Innholdsfortegnelse for 11-Apr-2018 i Shooting Times & Country

Some years ago I attended the launch of the SNP manifesto. Throngs of people wrapped in saltires crowded into a large hall, all of them erupting into thunderous applause when Sturgeon took the stage. Part of me felt that Louis Theroux would have had plenty of material but admittedly the First Minister spoke well. Last week, I switched on the TV to see her waxing just as emotively about the mountain hare, after footage filmed by an animal-rights charity was passed to the BBC (see News, p.9). Regrettably, her condemnation of “large-scale culling” as an “unacceptable” practice that could put the species at risk was vintage nonsense. We all know that, in reality, the hare is thriving in managed uplands and control is carefully regulated. I suppose there are two…

Gundog test raises funds for school The Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group recently hosted its first working gundog test to raise funds for an outdoor learning facility for Kettlewell Primary School, which is helping to educate youngsters about the countryside. A total of 55 dogs, their owners and spectators braved bad weather as the inaugural Hector Kirk Moorland Cup was held at Conistone and Grassington estate near Skipton in North Yorkshire. Sonya Wiggins, group co-ordinator and wife of the estate’s headkeeper, said: “I am passionate about educating children about the countryside.” She added: “The money raised today will build a ‘forest classroom’ for Kettlewell Primary School.” Plea for memories by Raemoir House The owners of Raemoir House in Banchory, Aberdeenshire, which was once considered a hotel of choice for fieldsports fans,…

Shooting magazines have been encouraging the shooting fraternity to introduce people to our fine sport. I think they should also be introducing people to the pleasures of cooking and eating game. Many people are interested in how healthy game is, but they do not know how to prepare or cook it, and in a great deal of cases it is still perceived as posh food. I live near Bath, where a lot of young professional people have moved into the village and they wish to be a part of the countryside and all it entails. We are also lucky to live near a large partridge shoot, and for many years I have asked the shoot’s owners for partridges and have showed the newcomers how to prepare and cook them as…

Six o’clock in the morning. The overnight wind had moderated but it was still blowing a full gale from the west and there was driving rain. The wildfowler whistled quietly to himself as he walked through the still-sleeping main street of the small Welsh cockle fishing port. He felt almost smug in the anticipation of the sport that saner, but infinitely more boring, mortals were about to miss. After weeks of warm, quiet weather, the gales of November had arrived and, with the tide just starting to creep over the flats of the lower estuary, the wigeon and pintail would soon be on the move. Normally they would ride out the tide, or float gently in with it, but today it would be so rough that they would be forced…

LIKE FOOTBALL, IT’S ABOUT THE SQUAD It is that time of year again. Ferrets all over the country will either be in kit, separated or removed from their season – or at least I hope they have. A large proportion of ferreters unwisely seem to switch off come the end of the season. Some sell their ferrets and then re-stock come the autumn, but like all animals ferrets get better with age and experience. At this time of year my thoughts turn towards my squad of ferrets for the forthcoming season. I have big decisions to make. Have I been happy with my team, and how and where can I strengthen it? Do I breed from my existing jills or try to source new blood. My conundrum compares with a…

SURVEY Shoots have until the end of the month to send in their submissions to the annual Shoot Benchmarking Survey. Organised by agent Savills and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, the survey compares a shoot’s operations against similar shoots and suggests areas in need of improvement. In return for completing the survey by Friday, 30 April, contributors will receive a detailed report helping them to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Anyone wishing to complete the survey should visit po.st/ ShootSurvey before the deadline or contact David Steel by tel 01200 411051 for more information. SHOOT Boot brand Le Chameau has partnered with the Royal Berkshire Shooting School (RBSS) to launch the Really Wild Clay Days. Starting this month, these simulated game shooting days will run until the end of…

