Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2020 i Shooting Gazette

The NGO has launched a blog that will highlight the damage predatory birds cause on wildlife sites owing to the lack of licences being issued by Natural England. Natural England has granted just 6% of licence applications made by gamekeepers and other land managers to control predators, including crows and rooks, and the NGO believes this has had a detrimental effect on rare, vulnerable birds and young livestock. The blog will feature images and videos sent in by NGO members to highlight the level of damage caused by predators in uncontrolled areas. Gamekeepers, farmers and land managers across the country who are able to share their experiences are asked to email images and videos to: info@nationalgamekeepers.org. uk, via the NGO’s social media pages or through the NGO blog. The NGO…

Train hard, shoot easy: Your first day in the field should not be the first time you get your guns out. Work over the summer to iron out any technical issues on clays and to get your timing going so you can hit the ground running. ES Respect your retinas: Vision and shooting are intrinsically linked – by optimising your sight picture you can only improve your performance in the field. It only takes one stray pellet to cause irreparable damage so in addition to enhancing your acuity, ensuring one’s eyes are adequately protected is a must going into the season. EL No half measures: We are only just starting our business journey here, but our joint view is if you are going to do something, do it properly. Take…

We will be shooting deep in West Wales on a beautiful piece of ground in the bend of an estuary, and woodcock, snipe and teal will be the main quarry. There will have been hard frost and snow across southern Britain over Christmas and we will gather before New Year to stories of the coverts being full of 'cock and duck flocking into the ponds. To continue the fictional theme there will be no arguments over which way to beat the woods, the beaters’ dogs won’t disappear en masse chasing the local fox, and no one will wander off from the critical corner of the best wood just as half a dozen woodcock slip out. The snipe will be in the marsh, the teal will flight when there is still…

The Twelfth of August is a glorious moment in the sporting calendar, but how often is attention focused solely upon the red grouse? As the first coveys begin to race above the butts, shooting folk are inclined to tremble with excitement – and many forget that another season opens on that famous day. Here in Galloway, snipe represent something of a sporting staple. Large numbers breed on the mosses and hill ground of southern Scotland, and their fantastic mating displays ring across the landscape from April until June. Broods of young birds can be found on my farm all summer, and it’s interesting to note that while many other waders are facing terrible declines in our uplands, snipe remain astonishingly buoyant. Even at Otterburn in Northumberland, where wader declines were…

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Certain fields regularly seem to attract pigeons if the cropping is right, and one such field has become my overall favourite over the years. This is not just for the pigeons, but for the sheer beauty of the landscape which, as an artist, is an added bonus and has become the stage for good days’ decoying and the subject for several paintings. Andrew the farmer jests that I make more from painting than he does from farming the poor, sandy soil. I probably get more pleasure from his pigeons and my painting. Last summer, when on our annual holiday, the winter barley was combined and straw baled while we were there. After four or five days a number of pigeons had found it when I looked on the Sunday evening…

I suppose if you were asked which guns would be top of the list in your collection, you might reply: a pair of Wogdon flintlock duelling pistols; a Purdey double percussion rifle; a Purdey bar-in-wood hammer gun; a Boss over-under; a Woodward over-under; and a Dickson round action. Well, to that list, either top or pretty near, should be a Joseph Manton double flint gun. By the early decades of the 19th century, Joseph had established himself as ‘The King Of The Gunmakers’ and had achieved a worldwide reputation. He certainly deserves this accolade as he is responsible for the style and quality of the British sporting gun that we all know today. He built high-quality firearms consistently and developed the style and dimensions of the British sporting gun, which…

Just to show how considerably Joseph refined the flintlock, have a look at this earlier flintlock rifle dating from 1775 by Heriot of Edinburgh. This is a magnificent rifle with a 55in Turkish barrel and encrusted gold decoration throughout. It is of the finest quality and its lock is typical of the era. Compared to the Manton gun of 1810, the lock is far bigger and cruder. There is every chance that water will permeate the pan as it is a large, flat pan, non-rainproof, with no channels cut away to drain the water. The pan is shallow and flat and when the frizzen opens there is a possibility that the powder could have moved away from the vent. There will also be considerable friction when the frizzen opens as…

