Innholdsfortegnelse for 11-Oct-2017 i Shooting Times & Country

We spent three gentle days casting across the Machrie Water. On the third afternoon we found a hatful of chanterelles but of fish, we found none. Salmon on Arran, much like the once plentiful grouse in the scraggy island glens, are now few in number. Yet, that Scottish river — a meandering burn at points, and a thundering narrow gorge at others — is perhaps my favourite in the country. As a child I fished for the excitement of the line going taught and the reel singing, but the older I get the more I do it to escape phone signal and the miserable madness of Clapham Junction. I started the pheasant season in Devon last Monday, shooting over pointers and wirehaired viszlas. As I drove back to London in…

12 OCTOBER FARMER CLUSTER CONFERENCE The Royal Geographical Society, Kensington, London Tel 01425 651025 21 OCTOBER GWCT YOUNG SHOOTERS DAY Allerton Project, Loddington, Leicestershire Tel 01425 651013 29 OCTOBER AINTREE COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE RACE DAY CHARITY RACE Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool Tel 020 7840 9207 8 NOVEMBER ONE-DAY GAME SEMINAR Westminster Kingsway College, London Tel 020 7963 4181 14-15 NOVEMBER KENNEL CLUB HPR CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 Elveden estate, Elveden, Thetford, Norfolk www.thekennelclub.org.uk/HPRChampionship 22 NOVEMBER GWCT MACNAB BALL The Dorchester Hotel, Mayfair, London Tel 020 7290 0110…

How would you like to work on the UK’s leading weekly shooting magazine? Shooting Times is looking for a new deputy editor to help oversee the production of the magazine, ensuring smooth running from conception through to print. You will deputise for the Editor on all editorial matters and work together with the team to scrutinise and improve the content of the magazine. You won’t be confined to the office though; the successful applicant will cover stories, contribute their own content and represent the brand at rural events. You will need a love and deep knowledge of shooting and fieldsports and ideally previous experience of commissioning, editing and writing great content that will engage our readers. Email the Editor at patrick.galbraith@timeinc.com for a full job specification and to apply.…

In response to the article about reintroducing wild grey partridges at Tomatin (News, 27 September), Duncan Mackenzie wrote that he found out that bantam hens would incubate eggs of other birds then rear the chicks until they were grown. I thought most shooting men knew that this was common practice. My grandfather would place eggs — mostly pheasant and partridge but sometimes mallard too — with a bantam until they hatched. He would rear the chicks in small runs in his garden until they were seven or eight weeks old, when he would release the poults along with the bantam (wing clipped) in secure areas on the grounds where he had shooting rights. After the poults were self-sufficient he would catch the surrogate bantams and return them to his hen…

MAKING SURE ALL ARE FIT AND READY The nights are drawing in and the temperatures are slowly starting to cool. The miles are clocking up on the dogs, my bike riding is getting safer and the ferrets are slowly getting match-fit, working off some of that summertime timber that they have put on. The ferreting has started very slowly. The weather has still been quite warm and muggy and this affects the animals. I cannot push the dogs too hard with exercise in the heat and the ferrets don’t work as well either. The shows are nearly at an end, with time being put aside not only to book next year’s events now, but also fixing rabbiting contracts for the winter. My shed is getting spruced up with lights going…

“Killing wounded game is the least enjoyable part of picking-up, but if you can’t do it you shouldn’t be there” LAST WEEK I considered the basic rules of picking-up, as outlined by BASC in its excellent code of practice (Perfect picking-up, 4 October). There wasn’t the room to discuss some of the more tricky subjects that the code touches on, so here are some further comments. One of the most contentious issues in the shooting field is that of pickers-up gathering all the birds a Gun may have shot, despite the fact that they may have a dog that they would like to use. As BASC’s code reminds us: “Guns often bring their own dogs, and if they wish to pick-up their own shot game, allow them to do so…

“There are no quick fixes to weight problems, just exercise and a reduction in food intake” Labradors, as we know, are notoriously greedy. They love their food and, if given the opportunity, will also joyfully act as household waste removal units — resulting in the steady increase in waistlines and overall weight. And if, like mine, your dog is neutered, the danger of unwanted weight is almost doubled. My yellow dog, now six, works hard during the season as part of a picking-up team, assisted until last year by his mother. She, however, is now 13 and, while reasonably fit for her age, will probably only be working half-days this coming season. The problem is that once the shooting season is over, despite a deliberate and substantial reduction in hard…

Latin name: Silene dioica Common name: Red campion Other names: Batchelors’ buttons, Johnny woods, ragged Jack, scalded apples How to spot it and where to find it: While admiring the blazing autumn colours of our British trees, look down to the roadside verges and woodland edges for the bright glow of red campion. It starts to flower as the bluebells begin to die out — though sometimes the two overlap, creating a carpet of deep pink and blue — and continues until well into October and even November. It can grow up to a metre in height, with long, downy stems and oval, smooth-edged leaves, without stalks, at the bottom. If it grows alongside the rarer white campion, the two can hybridise, producing much paler blooms. Interesting facts: The genus…

