Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2020 i Shooting Gazette

My boyfriend Sam is only 29 years old but, having read The Doctor You Will See You Now (March issue), I think he feels he was born too soon. The interview with Dr Mike Swan and his sterling work with the GWCT over the decades was certainly an eye-opener and extremely interesting. If only the BBC would give Dr Swan the chance to explain our sport’s positive impact on the countryside and its wildlife on Countryfile our cause would be enhanced. However, this wasn’t what stirred my boyfriend’s emotions. It wasn’t long ago that he was at school but the curriculum was mired in the usual tedious subjects, with few of the ‘options’ being of interest to a country lad with little aspiration to travel the world or work in…

The Hunter GTX Evo 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, these boots will look stylish and your feet will be well supported, while the Primaloft insulation and Gore-Tex waterproof lining will keep them warm and dry. For more information, visit lowa.co.uk. To win a pair, find the 11 words listed and send the completed entry form to: Wordsearch, Shooting Gazette, TI Media Ltd, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough GU14 7BF. Entries to arrive no later than 31 May. The first correct entry to be drawn will win. Note: March's winner will be drawn at a later date. • Shooting Gazette, published…

How did you get into shooting instruction? When my father retired from dairy farming, I needed work that fitted in with school holidays as I had two young boys at that time. I headed back to Rodbaston College in Staffordshire to see what my agriculture qualifications would afford me, as I was thinking about going into teaching. This led me to gaining an initial Further Education Teaching Certificate to deliver land-based studies to school and college link groups. Wednesday afternoons were set aside for enrichment activities for the college, and happily for me, they did clay shooting. The game and conservation lecturer and, very fortunately, Rob Pheasant, an experienced BASC coach and assessor who headed up the department for students requiring learning support, were delivering this. When the game lecturer…

Spring is in the post, and the hills are rising back to life again. It is hard to overstate the importance of predator control on behalf of wild game at this time of year, and I return to my traps and snares with a sense of uncharacteristic optimism. Though our stock of wild grey partridges is teetering on the brink of collapse, we produced some reasonable coveys of grouse last summer, and it has been exciting to find a few blackcock travelling around over the past few weeks as the leks have gathered pace. It’s extraordinary to reflect that black grouse have been able to reach a kind of equilibrium here after decades of decline. Present at extremely low densities, it sometimes feels the smallest disturbance could knock them over…

For the first three weeks of March the perfect way of self-isolating was in a pigeon hide. It all seemed easy to cope with coronavirus, but on 23 March our lives changed as the UK was put into lockdown and, apart from key industries, we were told to stay at home. However imaginative or lateral the thinking, it was not easy to justify pigeon shooting as a key industry, though at present the jury is out as to whether protection of the nation’s food supply could be considered eligible. Even if that was to be acceptable, the double whammy that came on the same day was that as all restaurants and pubs were closed, the game dealer would not take our birds. He had no outlet for our delicious pigeon,…

Having been born in 1950, I enjoyed the full teenage experience of the Swinging Sixties — surely the most exciting decade of the 20th century. The 1960s were a great hedonistic social whirl to me, with girls and guns my raison d’etre. By 1970 I had an excellent understanding of the history of British gun development and realised that exactly one century before, in the 1860s, exciting developments were afoot but of a very different nature. During the 1860s, the breechloader was introduced to, and accepted in, Britain. At the end of the 1850s the muzzle-loader reigned supreme but by the end of the 1860s it was completely obsolete. In their quest to develop efficient breech-loaders, gunmakers erred down many paths and blind alleys to patent eccentric designs that at…

How to win For your chance to win either a Pintail Explorer II smock (top right) or a Seasons jacket (right), email high-res images to martin.puddifer@ti-media.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! Meet Rob Harvey’s German pointers, 10-monthold Mildred and seven-year-old Dog (yes, that’s what he’s called). We will bet they are a great team, Rob, and hope they give you great pleasure when you are working them in the field. The prize will only be posted to winners with a fixed UK postal address.…

Meet Bilbo (right) who is a sprocker who was bred for working purposes despite him starting life as a family pet. His introduction to life wasn't ideal: he was very much loved and cared for but with an elderly owner, exercise did not feature highly on the agenda. Then, for no apparent health or behavioural reasons, Bilbo was castrated at an early age. This, coupled with his lack of exercise, resulted in weight gain and the deterioration of his coat as a consequence. By 18 months of age, Bilbo was borderline obese and his life was sedentary. He looked much older than his years and had lost his zest for life. But things got even worse for him: his owner suddenly passed away. Luckily, through a friend of the owner,…