Rural groups are in uproar following criticism of legal hare culling on grouse moors by the Scottish First Minister. Covert footage of culling obtained by OneKind and the League Against Cruel Sports was broadcast by the BBC, leading to Nicola Sturgeon describing large-scale culls as “clearly unacceptable”. A Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association spokesman hit back: “If Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Scottish Government want protected sites to be in favourable condition then refuse to back the management actions to achieve that, then estates should stop being thrown to the mercy of campaigners with secret cameras and SNH should carry out the management themselves. “We are not far from the stage now where people will not want to manage deer and hare populations because they cannot operate without being covertly filmed.” Tim…

1 Deerhunter Muflon light jacket in Realtree Edge RRP £269.99  www.deerhunter.eu This jacket is part of a new collection designed for the active hunter and is 100 per cent waterproof, windproof and breathable thanks to the Deer-Tex Performance shell. It comes complete with practical pockets, an oblique radio pocket and, like the rest of the collection, noise-reducing soft material. 2 Winchester XPR Sporter rifle £555  www.sportsmanguncentre.co.uk All the power of the existing XPR is now available in this Sporter version, which boasts a specially designed walnut stock equipped with an Inflex recoil pad. Available in a range of calibres including .243 Win, .308 Win, .30-06 and .300 Win Mag. 3 Niggeloh gun sling with quick-release system RRP £56.99  www.avalon-guns.com Universal gun sling now available in Realtree Xtra and Max-5 camouflage.…

“The clubs, assisted by BASC, have given the sport a new lease of life” My love affair with the saltmarsh began at the age of six, when I discovered this utterly amazing tide-lapped, ever-changing playground literally at the end of my street. It was almost preordained that I should start wildfowling, so in 1972, at the age of 16, I joined a wildfowling club. I was too young to have my own shotgun certificate or gun, so I spent the first four months of my membership trudging along behind my mentor unarmed. This made the first bird I eventually bagged with my single-barrelled Baikal — a then-legal redshank — all the more memorable. But by then, I was completely smitten by wildfowling and have remained totally immersed in it ever…

“I brushed against ivy while checking the pin was tight and it was enough to alert the fox” Have a good look at the camera trap image of a fox (right) and see if you can guess what is going on. It isn’t the best-quality picture because it is a “snip” taken from a video. The fox has curled its tail between its legs and its hackles are raised. Such behaviours are commonly exhibited by wild canids when they are fearful or alarmed by something — as with domestic dogs. The fox’s super-sensitive nose is directed towards something in the ivy, just to the right of a well-used run that passes through a shelterbelt of beech trees. The eagle-eyed among you might be able to spot a loop of wire…

 DOGS ARE SOCIABLE animals and I’m sure they are far happier with company of their own kind than living a solitary existence. For much of the past 35 years my wife, Jan, and I have shared our life with at least two, and for a few years three, springer spaniels. When my senior springer Fleur died in October 2016, aged 15, we were left with her daughter, Rowan, but for various reasons we have put off getting another dog. Now, at last, we have made a decision: a puppy will be joining the Tomlinson household early next month. “They have that important drive to hunt all day and still have energy for ducks at night” Deciding what sort of dog to get has been a long and somewhat tortuous process,…

Established in 1949 and administered by Shooting Times since 1983, the Shooting Times Woodcock Club is a unique institution with a worldwide reputation. It can only be joined through a rare and skilful feat of sportsmanship under demanding conditions. The privilege of membership is through the achievement of a right-and-left at woodcock before two witnesses. Members proudly sport their club tie and the badge with its four pin feathers. There is also an annual Woodcock Club dinner. For more details, contact the Woodcock Club secretary, Sarah Pratley, at sarah.pratley@timeinc.com or visit www.facebook.comand type in “Shooting Times Woodcock Club”.…

