Innholdsfortegnelse for 13-Sep-2017 i Shooting Times & Country

It must have been 24 December because I remember wrapping the snipe up in loo paper that afternoon and giving it to someone for Christmas the following morning. I always believe there are two kinds of shots; the sort you quickly forget, and those that you will remember long after you’ve forgotten trivialities such as the names of your grandchildren. That snipe was very much one of the latter but it wasn’t the shot itself that I recall and cherish in miserable moments at suburban bus stops, but the retrieve that followed. It was a retrieve in which my tiny terrier swam out 40 yards into a bog, found the little bird among some overhanging frozen fronds of willow, and brought it straight back to me with all the poise…

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 30 SEPT - 1 OCT AUTUMN GAME FAIR South of England Showground, Ardingly, West Sussex Tel 01444 892700 6-8 OCTOBER BRITISH SHOOTING SHOTGUN GRAND FINAL 2017 Fauxdegla Shooting Ground, Wrexham Tel 01628 488800 7 OCTOBER BASC INTRODUCTION TO WOODPIGEON SHOOTING Lime Kiln Cottage, Barton, Richmond, North Yorkshire www.basc.org.uk/events 12 OCTOBER FARMER CLUSTER CONFERENCE The Royal Geographical Society, Kensington, London Tel 01425 651025…

Badger culls have been extended Natural England has issued licences for further badger culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset to combat bovine TB. Issued following advice from DEFRA, the licences will last until 31 January 2022 and require Gloucestershire controllers to “swiftly and humanely” despatch a minimum of 160 and a maximum of 580 badgers. In Somerset, the licence requires a minimum of 140 and a maximum of 610. National Trust to advertise meets The National Trust has come under fire following its decision to post details of upcoming hunt meets on its website. This comes ahead of the charity’s AGM next month, when it will consider a motion by the League Against Cruel Sports to ban all hunting on National Trust land (see Sharpshooter, p.66). Countryside Alliance chief executive Tim…

I was surprised to read yet again of the large bags of pigeons Tom Payne is shooting at this time of year (All are safely gathered in, 16 August). I was more than pleased to read J. Jarvis’s concerns about young pigeons and eggs perishing due to the death of their parents (Letters, 23 August). Some 25 years ago I used to be invited by two estates to shoot hare in February. On one estate we shot on two beats and on both days we would shoot on average 85 hare each day. On the second day we used to shoot a similar number to the first. I now ride round these fields and see very few hare. I hope that in 25 years’ time when Mr Payne and his…

FIGHTING FIT AND READY FOR ANYTHING Getting my team of dogs and ferrets physically and mentally fit started the moment the Game Fair finished. The ferrets completely switched off and relaxed over the warmer months. Now they just need to be tweaked with a few warm-up days. When the weather is warm, I usually swap them about rather than work them as hard as I would in a cooler climate. The dogs on the other hand, even after a complete rest, take a little longer to get fit, not just fitter. Millie, at 11, just does what she does. Her days are over, save for the few occasions when her experience is required over the youthful exuberance of Tawny. I’ve started to exercise Bella and Tawny on the beach, where…

ONE OF THE best things about competing is that, occasionally, you can run your dog alongside the great names in the sport. It is a bit like finding Roger Federer playing on the next court to you, or teeing off behind Rory Mcllroy. I was reminded of this when I went to a charity gundog test in Suffolk organised by Peter Elmy and Kevin Doughty. Fourteen three-person teams were taking part, and among their members were three former winners of the Retriever Championship, plus several other top handlers who have qualified and competed in the championship on many occasions. This was the first charity test that Peter and Kevin had organised on their training ground on the 800-acre Hill Farm estate at Hintlesham, not far from Ipswich in Suffolk. Judging…

Latin name: Malus sylvestris Common name: Crab apple Other names: European apple, wild crab How to spot it and where to find it: An attractive, rounded tree, the crab apple thrives in moist, heavy soils in hedgerows, woodland and scrubland. It has a grey-brown, flecked bark and can become quite twisted and gnarled; the truly wild tree has thorns. It produces dense, showy clusters of flowers in spring of creamy white or pale pink, and the fruits, yellowish green or tinged with red, appear in the autumn. Interesting facts: Unlike other trees, the crab apple grows singly, and woods may only contain one tree, though its scientific name means “forest apple”. Part of the rose family, it is an ancestor to our cultivated apple tree. The crab apple is one…

“There is nothing quite so illiberal as liberals on a mission to restrict freedom” The headline on a recent story in the Observer reads “National Trust to fight membership over resolution to ban hunting”. Well, that’s pretty straightforward, isn’t it? No room for misunderstanding. The National Trust is at loggerheads with its membership, who want to ban hunting. The Observer — which is effectively the Sunday version of the Guardian — is much respected in certain circles, notably those that decry the naked bias of what they sneeringly term the “right-wing press”. The first hint that all might not be what it seems comes in the Observer story’s “standfirst”. For those who don’t know, that’s the bit at the top of the story, a brief introduction. In this instance, it…