“People will base their opinions on what they see with their own eyes and hear with their ears” There was an item in The Times about a group of British second homeowners in the French Alps who complained to the mayor about the noise of cow bells. They wrote that “the noise on the slopes and in front of our chalets is unbearable”. The town’s mayor was bemused, saying he could have understood if full-time residents had raised the issue, adding: “There are worse things than hearing the bells of the cows.” Four hundred locals turned up to protest at a public meeting and support for them flooded in from around the world — an online petition quickly racked up more than 116,000 signatures. One supporter wrote: “If the townspeople…

LISTEN The second episode of the Countryside Alliance’s (CA) new Voice of the Countryside podcast is available to listen to online at po.st/CApodcast. In this episode, presenters Liam Stokes and Rachel Smedley discuss BBC bias and the CA’s Brexit breakfast event, and provide updates on the Rural Oscars. SHOOT Gloucester Wildfowlers Association is holding a young shots event on Sunday, 15 October for accompanied junior members, or siblings and friends of full members. Starting in the afternoon, guests will enjoy light refreshment and casual instruction before heading on to the Severn estuary for an evening flight. Youngsters deemed too young to shoot are welcome to attend and can either come just for the afternoon and leave or take the flight with a parent or guardian shooting for them. If you…

A gold medal head has claimed the CIC Scottish red stag record. The trophy, from a stag shot in Galloway in early August, was brought in by Mr B. Little and scored 192.64 points, beating the previous record of 190.66. It was initially evaluated at the Midland Game Fair and then confirmed at a formal session of the UK Trophy Evaluation Board last month, by judges including our own resident deer stalking expert Iain Watson. Presented with a full skull, the 17-point head is now eligible for the coveted award of an International CIC gold medal. It is only the 12th Scottish red stag head to make a gold medal score, and tops a list dating back to 1905 when the Edwardian sportsman C. E. Lucas grassed an Inverness-shire beast.…

APSI to design FITASC courses The Association of Professional Shooting Instructors (APSI) has been elected by FITASC as the training body responsible for designing and presenting instructor courses on its behalf. The first four-day Level One FITASC course will be held on 21-24 May 2018, at Doveridge SG Derbyshire. Anyone wishing to take part should email BICTSF secretary Michele Rowe at secretary@bictsf.com. Chefs’ shooting cup Some of the UK’s top chefs gathered to compete in the Balvenie Great British Game Restaurant Shooting Cup, hosted by Boisdale Restaurant, at the West London Shooting School, last month. Nick Weston of Hunter Gather Cook was crowned champion and presented with a handmade quaich presented by Asmita Singh of the Balvenie Whisky. Posthumous awards received at Midland Our recent report on the National Gamekeepers’…

Choose the right river; tackling the middle beats of the Tweed or the Tay with a 10ft rod is a recipe for failure, but smaller rivers such as the Stinchar or the Till can give great sport. Be prepared to wade. A shorter rod gives shorter casts and less ability to control line speed; you may have to compensate by wading deep. Have confidence in your rod to control the fish. Modern rods have a lot of muscle, the average size of a salmon from Dalreoch is 13lb. A trout rod can play and land a 13lb fish. Recognise the strengths of a single-hander: very few double-handed casters can match the accuracy and delicacy of a singlehanded rod well used. Learn to roll cast and mend. Roll casting will increase…

There is much more to picking-up than simply handling a dog. For me one of the great attractions is being able to explore private estates where I would otherwise never be able to go, to see hidden landscapes and explore ancient woods. To be able to do so is a great privilege and one I have always appreciated. As a countryman I always enjoy seeing how land is farmed and managed, what crops are planted and which breeds of livestock are kept. Standing quietly with your dog while waiting for the drive to start gives you a great opportunity to observe wildlife — perhaps a mixed flock of tits or even something as rare as a hawfinch or lesser spotted woodpecker. Game cover often holds mixed flocks of finches, so…

The origin of our glorious hay meadows is almost lost in history, as it was not considered important enough at the time to record. But in today’s world we value them as highly as anything else in the uplands. A Pennine Dales hay meadow at the peak of its flowering capacity is a sight to behold. It is an assault on two senses for as well as seeing it, the scent from the scores of flowering plants is, if you do not suffer from hay fever, absolutely wonderful. The formation of the hay meadow began from the time our ancestors settled down and began to “farm” animals for food and clothing. In the early days most animals were killed at the end of the growing season or the onset of…

