Innholdsfortegnelse for 25-Jul-2018 i Shooting Times & Country

On Saturday evening at a BBQ I found myself sitting next to a boy eating fennel. I, too, have a fondness for that hardy member of the carrot family, but as we spoke I was struck that he was only eating fennel. “But I’m a vegan,” he replied cheerfully when I suggested he should try some of the lamb shoulder stuffed with anchovies. He explained that he had become a vegetarian for environmental reasons and had moved on to veganism for ethical ones. A while later, he told me that not long ago he had been keen on rewilding but had changed his views after learning more. As the night wore on, we got on to discussing invasive species. Naturally, the plight of the red squirrel, which is being killed…

Charlie Mellor, headkeeper on the Peppering Grey Partridge Project in West Sussex, Rupert Brewer, headkeeper on the Bisterne estate in Hampshire, and David Thomas, keeper on the Powys Moorland Partnership, are among those featured. In his foreword to the case studies, Michael Gove MP wrote: “When we leave the Common Agricultural Policy, we will be able to Land managers are lauded for their conservation work in a new series of case studies, Working Conservationists, published by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust. As Defra prepares to take back control of British agricultural policy, the aim of the booklet is to demonstrate the vital, often unsung, role private stewardship plays in conservation across the UK. follow evidence like this with even greater ambition. This collection provides a vision of a country…

1 Le Chameau Vierzon boot RRP £135 www.lechameau.com/gb/ These unisex boots are handcrafted from natural rubber for unbeatable comfort and durability. They have an adjustable waterproof gusset for improved fit around the calf, and are lined in tartan-patterned jersey for comfortable use in warmer weather. The shock-absorbing dual-density Grip outsole prevents fatigue, resists abrasion and is suitable for all terrains. 2 Storm’s Tear-Aid patch pack RRP £7.50 www.stormcare.co.uk For those camping out fishing this summer this Tear-Aid patch pack is a must-have accessory. For any tent damage and rips, Storm has got you covered for immediate on-site repairs. The patch allows for clear and flexible, airtight and watertight repairs to be made with ease. It is great for patching clothing and wellies too. 3 Stealth Ghost Camouflage net RRP £31.95…

The first week of July was a scorcher and I spent a morning pottering around Newtown National Nature Reserve, an estuary on the north shore of the Isle of Wight. The sea lavender had just burst into flower and a wonderful carpet of mauve flowers fringed the gravel walkways that criss-cross the marsh. I was hoping to spot some Mediterranean gulls, which successfully bred in the estuary this year, and perhaps even a little tern whose numbers are slowly recovering along the south coast, following efforts to reduce predation and disturbance around important nesting areas. Alas, I saw neither, but I did see lots of curlew foraging on the exposed mudflats, prodding and probing and gobbling up mud-coated snacks. The dire conservation status of the Eurasian curlew has put it…

As this spectacular summer weather continues my thoughts are focused on habitat. When I started out my then headkeeper always said “without good habitat we would have nothing”. Those words are more poignant today than ever. The creation of great wildlife habitat is one of the joys in wild bird keepering. An apparently empty area of marginal grassland improved by agriculture some time in the late 1950s or early 1960s was turned back to wetland habitat at Barningham Park. The late owner Sir Anthony Milbank — a great wild bird enthusiast — was driven by a desire to give something back. Today, his son Edward is gaining from this unselfish vision. The whole area oozes wildness. Great abundances of waterfowl make their homes here and a whole vibrant ecosystem thrives…

Mink apparently have a strong urge to investigate floating objects, and the GWCT mink raft exploits this. Rather than wondering where to put a trap, and then having to check it every day, deploy a raft in tracking mode and check it every few weeks. As soon as there are mink footprints on the clay detector pad, insert a mink cage trap, and it is pretty much guaranteed that the mink will be caught within a few days – a week at most. Visit the GWCT website at www.gwct.org.uk for a free fact sheet.…

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…

Latin name: Galium aparine Common name: Cleavers Other names: Goosegrass, sticky willie How to spot it and where to find it: Gundog owners will be only too familiar with this sticky menace. It is a straggling climber that grows up to 3m long with slender four-angled leaves arranged in whorls of six to eight around the stem. The entire plant is covered with tiny hooked hairs that cling to skin, clothing — and fur. It produces clusters of minute greenish-white flowers from May to August and these develop into round green or purple fruits. Small hairy seeds are produced in huge quantities — between 300 to 400 per plant — and they stick to everything. Interesting facts: Those sticky seeds can persist in soil for six years. Cleavers is naturally…

