Innholdsfortegnelse for 17-Aug-2016 i Shooting Times & Country

THE FIRST Countryfile Live was impressive not just because of the huge numbers through the gate (125,000 over the weekend), but because of the response of visitors to the elements of real countryside on display. Thanks to Countryfile’s Adam Henson, farming was well represented and the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO), Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), Countryside Alliance and BASC all reported positive interaction with visitors. When I visited Tim Weston, who was running the shared GWCT/NGO stand, he said keepers had been apprehensive about attending but they needn’t have worried. It wasn’t the shooting crowd you’d find at a game fair nor was it a typical county show clientele, but they genuinely loved the countryside and came with an open mind. Tim had organised a “smash the rat” game…

The National Trust has proposed removing direct income support for farmers from any post-Brexit rural policy and says subsidies should only be given to those helping to improve the environment and wildlife. The trust’s director-general Dame Helen Ghosh has described the current subsidy system, under the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), as “broken” and believes the vote to leave the EU offers an opportunity to fix it. The organisation, which describes itself as “the nation’s largest farmer” and is one of the biggest UK recipients of CAP payments, said that under any new system, subsidies should only be paid out of public funds for farmers providing environmental services such as flood prevention and wildlife and nature protection. The trust said: “The current system rewards people for the hectares they…

20 AUGUST HILLERSDON HOUSE CHARITY CLAY SHOOT Hillersdon, Devon Tel 01884 836800 26 AUGUST THE CLAY SHOOTING DTL CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP Bywell Shooting Ground, Felton, Northumberland Tel 01670 787827 27-28 AUGUST IRISH GAME & COUNTRY FAIR Birr Castle, Co Offaly Tel 00353 05791 21818 29 AUGUST LOADERS BEST PRACTICE WORKSHOP Cockrup Farm, Caln St Aldwyns, Cirencester Tel 01833 660869 1 SEPTEMBER BUCKS COUNTY SHOW Weedon, Buckinghamshire Tel 01926 680400 3 SEPTEMBER EMMETT & STONE OPEN DAY Wilton Farm, Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire Tel 07780 547955…

Mat Manning’s advice to the father wishing to introduce his son to airgun shooting (Sporting Answers, 6 July) is very useful, particularly in regard to ensuring that no pellets pass over your boundary and on to neighbouring land. However, I am concerned that his advice about a suitable backstop should be a large paving slab or a stone wall. In my experience, any airgun pellet hitting stone has the potential to ricochet, possibly then causing damage to property and even personal injury. Heaven forbid that the pellet should ricochet over a boundary and cause damage or, worse, injury. Surely a simple sandpit trap, or a small bag of sand from a local builders’ merchant, with a target pinned to it, would be preferable to this? It might cost a few…

“We tend to have stronger, tougher birds when we have had a poor summer” The poults have gone to wood reasonably well and to date we haven’t had too many problems. We have had the usual outbreak of gapes, which we fully expected and treated with medicated feed. Not every pen was affected, but I expect the birds in the pens that didn’t show the classic signs were still actually carrying worms when we treated them, just not at the adult stage that makes them snick and cough. There has been the odd outwardly healthy-looking bird that we have just picked up dead. What they died of I’m not sure, but they have been so few and far between that it hasn’t been worth our while taking them to the…

JACK PYKE COUNTRYMAN HUNTERS VEST As practical as it is comfortable, this sleeveless gilet from Jack Pyke is ideal for all types of shooting. Made from heavy cotton green canvas with suedlite shoulders, it has a large zipped rear game pocket, two large front pockets and two handwarmer pockets, as well as a holder band for up to 12 cartridges. Available in sizes S-3XL. • www.jackpyke.co.uk • Price: £44.95 RAMBOUILLET JACKET The Rambouillet line from Percussion combines high-performance fabric and details that make its garments effective and elegant. This jacket is waterproof with a breathable, laminated membrane and a ventilation zip under the arms. There are seven outer and six inside pockets, plus a detachable PVC game bag. There is a hood in the collar and integrated cartridge and bullet…

I’VE RECENTLY BEEN watching an 18-month-old cocker dog called Pluto being put through his paces. Pluto has had a troubled history, as he was destined originally to be a gundog but was rejected by his owner and rehomed as a pet. The reason his first owner got rid of him was because he found him untrainable — as soon as Pluto was let off his lead he ran off and refused to have anything to do with anyone. I know nothing about Pluto’s original owner except for the fact that he was reputed to be a serious shooting man who, until he bought Pluto, had always had Labradors. Pluto’s new owner, by contrast, has no interest in shooting, but she is keen to develop her spaniel’s hunting and retrieving skills…

Out of Africa BIRDS Q During a recent holiday to the Algarve I saw several of the distinctive black-headed and yellow-bodied finch-like birds shown in my photograph ( above ). They appeared to be breeding in a reed-filled ditch — the females looked like sparrows. I’m intrigued as to what they might be, as I can’t find anything similar in any of my bird books. A The bird shown in your photograph is a black-headed weaver, a bird that is now well established at several sites in Portugal, both close to Lisbon and on the Algarve. These birds are widely distributed in west, central and east Africa, and are usually found in damp areas and along river valleys. As this is a non-migratory bird not normally found north…

