with the straight bird and then moved the trap around to shoot relatively wide birds to the left and right. The 30in barrels were very printable and the gun moved easily, giving exceptionally convincing breaks and some smoking of the clays with the choke barrel. We both felt the balance and handling of the gun was pretty much perfect and incredibly enjoyable to shoot. The felt recoil from the 16 does tend to be a little more robust than a 12 or…

James Bond has often taken his Aston Martins off-road to escape the baddies, but it is about to get a bit easier for him. The spy’s favourite car manufacturer is about to launch its first SUV, which will be called the DBX. It is designed to compete with existing rivals from Bentley, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce, not to mention the forthcoming Ferrari 4x4. In a none-too-thinly veiled swipe at the somewhat challenging looks of some of these super-SUVs, boss Andy Palmer has said that “those minded towards a beauty of execution will move to Aston”.…

“Brambles add to the mix and you can lose a boot without warning. And then a sock…” Gatherer on the joys of shooting on beaters’ day. “Retirement is a new stage of life for your gundog…” How to know when it’s time to call time on your canine’s career “Cries of ‘social media will be the death of trialling’ are absurd…” Amy Bates sticks up for sharing our sport online PLUS Reports from stakes and tests around the UK…

During the opening speech at every trial I attended as a judge, competitor or helper this season, social media was mentioned by the chief steward/field trial secretary. One field trial secretary said one of her perks was to post the results; another said she was only too glad that one of the members attending the trial posted the results and photos of winners. The season kicked off with one field trial secretary issuing a diktat. I am not sure why triallers think the only permissible posts concern things like people on training days or people advertising training days. The amount of confusion it creates to our European friends is incredible – one poor European trialler couldn’t understand why there weren’t any awards except a Guns’ choice to which the comment…

Towards the end of every season, however keenly it was anticipated in August, the keeper and his partner breathe a sigh of relief. Guns have promised to return and friends and helpers had a great keeper’s day. Even the boss is pleased. Meanwhile, the keeper’s partner can see light at the end of the culinary tunnel. It could be a lie-in on a Friday or it might even be a long weekend away together. Smiles all round then, not least because one covert remains literally untapped. “I couldn’t mark their birds and lock on to mine.” Two years ago, I accepted the keeper’s invitation to pick-up with a gun in my hand on beaters’ day. It was tempting. After all, who knows better than a picker-up where the birds fly?…

Club: The Bristol & West Working Gundog Society Event: Novice cocker trial Venue: Alford shoot Judges: Dave Rayner and Anita Jones Guns: Andy Fisher, Simon Jones, Colin Selwood and Paddy Williams Keeper: Paul Smith Sponsor: Skinner’s Our cocker trial was held by kind permission of Edward & Elizabeth Thring. With a rather wet and blowy evening before the trial we were very lucky to have a dry day. With the welcomes and introductions out of the way, we started the trial at 9:30am and proceeded to the wood. Alford ground consists of woodland, bramble and rushes, which is perfect spaniel ground. Paul and his merry team of stops worked tremendously hard in making sure the birds were held in the areas and each competitor had every opportunity for flush and…

How to win For your chance to win either a Pintail Explorer smock (top) or a Seasons jacket (right), email 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.…

Shropshire-based gunmaker Boxall & Edmiston has cited ‘economic reasons’ for its closure, announced in November. In a statement on the gunmaker’s website, founders Peter Boxall and James Edmiston said: “During the past nine years we have had the pleasure of manufacturing exquisite guns for some extremely genial clients, for which we thank you all. “However, Boxall & Edmiston has been ‘all consuming’ and there comes a time when the work/life balance needs to come into consideration. As such, we are going to step back from the front line of the shotgun world and let others pick up the challenge… “We have endeavoured to put a good structure in place to service and support the 200 guns that are out in the field.” Maintenance and repair will be offered through former…

Tandoori Partridge with Almond Rice SERVES TWO PEOPLE Ingredients 2 partridge breasts For the marinade • 200ml natural yoghurt • 1tsp ground ginger • 1tsp ground cumin • 1tsp ground coriander • 1tsp paprika • 1tsp turmeric • 1tsp salt • 1tsp cayenne pepper For the rice • 120g basmati rice • 1 cardamom pod • 1 star anise • 2 cloves • 25g butter or ghee • 40g almonds, toasted • 15g fresh coriander For the garnish • 2 naan breads • 2 limes • 1 bag mixed-leaf salad • 1 jar mango chutney Method To make the marinade, mix the yogurt with the spices. Make cuts 2in-3½in deep in the partridge breasts and rub the marinade into the meat. Cover and leave to infuse for at least an…

