Innholdsfortegnelse for 06-Sep-2017 i Shooting Times & Country

Some weeks ago I stood on a rooftop terrace in London Fields looking out over the city. Ending my moment of tranquility, a rather nasal voice from behind me asked if I had a lighter. It was somebody I’d been introduced to earlier that evening — a friend of a friend who happened to be at the same party. For a few minutes we exchanged vague pleasantries. I told him I edited “a fieldsports magazine” and he insisted on knowing which one. “Shooting Times?” he responded in delight after I told him. “I always read it in the bath and have done since I was about nine.” It was an intimate admission and a pleasingly unlikely place to meet a countryman. After an hour or so of talking about walked-up…

8 SEPTEMBER NATIONAL DEER MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE Ashorne Hill, near Leamington Spa, Warwickshire Tel 01244 573019 9-10 SEPTEMBER SANDRINGHAM GAME AND COUNTRY FAIR Sandringham Park, Sandringham, Norfolk Tel 01283 820548 15-17 SEPTEMBER GWCT PART-TIME KEEPERS’ COURSE Allerton Project Visitor Centre, Loddington, Leicestershire Tel 01425 651013 16-17 SEPTEMBER THE MIDLAND GAME FAIR Weston Park, Shropshire Tel 01889 563232 6-8 OCTOBER BRITISH SHOOTING SHOTGUN GRAND FINAL 2017 Fauxdegla Shooting Ground, Wrexham Tel 01628 488800 12 OCTOBER FARMER CLUSTER CONFERENCE The Royal Geographical Society, Kensington, London Tel 01425 651025…

Conservation grant for wildfowlers The Gloucestershire Wildfowlers’ Association has received a £4,200 grant from the Wildlife Habitat Charitable Trust to carry out habitat restoration work. The money has been used to clear scrub and reeds, creating two entry areas for water from the neighbouring drainage ditch. One side of the new area has been given a gentle slope to create a feeding area for wading birds, allowing them access no matter how deep or shallow the pool becomes. Association chairman Trevor Bailey said: “Conservation, education and recreation have always been the primary goals of our association. “Now, we have been able to advance our environmental projects with a grant from the WHCT. We have reformed an area that was previously overgrown into open water, thus creating an ideal habitat for…

“We had to work hard to catch up with the birds, which were like late September grouse” It was so good to be loading on the Glorious Twelfth this season after missing out last year due to low grouse stocks. The heather was in full purple bloom and I have never seen such strong young grouse flying with such vigour; some were even tending to pack a little. They were speeding through the butts like late September grouse and we had to work hard to catch up with them. When we first arrived in the morning we could see at least 30 Land Rovers and four-wheel drives of different descriptions parked up. The main contingent, which we followed on to the moor, consisted of a dozen Rovers. Why, oh why,…

The shooting season is now only a few weeks away, and though the Twistmount dogs will not start picking-up and beating until mid-October I am hoping to get some picking-up on a partridge shoot later this month. With that aim in mind I decided that it was time to introduce Remy the Labrador into the picking-up team. Because of his youthful exuberance, this part of his training needs to be carefully planned and taken in gradual stages. Dolly has now finished her season and is back in training. With the poults in the release pens there is plenty of dogging-in to do and this will get her ready for working in the beating line later this year.…

THE ULTIMATE SHOOTING QUIZ TEAM BILL HARRIMAN BASC’s head of firearms and global authority on guns MAT MANNING Airgunner and journalist from the West Country BRUCE POTTS Shooting Times rifle reviewer and stalker DAVID TOMLINSON Highly regarded writer and ornithologist LIAM BELL NGO chairman, 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…

Forty years ago lesser black-backed gulls were regarded as true “seagulls”, being almost totally restricted to coastal colonies. Tempted inland by the food and rubbish we leave lying around, they have become part of the landscape in many towns and cities. At the end of the breeding season many UK lesser black-backed gulls head to Iberia and North Africa, while birds from Scandinavia and Iceland arrive for the winter. There is a huge variation in the behaviour of individual birds. Tracking studies have shown that Suffolk breeding birds were found on the roofs of West Midlands factory units, on fields in Hampshire and sunning themselves in Lisbon, Portugal. Strange as it may seem, lesser black-backed gulls are on the amber list of species of conservation concern. While increasing numbers in…

