Innholdsfortegnelse for 25-Oct-2017 i Shooting Times & Country

I had the most brilliant driven day recently — the bag was six. I suspect such a prospect might not seem all that thrilling to those used to double-gunning in Dorset or knocking down grouse in the Angus Glens, but this was a little different. I was in Finland with a Sako rifle in my hand, listening out for moose coming crashing through the birch woods out into the open, where they could be toppled by a well-placed .308 round. I didn’t fire that day. On the penultimate drive, two roe broke across a ride just in front of me pursued by a spaniel, but just as I raised my gun a call came over the radio: “Information for hunters: this drive is finished”. Perhaps some of you might have…

8 NOVEMBER ONE-DAY GAME SEMINAR Westminster Kingsway College, London Tel 020 7963 4181 9 NOVEMBER BASC LADIES GAME DAY Sherbourne Farm Road, Sherbourne, Warwickshire Tel 01283 810910 14-15 NOVEMBER KENNEL CLUB HPR CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 Elveden estate, Thetford, Norfolk www.thekennelclub.org.uk/HPRChampionship 15 NOVEMBER NITESITE DEMO EVENING York Guns, Dunnington, York, North Yorkshire Tel 01904 487180 22 NOVEMBER GWCT MACNAB BALL The Dorchester Hotel, Mayfair, London Tel 020 7290 0110 30 NOVEMBER DEER INITIATIVE DEER AWARENESS DAY Great Whelnetham Community Centre, Bury St Edmunds, West Suffolk Tel 07970 141512…

Irish air cops tackle poachers via skies The Police Service of Northern Ireland has taken to the skies in its efforts to tackle deer poaching, utilising drones and helicopters to catch offenders. The Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime Poaching Sub-Group, which counts organisations including BASC, Countryside Alliance Ireland and the British Deer Society among its members, has praised the use of new technology to combat wildlife crime. CIC looking for “abnormal” deer The UK CIC Trophy Evaluation Board would like to hear from stalkers who have shot or seen muntjac with multi-pointed or otherwise abnormal heads. A spokesman for the CIC said: “Any examples of multi-pointed heads in the form of images, moving or still, of live individual deer over a number of growing cycles, with a view to…

‘‘The wildlife of today is not ours to dispose of as we please. We have it in trust. We must account for it to those who come after.’’ King George VI Pleasant memories from years gone by The comments from G. Hughes about using bantams to hatch pheasant chicks (Letters, 11 October) brought back pleasant memories. I am 91 years old, a retired rural police officer, having spent 21 years in one village. During the rearing season, I would visit the rearing fields in my area on my trusty cycle, and enjoy a chat and a cup of tea in the keeper’s hut, catching up with local gossip within the shooting community. I would help top up the water at the coops, sometimes having a shot at a…

I recently travelled almost the entire length of Britain by car, from the Piddle Valley in south Dorset to a sumptuous Victorian lodge that sits at the head of Loch Glass in the historic county of Ross-shire. I knew the trip would leave a lasting impression on me, as sporting ventures in Scotland always do, but alas one memory is disconcerting. In that 10-hour road trip we passed the mangled remains of far too many dead pheasants, and at times I actually felt rather abashed to be part of Britain’s shooting community. Some stretches of the journey were much worse than others. In Dorset, I was gobsmacked to see dozens of carcases, in various states of decay, strewn along quiet country lanes and through the prettiest of villages. The story…

There are lots of spicy mixtures said to help hold birds but pheasants have a limited sense of smell, so are unlikely to detect the scent of the spice. In the early 1980s, I tested two commercial mixtures and a secret recipe based on aniseed, against plain wheat. These were offered in randomised troughs to over-wintered pheasants on the GWCT rearing field. All four offerings were eaten in equal measure — the pheasants clearly did not care less which they ate. But adult pheasants need extra nutrients and wildlife is always good at finding whatever it needs, so if your pheasants are short of something they will hunt for it. This is where bagged ground mixtures come in. With a mix of seeds, they will contain nutrients that pheasants like…

