Innholdsfortegnelse for 30-Mar-2016 i Shooting Times & Country

IT IS HARD to understand how the National Parks, whose remit is to preserve our landscape and cultural heritage, would call into question one of the last remaining drivers of conservation in the countryside. As well as safeguarding our landscape, shooters spend 3.9million days and £250million annually on conservation, actively managing 2million hectares for wildlife. To ask whether shooting should be banned in National Parks is offensive to millions of people in rural areas who depend on it for their livelihood and community. It might as well ask whether people would like to see an end to farming in the parks. Perhaps that’s next on what seems to be an out-of-touch, prejudiced and destructive agenda (see News p.4). In other news, an independent report by leading UK universities has found…

Keeper wins Crufts title for second time Retired gamekeeper Dylan Thomas (pictured) took the top trophy as the winner of the BASC gamekeepers’ classes at Crufts this month, for the second time in eight years. Dylan, from North Wales, was presented with the Northesk Memorial Trophy with his 15-month-old Welsh springer spaniel Ben at the annual dog show. He said: “I never dreamed I would be winning this beautiful trophy for a second time. This has been a very special day, but Ben is a special dog. “I’ve always said that having a dog makes you happy, and this little fella has made me very happy today. I am delighted. I have to pay tribute to his breeder, Anna Harrison, from Derbyshire, for producing such a magnificent dog.” GWCT founds…

Who are you and what do you do? Most Shooting Timesreaders will know me from the articles and books I have written over many years, but may not be aware of the role I play in helping the Countryside Alliance with technical support on shooting and firearms legislation. I always aim to work very closely with the other shooting associations through the British Shooting Sports Council (BSSC), because I firmly believe that shooting must speak with one voice. I also edit the British Deer Society (BDS) magazine and run a small farm in Suffolk. What does a typical week involve for you? My involvement with organisations such as the Countryside Alliance, BDS, BSSC and CLA means that there is usually a day spent at meetings in London, but during the…

“Skylarks have been the celebrated darlings of poets for centuries, but they return to the hill without much of a fanfare” Nothing lights up the hill like the return of the little birds. The strange and secretive movements of pipits and skylarks always bring a note of mystery to these days of early spring. Even after several years of careful observation, it’s still not clear to me how their migrations and movements take place. At the end of January, the hill is almost dead. Perhaps a wren skirls in the deep heather or a gang of reed buntings rakes through the dead grass, but otherwise the moor is cold and still. Even the early nesting ravens seem slightly out of place, and they roll and cluck against the wracks of…

“A few minutes spent studying a pedigree can give me a priceless insight into a dog before we even throw the first dummy” You only have to look at the dogs gathered for a typical shooting day to realise that the Labrador is far from a standard model. But when buying a puppy, how can you make sure you end up with a dog that not only meets your visual criteria for a Labrador but also matches your shooting and lifestyle? As a breed, the Labrador is split into working dogs and show dogs — each having its own lines of genetics. The Kennel Club’s (KC) blueprint for Labradors — the breed standard — is produced as a template for those breeding for the show bench and is based primarily…

“Highlighting shooting as something to ban rather than celebrate betrays the people and wildlife it supports” The Countryside Alliance (CA) and BASC are seeking to educate the Campaign for National Parks (CNP) about the role that shooting plays in the countryside, after the organisation launched a survey asking whether shooting should be banned in National Parks. The CNP is celebrating its 80th anniversary with an online survey asking people how they use National Parks and how they think parks should be managed in the future. BASC noted that: “In a section asking respondents what activities they enjoy doing in National Parks, there is no mention of shooting. But shooting is specified in a section asking what activities should be banned in National Parks.” Criticising the inclusion of such a question…

BID Summers Place Auctions is holding a sale of The Barker Collection of fine taxidermy on Tuesday, 5 April at the Walled Garden in Billingshurst, West Sussex. The collection includes around 80 lots by some of the greatest Victorian taxidermists, plus some later works. Estimates range from £50 to £1,500 and highlights include a case of various species of harrier and a display of whooper swans. For further information, visit www.summersplaceauctions.com or tel 01403 331331. BOOK Cartridge manufacturer Lyalvale Express has teamed up with Atkin Grant & Lang shooting ground in Markyate, Hertfordshire, to create The Lyavale Express Masters. Held on 29-30 April, entry costs £45 and contenders will face a 125-target competition consisting of a 100-bird English Sporting set over 12 stands and a 25-bird sport trap. Tel 01582…

BASC coach Peter Knox (pictured right) this month received an award from the Torch Trophy Trust charity for his contribution to shooting and conservation. It was presented to Peter by HRH Prince Michael (pictured left) at the Royal Army and Navy Club in London. Savio Genini (pictured right) from Kingussie and Kyle Stewart (pictured left) from Kinlochlaggan in Newtonmore, have been named as joint Game & Wildlife winners at Lantra Scotland’s Land-based and Aquaculture Learner of the Year Awards. Ducks are still being fed too much bread (about 3.5million loaves a year), which, despite popular belief, is not good for them, according to the Canal and River Trust. It can lead to overpopulation, and uneaten bread can spread disease and attract pests. The tick-borne disease babesiosis, which can be fatal…