SWEEPSTAKE The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) is urging shoots around the country to help raise funds for its important research by holding one of its annual sweepstakes. Individual shoots can help contribute to the GWCT’s efforts by holding a sweepstake on shoot days, with half the proceeds going to the winner and the other half to the GWCT. For every £100 raised, shoots will receive a bottle of Gordon’s sloe gin. You can apply for a sweepstake package, which includes peg markers, shoot cards, cartridge collection bags, a wall chart and a copy of the Code of Good Shooting Practice, completely free from the GWCT. Email hacors@gwct.org.uk or tel 01425 651010 to get yours. BOOK BASC is hosting a charity auction at the House of Bruar by Blair…

Police are warning rural workers to remain vigilant after 400 pheasants were stolen from a Hertfordshire village last week. The birds are worth £12,000, but could cost the shoot far more in lost business if the owner is forced to cancel a shoot. East Hertfordshire Rural Police commented: “If you are a gamekeeper or landowner, please be aware that criminals are out at night. “This will cost the victim thousands of pounds in lost revenue. There is [the] cost of the lost birds but also the shoot will now be affected. “The estimated loss at this time is £12,000 in birds, but if the shoot is cancelled the loss [will be] more than £60,000.” The pheasants were taken overnight from the Buckland area on the bank holiday weekend, some time…

1 Arxus Primo Canvas rubber boots £235  www.williamevans.com These lightweight back-zipped boots are designed to allow quiet, smooth movement in the field. The shaft is covered with a heavy noise-reducing canvas material, which also serves as a reinforcing fabric that helps the wearer avoid injury. Importantly, they are comfortable and easy to put on and take off. 2 William Evans St James Tweed men’s shoot coat RRP £650  www.williamevans.com Designed for style, comfort and practicality, this shoot coat is part of the new St James Tweed range. It comes with two large front pockets, with popper catches for easy access, along with deep, slanted side pockets to keep your phone and other essentials safely tucked away. 3 Aigle Clerks Thermo-Kit fleece gilet RRP £65  www.aigle.com/en_uk Stay stylish and comfortable with…

At just after 9am on 15 August 2017, Stephen Holling, vice-chairman of West Riding Wildfowlers and a keen wildfowler and grouse shooter, died on the first day of his grouse shooting season after suffering a heart attack on Saddleworth Moor, near Meltham. He was 64 and just days away from retirement. The shoot was cancelled as a mark of respect. Mr Holling grew up in Barnsley, where he completed an apprenticeship as a butcher. He would often help out fellow club members who stalked by butchering the deer they brought to him. He was a passionate wildfowler and was greatly looking forward to the start of the season. He could often be found fowling on the Humber estuary (pictured). He was also a member of a local grouse syndicate and…

I have always been a forager. On many occasions I have come home from shoot days with my game bag stuffed full of mushrooms. These days, though, it is just as likely to be onions or parsnips left behind after harvest, and I never fail to be amazed at how much of a crop is left in the field after the harvester has finished. I am currently picking blackberries on almost every walk as it is an exceptionally good blackberry harvest this year. However, I am not a great blackberry eater. Much as I like the fruit, I find the tiny pips get stuck in my teeth. Blackberries are fine if I can be bothered to pulp them and sieve them to get rid of the pips, but I don’t…

“The bird seemed not to notice me and was blind to everything but the zigzagging snipe” Autumn is coming to the Galloway hills and summer’s birds are beginning to pack their bags. The swifts have already gone and the fields are being combed by teams of hooligan swallows. The little birds didn’t start to nest until June this year and have only managed two broods, but they have still been extremely productive. There are often gangs of more than 100 youngsters squalling over the farm in the evenings as they prepare to head south. Many of the less confident juveniles line up along the gates and fences as they wait to be fed. They have been badly harried by sparrowhawks and the yard reverberates in an uproar of protest when…