Q I want to get better at reacting to grouse that appear suddenly over my butt after quiet periods during a drive. Do you have any advice? A It is not uncommon to be sat in your grouse butt gazing at the scenery – or chatting to your loader – when suddenly your position is overrun by a lightning-fast pack of grouse. It is in this moment you can make or break your drive: cool, calm and decisive is the mindset that is required. Let’s start with our preparation. The first thing I advise clients to do when arriving at the butt is to set out their safety sticks. Feeling safe while we are shooting is one of the most important things, and it will make us shoot better. So…

Q I got my new puppy just before the lockdown in March and I am a bit worried that he has missed out on a lot of essential socialisation. What can I do to remedy this? A This has been a problem for many gundog owners, as any confinement can restrict the experiences a dog should be getting in the early months to ensure it develops a balanced character in later years. In saying that, the important socialisation window is between two and five months, so there should be sufficient time to expose the dog to most of them. There are also a lot of experiences you can introduce in a careful and planned way in and around the house. Ironically, being locked down may mean that this proves to…

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@futurenet.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.…

LETTER OF THE MONTH Keeping the countryside’s spirits up At the time of writing, myself and two other Guns in my syndicate are carrying out extensive work on our small shoot near Warminster, in Wiltshire, where last year we reared 280 birds and shot 91 head. We shot almost as many squirrels. This year, we have been offered 280 seven- to 10-week-old poults. Usually we have the benefit of a number of ex-layers – which are virtually on the doorstep – but I believe the poults will be more reliable than the ex-layers, which have a tendency to stray. This season the syndicate includes a new Gun, whom I got via GunsOnPegs, and all Guns have said they will pay their subs for the coming season, even if we are…

PREP TIME: 20 minutes COOK TIME: 1 hour 35 minutes EQUIPMENT: Large, flameproof casserole dish Ingredients • 2x whole grouse• Small knob butter• 1tbsp olive oil• 2x ¼ lemon• 2x bay leaves• 2x thyme sprig• 300g chorizo ring, thickly sliced• 700g new potatoes, halved (or quartered if really large)• 12 garlic cloves, left whole and unpeeled• Large splash dry sherry• 150ml chicken stock• Handful parsley leaves, roughly chopped SERVES 2 PEOPLE Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4 and season the grouse all over. 2. In a large, flameproof casserole dish with a lid, heat the butter and some of the oil until sizzling, then spend a good 15 minutes browning the grouse well all over. Remove from the dish, and pop the lemon, 1 bay leaf…

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, Future PLC, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough GU14 7BF. Entries to arrive no later than 31 August. The first correct entry to be drawn will win. Note: June’s winner will be drawn at a later date due to lockdown. • Shooting…

So what were the main motivating factors that led you to set up Wild & Game? My business partner Michael Cannon and I were aware that there was a big imbalance between the amount of game that is shot in the UK, and the amount that is consumed. We felt this needed to be addressed, not only to avoid wasting excellent produce but also to introduce more people to the pleasures of eating game. Our solution was to create Wild & Game to boost game consumption in the UK. Our ultimate aim is to see a wide range of game readily available in supermarkets. Where does your game come from and which chefs do you collaborate with when creating your products? All of our game comes from leading UK game…

Driven grouse shooting is known as the sport of kings, and rightly so - many kings have been passionate about their days out in the heather. The speed of a covey of grouse flying downwind over the open moor at head height is a spectacle that has to be seen to be believed. Pigeon shooting, meanwhile, is thought by some to be a pastime for ‘camo clad’ working-class chaps who can only dream of shooting grouse. But on a windy day, the agility of a woodpigeon and the speed at which they can change direction beggars belief. The shooting community is a broad church and, in my opinion, all the better for that. I’ve met many people from all walks of life who are passionate about and great advocates for…

One of John Manton’s great claims was that he refined the flintlock to make it mechanically more efficient, improving ignition to make it more certain and faster. As part of this process, he lodged on 21 July, 1815, patent no 3942 ‘improvements to hammers and pans’. In a conventional flintlock, pans were relatively large and incorporated much priming powder. Dampness could invade this powder and on a windy day it could blow away when the frizzen flew open. What John did was to have a far smaller pan yet with much the same area by making the pan V shaped or U shaped with steep sides and a greater depth. The frizzen was correspondingly shaped to fit tightly into the pan. By concentrating the powder like this ignition was more…