“It’s not much fun being in the middle of the line if the birds split on you and you end up out of the shooting” When I worked in Wales, not far away there was a rather elderly and eccentric estate owner, who employed a full-time keeper and shot six days. One of his more interesting quirks was that he never drew pegs. he insisted that the guns — who were a closed syndicate of family and friends — stood on the same pegs, on the same drives, every time they shot. though the guns never appeared to be bothered by the predictability of it all, it struck me as rather boring. a major aspect of any shoot day is its unpredictability, and the drawing of pegs and the order…

What to wear on the hill STALKING I have some hind stalking booked in the Scottish Highlands in November. It will be my first time in Scotland and I could do with some advice on suitable clothing and footwear. I don’t want to get caught out by the conditions but am unsure as to what I should be taking with me. My stalking will be over three days. Deciding on kit can be a bit of a dilemma. The anticipation of difficult conditions sometimes leads to clothes and kit overload rather than a lack of essentials. The best suggestion I can offer is to try not to overdress and burden yourself with items you won’t really need or use. Remember that regardless of the weather conditions you encounter, you will…

Latin name: Viburnum opulus Common name: Guelder rose Other names: European cranberry bush, red elder, gatten, cramp bark How to spot it and where to find it: This hardy perennial bursts into white clusters of flower in May, which last into early summer, then explodes with bright red berries in the autumn. It prefers well-drained but moist soil, but can tolerate full or partial sun and even shade. It grows up to 5m high and has three-lobed leaves that resemble those of the maple, blazing orange or red as winter approaches. In the winter, green, scaly and hairless buds grow pressed closely to the hairless twigs. Interesting facts: The guelder rose is found throughout Europe and Asia and is the national tree of the Ukraine, where it is called “kalyna”.…

BOOK The Wasing estate in Berkshire has launched its own version of the Macnab Challenge, offering corporate guests the chance to bag something feathered, furred and finned all in the same day. The Wasing Macnab Experience will give guests a day of wild-trout fishing, working dog trials and ferret racing, along with overnight accommodation and meals. The price is £426 per person (including VAT) and bespoke packages are also available. For further information, including available dates in November and December, and to book, email venue@wasing.co.uk or tel 01189 713634. ATTEND There is currently an art exhibition being held at Rountree Tryon Galleries in Petworth, West Sussex, called “Back from the Hill”, bringing together pieces by some of Britain’s finest wildlife artists. Works by Rodger McPhail (above), John Cyril Harrison and…

1 Schöffel Country Lilymere jacket £399.95 www.schoffel.co.uk Look stylish and stay comfy while shooting with this new jacket in Schöffel Country’s signature ladies’ Cavell tweed. This fitted jacket is about more than looking smart, though, as it is also very durable, with a moisture and stain-repellent Teflon finish and warming microfleece pockets to protect your hands from the cold. 2 NSI Fibre Heritage Super Felt cartridges RRP £64.10 per 100 (inc VAT) www.edgarbrothers.com These cartridges from Nobel Sport Italia promise pheasant shooters excellent value and outstanding performance — just the thing for the new season. Available in 12-bore, 34g in shot sizes 4, 5 and 6, they are suited to higher, late-season game birds. 3 Bisley tally counter £11.99 www.bushwear.co.uk You wouldn’t want to head out into the shooting field…

“The solution to any problems with airguns lies not in more regulation, but in better enforcement of the existing laws” Early reports on the licensing of airguns in Scotland appear to show a lack of compliance — generally from an absence of knowledge rather than criminal intent. A law came into force on 1 January in Scotland making it an offence to possess an airgun without a specific certificate or a temporary exemption granted to existing firearm and shotgun certificate holders. Even before the law change, BASC argued that the Scottish Government’s campaign to raise awareness about the licensing of airguns was inadequate. Among the concerns were that individuals could unwittingly become criminals by possessing forgotten airguns that had perhaps been languishing for many years in lofts or at the back…

“Grouse will remove the ants by eating them. Hey presto — the bird is infected” The world is sadly littered with examples of what has happened when humankind has decided to play God and meddle with nature. There is seldom anything we do that does not have an impact, for better or worse, on something else. We took the humble rabbit and fox to Australia, we took the stoat to control the rabbit in New Zealand, and, though it may seem insignificant, we took the bumblebee all over the world to pollinate tomatoes. The impact of the first examples on native fauna are fairly obvious, but what about the bumblebee? In addition to spreading diseases that have caused the extinction of some species of native bees, our bumblebees then pollinated…

