Innholdsfortegnelse for November 18, 2015 i Shooting Times & Country

A COUPLE OF WEEKS BACK I was sitting in a hide in thick fog on the Kent marshes waiting for duck to come in. It was like being in David Lean’s Great Expectations and I expected the convict Magwitch to appear from the gloom at any moment. It reminded me that one of the great joys of shooting is that it takes you to extraordinary places when no sensible person would be out. It’s then that you see natural history in action. Over the course of one day on this keepered marsh we saw barn owls, kestrels and marsh harriers. In light of the planned cuts to DEFRA’s budget, shooting will be even more essential to the survival of British wildlife in the years to come. As the already pitiful…

New Government plans to make fast broadband a “legal right” have been hailed as a major breakthrough for rural communities and businesses by countryside organisations. It was recently announced that access to fast broadband is to be put on a similar footing to other basic services such as water and electricity. The Government has pledged to give everyone in Britain a right to request a 10Mbps connection by the end of this Parliament. Prime Minister David Cameron said: “Access to the Internet shouldn’t be a luxury; it should be a right — absolutely fundamental to life in 21st century Britain.” He continued: “Just as our forebears effectively brought gas, electricity and water to all, we’re going to bring fast broadband to every home and business that wants it.” CLA president…

“Once in a lifetime” shotguns for sale Two “exceptionally rare” American shotguns are up for sale at the next Holt’s auction in London on 10 December. One is a 16-bore percussion breechloading revolving shotgun made in around 1868 by Roper Repeating Rifle Co. Valuer Robert Morgan (pictured, holding the Roper gun) says collectors are only likely to see a gun like this “once in a lifetime”. The second gun is a 54-bore and 13-bore revolving combination percussion gun — one of fewer than 25 such guns made between 1835 and 1850 by Bigelow. For further information or to register your attendance, tel 01485 542822. Pheasant takes a selfie Durham County Council installed hidden CCTV cameras to catch illegal flytippers — and instead caught out a curious pheasant (pictured). Durham County…

What does a typical week involve for you? As a company, we’re growing fast, so things change all the time, which certainly keeps things interesting. My role includes overseeing production by our team at our workshop in London, meeting with clients in London and elsewhere, showing them the historic pieces we have in our museum — as well as today’s Rigby’s as they take shape in the workshop next door. What would you say is the greatest issue in shooting at the moment? Lack of education and understanding among those not within the shooting world. As shooters, it is our duty to educate people and we need to do more. We mustn’t allow misconceptions to take hold and we will suffer if we don’t do more to address the problem.…

Having just fallen through my kitchen ceiling (I was in the attic — don’t ask!), I am feeling rather more than a trifle sore. But with the prospect of the first driven day on our DIY shoot looming in three days, a recovery regime is in full operation. So far, the prospects for the season are rather more than promising. By taking advice from that doyen of gamekeepers, Liam Bell, I and my shoot partner Charles Fenn (he is headkeeper, I am a mere underkeeper) have, we believe, greatly improved the outlook for the 300-acre shoot and its syndicate of five. This year, the covercrop of maize and kale, running in two strips side-by-side, was sown in May and has, to put it mildly, burgeoned. A brace of metal feeders…

For many people in this country, walked-up shooting or roughshooting is how we started. It is the grass roots of our sport and, until driven gameshooting became more accessible, it was the only form of shooting that many Guns would experience. I remember as a Young Shot walking in a line with my father and friends, carrying my wooden gun and learning what it was all about, while Dad watched me carefully to make sure I was conducting myself safely. The gun may have been wooden, but once I was older and more competent it was soon supplanted by a real one. What I find so fantastic about walked-up sport is the variety of species — it has less to do with bag sizes and is more about the anticipation…

The exact derivation of the word “blunderbuss” is obscure. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary notes that it first dates from the middle of the 17th century. The “blunder” component is probably from the Dutch for thunder while the “buss” comes from the German word “büchse”, which means a gun. Put the two words together and you have “thundergun”, which is an apt description. The first use of a word sounding like blunderbuss appears to come from a Dutch patent of 1598 granted to Henrick Thielmans of Echten. “Certain types of gun called a Donderbuss, that are concealed inside the ship; useful and advantageous in inflicting damage against the common enemy, the same on land as sea.”…