A lot has been said about the plight of the humble house sparrow, red-listed because of a rapid decline in numbers. At this time of year, flocks used to descend upon ripening cereal fields like plagues of locusts, but sparrows cause far less damage nowadays. No one is paying three old pence for the heads of a dozen controlled sparrows, as happened a century ago. The house sparrow population started to fall when horses, stables, feed and droppings were lost from the urban environment. Insects are an important part of the diet for young chicks and this may now be limiting numbers in cities such as London. Rural populations have not appreciated the speed and efficiency of the modern harvest, leaving far fewer opportunities to fatten up for the winter.…

“The loss of a small number of birds will have no impact on the overall conservation status of the species” Natural England has granted a licence to kill buzzards to an unnamed landowner at an undisclosed location to “prevent serious damage to young pheasants”. The advisory group stipulated that the licence, which is for up to 10 buzzards, must be used in combination with non-lethal measures and only on buzzards in and immediately around the animal pens, not on passing birds. RSPB conservation director Martin Harper opposed the decision, and said that killing a “recovering British bird of prey to protect an introduced gamebird for the benefit of commercial interest is wrong”, adding: “The decision sets a worrying precedent. What will be next? Red kites, peregrines, hen harriers?” Noting the…

Grey squirrels and muntjac deer are on a list of invasive non-native animal and plant species that have been banned from being brought into the country, after a new EU regulation came into force in the UK this month. The list of 37 prohibited organisms (14 plants and 23 animal species) also includes coypu, raccoons and the North American bullfrog, and was created in an attempt to tackle threats to native wildlife across Europe. DEFRA will not be required to eradicate species that are already widespread, such as grey squirrels, but must prevent them from taking further hold. The rules make it illegal to import, keep, transport, sell, use, release, breed or grow anything on the list without a permit. However, once the UK leaves the EU, the ban will…

Anthrax outbreak in Arctic reindeer A 12-year-old boy and more than 2,300 reindeer have died in Arctic Russia following an outbreak of anthrax, which is believed to have originated after a 75-year-old reindeer carcase thawed. Hundreds of people in the Yamalo-Nenets were evacuated for treatment, though Russia’s chief epidemiologist, Anna Popova, said there was no risk of the infection spreading out of the region. Swazi becomes NGO clothing partner Technical clothing brand Swazi has become the exclusive clothing partner of the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation, which means that members are now entitled to a discount of up to 20 per cent. Swazi’s founder Davey Hughes commented: “I am delighted about this new partnership. Swazi clothing is ideal for British gamekeepers as it provides unmatched protection from the elements. “No matter what…

Preparing for my morning dog walk, I was delighted to see the red squirrel in our copper beech and hoped that it would find the hazelnut feeder in our cherry tree. As I refilled the bird feeders, I wondered what impact the lack of houseflies will have on bird populations this year. I am not complaining, but the birds may be. The abundance of species on our feeders perhaps belied reports that songbirds have had a bad breeding season. One notable absentee on our feeders this year is the nuthatch. As I crossed the beck with my dogs, I saw brown trout splashing, and in the quiet woodland I came across a badger stretched out in the morning sunshine. A second was tearing at something that it was obviously enjoying.…

If you haven’t already been busy shooting grouse and still need to get prepared for the forthcoming 2016/17 season, now is the perfect time to do it. What follows is my “hit list” of what to make sure you have covered before you head into battle. HIT LIST Lessons and practice This is the time to iron out any technical queries or issues that may have occurred last season. The key with any practice is to shoot good, simulated birds. If you are practising to shoot pheasant or partridge, clays presented off a tower provide a good, correct speed and realistic angles. If you are heading to a clay ground to practice, the last thing you want to do as a game Shot is to shoot at driven birds, for…

“Get the gun and the vertical cross-hair aligned to ensure the trajectory of the pellet rises and falls with the reticule” Begin by setting up your airgun on a steady rest and have mounts, screws and Allen keys to hand on a flat, tidy work surface (1). Remove the top sections from the scope rings and place the bases on to the rails (2), ensuring that they are properly seated before tightening them down. When it comes to spacing, I try to allow for 15-20mm between the inside of each mount and the scope saddle, which gives room for adjustment when it comes to fine-tuning eye relief. If you are mounting up to a recoiling air rifle, ensure that the rear mount, or the back of your one-piece mount, is…

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 rifl e reviewer and stalker DAVID TOMLINSON Highly regarded writer and ornithologist LIAM BELL 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, Pinehurst…