“This quirky air rifle makes a superb back-garden plinking gun as it is accurate and quiet” 1 BARREL 19.5in match-quality barrel that delivers outstanding accuracy. 2 SIGHTS Originally aperture sights for targets but many retrofitted scopes as they were so accurate. 3 ACTION A little effort to cock but worth it as no movement at all on firing; smooth and consistent. 4 STOCK Good-quality walnut with a nice oil finish. Thumbhole version available. In the 1970s, the Feinwerkbau 300 series of classic match air rifles was winning every 10m competition available, with the Original 66 and Anschutz 250 rifles close on its heels. They all used the spring-piston propulsion system, often using a recoil sledge or twin pistons operating in opposite directions…

Latin name: Fagus sylvatica Common name: Beech Other names: European beech How to spot it and where to find it: The stately beech can grow to 40m tall with a magnificent domed crown. It likes free-draining soils such as chalk or limestone and is found mostly in southern England and south Wales. Its bark is thin, smooth and grey, and its leaves have wavy edges. Young leaves are lime green and covered with fine silky hairs, which they lose as they mature. The tree produces male catkins and female flowers, which form into prickly husks. As they ripen, they split to release the shiny brown nuts. Interesting facts: The amount of beechmast — or beech nuts — produced varies considerably; seasons when they are plentiful are known as Mast Years.…

The belted Galloway, which is one of the most recognisable of all breeds of cattle, is currently enjoying an upsurge in popularity. The breed originated in the old counties of Kirkcudbright and Wigton in south-west Scotland, where belted cattle have been known since the 18th century. Naturally polled (lacking horns), the beltie, as it is colloquially known, is slow to mature and can thrive on poor land. These animals were originally valued for their distinctive markings that made them easy to spot when hill grazing. Today, the breed is esteemed for its exceptionally lean meat, which is reputed to be at its most succulent and tasty when the cattle are reared on rough hill pasture. Black belted Galloways are most common, but there are also dun and red. All must…

“Beating on a grouse moor is hard work — I’m not sure they could ever be paid their true ‘worth’” Willy Poole has died, aged 76. He was a great Master of foxhounds and a fine writer. I knew him when he lived in Northumberland. He wrote a very kind review of a book I wrote about goose shooting, back in 1997, and we kept in touch. He once turned down an invitation to a day’s shooting. He explained that his eyesight was not what it was and, as he could no longer be reasonably certain of making a good shot, he thought he should decline on the grounds of animal welfare. I once had lunch with Willy at a rather traditional restaurant. As we settled at our table, a…

ARBOREAL MOLE Early one evening, my wife heard an animal squeaking and a rustling sound as it scrambled down from a tree. It was a mole. It landed on the grass and started to run but stopped after a yard or two, seemingly distracted by something tasty. She had called me to see this strange event and I got there as the mole was eating what it had found. Has anyone else ever seen or heard of a mole up a tree? I have asked a neighbour who has lived all his 86 years in this very rural area — a true countryman if ever there was one — and he has never heard of the likes of this. Perhaps one of your readers may have. John Lewis, Somerset SLOSHED…

Lee Frost is a fourth-generation butcher who helps to run his family business based in Manchester. He was taught to shoot by his father and grandfather, and is a regular wildfowler and a keen game shooter. His favourite shooting is wildfowling for pinkfeet on the foreshore. Follow Lee Frost on Twitter @frostybutcher At the end of January, some shooters might put their guns away and that is the last they will see of them until the autumn. However, pigeon shooting during the summer months sharpens up your game shooting and is great fun. I do a lot of pigeon shooting at this time of year, and my recipe for braised woodpigeon is a great one to try now, when the blackberries are ripening and you have had a good outing.…

Training a young Labrador to jump with a retrieve GUNDOG TRAINING Q How do you train a dog to jump with a retrieve? My Labrador is nine months old and will climb or even leap over a fence, but if he has a dummy in his mouth he will not even attempt to get over no matter how much I try to encourage him. A Your dog needs to be trained to jump on command, and be confident when jumping over objects, before you attempt to introduce retrieves over obstacles. This training should be carried out very cautiously and in stages so that the dog’s confidence grows with his ability to tackle higher and higher jumps. Begin with a very low obstacle, such as a piece of scaffold board fixed…