Having a walking Gun (left) is another option if the front line is a bit tight. It can be great fun, especially late on in the season when the birds are wiser and flying back over the beaters’ heads and out of the sides. The best advice I can give about the placing of a walking Gun is to ask the beaters. They know where the birds fly back, where the Gun should wait, how far they should keep going for and the direction the birds generally take. A walking Gun who can judge distance is particularly useful, as they won’t be tempted to shoot at anything out of range; doubly so if they have a good dog for retrieving what they shoot. If they haven’t got a dog, or…

As a professional writer on dogs, I find it impossible to switch off even when I am abroad. It is always fascinating to see how dogs are treated in different countries. A recent visit to northern Sardinia proved fascinating, though I was disappointed to see very few hunting/shooting dogs, which surprised me. I did stay on one farm (agriturismo) that had a kennel of mainly hound types, with a couple of what looked like English setters, but they became so excited when they saw me that I didn’t get any closer. Frustratingly, my Italian wasn’t good enough for me to ask the owner about them. Though I may not have met many hunting dogs, I got the impression that the Italians are a nation of dog lovers. Pet dogs accompany…

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…

Stonechats and whinchats are quite closely related to robins and are about the same size. Whinchats are obligatory migrants, leaving each autumn for countries south of the Sahara, but stonechats are less predictable. Some stonechats depart in the early autumn, perhaps heading for destinations as far south as Algeria or Morocco, but many remain in Britain and Ireland. During the breeding season stonechats are typically found in heathland, “chatting” at the top of gorse bushes, but birdwatchers collecting information for the most recent Bird Atlas found wintering birds across farmland habitats as well. Individuals that stay in Britain and Ireland fare badly in really cold weather, with numbers dropping sharply after the winters of 2009/10 and 2010/11, for instance. The proportion of birds opting for the migratory strategy does not…

“My new BT bessie said he would sort everything. But I’ve got nothing more than promises” The long-suffering employees of BT Openreach always seem a cheerful bunch, in my experience. I don’t know how they put up with the flak they must receive on a daily basis. But the company’s dominance of the physical installation of broadband seems to combine the worst elements of private sector rapacity with the unaccountability that typified the public sector monopolies of yore. And it is rural people and rural businesses who bear the brunt of the resulting digital apartheid, as the Countryside Alliance is so adept at pointing out. Back in 2015, BT Openreach laid 1.6km of fibre cable across my land, funded by some sort of grant, only to spend the next 18…

PACKHAM AND IMPARTIALITY The Ilkley Moor shoot lease is due to end and Chris Packham has once again put on his political hat by writing to Bradford Council to oppose it being renewed. The council took the brave stance to allow grouse shooting on public land, and it is the only one to do so. Packham has also aligned himself with the animal rights fundamentalist Luke Steele, whose colourful background is well documented. Surely this must be a breach of his BBC impartiality? As a local resident I wish people would step out of a local issue. I can’t see either Packham or Steele having any interest in the area or donating money for the upkeep, which will fall back on to the cash-strapped authority if shooting is banned. The…

“If there are not enough feeders, a few old cock birds will dominate them and everyone else goes hungry” Now that our birds are out and about, feeding is crucial to holding them on the shoot and having them where we want them on shoot days. Plus, if we do it well, we provide a great resource for a host of other wildlife — though we can also end up feeding a hoard of unwanted hangers-on such as pigeons and rooks and damaging pests such as grey squirrels and rats. There is no one right way to feed your game, and the needs of each shoot vary, but I never cease to be amazed at the amount many shoots waste through inefficient feeding. In my early days as a Game…

“Shooting with a hammergun gives the same sort of buzz as driving a classic car” Over the past decade, hammerguns have risen steadily in value as many people discover they can own and use a classic piece of British gunmaking heritage for relatively little money. But why use this obsolete technology when modern shotguns are well made, efficient and relatively inexpensive? The answer is simple — hammerguns are elegant reminders of a bygone sporting age, and shooting with them gives the same sort of buzz that comes from riding a vintage motorcycle or driving a classic car. The main decision faced by a prospective hammergun owner will be to choose between the two main types of action. The Jones underlever action is very strong, but it is slow and wholly…

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