Dear Uncle Giles, During last season I noticed we were given very different briefings by our hosts on the shoots I attended. What, in your view, should the pre-shoot advice be? DJFR, via email Uncle Giles writes There will be some difference between the briefing on a let day, a friends and family shoot or a syndicate shoot where the Guns are well known to one another and familiar with the ground. However, the following points are important for everyone: “We are shooting (say) eight Guns and we will number from the right and move up three. We anticipate two drives before elevenses with a further two before lunch and probably two in the afternoon. “We will be back here for lunch but you will need everything for the morning…

Writing in the midst of the UK’s coronavirus lockdown makes it hard to predict and plan. But in terms of preparing for the upcoming game shooting season, let’s try to be positive. One of the most important things is getting up to speed with general licences. Check online and ensure everyone on your shoot knows the facts. One point worth a mention is that in Wales, rooks and jackdaws have been removed from the licences and the remaining species may only be controlled in the nesting season of endangered species. So you can no longer control these birds to protect blackbirds, thrushes or gamebirds – except grey partridges. You will be aware, of course, of the usual preparation work: managing rearing and release pens, feed/water, predator control, cover crops, tidying…

PICTURE OF THE MONTH “INSPIRATIONAL LEADER” WINS NGO FRANK JENKINS MEMORIAL TROPHY A game management student from Doncaster, dubbed “an inspirational leader” by lecturers, was awarded the NGO’s Frank Jenkins Memorial Trophy at the British Shooting Show in February. Lewis Stewart, who studied game management at Newton Rigg College in Cumbria, was singled out by judges looking for students who show “outstanding practical and theoretical skills and has the ability to be an ambassador for his or her profession”. The 18-year-old also received a new Highland Gore-Tex Ultra Lite suit from sponsors Musto, an engraved tankard from the NGO National Committee and a special gift from Frank Jenkins’ son and daughter. NGO chairman Liam Bell, said: “His determination and passion for the job have marked him out as an exceptionally…

WHILE we will have to wait a little longer to get out on the clay ground to start our pre-season preparations this year, we’ve got plenty of time to have a gander at the new kit needed for lessons and simulated days. Everyone knows the multiple protection benefits of a good cap when shattering clays in the summer months, and the Bembridge cap from Schöffel Country (£19.95, schoffelcountry.com) would be a nice fit with a well-made shooting vest. Step forward William Powell, whose hard-wearing Glenesk Tweed Shooting Vest in 100% Scottish Lovat tweed will be a signature item in any summer shooter’s wardrobe (£245, williampowell.com). To ensure your feet are well treated, too, James Purdey & Sons’ new Men’s Grain Leather Boots should carry you comfortably through a dozen summers.…

They know when it’s February, the pheasants and the pigeon. The pheasants stick two feathers up at the bipeds, and having love on their minds, get on with cockpit-style contests while the hens lay bets and pretend not to watch. The pigeon simply vanish. The afternoon was cold, the light was clear as gin and there was not a breath of wind. We toddled across the road with my brother’s enormous lab, Bowie, and Cecil in tow and I set up under some fir trees while my brother carried on to a spot he favours lower down the slope. The odd shot could soon be heard and occasionally a stratospheric pigeon zoomed overhead. Bowie licked my hand. I broke my gun, greeted my freezing sibling and suggested that he did…

Is a cocker spaniel puppy on its way to your home soon? Do you want to get to know more about the breed’s history, potential heath issues and how to make sure you and your new addition get off on the right paw? The Cocker Spaniel: Care and Training for Home and Sport by trainer and author Janet Menzies could be just the guide for you. At over 200 pages and drawing on more than 25 years’ experience, Janet’s words and some fantastic illustrations will get you clued up in no time at all. Just make sure the little rascal doesn’t pinch it while you’re taking a break from reading it! The Cocker Spaniel: Care and Training for Home and Sport by Janet Menzies, £16.95, quillerpublishing.com…

West London Shooting School (WLSS) has donated 200 pairs of protective glasses to the NHS after learning of a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical staff currently dealing with the coronavirus outbreak. Mark Heath, senior instructor at WLSS, said: “At this extraordinary time, we are extremely proud of our friends, the medics at St Mark’s, who have stepped straight onto the frontline of Northwick Park’s response to coronavirus. “Due to Northwick Park having an infectious disease centre and ward, it was the first hospital in the country to declare that it was overwhelmed by demand. It is now experiencing considerable continuing pressures on its intensive-care facilities, so donating protective glasses that weren’t going to be used by us due to the closure of the shooting school was the…