Most shooters carry mobile phones these days, and it’s certainly something you wouldn’t want to forget when you’re heading out in cold weather, just in case you get into difficulty. It’s also worth letting someone at home know where you’re going and when you expect to be back, so that they can raise the alarm if you get into difficulty. It’s foolish to take unnecessary risks, and I’d advise cancelling a shooting trip when perilously harsh weather is forecast, but accidents such as slips and falls can happen at any time, so it’s always wise to take proper precautions.…

You don’t have to be an expert chef to create this elegant dish based on wild rabbit. Wrapping the loins in pancetta not only gives added taste, it also keeps the meat moist as it is quickly seared, then sliced. Served on a bed of sautéed leek — only use the white part to avoid any bitterness — and sprinkled with a tasty crumble of breadcrumbs flavoured with lemon thyme and wild garlic, it’s sure to impress dinner guests. Because it’s so quick and easy to make, it’s bound to be a winner at any time and is ideal as an after-work meal for the family. If there’s just two of you, simply halve the ingredients. “Because it’s so quick and easy to make, it’s bound to be a winner”…

If you’ve been following the series and trying the techniques we’ve described, you should by now have some holes in your targets. We’ve gone through setting up your rifle for success, zeroing and finding the right ammunition, and the various ways in which you can improve your shooting skills. So if your groups are still not as tight as you’d like them to be, how can you see what might be affecting them? It can be as simple as having a bad day, but equally there may be a particular aspect of your position, breathing or technique that is causing you a problem. Meet the instructor Brad’s background as a professional stalker, both for private estates and for Forestry Commission Scotland, and his training as a sniper in the Marines,…

TO DESCRIBE GEORGE Butler as the best-known picker-up in Sussex is something of an understatement. George is not only famous throughout the county for his team of English springers — invariably working at least half a dozen at a time — but also for the annual shoot evening that he started on behalf of what was the Game Conservancy and is now the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT). This year was his 33rd such evening: it raised an impressive £19,000, the best so far. I first read about George three years ago when the GWCT’s newsletter, Gamewise, announced to his many friends in the shooting world that he had been awarded the MBE for services to agriculture and charity. Apart from a couple of years away in Malaya on…

DEERHUNTER BRADLEY SHIRT Machine washable and easy to iron, this shirt is both stylish and practical. It is made from hollow bamboo fibres, which help to regulate temperature. • www.deerhunter.eu • Price: £49.99 SAMUEL WINDSOR BRACES These men’s burgundy braces are clipped on with plated silver clasps — the elasticated design ensures that the fit can be adjusted. • www.samuel-windsor.co.uk • Price: £20 LEUPOLD BX-2 8X42 CASCADES BINOCULARS Waterproof and fogproof, these binoculars feature dielectrically phase-coated prisms for increased resolution. Nitrogen filled, they have the ability to focus down to 10ft. • www.gmk.co.uk • Price: £355 EXPLODING TARGETS Designed for trap use — mix with Powder Pigeons Clays to add some thrills to your clayshooting practice. • www.furfeatherandfin.com • Price: £12.50 “SANTA PAWS” CHRISTMAS CARDS Renowned fieldsports photographer…

Charity starts at home, they say. Tell that to the thrifty folk who donate to the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA). It has emerged that this small registered charity’s chief executive, Stuart Earley, was paid £216,000 last year. Not only is that £73,500 more than the prime minister gets, but it’s up a whopping 33 per cent in just three years. (What sort of pay rise have you had over that period?) Bear in mind that the SSPCA is a tiny charity, with an annual income of just £13.8million in 2013. By contrast, Oxfam, which had an annual income of £389.1million in 2012, paid its chief executive £119,560 in that same year. Does this indicate that animals count for a lot more than people? (Or…