Dear Uncle Giles, During the season I’ve noticed loaders holding spare cartridges between their fingers and sometimes even in their teeth. What are your thoughts on this? AEL, by email Uncle Giles writes, Shooting double guns is a complicated business and not without its particular risks. Why do we shoot double guns? Because it doubles our rate of fire. What does it do for accuracy? In my experience it allows you to miss twice as fast and about twice as much. On the other hand, those experienced with double guns, who take their time and seldom miss anything, can substantially increase their firepower and when you are in the hot seat on a late November back-end grouse thinning operation that is certainly one of the differences between the men and…

BGA needs to have a rethink I am writing in response to the article on the British Game Alliance (October issue), within which the BGA made some comments about the National Game Dealers Association (NGDA) that were disingenuous, to say the least. I am chairman of the NGDA and we were invited to a meeting with the BGA to discuss its objectives. The NGDA fully supported the idea of a generic game marketing fund to find new markets for game and relieve some of the pressure due to the oversupply of shot game. However, NGDA members are not quite as green as the game they are expected to collect. As questions were asked about aims and projects, it became clear that the BGA had no idea of the market, its…

When I was first lucky enough to be invited to days of driven game shooting in the late 1960s, most at the end of January were focused on cocks only. Over the years on many shoots this philosophy has changed to now shooting both cocks and hens until the end of the season. Why should this be? I feel the answer is related to the scaling up of shoots and with the reliance of mainly reared pheasants. “Some of these all wild shoots then started rearing a few birds to up the scale of the event and produce a couple more shoot days.” In those days the shoots I was invited to were fairly modest farm shoots. These were the norm and with a great reliance of wild birds with…

The first month of the New Year provides us all with a chance to start a fresh chapter in our personal or sporting lives. It might turn out to be a short chapter lasting several days or weeks, or it might be one that lasts the rest of our lives. Fill in your own blanks as appropriate. “The more you travel for your shooting, certain words, sounds, landmarks and even signposts on roads well travelled trigger reminders.” Back in the 1990s my family and I took a holiday to the US, a three-week adventure involving great swathes of New England as well as shorter stays in New York, Chicago and Seattle. It was a voyage of discovery in many ways, and the people we met and the places we saw…

The end is nigh. January is for some the favoured month for pheasant shooting. The time when a small, affordable day may be found, when birds inevitably give it their best, but also a time of possible disappointment. Very often it is not that birds are no longer present, more that they are not where they are wanted. At the end of season, after the beaters’ shoot, the place often seems devoid of game, yet a couple of weeks later numbers build up, straw rides and hopper sites fill, and you wish you could put another day on. It never ceases to amaze me how so much game manages to hide, but is it really that surprising? Now I know pheasants are not the brightest birds in the bush, but…

Engineering: 10/10 No doubts on this front. We rarely have any issues with AYAs at the school, either, whether customers’ guns or the AYAs used by clients. Looks and finishing: 9/10 The round action looks fantastic, the wood was a little light in colour for my personal choice but the grain was running in the right direction to give strength through the hand. The chequering was well executed and wood-to-metal fit excellent. Handling: 9/10 Handling was first class. The felt recoil was a little more than the equivalent 12 or 20 bore. Value: 9/10 If you want a gun to these specifications in this calibre, which is well presented, then the Regal is great value. Research the options well before you order so you can specify properly. AYA offers self-opening,…

Q Following two hip operations I have been advised to shoot from a seated position from now on – will my shooting suffer a result? A I am afraid the simple answer is yes, your shooting will suffer if you decide to shoot from a sitting position. I have experience with this type of situation as I have a bad hip myself – I would say better to shoot not quite as well but still keep shooting. If the situation is not too bad, then perhaps there is a half-way house of sitting during the majority of the drive but standing to shoot. I have one client who takes a roll-out plastic mat, which is about a metre square, and a tall shooting stick, which makes it easier to stand…

