Innholdsfortegnelse for 07-Mar-2018 i Shooting Times & Country

“You must get loads of invitations,” said a reader some months ago, as we rattled our way to the next drive in an old sheep trailer. “Yes,” I replied, “but actually, chatting to readers is a far better perk of the job.” That might sound unlikely but over the past year, the enjoyment I’ve got from readers coming on to the stand at game fairs, or ringing up to tell me how much they like the magazine at the moment, has been far greater than most outings into the field. Last week, though, I received an email from a reader who wasn’t quite so happy. He noted that we seem to be doing fewer features on big driven days and we generally seem to be opposed to big bags. I…

8 MAR – 11 MAR CRUFTS 2018 NEC, Birmingham www.crufts.org.uk 17 MAR – 18 MAR WEST OF ENGLAND GAME FAIR Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset www.westofenglandgamefair.co.uk 23 MAR – 24 MAR THE LONDON WING SHOOTING FAIR The London Business Design Centre, Islington, London www.thelondonwingshootingfair.co.uk 24 MAR – 25 MAR THE 2018 DEERSTALKING FAIR Border Union Showground, Kelso, Scottish Borders deerstalkfair@gmail.com 13 APRIL BASC NORTH AND NE YOUTH DINNER AND AUCTION Gosforth Park Marriott Hotel, Newcastle Tel 01912 727494 18 APRIL GAVIN GARDINER AUCTION OF FINE MODERN & VINTAGE SPORTING GUNS Sotheby’s London Tel 01798 875300…

Demand for UK salmon abroad Overseas sales of UK salmon rose by 23 per cent last year, according to Defra, which claimed this as a positive sign for post-EU trade. Environment secretary Michael Gove said: “Farmers, fishermen and our food producers are all helping to deliver a Brexit bonus — with more exports of British food and drink than ever. “Contrary to the constant negativity of the doom-mongers, the British economy is going from strength to strength, showing that a ‘green Brexit’ can deliver for the whole country.” Other big success stories were sales of milk and cream, which increased by 61 per cent, and pork by 14 per cent. Wildlife sets back Balmoral upgrades Attempts to make the Queen’s Balmoral estate more “green” have hit a snag because of…

I bought my first copy of Shooting Times from my local newsagent in December 1957, when it cost a shilling and three pence. My wages then were £1 four shillings and nine pence a week and I used to look forward to Thursday mornings when I collected my copy. I would read it from cover to cover, with articles by Tower-Bird, Petrel and Peter Moxon among my favourites. I now have it delivered every Wednesday by post and enjoy reading it as much as ever. I still enjoy my shooting, both clay and game, in my 75th year and hope to emulate my father, who shot until he was 85 years old. In those days, a shotgun licence cost 10 shillings at the local post office with no questions asked,…

In the first instalment of this series (Post-season sanity saver for shooters, 7 February) — exploring how an average Shot can improve out of season — we established that Patrick, the pupil, mounts his gun reasonably well and can kill birds consistently when he closes his left eye. However, he had been experimenting with shooting with both eyes open and is “now in a strange hinterland, constantly switching between the two”. Many of you reading this are in exactly the same situation and will no doubt be getting very frustrated. That is because the two different ways of shooting — monocular versus binocular — are really very different. When you shoot with an eye dimmed, your vision becomes tunnelled and you can be very aware of where the gun is…

I USE A LONG SLIP LEAD to train Keepa to heel, ensuring the noose is high up his neck. My goal is to teach him to walk next to me because he chooses to, not because I physically hold him close to me. Many people choose a short lead, meaning the dog only has to be an inch out of place and there is instantly tension from the handler. The lead is simply an aid to ensure I can keep his focus and guide him if necessary. It is not used to physically restrain him. The brilliant trainer Tony Orchard used a wonderful motto that sums up heel training perfectly: train don’t restrain. If I physically restrain him, Keepa will learn nothing. I start his heel training where I know…

I am indebted to reader and frequent correspondent Sue Knight for sending me the accompanying photograph of handlers and spectators at the recent HPR Championship, held on the Elveden estate in Suffolk last November. Sue raises the question as to whether the must-have accessory for the field trial enthusiast is the sack-like rucksack much in evidence in her photograph. A little research revealed that these rucksacks are more properly called hunting vests. You won’t be surprised to learn that they originated in the US, where the word “vest” tends to have a different meaning than in the UK. The Americans, of course, use the word hunting where we would use shooting, so it is not the sort of vest a keen follower of hounds is likely to wear. The best…

