Innholdsfortegnelse for 17-Oct-2018 i Shooting Times & Country

A fortnight ago in Umbria, Italy, I got roped into going for a walk. I’m not entirely opposed to walking for the sake of walking, but I’d rather have a fishing rod or gun in hand and be heading to a hill loch or looking for a partridge in a hedgerow. The walk was a long one and after about 20 minutes of plodding along a track, I found myself engaged in that age-old boredom-busting technique of counting rabbits. An hour later it was getting dark and my wildlife tally stood at just one magpie — tristezza apparently means “sorrow” in Italian. Over the remainder of the holiday, I kept my tally going. It eventually came to two magpies, one rabbit and three songbirds. This was deep in the heart…

Eat Game Awards — Rea is top butcher Scott Rea was named Best Butcher and Game Hero at the Eat Game Awards at Boisdale Canary Wharf in London. The Scott Rea Project has almost a quarter of a million YouTube subscribers who are fans of his videos showing how to butcher and cook deer, rabbit and game. Mr Rea said: “We are dragging game, offal and traditional artisan butchery and recipes into the 21st century for a new generation to discover and enjoy. “No longer are these products and methods frowned upon; this new audience is getting back to the basics of field-to-fork, nose-to-tail eating. Aldi was voted best multiple retailer, ahead of Marks & Spencer and Waitrose. Time to register Shoots are reminded that if they process their game…

The media has paid a lot of attention to the effect that modern clothing is having upon the global environment. First, we were told that wearing clothes made from “fleece” was good, as the material was made from recycled plastics. Since then the media has changed its mind as it appears that, during washing, micro-particles of the material are removed from the garment and find their way into our oceans and waterways, polluting the waters and affecting fish that ingest them in the process. I recently watched a documentary that outlined the dramatic effect that the cotton industry has on both the use and pollution of water resources in many parts of the world. It made for uncomfortable viewing. What it did make me think was that fieldsportsmen are generally…

ONE-POT JUGGED HARE This rich, hearty dish is perfect for a chilly autumn evening. Using the blood in the sauce makes this traditional version the preserve of the lucky hunter, but even if you aren’t fortunate enough to have access to the blood, it is still easily one of my favourite game dishes. Mrs Beeton, who rated this dish highly enough to add the words “very good” beneath it in her famous cookbook, would have you prepare it in the eponymous jug, but our one-pot method is slightly easier. I would take a lot of convincing to eat this dish with anything other than a brace of dumplings, but I am assured it goes equally well on a pile of creamy mashed potato. Ingredients 1 HARE, CLEANED AND SKINNED WITH…

If you find yourself walking back across a salting after an evening flight, or strolling home from the pub after a pleasant pint, listen out for a distinctive “tseep” noise, signalling the first redwing of the year. These winter thrushes will be arriving after a North Sea crossing if you are in the south or east of the country or perhaps from Iceland, if you are in the north-west. Many of their movements take place at night; by the time the birds have flown from Sweden or Norway and crossed the North Sea, fowlers may well be on their way home. In the quiet, the thin “tseep” call — which is assumed to help loose flocks of birds keep in contact with each other — is readily recognisable. There are…

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 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 JEREMY HUNT Runs Fenway Labradors and a professional gundog trainer TIM MADDAMS Former head chef at River Cottage and runs a shoot in Devon SIMON WHITEHEAD Author, professional ferreter and rabbit controller IAIN WATSON Keen stalker and senior…

SUPPORT Show solidarity with the Welsh shooting community by calling on Natural Resources Wales to reverse its recent decision to end pheasant shooting leases on public land (News, 26 September). To save you time, the Countryside Alliance has provided a straightforward e-letter, in both English and Welsh, to make your voice heard. Visit po.st/Walesban. BOOK Wondering what to give as a gift to a young Gun or new shooters for Christmas or a birthday? A copy of The Sporting Shooter’s Handbook by Shooting Times contributor Graham Downing would make an excellent introduction to the sport and put in place some good lifelong habits. To buy a copy for £20 from Quiller Publishing, visit po.st/Sporting Shooter.…

1 Trapper Heat lowland boot RRP £290  www.alpinasports.com These boots have been specially designed for fieldsports in lowland areas and will keep you warm and comfortable this season. The integrated heating system has three different settings, so whether you are crouched in a bog or waiting in the line for that first bird to come over, these boots will keep your feet cosy. 2 Sealskinz mid-knee socks RRP £42  www.sealskinz.com These socks are great for excursions in the shooting field in conditions where additional coverage and an equal balance of warmth and comfort is required. They are 100 per cent waterproof, windproof and breathable, with a merino wool lining for added moisture control. Available in sizes S to XL. 3 NRA fold-up mallard decoy RRP £29.99  www.uttings.co.uk This decoy range…