Learn from the mistakes of the past I was once lucky enough to spend a few days in the field with the late John Humphreys. Now John knew a thing or two about fieldsports and the countryside, and on our last meeting in 2005 he gave me an ominous warning about the future of our sport as we picked-up at the end of a productive drive. Basically, John thought that game shooting would go the same way as fox hunting within a decade due to the combined activities of antis and the government imposing a ban on lead shot, thereby pricing us out of the sport. At the time I felt John was a little pessimistic but his words are coming back to haunt me. In many ways, our sport…

Be prepared: Always check that your camera kit is clean and ready, the batteries charged and that memory cards or film are in the bag. Also pack changes of clothes – more than you think you could ever need. It can all stay in the car and you don’t need to carry it, but there is nothing worse than spending the day cold and wet, or worried about your equipment. Be discrete: Remember a day in the field is, for many, the highlight of their year. All those long days and late nights of hard work have been done so they can stand in the line or in the butt, so don’t get in anyone’s face. Explain what you would like to do and ask permission of each Gun in…

I’d be out with my grandfather and cocker spaniel, Gillie, picking-up on our family farm in Lincolnshire, shooting wild pheasants. My father, James Ireland, has to be the first member of my dream team. I have stood with Dad on many days’ shooting with our golden retriever, Rosie. He continues to encourage and inspire me – he is also a great advocate for my brand, always ensuring everyone has my shooting socks on. We eat a lot of game in our house, which is why for my next guest I’d love to invite James Martin. I have followed his cooking for years. Using fresh local produce, he could serve us a delicious meal in the shoot room where my family and friends have dined for the past four generations. Running…

The spring and summer months are traditionally the time of year when we head out on to the shooting ground or school to begin our preparations for the season. The majority of us will enlist the services of a qualified shooting instructor, but who do you go to if you’re new to shooting or want a fresh pair of eyes on your technique? We asked five leading names what traits, advice and inspiration every instructor should be able to offer clients by asking them two simple questions: what will a good shooting instructor always do and what will they never do? NIGEL MUIR Instructor at the Royal Berkshire Shooting School A good instructor will always give clients the ability to think for themselves There is a huge difference between instructing…

Back in 2010, the RSPB and Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) lobbied Defra and the Food Standards Agency with a request that they consider an extension of the then current restrictions on the use of lead shot as it applied to wetlands and the taking of wildfowl. Their proposition was that as lead is a toxic material with a long halflife and if ingested is generally bad for birds, beasts and humans, Defra should ask Parliament to enact a full ban on lead in ammunition. Always eager to belabour the rural population in general and country sports in particular, the then Labour government happily backed a consultation process that convened under the pithy title of the Lead Ammunition Group (LAG). Frustrated by its glacial progress and finally by its reluctance…

Our world is currently on hold. Exactly when COVID-19 will abate is unclear, though I would be happy to bet not one of us will forget these turbulent times. While our current lot is nowhere near as traumatic as what previous generations went through during wartime, this period has certainly made us appreciate what we are lucky to have in life, how easily these things can be stolen and why it is important not to take even minor things for granted. What I wouldn’t give to be sat in a packed beaters’ wagon or putting the shooting world to rights over a pint with a close farming friend right now. I am writing these words from home and sincerely hope that you are enjoying this magazine without any immediate worries…

QMy dog is good at most things but continues to pick everything up when we are shooting. If it is within reach, even on the game cart, he will grab it. It’s so embarrassing. Any ideas? AI can understand the frustration. We spend hours perfecting retrieves and using them as the bedrock for steadiness, direction and so on, and you can understand the point of view of the dog when we try to limit picking-up. It’s what they have been praised to do since puppyhood. The odd irony of doing lots of training and dummy work to get the dog to retrieve from the beginning is that, at some point, we have to reverse that to only retrieve what we want. It is anti-intuitive and, unless you are shooting alone,…

I am fortunate that there is a shooting ground quite near me where I can go and shoot a box or two of shells at a wide variety of targets. I don’t generally go alone because it is more sociable to have someone along for company but also because they might be able to see what I am doing wrong if I just can’t get to grips with a particular type of target. It also helps to have a buddy on these occasions because there is a tendency when alone to head directly for the stands where I know I can hit more than I miss without making much of an effort, which rather defeats the object of the exercise. Generally, one of us will be able to tackle most…