Latin name: Sarcoscypha coccinea Common name: Scarlet elf cup mushroom Other names: Red cup, scarlet cup, moss cup, fairies’ bath How to spot it and where to find it: Next time you are on a woodland walk and spot what appears to be discarded orange peel, take a closer look. It could be a scarlet elf cup mushroom, hidden amid the leaf litter. This mushroom can be found in winter on decaying twigs in damp, shady places. The underside is orange and speckled like orange peel, while the inside of its deep cup — which can be up to 4cm across — is vivid red. As it ages, the cup flattens into a disc shape and the edges may split. Its short stem is thin and covered with tiny white…

I went on a coastal litter-picking at Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve — a fabulous wildfowling spot in the far north of Northumberland. The idea was the brainchild of John Watson, chairman of Northumberland & Durham Wildfowlers’ Association. The other club associated with Lindisfarne, Newcastle Wildfowler’s Association, joined in. Newton Rigg College sent a contingent of eight youngsters, while BASC subsidised lunch. On a bright, breezy Saturday morning, about 50 of us — of all ages, some with non-shooting spouses — turned up at the reserve. We were divided into groups then given our marching orders by the redoubtable Collin Teago, BASC’s Lindisfarne wildfowling warden. Some of you may know that the Lindisfarne wildfowling permit scheme was recently awarded a bronze in the Purdey Awards, having been entered by Gareth Dockerty,…

BOOK BASC and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) have teamed up to host a course to help people improve both their shooting and shoot management skills. The Shooting for the Future course will be held at the GWCT’s Allerton Project visitor centre in Loddington, Leicestershire, on 28 April. The day will include presentations from BASC on how to shoot more successfully, followed by talks by GWCT experts on how to get the most out of your game bird management and a tour of the site’s showcase game shoot. For more information or to book, tel 01425 651013 or visit po.st/ShootFuture. ENTER There is little more than a week to go until the launch of the 2018 BASC Chudleys Scurry League at the West of England Game Fair on…

1 Walkers Razor slim electronic muff £69.99 www.bushwear.co.uk With a noise reduction rating of 22 decibels, these ear defenders utilise sound-activated compression circuitry with a reaction time of just 0.02 seconds. This will quickly reduce the noise of shots to a safe level, while letting you hear what your shooting partners are saying, even with shots fired around you. 2 Härkila Pro Hunter soft shell jacket £169.99 www.harkila.com Lightweight jacket with the upper arms and shoulders reinforced with sturdy Cordura. The durable water repellant treatment helps to keep out the elements without compromising breathability. 3 MTC Optics Cobra F1 4-16x50 £259 www.uttings.co.uk The Cobra is suited to those who want a simpler sight picture. The relationship between target and cross-hair size remains constant throughout the magnification range. The cross-hair can…

Over the past few weeks the estate has been at its most melancholic; the woods and crops look sparse and dank, few pheasants stir and all is still and quiet. The pastures, stripped almost bare, stand empty and await the spurt of fresh grass. But soon the estate’s flocks will be turned out after lambing and spring will start to take hold, returning life to the landscape. Of course, lambs aren’t the only new arrivals. There is bound to be a vixen or two tucked tightly away with cubs, which have either slipped on to the estate or set up home on neighbouring land. Locating them early on isn’t always a doddle. We have a vast amount of ground and there is little to betray their whereabouts as yet. Our…

“Right from day one with Keepa, I have ensured that I was the most fun thing in his life” BONDING WITH A puppy in those first few weeks is vital. It is easy to forget that it has left behind its security, litter mates and mother. You will be its family, its pack, its comfort and its security. Until the puppy has had all its initial inoculations, socialising is limited and so plenty of games and fun at home are very important. It is best to keep the puppy in a routine, which will help it to feel secure. It is also important to have time with Just the puppy and social time with your other dogs, if you have any. At a year old, the second dog I am…

Last month I told you what I consider the finest form of shooting (Worship the archangel, 14 February). This month’s piece exemplifies precisely the sport I had in mind. I was right at the top of the Eden Valley with the Mallerstang Mob. I have mentioned the Mobsters before; you would enjoy time spent with them under the iron fist of shoot captain Reg Metcalfe. You would declare their steep-sided valley an ideal landscape for showing sporting birds and you would also declare it very beautiful. On the day in question, when Tony Smith and I were both guests of the Mob, it was as beautiful as I have ever seen it. The ground was frozen hard, with frost on the grass and sheets of ice gleaming in the light…