1 Hawke Sidewinder ED 10-50x60 riflescope £849.99 www.uk.hawkeoptics.com/riflescopes Designed for both full-bore and long-range calibres, this riflescope features patented interchangeable, locking and resettable exposed turrets. It offers a high-magnification optical system with a five-times ratio zoom range and ED glass incorporated into the objective element assembly, which produces clear and crisp images with little chromatic aberration. 2 The Blaze mouth call £12 www.bestfoxcall.co.uk Developed by Reese Outdoors in Alaska, the Blaze mouth call is similar in design to the BestFoxCall SS, but made from a tougher and more durable plastic. Producing a raspy sound, it mimics a screaming rabbit and can be used hands-free. 3 Härkila Norse jacket £499.99 www.harkila.com This lightweight jacket is waterproof and windproof. Ventilation zips under the arms and adjustable hems and sleeves help to achieve…

“Those receiving these awards will have seen some big changes since they started out” The year is racing by, and the shooting season for us low-ground boys has just started. There are feathers on the flightpond and the poults are starting to colour up nicely. The harvest is all but over, the rape is in and most of the other fields have been worked down ready for drilling. The open fields make dogging-in a bit easier, because at least we can see where the birds are going. It also gives us the chance to see how the wild birds — which have been hiding in the crops — have fared. But if we can see what is out there, so can everyone else; incidents of hare coursing and deer poaching…

I am indebted to Sue Cooke for her helpful response to my recent article on dogs being poisoned by slug pellets (So hard to swallow, 23 August). “Many years ago,” Sue wrote, “I attended a course for first aid for gundogs, run by a local vet. He said that the single best piece of advice that he could give us was to carry a film canister full of washing soda. If a dog swallows something that it shouldn’t, it may well be too late by the time you get it to the vet. If you force washing soda down the dog, it will rapidly induce vomiting. Since then, I keep a canister full in each car as well as at home, and I have another in the bum-bag first-aid kit…

Is this old hammergun fit for the foreshore? WILDFOWLING Q I have recently acquired a double-barreled 10-bore. It is in good condition, the action is tight and it is nitro-proofed, but it is a hammergun and the barrels are 32in Damascus. I would like to take it out wildfowling. Can you advise on what cartridges I should use? A Even though it appears in good condition, I would suggest that you first have the gun checked over by a gunsmith if you have not already done so. Your description indicates that even if the gun is perfectly sound, it will probably date from the last quarter of the 19th century. Though 10-bore ammunition is readily available, I would strongly advise against using modern commercial loads. If you are able to…

Not all historians agree on the history of the Dalmatian, but it is believed that this distinctive spotty dog originates from the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. It has been known in Britain for more than 200 years, and it was here that it developed. In Regency times it was highly valued as a carriage dog. To have a pair of Dalmatians trotting behind your carriage was fashionable and chic. The Dalmatians were not just decorative, but would protect the horses from impromptu fetlock-nipping attacks from stray dogs. As a carriage dog, the Dalmatian had to have great endurance. The modern Dalmatian retains the compact, athletic build of its forebears, and it appears little changed in appearance from the dogs depicted in paintings at the time of King George III. Sadly,…

WIN The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) is giving one lucky person a day’s driven grouse shooting for eight people at Mar estate in the Cairngorms. Tickets to enter the prize draw cost £40 for a book of 20 and you can enter at po.st/GWCTdraw. The draw is on 10 December, with proceeds supporting the work of the GWCT. LISTEN The Countryside Alliance (CA) has launched a new podcast series called Voice of the Countryside, hosted by head of shooting Liam Stokes and press officer Rachel Smedley. Each episode will delve into topical rural issues, with analysis from the CA team. Available to download now on SoundCloud or to listen to online at po.st/CApodcast1. WATCH It is hard for a film to evoke the beauty and unique ethos of…

“Not surprisingly, wild ducks breed much better when predators are controlled” As I write, in mid-August, big balls of hail have just fallen from the sky and with plenty of soggy wheat to harvest it is still too early to tell how well the wild pheasants and partridges have done on our little Wiltshire rough shoot. However, I am very happy to report that the wild ducks on our water meadows have done terrifically well. All summer long I have been seeing big broods of mallard, gadwall and tufted duck — not so much on the main river, but certainly on our flightponds and along the water-filled channels that radiate across the meadows. For those interested in producing wild ducks for sport, the sight of a large trip of fluffy…

The European pine marten is an endearing animal and has a certain charm — unless you keep poultry and it sets up home next to you. That is why Martes martes , as with many other predators, became more than a little uncommon in the latter part of the 19th century. It is true that gamekeepers and rabbit trappers were responsible for the reduction in numbers but then the former were tasked to ensure that livestock, poultry and game were protected. To the rabbit trappers, pine martens were simply a by-catch, and the pelts were worth quite a bit in those bygone days when most fur was treasured. Unlike most other members of the mustelid or weasel family, the marten does not object to living in close proximity to humans,…

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 By post: Shooting Times,…

If you have ever seen an osprey catch a fish and carry it away that is probably a sight you won’t forget, especially if you are a fisherman pursuing your hobby on a riverbank or lochside with more limited success. Though most British-bred ospreys will already be in Europe, or even Africa, later birds can turn up anywhere at this time of year. The osprey is a large, predominantly black-and-white raptor — bigger than a buzzard with a noticeably larger wingspan. The flight is more direct — with less soaring — and there is a kink in the wing profile that is really distinctive. Most birds spend the winter in west Africa, in countries such as Senegal, where they hunt for fish in rivers and estuaries. A Scottish-ringed osprey produced…