START SAVING A revolver once owned by Winston Churchill will be up for grabs at the next Bonhams sporting gun sale in Knightsbridge on 2 December. The 7.65-calibre Webley & Scott “Model 1913” revolver (pictured) was part of the wartime leader’s personal collection and is expected to sell for as much as £1,500. WATCH Secret agent James Bond’s latest adventure in Spectre. While 007 puts a variety of firearms to heroic use, one of his co-stars makes a visit to Rules, a well-known game restaurant in London’s Covent Garden. Daniel Craig stars, alongside Ralph Fiennes, Christoph Waltz and Léa Seydoux. Rated 12. READ Wildfowl of Europe, Asia and North America, by Sébastien Reeber. This book, published in hardback tomorrow (19 November) provides a wealth of information and illustrations and is…

A charity clay shoot organised by Ian Hodge Shooting and Fieldsports in Cornwall in October has raised £1,650 for Cancer Research UK. The cheque was presented to members of the Wadebridge branch earlier this month. Bearded tits are thriving in the reedbeds along the river Tay. New data shows that 723 of the birds were ringed in the area in 2014, more than double the previous year, and making the area home to 45 per cent of all the bearded tits ringed in Britain last year. Gemma “Gems” McCormick (pictured), Joint Master of the Cottesmore Hunt, has died following a hunting accident. Ms McCormick was out with the Fitzwilliam (Milton) Hunt on Wednesday, 4 November, and suffered a head injury after a fall from her horse. Our American friends may…

PLAY THE LONG GAME I read with interest the comments about false accusations (Letters, 4 November), as it brought back memories of my own similar difficulties 30 years ago. When I later tried to get a new shotgun certificate, I had a lot of conflict with a civilian firearms officer. The lesson I learned was that you might have a lot of problems in the short term, but they will be resolved in the longer term. My advice is to use the system and not fight it. I am happy now because, having stuck to doing the right thing, all these difficulties are behind me, and I still enjoy shooting as much as ever. S. Hughes, South Wales KEEPER AND POACHER Your recent adoption of the Vintage Timesfeature, recalling worthy…

Beaver Island is the largest of Lake Michigan’s islands, with some 56 square miles of woodland, dunes and farms. It’s main industries were fishing, logging and farming, though now tourism plays a big part. There’s a fascinating chapter in Beaver’s history: James J. Strang pronounced himself king of the Strangites (a religious community he founded) in 1850. Strang was shot six years later, and the Strangites were driven off Beaver Island. The island is now known as “America’s Emerald Isle”, as the Strangites were quickly replaced by Irish fishermen from nearby ports and islands, as well as a large number from County Donegal. It’s an extraordinary place, covered in snow for much of the winter and the lake around it is frozen solid for several months. A few of the…

1 If you are hoping to go walked-up shooting for the first time, see if you can follow a day without taking a gun. It is a brilliant way to learn — and just as exciting. 2 Safety is a priority. Walked-up shooting, especially for woodcock, offers its own challenges. Make sure you are fully aware of the terrain; this is paramount not only for safe walking, but also for knowing your safe angles of fire. 3 Always walk and stay in a line. Be aware of everything that is happening around you and communicate with everyone involved so that you all stay safe. 4 On woodcock days, do not rush. Walking at a steady speed means that you will be more aware of any obstacles and where everyone is.…

Gun gaffe Leaning a Best London gun against the back of a vehicle is never a good idea. A Gun once did this with an un-sleeved 12-bore on a West Yorkshire grouse moor, so keen was he to get to the mid-morning drink, which had been brought by the vehicle’s driver. Stopping only long enough to deliver the necessary, the chauffeur reversed out to return to the lunch hut — running over the full length of the gun with both front and rear tyres as he did so. Well-made though any London gun may be, it is no match for the total tonnage of a Land Rover when sandwiched between that and several millennia of hard Yorkshire grit stone. Choose your firearms Lord Baden-Powell apparently had a Boer friend in…

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,…

21 NOVEMBER SIXTH WORLD PHEASANT PLUCKING CHAMPIONSHIP Fir Tree Farm, Kings Moss, St Helens, Merseyside Tel 01744 894959 21 NOVEMBER PHEASANT FESTIVAL AND SIMULATED SHOOTING The Jugged Hare, Barbican, London Tel 01306 631378 1 DECEMBER DEER INITIATIVE BEST PRACTICE EVENING The Crooklands Hotel, Kendal, Cumbria Tel 07855 606877 2 DECEMBER NGO CHRISTMAS QUIZ NIGHT Harlaxton Sports and Social Club, Harlaxton, Lincolnshire Tel 01476 590485 3-9 DECEMBER BRITISH COUNTRYSIDE ART EXHIBITION The Coach House, Middleton Lodge, North Yorkshire Tel 07966 213410 10 -11 DECEMBER INTRODUCTION TO GAMESHOOTING Vale House Kitchen, Loves Hill, Timsbury, Bath, Somerset Tel 01761 470401…