How is woodland used on upland shoots? GAMEKEEPING Q What can you tell me about the differing uses for woodland on upland shoots? A It depends on your definition of upland. Marginal hill ground with wooded banks can make for some wonderful shooting, and warm woods to roost in are essential if you want to hold pheasants come winter. In many upland areas, the use of game cover is limited by the soil type and the height of the shoot above sea level. On shoots such as these, the woods are everything: holding cover, driving cover, roosting and — equally importantly — they add a special something to the shoot day itself. It is rare that a game Shot doesn’t appreciate his or her surroundings. However, planting trees on heather…

With so many waders in decline, it is nice to be able to celebrate a bird that is doing well — the Icelandic black-tailed godwit. In winter these are grey birds, smaller than curlew and bigger than redshank, but in spring they moult into striking red summer plumage. Black-tailed godwits are expanding their range across Iceland, but numbers are particularly high this autumn after a warm spring and a bumper season for chicks. While many of the black-tailed godwits we see on our coasts and wet grasslands will stay here for the whole winter, some may fly south to Portugal and Spain, where they have an easier life in longer days and warmer temperatures. Birds that chose to stay in the UK for the winter last year will do the…

BASC is calling on members to take part in Natural England’s Wildfowling Guidance Review. The consultation is currently live online at po.st/ fowlingconsultation and is seeking views on proposed changes to the assessment and consenting process on the shooting of ducks and geese within protected areas in England. The stated aim is to make the process of wildfowling consents more straightforward, transparent and reflective of the impact and nature of wildfowling. It closes on 17 November, with results expected by the end of January 2018. Paul Williamson, BASC’s rural land development manager, commented: “Natural England’s current approach to wildfowling is incredibly time-consuming and complicated, which has been hugely frustrating for everyone involved. “This public consultation provides an opportunity for wildfowlers to provide feedback on their experiences of the consenting process,…

1 Heritage 1845 leather gun slip £99.95 www.philipmorrisdirect.co.uk Looking for a replacement gunslip for this season? This leather slip offers excellent value, is fully lined with faux sheepskin for extra protection and comes in 48in or 52in length. It also features a full-length zip, brass fittings and a leather carry handle. 2 Pintail moleskin shooting waistcoat RRP from £199 www.gamebirdsclothing.co.uk A moleskin waistcoat with suede trim cartridge pockets, suede shoulder patches and built-in ambidextrous recoil pads. Available in a variety of colours and sizes. 3 The Game Cook by Norman Tebbit £14.99 www.grubstreet.co.uk You’ve read our interview with Norman Tebbit (Still a game cook, 27 September), now pick up his book. First published in 2009 and off the shelf for several years, this revised and updated edition contains new recipes…

Robert Burleigh, 60, born and brought up on a farm at Shapwick, Dorset, has been involved with shooting, gundog training and game rearing since he left school at 16. Three years later he was running a shoot and then, with a partner, set up a game farm near Wimborne called Chase Game. The business grew and Robert moved to Sixpenny Handley, where he created a partnership with a farming family, the Tozers. He still runs the game farm, rearing 60,000-plus poults and setting 30,000 eggs a week for 12 weeks. He rents land from eight farmers and organises two shoots a week throughout the season. Chase shoot consists of 3,500 acres, with some excellent woodland valleys providing outstanding driven pheasant and partridge shooting. For further details contact Robert, tel 01725…

Every Gun’s first bird is special, regardless of whether it was shot in boglands, flatlands, wetlands or the highlands. Many choose to prepare it for the pot, others proudly mount it so that the memory stays with them forever. But for the older generation, when the dreaded day arrives that missed shots become more apparent, we are all safe in the knowledge that the Young Shot days organised by BASC will prepare the future generations to replace the old shooting souls. The latest BASC North Young Shots event was a driven duck and partridge day, generously hosted by a group of farmers from the coast of rural Lancashire. The youngsters travelled to the farm for their first taste of driven shooting under the close supervision of experienced mentors. Formed in…

“One of the most useful things a thermal imager can do is see through things” I attended a night-vision evening, put on by a local gun shop, some 10 or 12 years ago. One or two of us, while impressed with what we saw, were reluctant to part with the money — or didn’t think we could persuade our bosses to part with their money — to buy an image intensifier or dedicated night sight, no matter how much we wanted one. There was a keeper there who quite rightly said that in a few years’ time we would all have them, regardless of the price, in much the same way that it took us a while to get our heads round forking out £100 for a pair of neoprene-lined…

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…

Contrary to what most people believe, poodles are native to Germany, not France. The name is a corruption of the German word pudeln, which translates as “to splash in water”. It is an old breed: the German artist Albrecht Dürer depicted poodles in the 16th century. Historically they were used as hunting dogs, especially for wildfowling, while poodle blood was used to produce the pudelpointer, a German HPR, and in the development of the Irish water spaniel. Selective breeding led to miniature and toy versions being established. Today the toy is the most popular in the UK with around 1,300 registrations a year, while the combined total for all three varieties is around 3,000. Poodles have become one of the most popular breeds for outcrosses, and it is quite probable…