AFFORDABLE HOUSING According to CLA president Ross Murray, kind landowners provide land for development at little or no cost for affordable housing for local people (Have your say, 24 February). I live in a housing association property, having been evicted from a privately rented farm cottage more than 20 years ago. I would like the opportunity to buy it. My wife was born in the village; we have lived here for 39 years and are now the only couple in our small housing association street with long-term ties to the village. Not one of the village children who grew up here in the past 30 years has been able to rent a housing association house, as they have been given to all sorts of people. Hard-working, local rural people need…

“Everything has changed. Numbers of great spotted woodpeckers have grown dramatically in recent years. In contrast, the fortunes of the lesser spotted are exactly the opposite” It’s strange how seemingly inconsequential events remain in the mind, years, even decades, after experiencing them. My first encounter with a lesser spotted woodpecker is a classic example: I remember every detail of that first sighting. I was eight, and staying at a friend’s house. Looking out of a bedroom window, my eye was caught by a tiny bird, no bigger than a sparrow, climbing up an apple tree in the garden. It’s shape and the way it moved meant it had to be a woodpecker, while its tiny size and distinctive barred back identified it with certainty. This was later verified by consultation…

“One of the hunters shot the branch it was perched on, forcing the unfortunate bird into the air” EARLIER THIS MONTH I gave a talk to Sussex members of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust on the occasion of their 34th annual fundraising evening. It’s difficult to judge how successful your own talks are, and though it didn’t receive the rapturous applause that Donald Trump would have expected, it seemed to be well received. It hopefully put the audience in the right sort of mood to dig deeply into their wallets to bid for the many sporting lots on offer. I’m pleased to report that the evening raised a record £20,000. My talk was called Confessions of a Gundog Correspondent, and I looked back over the 16 years I’ve been…

BILL HARRIMAN BASC’s head of firearms and global authority on guns MAT MANNING Airgunner and journalist from the West Country BRUCE POTTS Shooting Timesrifle reviewer and stalker DAVID TOMLINSON Highly regarded writer and ornithologist LIAM BELL Shropshire gamekeeper and keen wildfowler GRAHAM DOWNING Shooting consultant and sporting author PAUL RAWLINGS Gundog expert and A-panel spaniel judge CHRIS DE CANI Riverkeeper, with specialist knowledge of chalkstreams TONY BUCKWELL Veterinary surgeon with a special interest in gundogs TONY JACKSON A game Shot, keen stalker and former editor of Shooting Times TOM PAYNE Professional shooting instructor and avid pigeon shooter SIMON WHITEHEAD Author, professional ferreter and rabbit controller IAIN WATSON Keen stalker and senior CIC international trophy judge Contact the team Email: stanswers@timeinc.com By post: Shooting Times, Blue Fin Building,…

SWALLOW As March ends and April brings the promise of warmer days to come, we may see the first swallow of the summer — and that should lift our spirits. Now’s a good time to think about how to provide homes for these long-distance travellers, as they complete their journeys from South Africa. If you must close the stable door, perhaps you could leave a window open? If you are worried about the mess in the garage — created when growing youngsters poop over the edge of the nest — install a shelf a couple of feet below last year’s nesting spot. Think about ventilation, too — chicks in a nest in the apex of a metal-roofed building can die from heat exhaustion in the heat of the summer —…

“A single foreign boat has been awarded nearly 20 per cent of the UK’s fishing quota” Many have spent much of March pondering the benefits of the European Union (EU) in order to decide which way to vote in the referendum come June. Even on the banks of this chalkstream, the debate has raged over which way to vote. I was joined in my tasks for the month by a newly retired chap whom we shall call Ludgershall. A few days into some serious willow pollarding, Ludgershall had nailed his colours to the mast and came out; he was all for leaving Europe tout de suite. I countered with my own status of “undecided”. Once the pollarding was completed, our next task was to build a bridge over the river,…

8-10 APRIL BASC INTRODUCTION TO GAMEKEEPING WEEKEND Newton Rigg College, Penrith, Cumbria Tel 01768 893613 9 APRIL ARMY BENEVOLENT FUND CHARITY CLAY PIGEON SHOOT Compton Abdale, Gloucestershire Tel 02079 01 8900 28 APRIL NGO GOLDEN PHEASANT CLAYSHOOT Rhug Estate, Corwen, Denbighshire Tel 01833 660869 30 APRIL THE 2016 FEMMES FATALES CLAYSHOOTING CUP Royal Berkshire Shooting School, Pangbourne, Berkshire Tel 01491 672900 2 MAY THE NORTH SOMERSET SHOW North Somerset Showground, Bathing Pond Fields, Wraxall, Somerset Tel 08456 342464 6-7 MAY GWCT/BASC SHOOTING FOR THE FUTURE COURSE Allerton Project Visitor Centre, Loddington, Leicestershire Tel 01425 651013…