Despite the challenges the weather presented last year, the UK’s farmland market has proved resilient and not dissimilar to previous years. While there have been minor value adjustments this year, there are some good active buyers and the trend of constrained supply continues. With commodity prices and this year’s harvest generally better than expected, there is confidence in some agriculture sectors. There has been a definite correction in values since the peak of the market in 2014, and average values seem to have levelled. Those values are subject to significant variation both regionally and locally, but on average across the UK they have fallen by just one point – two per cent over the past nine months. In Scotland the best arable farms are making £8,000 to £9,000 per acre,…

Puppy 1 Dave Lowther with Wild Goose Chaser Novice Dog/Novice Handler 1 Dave Lowther with Wild Goose Chaser 2 (& Winner of The Most Improved Dog and Handler Trophy) Craig Wafford with Migwell Confederate Star Beginner 1 Mark Greenhough with Puntgunner Princess Ebony 2 (& Judges’ Choice) Vincent Acheson with Arnac Bay Grouse (owned by Cathy and Vincent Acheson) 3 Sue Worrall with Arnac Bay Esk Unclassified open 1 Mark Poulton with Penrose Keen Machine 2 Vincent Acheson with Arnac Bay Grouse (owned by Cathy and Vincent Acheson) 3 Caroline Griffin-Woods with Chesepi Parsippany for Migwell…

Q I have a friend with a terrier that retrieves shot pheasants. Does that mean that any dog can be trained as a gundog? A Well you certainly see other non-gundog breeds on shoots that are flushing and retrieving. So, the partial answer to your question is... possibly. I have worked with pet German shepherds and collies that responded well to gundog training to give focus and purpose, but never to the stage where they are working on a shoot. In practical terms, the gundog as a breed has the temperament, stamina and build for working and is a biddable, soft-mouthed animal that hunts and retrieves instinctively, just as other breeds were bred for other types of work in the past. So, training a gundog with its genetic history, is…

Novice Walked-Up 1 J. George with gr.b. Kaliture Mystique 2 J. Cornforth with lab.b. Roxhart Winnie 3 J. Gardner with gr.b. Kaliture Coconut Star of Foxcote 4 N. Coates with gr.d. Gospelash High Time CoM P O’Donnell with lab.d. Roxhart Red Rum CoM C. Clift with lab.b. Olivestone Lemon Drizzle Open Walked-Up 1 A. Phillips with gr.d. Castlemans Soul Man 2 H. Goodwin with lab.b. Sorrelcott Guinevere 3 D. Polley with lab.d. Gillhays Sage 4 J. Cornforth with lab.b. Mucklehart Gracie CoM A.Wales with lab.d. Spiralline Malbec CoM H. Goodwin with lab.b Sorrelcott Minnesota CoM J. Gardner with gr.d. Polihale Grizzly Bear of Foxcote…

Robotics have yet to reach the shooting field but, increasingly, we are surrounded by examples of AI – not as in a friendly man in Wellington boots with long latex gloves and a warm way with animals but ‘artificial intelligence’, or the ability of man to do things for, with and despite his fellow humans using simulated intelligence in machines. Some sports have clambered onto this high-tech fun bus, most notably for telling the manager of a team kicking a ball around which of his players is beyond hopeless. But AI has yet to used in any meaningful way in country sports. Robotics may play a part in the production of our weapons and ammunition, but most of us know our degree of hopelessness with piece in paw, so it’s…

Service is king: This is the principle I emphasise most. Whether someone is buying a slab of cartridges or a new pair of guns, they must walk out feeling that they have received VIP treatment. A happy customer is an impactful advertising tool. We have always offered a service based around knowing our customers better than anyone else and anticipating what they want. Some of our most valued customers are the result of a recommendation. The service we provide gives us unpaid brand ambassadors out in the field. If people feel you care, they’ll reciprocate. Think outside the box: The tradition and heritage in the shooting industry must be respected but you cannot be scared of venturing into new fields. When we purchased Frederick Beesley, its long history of making…

Shooting has long been a target for dissenters and the explosion of social media over the past decade has given them a platform. Every sport has its problems but just when we’re turning a corner, there’s some scandal that knocks us back. Wildlife crime, raptor persecution... as isolated as it is, it has given our vocal opponents just what they need. And we all get tarred with the same brush when these shocking and disappointing acts are committed. Of the 5,000 gamekeepers in the UK, a handful have let us all down. A fraction of 1%. It’s like saying a shoplifter is representative of all who use a supermarket. These ‘heroes’ have the ability to galvanise a movement, giving antis a focus and a justification to air their misguided views.…