Most breeds of dogs are modern creations, but not so the saluki, or Persian greyhound, which is thought to be as old as the earliest-known civilisations. Salukis were highly valued by the desert Arabs who used them for coursing gazelles, breeding them selectively for their speed, stamina and temperament. Closely related to the greyhound, the saluki is easily recognised by its slightly smaller size, silky ears and low-set tail, which is long, feathered and carried in a curve. Few dogs can rival a saluki for such a combination of grace and power: its top speed is over 40mph. Though the first salukis were brought to England in 1840, it wasn’t until 1927 that the breed was recognised by the Kennel Club. It is a rare dog in the UK, with…

VETERINARY CARE Q Our puppy appears to have five toes on one back foot whereas all the others have only four toes, some with a dewclaw, on each back foot. Should we be concerned? A This is a condition known as polydactyly. It occurs more commonly in cats than dogs and is also seen in humans. Polydactyly is a genetic mutation and a trait that is especially selected for in Pyrenean mountain dogs, Australian shepherd dogs and Norwegian lundehunds. In breeds that work in snow or over uneven ground it is considered an advantage to have extra toes. Most breeds, however, have four toes, and a dewclaw, on each front foot and four toes on each of the back feet. It is not a problem unless it hinders the other…

When the Confederate States of America finally surrendered in 1865 after four years of brutal warfare, the Federal authorities found they had a huge quantity of obsolete rifle-muskets on their hands. While the war had stimulated firearms design and technology in some areas, infantrymen on both sides had still slogged it out — at very close ranges — with rifle-muskets in much the same way as soldiers in the Napoleonic Wars did half a century earlier. The Federal government had cancelled contracts for new arms late in 1864, but it still had millions on its hands when hostilities ceased. They were still usable, but they were old technology as the self-contained metallic cartridge had really started to supplant muzzle-loading guns. Many guns were sold as government surplus for prices well…

I had sleepless nights after reading the lurid media coverage about the privations suffered by members of our “Brave Blue Line” while policing demonstrations against President Trump. Can you believe that police officers were expected to sleep on camp beds in a gymnasium for two or even three nights? Some complained that they couldn’t charge their smartphones. That’s got to be breaking some kind of human rights law, surely? One officer posted: “After one hour’s sleep, a freezing-cold shower and having to get dressed in the dark with no light, there are serious issues with health and safety arising in my accommodation. People are saying they feel unwell. Myself included.” Who can fail to feel a surge of sympathy when you hear of such hardship? Oh, the wanton cruelty! To…

READ Side Stream Reflections is written by the late Ron Holloway, the well-known expert on the preservation of waterways and riverkeeper on the Itchen. The book focuses on Ron’s personal philosophies, experiences and thoughts about angling, shooting and working gundogs. All profits go to the Wild Trout Trust, a charity doing excellent work to restore wild trout to rivers. Available on Amazon for £9.99 or contact the publisher at david.hamnett@hotmail.co.uk for a signed copy. WIN You could win your dream wine cellar worth £20,000 by entering the Countryside Alliance’s raffle. Entries cost from £60 (which buys you three tickets) and the money raised will go towards supporting the interests of those who live and work in the countryside. The raffle is open until 11 September 2018. Visit raffle.countryside-alliance.org for more…

ARMOUR-PLATED ENGLISH ROE I noted that the article about roe stalking in England and Scotland (Know your terrain, 11 July) didn’t include one of the great hazards to stalking on the English/Scottish border — the “armour-plated English roe”. These intransigent beasts take great delight in skipping insouciantly across from England to Scotland, resulting in the utter dismay of those armed with puny Scottish roe cartridges such as the .222 or .223. These inconsequential little bullets simply bounce off the English roe, leaving the hapless stalker stamping on his or her headwear like Yosemite Sam when bested by Bugs Bunny. Desperate measures have been adopted to deal with these legendary beasts, including the widespread use of African calibres. This has caused in equal measure an outbreak of sniper’s eyebrow, frustration and…

FERRARI 488 GTB OR McLaren 650S? It is the sort of question that car aficionados will debate long into the night, just as gundog enthusiasts will argue the respective merits of spaniels and retrievers. Of course, discussions comparing the 488 GTB with the 650S are all recent, while gundog people have been disagreeing with each other about spaniels and retrievers for more than a century. Neither spaniels nor retrievers can be claimed to be true native Brits. No one really knows where our spaniels came from, though the name suggests Spain. The Labrador has been the dominant retriever in Britain for more than 100 years, but its origins are always thought to be in North America. However, it seems likely that the first dogs came to us via Portugal in…

BIRDLIFE Q I always assumed that all magpies build the distinctive domed or roofed stick nests, but this season I’ve found two open nests, one with eggs and one with chicks. Is this unusual? A Open nests are not uncommon, and in Europe as many as 30 per cent may be open. A typical roofed nest takes the magpie pair about 40 days to build — both sexes work on the construction. As an open nest is less complicated to build, it presumably takes considerably less time to construct. This suggests that open nests are more frequent when a pair has had to abandon its first nest, or when the first nest has been destroyed. Magpies do enjoy a relatively long breeding season, and most pairs will relay if they…