CUSTOM-EDITION BUFF, MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR SPORTARM £16.99 sportarm.com Face coverings have never been more important and this 100% polyester buff, designed by Melissa Jay, marries safety, style and comfort. Available in grouse (pictured), pheasant and guinea fowl prints, it can be worn as a scarf, neckerchief, foulard, cap, face covering and everything in between. We expect to see a few of these in the field over the course of this season. CHAMEAU-LITE LCX® LOW 7IN BOOT BY LE CHAMEAU £249 lechameau.com These boots are lightweight, feature a Deep Forest sole developed with Michelin, and are made from environmentally friendly Terracare full-grain leather. It’s best to go one size up given the multidirectional nature of a walk on a moor but, rest assured, your feet will be protected throughout the day…

It’s been a month of doom and Zoom for me and the boys. I’ve lost a hearing aid and none of the dogs will own up to its removal. My phone has an app that can locate a mislaid hearing aid; the app shows that my left ear piece is in the yard. The problem is that the yard is covered in sandy-coloured gravel, which is a perfect match for the aid. It’s not a total disaster. My left ear is so useless that my audiologist was moved to enquire if I had ever been “exposed to prolonged periods of gunfire”. Well, of course, I had – we didn’t have ear defenders when I started shooting 60 years ago. Perhaps due to self-isolation the loss has ruffled me more than…

Two new shotgun cartridges, one featuring a fully biodegradable case and wad, the other featuring a wad made from recycled cardboard, are now on sale through wholesaler Shooting Star. The first cartridges, from the Spanish company BioAmmo, feature cases and wads manufactured using a certified biopolymer of vegetable origin. The cartridges are available in lead and steel shot for game and clay guns. Guns can buy cartridges for 12-bore in a 70mm case from 24gram to 34gram loads. Cartridges with 3in cases and 20-bore will be released at a later date. The second cartridge, from French company Jocker, features an environmentally friendly wad made of recycled cardboard. The cartridges are available in lead, steel and alternative shot for game and clay guns. Cartridges come in 12-bore with case lengths currently…

COMPETITION WINNER Back in the April issue, we gave you the chance to see your gundog featured on the front cover of Shooting Gazette. An imaginary front cover, that is. We had a number of entries, and after some careful consideration decided that Nellie the black lab had won it by a wet nose. The winning image and cover lines were sent in by Tori Reilly who, we understand, presented it to her father - Nellie’s owner - as a gift on Father’s Day.…

Dear Uncle Giles, I’ve been put in charge of refreshments for our day on driven grouse in late August. We are a team of eight Guns and their guests and there will be a couple of dozen assorted gamekeepers, beaters and pickers-up. There are no special dietary requirements, but I am aware of both time pressures and getting everything up to the bothy in good order. I will have an assistant, but want to make sure they aren’t under undue pressure either. Any tips? TDA, by email Uncle Giles writes Unless the weather is cruelly unkind you should be able to serve a cold collation without worry. Which means that much of what you will dish up can be made well in advance. Track down a sound local bakery and…

The Glorious Twelfth always raises the ire of those who don’t like shooting and think gamekeepers are devils incarnate. Just wait for the twittering to start on social media; ignoring it is the best bet, as we’ll never change the mind of those who stick with superglue-like stubbornness to their ill-informed views. However, as Sapiens has said before, the shooting community can do more to spread the benefits of shooting – conservation, environmental, economic and social – to open-minded folk who are happy to listen. August is obviously a good month to raise the profile of grouse moor management and the role of gamekeepers in general, and a new publication by the GWCT will help. Moorland Conservationists: the Untold Story, by Joe Dimbleby, looks into the keepers and the conservation…

I was scrolling through our Twitter feed the other day (we’re @ShootingGazette in case you were wondering) and I saw a post that made my heart sink a little. It was written by the owner of a farm shop, one of the many that had been so instrumental in keeping people in the countryside fed and watered at the beginning of lockdown, as well as being an important point of social contact in the new era of social distancing. The reason my heart sank? The poster was airing a polite frustration, namely that since more and more ‘larger’ shops had begun to reopen in their locality, so the services they had been providing to the deluge of newer customers were seemingly no longer required. A picture below the post showed…