TRAVEL Llanforda is only a couple of miles west from the market town of Oswestry, so it is easy to access from either the A5, the A483 or A495. The estate is just over an hour’s drive from Birmingham and three-and-a-half from London. Access to the shoot is down narrow country lanes but a 4x4 is not necessary. Guns can use their own vehicles on the shoot, if they wish (4x4 required). STAY The estate recommends The Sweeney Hall Hotel (sweeneyhall.co.uk), the Wynnstay (wynnstayhotel.com), Hayes Barn (hayesbarn.co.uk) or Whitton Hall in Westbury, which offers a superb billet for visiting guns and can accommodate up to 16 people, or nine single guns (whittonhall.co.uk). The beautiful Georgian house, which is a private family home, is the perfect place to stay when shooting…

Coming up the sweeping drive through the park one cannot fail to be struck by the beauty of Highclere Castle, where I have come to meet the 8th Earl of Carnarvon. Indeed, there is a sense of familiarity with what must be one of the best-loved stately homes in the world. After six series as Downton Abbey, Highclere is intimately known to millions worldwide. Furthermore, it was also the location for Jeeves and Wooster, numerous other films and TV shows as well as concerts by Eric Clapton and Bryan Ferry. One can be forgiven feeling déjà vu. On arrival at the estate office I was shown to a conference room where I was joined by Lord Carnarvon to find out more about the 5,000-acre estate, its incumbent and the shoot.…

The cold weather has come. We’ve seen little snow in this part of Galloway, but the ice bit deep into the mud and the ground was recast in iron. Our fields became a shattered obstacle of rutted ice, and long nights passed in silence beneath a dusty moon. The landscape has been cursed with a brutal chill; a murderous tang which has hunted through the grass and driven off every scrap of warmth. Daybreak reveals roe deer far out on the open ground, pawing at the grass with their feet as if they can nudge it back to life. Their dark silhouettes are crusted in ice, and this effect is magnified in the bustling of hungry sheep which gather around the house. Feeding them beneath the final stars, I often…

SCHÖFFEL REVERSIBLE MERINO/CASHMERE GILET £249.95 schoffelcountry.com Made from a super-soft blend of merino wool and cashmere, this reversible gilet – ours was navy/charcoal, the other option is navy/green – is certainly comfortable and will keep the chill off you in the field. If we are being a little picky, the cut of the garment we tried didn’t have the same quality of fit as other gilets in the Schöffel stable, something you’d expect for the price. PRO FERRUM WET DRYING GUN OIL From £7.99 (for 50ml) pro-ferrum-oil.com  | sportarm.com A wet drying gun oil from Germany that will be a lifesaver for anyone who worries about rust whenever bad weather comes to call. Proclaiming to be the “only gun oil in the world that absorbs water”, Pro Ferrum will also…

Field trialling in Europe moved into top gear during the hunting season, with more than 10 countries competing in Hungary for the Magyar Vizsla European Cup at the beginning of October. Two weeks later, the focus moved to Spain for the 40th World Championships for Pointing Breeds in the Torrijos region. The list of sporting events is endless, with championships in every European country. One such event was the first international field trial for pointers and setters run by the newly formed Hungarian Setter and Pointer Club. I had the honour of judging it along with my co-judge, Josef Pal of Slovakia. Throughout the trial, we were fortunate to have the services of an interpreter, Marta Magi. “I am enthralled by the sight of the searching pointer, running at speed,…

1 (& The Westhyde Challenge Bowl for the Winner) Philippa Williams with gr.d. Castlemans Soulmate 2 (& The Culzean Cup for the Runner-up & The HMS Cambrian Tankard for the Best Opposite Sex) John Williamson with gr.d. Int FTCh Gortons Gaelic Prince 3 John Williamson with gr.b.Tealcreek Isla 4 Keith Broomfield with gr.d. Polihale Vodka Surprize CoM (& winner of the Parry Tankard for the Best Retrieve on a Runner & the Castleshaw Trophy for Guns’ Choice) Keith Bedford with gr.b.Angeni Chorus of Kayteens The FTCh Tillwood Theseus of Holywear Trophy for the Best Marker & The Tim Broad Trophy for the Best Looking Dog were awarded to Philip Wagland with gr.b. Funnyline Fieldquest Kelbrook The Merrymaker Trophy for the Breeder of the Winner was awarded to Philippa Williams…