The woodie and the ivy AIRGUNNING Q I have been targeting pigeons at a woodland roost with my air rifle but, despite my best efforts to get into position before the birds start flighting, they always seem to beat me to it. Even when I’ve arrived before lunchtime I have spooked woodies that already seem to be settled. These birds were in low branches, right down among thick patches of ivy. Were they really settling down to roost so early in the day? A Though it is possible that these pigeons could be returning to the roost to digest their first meal of the day before heading back out to their feeding grounds, it sounds to me like they are probably gorging on ivy berries. Ivy is a firm favourite…

Fears have been raised that fish and other wildlife on the river Itchen are being exposed to lethal chemicals. The charity Salmon & Trout Conservation (S&TC) claims that Alresford Salads, which processes and packages watercress and other salads for sale, is allowing harmful chemicals to enter the waterway, though its parent company, Bakkavor, disputes this. The company recently applied to the Environment Agency (EA) for a change to its environmental permit, though the details are currently unavailable. S&TC said: “In the past, it has used chlorine to wash salads, and still uses chlorine-based chemicals to clean down the processing plant at the end of the day’s production.” A petition, which has gained more than 7,000 signatures, has also been launched to stop the permit renewal. However, a spokesman for Bakkavor…

Though the official opening date for the pheasant shooting season is 1 October, there are few driven shoots that get under way before the end of that month, leaving only a dozen weeks in which to fit eight or nine days’ shooting. All too soon, the beaters’ day and 1 February mop-up day have come and gone, leaving a potpourri of memories of birds speeding over the line — some missed, some falling — and the occasional shot of the day when a sky-high cock pheasant, head back, tumbles to the ground. These are the golden days made memorable by good dog work, camaraderie in the field and the sheer joy of being a part of the countryside, able to enjoy and understand its rhythms. The shooting season, for those…

I have raised and trained many puppies. When discussing with a friend the different ways to bring up a puppy, I realised it can be a real minefield. It used to be there was a fairly black-and-white “one method suits all” approach to dog training. Now, thanks to years of research and study of canine behaviour, a new puppy owner can be easily overwhelmed in all the methods and approaches on offer. I have been thinking about why I do what I do in those early months. I have a litter of black Labradors, which are almost five weeks old. Since my last piece (Seeing red, 7 February), they have had their second worming and will be microchipped soon. In one short month, they will be weaned, vet-checked and ready…

USING THE SLIP LEAD correctly is vital. It isn’t uncommon to see dogs coughing or gagging on a slip lead because the handler doesn’t know how to use one. Until the dog has learned to walk on a relaxed lead, the noose part should be as close behind the ears as possible. The stopper is used to hold it in position. When he reaches the end and is about to lean or pull, the placement of the lead means that instead of Just leaning on it, his head will physically be turned towards me. The instant he looks at me, I immediately praise him. This reinforces that looking at me is a good thing, and my body language encourages him to follow me. Keepa’s heel work is consistent; he is…

LAST YEAR I HAD a very good reason for not going to Crufts: I was in India, chasing tigers. This year I don’t have any excuses, other than it’s a long drive to Birmingham and I don’t really enjoy dog shows, even the one that is claimed to be the greatest in the world. There’s another reason, too. This year gundog day is on this coming Sunday, the last and inevitably the most busy of the four-day event, and I really dislike crowds. My first visit to the show was many years ago as a small boy in short trousers. It was then held at Olympia in London, attracted around 15,000 canine entries and not many more humans. It was still called Cruft’s — the apostrophe was dropped in 1974.…

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,…

Anyone who has been to a fiesta on the Balearic island of Menorca will have seen the island’s celebrated black horses, the cavall Menorquí, which play an essential part in the celebrations. Menorcan horses are always black, though a white star on the forehead is permitted, and are generally no more than 15.3hh. They are athletic but powerful horses, bred for riding, not work. The stallions are trained in the doma Menorquina, the traditional style of riding, based on classical dressage. The bot, or walking courbette, is the highlight of the horses’ displays at the fiesta. In the bot, the rider persuades the stallion to walk on its hind legs, and the further it walks the greater the applause from the crowd. Touching a horse performing the bot is believed…