Elena Allen, 42, is one of the most experienced shooters on Team GB and secured her spot with a silver medal win at skeet at the 2014 World Championships in Grenada. She took skeet bronze and team skeet silver at the 2013 World Championships, and a silver medal at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Rio 2016 will be Moscow-born Elena’s second trip to the Olympics, having finished 12th in the women’s skeet at London 2012. Ed Ling, 32, has been to the Olympic Games twice before — competing in Athens 2004 and London 2012. He is a winner of both the world and European universal trap titles and took silver at the 2014 World Championships — which earned him his place on the squad. On his selection, the Taunton-born shooter…

A gamekeeper on the Crag estate, near Combs in the Peak District, paid his respects over the Remembrance weekend to three airmen killed on the moorland that he manages. Flying officer Charles Wood, flying officer Gerald Liggett and flight sergeant Joseph Hall were all killed when their Airspeed Oxford Mk1 crashed in the Goyt Valley during a night crossing exercise on 12 March 1944. The keeper, Richard Bailey, who was joined by his wife Julia and daughter Georgina when he visited the crash site, explained that the Peak District moorland is littered by many such sites, often caused by adverse weather. The Peak District Moorland Group organised many such commemorations as gamekeepers from across the region marked their respect and gratitude to fallen airmen who lost their lives on the…

Horn calls and French hunting Having obtained my French Permis de Chasse(Jumping through French hoops, 9 September), I have now been on 10 boar and deer hunts with two different associations that I have joined. All went to plan, apart from the fact that I did not have a (mandatory) horn on my first outing. There was much muttering and shaking of heads from my French compatriots and I was informed I could not participate that morning. Fortunately, a kindly soul lent me one. At no time during the extensive training and theoretical and practical examinations was the need for a horn mentioned. Should an inspector have been around, I would have been fined €135 (approximately £95). With one association, among many other horn calls, two blasts indicate that you…

With another quiet chirrup, Al drew the two large turkey toms ever closer. We’d got into position before dawn, in the dark and, having slouched against the tree for a few hours with the shotgun perched on my knee, I watched spellbound as these huge creatures strutted their way towards us. The larger of the two was in range, but slightly hidden by low shrub. I started shaking as I tried to manoeuvre the shotgun into position, aware that the birds’ eyesight would pick up the slightest movement. I lined the shot up as the tom appeared, but by now I was a quaking mess and couldn’t keep the bead on the bird’s head. “Well, we’ve missed our chance. I don’t know if we’ll get another,” Al whispered, as the…

There is nowhere for a gamekeeper to hide when a shoot day goes wrong — badly wrong. Sometimes the unexpected happens, of course, and no one is to blame when things turn sour. That said, however, I am a big believer in making my own luck and stacking the odds in my favour through observation, preparation and planning. Put the hours in and the results will come. I hope. Look at it this way. The keeper’s job — the pay apart — is a bit like that of a Premier League football manager. Both stand or fall by their results. I can certainly empathise with the look on the face of a football boss in his dugout at kick-off. I know only too well what that faraway, tight-jawed look signifies.…

Established in 2008, West Highland Hunting manages some 160,000 acres across mainland Scotland and employs three full-time staff, rising to 11 in the high season. Overseen by sporting manager Niall Rowantree, the fieldsports agency is renowned globally for its big-bodied red deer, which have claimed top place for the largest stag taken in Britain for six consecutive years, according to the annual census conducted by the Association of Deer Management Groups. Auch is the latest estate to sign up with West Highland Hunting, with the team managing its wild red population for the owners. It is thought that there are between 550 and 700 stags and around 240 hinds and calves living on the estate.…