I was not at all surprised to see Prince George making the headlines in various newspapers, on social media and in gossip magazines after he attended a grouse shoot with his father this season. I was, however, saddened to see the general tone was negative — one magazine even gave a link to the League Against Cruel Sports. Not one article that I found covered any of the many positive effects country sports can have on children. As well as being a gundog trainer, I am also a full-time mother to a wonderful — and slightly feral — little boy called Austin. Anyone who sees the camera roll on my phone will see that every single photo is of Austin, the dogs or Austin and the dogs. He will be…

MY VERY FIRST JOB, many years ago, was working on Shooting Times as editorial assistant. Among my more exciting assignments was writing features on wildfowling clubs, usually joining club members for morning flight. I remember once being collected from my Lancashire guesthouse at 5am in the hope of intercepting pinkfeet on the foreshore. The club chairman, who had kindly picked me up, enthused about his springer spaniel, but there was no sign of his dog anywhere. When we finally arrived at the marsh he parked his car, a Ford Cortina Mk I saloon, opened the boot and out jumped the spaniel. Mystery solved. The dog seemed quite happy with the arrangement and Cortinas did have big boots, so perhaps it wasn’t so strange after all. I’m not sure when travelling…

This morning the first frost of the autumn was visible in the hedgerows. For me this signals the start of winter feeding measures. A comprehensive winter feed programme is an essential part of a wild bird keeper’s routine and, without it, there would be far fewer farmland bird species. The density of game birds would be so low that shooting would not be possible. I often hear of keepers of old, relying on the natural bounty and the waste of a farming system to provide enough food to sustain enormous quantities of game and a thriving songbird population. However, unless you physically put the food out, the birds move on until they either find a viable food source or they succumb to starvation. Additional winter feed can only be limited…

Latin name: Agaricus arvensis Common name: Horse mushroom Other names: Abrahams, snowball How to spot it and where to find it: Look along roadside verges and you may well find this large edible fungus. It also crops up in permanent pasture or meadows, lawns and parks, often growing in fairy rings. Its cap can measure 20cm across or more and is white in young specimens, turning slightly yellow and scaly as it ages and almost flat. It has a stout stem with a double ring and a skirt that usually shrinks with age. Interesting facts: While the horse mushroom grows in fields and along bridlepaths, its common name is probably a reference to its size rather than its preference for growing on horse manure. It makes excellent eating with firm…

20-21 OCTOBER NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION FAIR Bisley, Surrey www.nra.org.uk 31 OCTOBER YOUNG SHOTS’ ACTIVITY DAY Grousemoor Country House, Llandegla www.basc.org.uk/events/young-shots-activity-day-thegrousemoor-llandegla/ 8 NOVEMBER HIP FLASK CHALLENGE Hampden & Co, Edinburgh rdonaldson@gwct.org.uk 9 NOVEMBER PARTRIDGE DINNER Washingborough Hall Hotel, Lincoln cmeeson@gwct.org.uk 12 DECEMBER SALE OF MODERN AND VINTAGE GUNS Sotheby’s, London www.gavingardiner.com…

Shooting Times has been made aware of increasing reports of damage to high seats, particularly in the West Country. One shoot owner reports knowing of 70 seats that have been destroyed in Dorset and alleges that a stalker was actually sitting in his enclosed seat when he heard sawing and saw three vandals cutting a leg of the seat. He took a photograph of them and sent it to the police. Shooting Times contacted Devon and Cornwall Police, which advised: “If anyone witnesses this type of incident, we ask that it is promptly reported to the appropriate police force via 101.” A Facebook page “Defend Direct Action”, run by a group calling itself Unoffensive Animal, has frequently published images of shooting towers being destroyed around the UK under the headline…

GOOSE SHOOTING In a recent wildfowling article (Geese worth their salt, 3 October), the guides talked about goose shooting for crop protection. I think most people would agree with that, if it were the case. But surely if so, two Guns would suffice, picking their birds accordingly and shooting half a dozen, not eight Guns shoulder to shoulder, mainly with semi-automatics, occasionally killing entire small skeins? I have shot all my life, many of those years on various foreshores. With all the scrutiny that fieldsports are under and the recent Welsh Assembly ban on public land (News, 26 September), this type of shooting — because it certainly should not be called wildfowling — undermines our sport. I enjoy watching country sports on YouTube but, having seen this type of shooting…