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,…

Large numbers of hawfinches arrived in the autumn of 2016. Though continental birds migrate here annually to join a breeding population of fewer than 1,000 pairs, the 2016 influx was amazing, probably linked to food shortages in central Europe. I cannot remember a better year to try to find this attractive finch, with its heavy bill that can crack open cherry stones. Local bird clubs should be able to suggest spots to try to see birds, either feeding or gathering to roost. In dry weather, hawfinches will come down to pools to drink and some lucky garden birdwatchers might see them at their feeders as food runs out in the countryside. The species is being studied by the RSPB and bird ringers, so if you do see a hawfinch, please…

HM The Queen has shown her support for the fieldsports community by making a donation to the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust. The gift to the charity was revealed following the Trust’s annual general meeting last month, though the donated sum remains undisclosed. Founded in 1992, the Trust was set up to support gamekeepers, stalkers and gillies and their families or widows, who require help during ill health or infirmity, by providing financial grants. The Queen’s donation will help to further this work. The Trust’s chief executive Helen Benson said: “We are justly proud to receive support from HM The Queen for gamekeepers, stalkers and gillies. “The Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust is expanding its services and constantly reviewing how the charity can help more effectively.”…

14-15 APRIL GREAT SHIRES GAME FAIR Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire www.greatshiresgamefair.co.uk dorset@gwct.org.uk 18 APRIL GAVIN GARDINER AUCTION Sotheby’s London Tel 01798 875300 21 APRIL KENNEL CLUB FIELD TRIAL SECRETARIES’ SEMINAR Littlebury Hotel, Bicester, Oxfordshire gundogs@thekennelclub.org.uk 3-10 MAY ARUNDELL ART WEEK The Arundell Arms Hotel, Lifton, Devon Tel 01566 784666 12 MAY WEST LONDON SHOOTING SCHOOL DEER STALKING COURSE Showell Farm, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire Tel 020 8845 1377 12-13 MAY SPORTFISH READING SHOW Sportfish Game Fishing Centre, Berkshire Tel 0118 930 3860…

THE WRONG SORT OF SHOT I wholeheartedly agree with Mr Allen-Rowlandson’s comments (Letters, 21 March). Quite why some game shooters think it appropriate to drink throughout the day, I don’t know. We don’t if we’re out with the ferrets, pigeon shooting, fishing or any other outdoor activity. I will never forget as a young man being invited to shoot at an army shoot where a full lunch was laid on in the officers’ mess, where I was surprised to see plenty of wine on the table. That afternoon the officer who had sat opposite me swung through the line and shot me and the Gun next to me. I suffered little more than sore legs, but the other fellow had a pellet lodged an inch below his eye, which I…

The back end of winter, when the woods have quietened down after the game shooting season and even the pigeon shooters have ceased their Saturday afternoon vigils, is the ideal time to stalk muntjac. While the first cowslips hint that spring is not far away, the woodland floor is still bare, offering the best chances of spotting those little deer as they patrol their territories at dawn and dusk. There was still barely a hint of grey in the eastern sky as I parked the Land Rover, pulled on my stalking jacket, checked the rifle and let Teal, my black Labrador, out of the tailgate. But already I could feel a chill in the east wind, harbinger of the snow forecast to fall later in the week. It was blowing…

“The rabbits, unable to sidestep the huge mustelids, had two choices — stay or bolt” In my previous article ( Mob-handed on the moor , 14 March), I said we were still at the mercy of winter — and boy, was I right. Even in our microclimate in the Suffolk riviera, our world came to an abrupt standstill. Pipes froze, the snow settled and the easterly wind ensured that drifts made roads treacherous. Relatively straightforward jobs such as looking after livestock were hard, but getting to work was even harder. A little reminder from the Beast from the East that, no matter how hard we try to control it, nature does what it wants and we are powerless to stop it. A few days cooped up made me eager…