A lot of airgunners are fair-weather shooters; they take to the fields and the woods when the temperature is warm and the days are long, then pack their rifles away as soon as the chill of autumn sets in. As lovely as it is to enjoy our sport when the weather is kind, those who opt for a winter layoff are missing out on some great opportunities. Many of the pest species controlled by airgunners are much easier to pinpoint during the winter months, and pursuing them in inclement weather needn’t be at all uncomfortable. Wear the right clothes and take the right kit, and cold-weather airgunning can be hugely enjoyable. Quarry location and timing Most of my winter pest control with air rifles revolves around shooting grey squirrels. It’s…

In the late 6th century, Pope Gregory the Great decreed that while they were fasting for Lent, it was permissible for canons and nuns to eat newly born rabbits, known as “laurices”, as they were hairless and considered to be seafood rather than meat. This was long before the rabbit had been introduced to Britain. Following its introduction by the Normans, for many centuries rabbit meat was greatly prized and appeared on the tables of the wealthy, but never on those of the peasants. Around 450 rabbits were served to Henry III and his court at Christmas in 1251, and when Henry IV was crowned in 1399, rabbit was on the menu for the feast afterwards. Rabbit also appeared in a collection of recipes from 1390 that were prepared for…

There are some rifles I would never sell and my favourite is a well-worn Tikka M55 rifle (right) in .308 Winchester that I bought when I was 17. It cost £140 from Leslie Bowlers in London’s Elephant and Castle. I still have the sale ticket and remember going on the train with my mother to pick up the Tikka and returning to six-form college to show the geography class. The teacher taught a class on Finland’s topography and industry based on where the Tikka was made. Those were the days!…

Rich’s Mill Farm boasts a busy and very popular restaurant, established some eight years ago. With 70 covers, it was packed on the day of my visit. Close to its entrance is a fine walnut tree growing in an enclosure, and this tree is the subject of a curious local tradition. Beneath its roots, a century or more ago, a white pony was buried. Several such walnut trees in the area were the subject of a similar practice, though no one seems to know the reason for this strange custom. The walnut tree was also nearly sold to a gunmaker who offered £1,000 for the wood with a view to making gunstocks. Fortunately, the offer was refused and the tree still stands there today.…

1 BARREL 21in blued steel, slim profiled with a tubular magazine supported beneath, holding 15 shot in .22LR. 2 SIGHTS Simple post foresight and ramp adjustable rearsight, but the alloy receiver is dovetailed for a scope. 3 ACTION Pump-action design with a short stroke to cycle, a single-stage trigger and push-through safety button. 4 STOCK Two-piece walnut construction with no cheekpiece, plastic butt-pad and ribbed fore-end, with tough lacquer finish. WHAT TO LOOK FOR Barrels: If threaded for a sound moderator, check that it will sit square on the barrel as it will foul the magazine tube if not. Action: Usually reliable but a light strike by the firing pin is often due to a build-up of grease and unburned powder, so…

An avid grouse shooter, Charles Davies of Andover, Massachusetts, devised the sport of skeet shooting in 1910. The name is an old Norwegian form of the word “shoot”. Previously, it had been known as “round-the-clock” shooting, because Davies’s original course was a circle with a radius of 25 yards, designed to look like a clock with the trap set at the 12 o’clock position. The new name came about when a US magazine ran a competition in 1926, offering $100 to anyone who could come up with a better alternative to “clock shooting”. The winning entry came from Gertrude Hurlbutt, a housewife from Montana. Today there are three forms of skeet — American skeet, international skeet and English skeet — which have slightly different rules and formats from one another.…

By mid-November grass has stopped growing, so dairy farmers will have now brought their cattle indoors for the winter. Wet fields become badly poached by the cattle’s hooves, so housing the beasts indoors protects the pastures and helps to ensure that they will be in good condition next spring when the grass starts putting on fresh growth again. During the winter, most indoor cattle will be fed on grass or maize silage, though this will be complemented by high-energy concentrate. Huge amounts of silage are needed for a dairy herd: a single Holstein dairy cow will eat around 1.5 tons of silage a month. Feeding silage is a challenge for the farmer. Providing poor-quality silage invariably results in health problems in the herd, with listeriosis one of the main concerns.…