September is by far my favourite month of the year. Here in South Kerry, the summer visitors begin to thin out, the roads become quieter and there is a feeling of having the place to yourself again. As the mercury drops and fires are being lit in the evenings, the anticipation of the new flavours that autumn brings is palpable. Seasons for deer and duck open on 1 September — though neither tend to be plentiful until a little later on — but in our household flavour of the month is most certainly hare. It can be taken from 26 September until the end of January. The Irish hare, Lepus timidus hibernicus, is Ireland’s only native lagomorph. It is related to the mountain hares of Scandinavia and northern Europe but…

I’ve returned home from the International Wader Study Group’s annual conference in the Netherlands, which took place in Workum in south-west Friesland. We were a throng of about 230 wading bird enthusiasts, and we hailed from 32 different countries. We were students, farmers, ecologists, geneticists, amateur bird-ringers, bird reserve wardens, agricultural policy-makers and community leaders. Some of us doubled as keen bird-hunters; we were a tiny minority, but there was no sense of us being outcasts. Lots of scientists — including me — gave formal talks. Mine was about the GWCT’s fox-tracking research in the Avon Valley, which will inform new guidance on mitigating against the impact of foxes on breeding waders, particularly lapwing and redshank. The Dutch have a “light-handed” approach when it comes to predator control; some of…

I’m not aware of any studies of dogs travelling in cars in this country, but the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science recently carried a detailed paper looking at how cage size affects comfort, safety and the experienced security of working dogs in cars. Undertaken by five researchers from the University of Uppsala, it looked at working dogs used by the Swedish police (German shepherds) and Swedish Customs (springer spaniels). All were transported in custom-made cages in the back of estate cars. The emphasis of the study was to see whether the larger size of cage was more comfortable for the dogs, or if the smaller cage was safer, holding the animals more securely. Swedish police dogs spend more than 60 per cent of their working time in cars — more…

It takes guts to enjoy snipe GAME COOKERY  Q I have been told it is best to cook snipe with the guts inside. I suspect that some of the more experienced Guns on the shoot are having a joke — surely you cannot eat the guts and even if you can, they cannot be tasty? A I once got into trouble at catering college for being a bit flippant with the lecturer when I told him to “pull the other one” when we were discussing this subject. I was wrong. Snipe are worm eaters. They use their long, thin bill to sift through the mud for invertebrates and mostly feed at night. They always empty their bowels upon taking flight, so the time lapsed since they last ate and the…

SHOVELER Fewer than 1,000 pairs of shoveler nest in the UK, predominantly in the lowlands of eastern England. Some of our breeding adults and home-bred youngsters leave the country in the autumn, heading south to France and into the Mediterranean basin. Two breeding adults have been found in North Africa; one in Morocco and one in Algeria. The bulk of the birds we see in the winter —when the latest estimated total is about 18,000 — are of continental origin. Birds arrive from countries around the Baltic and from further east in Russia, with most migrating in August and September and numbers stabilise from October onwards. Birds may make a two-stage movement within these islands; shovelers that have been shot in Ireland have been found to be wearing rings that…

The stallions of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna are all Lipizzaners, making this one of the best-known horse breeds. Though the history of the Lipizzaner goes back to the 8th century, the current type of handsome, muscular horse was established more than 200 years ago. Modern Lipizzaners are descended from eight founding stallions, all of which stood within the ancient Hapsburg Empire. The name Lippizan derives from the town of Lipizza, now Lipica in modern-day Slovenia, where Archduke Charles II established the first Lipizzaner stud in 1580. It still breeds these horses today. Lipizzaners are born black or dark brown, with most turning grey as they mature, but bays and blacks also occur, though rarely. They are widely used for carriage driving, as well as dressage, endurance riding and…

I went on what can best be described as an armed picnic. Officially, it was a walk-and-stand day at the start of the pheasant season. The sky was blue and a golden October sun lit up the stunning landscape. We were in Northumberland’s North Tyne valley, which has sweeping views of distant moors intersected by deep denes clotted with rowan, ash and beech, resplendent in their autumn glory. It was a wonderful place to be out and about. Amazingly, some pheasants were bagged. The first bird rocketed up, only to drop like a stone at the shot. But it then flew off strongly when it was approached. “Are we operating catch-and-release?” somebody asked. There were a lot of hares zipping about, which we left. Except for one. “Why did you…