An alarming number of insect species are on the verge of extinction, according to a series of new studies published by Natural England as part of the ongoing Species Status Project. Four new species status reviews were published earlier this month, covering mayflies, caddisflies, shieldbugs and ground beetles. Nine species were found to have become extinct, while the data also suggested that more than 70 of the 686 species examined are at threat of extinction. Craig Macadam, conservation director of invertebrate conservation organisation Buglife, commented: “The importance of assessing the threat level of species cannot be underestimated. It is used for targeting resources at those species most in need. These reviews are highlighting that one in 10 species are at threat of extinction. This is extremely worrying especially if similar…

“Some of the Rifles are put on high seats, while others walk and stalk the woods” When the open season for fallow does was extended to 31 March, there were those who said it was both unsporting and unnecessary; unsporting because the does would be more heavily pregnant, and unnecessary because it reduced the close season when there was plenty of time to carry out a proper cull before. In my opinion — and in the opinion of nearly ever keeper I have spoken to — the extension has been for the greater good. True, the does are more heavily pregnant in March but, because most of them have been pregnant since October anyway, much of the culling will have been of pregnant animals regardless. The extension gave keepers such…

REDIAL your scope for each drive. For close-range shooting, ensure your scope is on a higher number, such as 8. ENSURE you understand which species, sexes, sizes and ages of animals can be shot – it will vary on every hunt. NEVER shoot lead sows with young. CONSIDER bringing a shooting stick with you to sit on. WEAR as much high-viz orange as you can bear. SHOOT in the same way you would driven grouse – only ever out in front or behind. Once the beaters are close only shoot behind. ONLY ever shoot a 15° angle from your neighbouring hunters. ALWAYS ensure your rifle bolt is kept fully open between drives. DO NOT make too much noise between drives. Speak quietly so that the game is undisturbed. DO NOT…

Robert Smith Surtees (1805-1864) was born in County Durham. His love of hunting was acquired through his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, each of whom had kept a pack of hounds. In 1822 Surtees was articled to a solicitor in Newcastle and three years later went to London to continue his legal training. However, he loathed the law and in the season spent his weekends hunting, often with the Surrey hounds near Boxhill. He began to write articles for the Sporting Magazineand in 1831 helped to found the New Sporting Magazinewith Rudolph Ackermann. Surtees became editor and hunting correspondent. In the same year his elder brother died, leaving him heir to the family’s large estate. Abandoning the law in 1835, he gave up his editorial role to become squire of Hamsterley…

Both lesser spotted and great spotted woodpeckers are predominately black and white, though the back of the lesser is barred, and the great spotted has white shoulder patches. Size is a reliable way to tell them apart: the lesser is sparrow sized, at 14cm to 16cm, while the great spotted (23cm to 26cm) is as big as a blackbird. While the great spotted has a deep red vent, there is no red on the underparts of the lesser spotted. Both species drum frequently in the spring: the fast drums of the great spotted are noticeably louder and shorter than the lesser spotted, which always sounds weak in comparison.…

Hazel, which is widely distributed across the UK, was one of the first trees to recolonise Britain after the last Ice Age. The species, which can be grown singly or in copses, is found in many types of soil, but it grows best in the chalk uplands of Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire. According to Ben Law’s Woodland Craft, it was historically the “go-to” wood of the countryside; every village had a hazel coppice to supply timber that rural craftsmen would use to create day-to-day artefacts. The flexibility and strength of the wood makes it an ideal material for everything from sheep hurdles to walking sticks. Today it is still much in demand for garden structures such as woven fences, trellises and plant supports.…

Late March used to be one of the busiest periods in the pigeon decoyer’s calendar, for it was the time when spring cereals were traditionally sown. These would attract hordes of hungry woodies, and it was often when the biggest bags were made. Frustratingly for the pigeon shooter, the acreage of spring-sown cereals has declined considerably in recent years. Spring-sown cereals are quick to germinate, given rain and sun. Once they have germinated, the pigeon lose interest, so it is only during the few days after sowing that the newly drilled fields are most vulnerable to pigeon attack. The most successful pigeon decoyers liaise closely with the farmer, as a detailed knowledge of which fields are being drilled and when is essential for success. Spring-sown barley, incidentally, is usually destined…

“An AS90 howitzer makes a bigger bang than even the largest fowling piece” Have you ever noticed how there seem to be a lot of geese about when the shooting season has finished? In late February and March you see them feeding near roads, apparently brazen in their lack of concern at tractors and quad bikes trundling over the fields. Yet, given the prevalence of crop control licences, there must be more to this than just the end of the season. More likely, the longer daylight hours, coupled with the intense feeding that the birds need to prepare for impending migration, conspire to make geese simply seem more visible at this time of year. The science of wildlife disturbance is complicated. It is nowhere near as straightforward as some commentators…