“At 250 yards we ran out of blood and the trail appeared to go across a field” One of the attractions of stalking is that no two days are ever the same. Our fallow cull has gone pretty much to plan. With the exception of one morning — when things didn’t — most of the animals we have shot have dropped on the spot or run only a very short distance, which is quite common with a heart shot, before they have fallen over. On the morning in question, my stalking partner and I had split up as usual, each of us stalking a different block of woodland. I heard him shoot and he followed up with a textbook report. The same thing happened 20 minutes later. Until this point…

“It is important to be able to prove that you are doing the population no long-term damage” Mountain, blue or white, what you call this animal will depend on where in the country you originate from. My name for it, in keeping with my life in the Angus glens, is the white hare. The white hare is a lovely animal to see, and the Latin name, Lepus timidus, gives you an inkling of just how timid it is. These hares do not like the company of man, escaping at the earliest opportunity when they spy you coming, and given that they have been pursued by man for thousands of years there is some justification in the timid nature of the animal. One of our pastimes as boys was to stalk…

Choosing a name for a puppy is a challenge. The ideal name is something short and snappy that the dog will quickly learn, which doesn’t sound like the name, or names, of any of your other dogs or those of your friends or children. Using human names can be tricky and has a number of pitfalls, but there are plenty of other options. One I rather like is to use a traditional hound name. If you consult Hunting, written by His Grace the 8th Duke of Beaufort and first published in 1894, you will find a wonderful list of hound names. Traditionally, with a litter of hound puppies, the first letter of the dam’s name is used for all the puppies in her same litter. Thus a hound called Matchless…

Flyfishing kit for beginners FLYFISHING Q A work colleague is about to retire and has mentioned that he is going to take up flyfishing as a new hobby. We would like to buy him some tackle as a leaving gift, but it all seems rather complicated. What would you suggest as a starter kit? A It depends on where your colleague is going to do his flyfishing, but an 81/2ft–9ft rod is a good all-rounder. Fly rods are rated for different weights of fly line and a rating of between four and six covers a lot of bases. Some fly lines float and some sink, so one of each may be a good idea. The reel should match the line rating that you have chosen. A landing net is a…

Latin name: Caltha palustris Common name: Marsh marigold Other names: Crazy Beth, kingcup, meadow cowslip, mare-blobs, publicans-and-sinners, water boots, yellow gowan How to spot it and where to find it: The marsh marigold has yellow buttercup-like flowers and glossy, dark, kidney-shaped leaves on long stalks. It prefers marshes, water meadows, riverbanks, ponds and lakes. It doesn’t fare well on acid soil and is happiest where other plants are constrained by shade or flooding. It flowers from March to June. Interesting facts: Caltha means “cup” and palustris means “of the marshes”, while “marigold” is a corruption of “Mary gold”, a reference to the Virgin Mary. However, the marsh variety is not related to other kinds of marigold. The marsh marigold has many uses. A yellow dye can be made from the…

Scotland has a number of cattle breeds, but none has had such an impact worldwide as the Aberdeen Angus. Many regard its beef as the best in the world, being lightly the Cutler district of Aberdeenshire. However, it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that the breed became fixed as black and polled, with a herdbook established in 1862, and official recognition as the Aberdeen Angus in 1867. During the 1870s the breed was widely exported, and it was the first foreign breed to be imported into Japan. A sound temperament and the ability to thrive on rough pasture have contributed to its success. marbled, succulent and flavourful. The history of the Angus dates back to the 16th century, when there were black hummel (polled, or hornless) cattle in…

“Allegations of the RSPB behaving in a high-handed manner are still commonplace” The vehemence of the reaction to a story that ran in The Times last month under the headline “RSPB told by police to stop undermining investigations” suggests that the allegations struck a nerve. The piece was based on documents released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council under the Freedom of Information Act. They show that in 2013, the then head of the police National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) expressed serious concerns about the behaviour of the RSPB in raptor crime investigations. The RSPB was accused of disclosing evidence to the media before the police and insisting on being effectively “embedded” in both the investigation and prosecution processes. These documented concerns about the charity’s alleged interference with investigations have…