Rural coverage The appointment of Jeremy Wright as culture secretary has been welcomed by landowners’ organisation the CLA, which has urged the new minister to keep pushing for improved mobile and broadband coverage in the countryside to support local employment and commercial success. “Rural businesses and communities deserve a better-connected countryside,” said president Tim Breitmeyer, who confirmed the CLA’s commitment to keeping up Government pressure on the issue. Songbirds and Lords The crucial work of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has been acknowledged by the House of Lords in a debate over the decline in numbers of Britain’s songbirds. The Earl of Caithness decried the fact that, despite 70 per cent of England’s farmland being under countryside stewardship schemes, farmland birds had declined by more than 56 per…

Walk along any beach these days and you will see a lot of plastic waste, including cartridge cases and wads. With the world waking up to this massive problem we have to show that we are a responsible group who looks after the environment by disposing of our spent cartridges and not dumping them in rivers so that they end up in the sea. Maybe it is time for cartridge manufacturers to abandon plastic and revert to paper cases and fibre wads. When I started shooting there were no plastic cartridges, and I remember the first ones I saw looked like a piece of black alkathene pipe. Spending a lifetime as a gun dealer I have heard all the arguments on this subject and in my opinion paper wins hands…

“It is only once you are out on the marsh making your own decisions that you truly begin to hone your craft as a wildfowler” The UK’s extensive coastline presents many rich and varied opportunities for wildfowling, but taking the first step towards accessing this highly rewarding sport can be daunting. In England and Wales the intertidal muds, or foreshore, are mostly owned by the Crown, which leases out the right to shoot wildfowl on some of these areas to wildfowling clubs. Members are then free to enjoy wildfowling on this land. Becoming a member of a wildfowling club is the best way to start your journey into this immersive and addictive branch of shooting. Most clubs are eager to receive applications from new members, and provide them with guidance…

If, like me, you voted in the online petition “Reclassify the theft of a pet to a specific crime in its own right”, you will have received an email from the Government giving you the option to watch or read a transcript of the debate, which took place on 2 July. I wrote about the petition in the 30 May issue. Its aim was to try to persuade the Government to recognise the fact that dog theft is a much more serious crime than, for example, the theft of a bicycle or a mobile phone, and to ensure that the penalties for anyone found guilty of dog theft are appropriate. The debate was moved by Mike Hill MP (Hartlepool, Labour), who spoke strongly in support. He even mentioned Shooting Times…

Over the past few weeks I have been seeing quite a few broods of mallard on the local waterways. Most are not big, either in terms of numbers or size, and I think the late spring has compromised production. Mallard often lay very early, and I suspect that the first clutches laid in March may have been washed away by the endless rain and extensive flooding that my part of southern England experienced this year. If a first clutch is lost many a duck will have another go, but with her reserves depleted she is unlikely to lay as many eggs. So, instead of trips of up to a dozen, we end up with fewer. At least with the warm dry weather we are now experiencing, the living should be…

GUNDOG TRAINING Q My three-year-old Labrador is causing me great frustration. She will not walk at heel properly but keeps drifting off in front and as we only go out shooting a few times each year I cannot practise often on the shoot. My last dog was a collie, which I used on the farm, and when she was not herding cattle she was glued to my side. How can I get my Labrador to do the same? A Labradors and collies have evolved over many decades to undertake completely different functions; the former uses its nose to find game to retrieve, while the latter uses its eyes to focus on the livestock it herds. Therefore, your Lab has such a powerful sense of smell that it will have its…

WHINCHAT The whinchat is a bird of moors, downs, clear-fell forest and upland slopes. They usually nest on the ground, in a tussock or in the grassy underskirt of a bush, weaving grasses and roots together to form the cup in which a brood of five or six chicks is raised. It is to be hoped that our whinchats have had a good breeding season because numbers have dropped by half since 1995. Most youngsters will already have left their nests and the breeding season will be over by mid August. Young whinchats will make their own way south — they will probably never see their parents again. In August or early September, you may see one on a south coast site, before it sets off to Africa, via France…

STALKING Q Over the past few weeks my small, rather shy terrier has been attacked by a roebuck, which has not only chased her round our garden but has injured her with its antlers twice. Though I am a keen stalker, I am not in a position to cull the deer because of the location and the proximity of neighbours. What can I do? A Roebucks are territorial, particularly at this time of the year. In your case, the deer has decided the dog is in its territory and is trying to see it off. If you can’t deer-proof your garden and there is no permanent solution available, I can only suggest that you take steps to make the deer’s visits unpleasant, either by noise or visual deterrents or by…