When the 2004 Hunting Act became law, there were many who thought that stag hunting on Exmoor was doomed. Fortunately, for both Exmoor’s red deer and those who value our traditional fieldsports, stag hunting has adapted to the law and managed to survive, and today receives as much support as it ever has. Hunting deer with hounds has taken place on Exmoor since Norman times and today three packs still hunt the moor: the Devon and Somerset, the Quantocks and the Tiverton. August marks the start of autumn stag hunting, which continues through to October. Hind hunting starts in November and finishes at the end of February, to be followed by a three-week season of spring stag hunting. Autumn stag hunting is highly selective, with the stag to be hunted…

“The feedback from the youngsters has been amazing. The kids will go back to school in September full of excitement because they have tried shooting. It is fantastic.” Essex International Jamboree chief Karen Packer (pictured) was taught how to break clays by one of 30 attending BASC coaches at the week-long event earlier this month, along with 1,100 Scouts and Girl Guides. 3 RAF Wing Commander David Calvert became the first man in 15 years to win Her Majesty the Queen’s Prize for the third time, after collecting it for the second year running at the National Rifle Association’s 147th Imperial Meeting at the National Shooting Centre at Bisley.…

EAT If you’ve had grouse shooting success on the moors already this season, then we’re sure you won’t mind us giving a few tips on what to do with your collected birds in the kitchen. Six breasts and some crème fraîche will give you a good start on our grouse pâté recipe. Visit Shooting UK at po.st/grousepate for the full recipe. WATCH Inside the Factory is recommended viewing for anyone who has ever wondered just how their food ends up in their shopping basket. Episode two, which originally aired earlier this month on BBC Two, is now available on BBC iPlayer and joins MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace as he follows 27 tonnes of potatoes from a Hampshire farm through to the supermarket shelf. Meanwhile, Cherry Healey discovers the secrets of perfect…

The recent Cobb Europe Poultry Industry Charity Clay Pigeon Competition at John Bidwell’s ground at Darsham, in Suffolk, raised £15,000 for Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire. The competition comprised an 80-bird Sporting layout, broken into two separate courses, with every competitor shooting each stand. Angus and Zara Gordon Lennox, who own the Gordon Castle estate at Fochabers in Moray, Scotland, have received Scottish Land & Estates’ Highland region’s “Helping It Happen” award for their work in boosting the local community. The award was collected by the factor, Colonel David Duncan (below, right). The British Rabbit Council has estimated that rabbit haemorrhagic disease has already killed more than 4,000 rabbits. The disease was first recorded in the UK two years ago, and experts have warned that it could be even more devastating…

SUPPORT YOUR SHOOT I was delighted that you awarded Letter of the Week (3 August) to Helen Benson of the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust. As the wife of a now-retired gamekeeper of 40 years’ experience, I have had experience of the trust’s help. The service it offers is a genuine lifeline to those in need. With a new season approaching, I’d ask readers to please support this charity and spare a thought for the gamekeeper and how a shoot day evolves. I am still amazed at the ignorance of some beaters, Guns and pickers-up; you can only educate yourself by being “hands-on” with your local keeper, who will appreciate reliable help. The shooting scene nowadays is desperate for young people and what better place to start than on your local shoot?…

“A brown rat will start to breed when only three or four months old and may have four or five litters a year” Rats! For the past few months I have been waging war upon the grey hordes with trap, air rifle and .22 rimfire. Indeed, I have now developed a kitchen rat safari that, I have to confess, is providing rather good sport. But why, you may ask, am I being targeted by that obnoxious creature, the Hanoverian rat? The answer is simple. A local farmer has chosen to dump his large black plastic-wrapped silage bales in a field hard by a hedge encompassing the garden. The unsightly pile, only occasionally reduced, has now become rat-infested. Civil suggestions that he might move the bales to another location have been…

1 If you have any suspicions that your gun doesn’t fit, arrange to have a gun fit with a professional. And if you are thinking about buying a new gun for the season, go forearmed with your measurements and specifications. 2 Don’t hang around until the last minute to get your gun serviced — do it now, even if it’s just a quick once-over so that your mind is put at rest for the start of the season. 3 Pick a good cartridge that suits you and your gun. As the season gets closer, practise with as close a load as you will be hoping to use in the field. This will help your body condition itself in readiness. If you are able to store them correctly, work out how…

The following evening, Mark and I went for a general look around in my pickup with the thermal spotter, to see whether we could locate any more foxes. If we saw one, and if it was positioned conveniently, we could get a shot from the pickup. And if a shot wasn’t possible, we would at least take note of the time and place for getting it at some point in the future. Since foxes are creatures of habit, we were aware that we would probably be able to pick it up over the next few outings. We saw a fox through the thermal spotter, so we got out of the pickup and followed it through a couple of fields before we were able to catch up with it. Mark and…

Plant: Common ragwort Latin name: Senecio jacobaea Common names: Stinking willie, cankerwort, mare’s fart, cushag How to spot it and where to find it: This well-known native weed, which is a relative of the daisy, is worthy of mention due to the problems it poses in pasture. It is toxic to horses and livestock. These animals tend to eat around the weed when it is fresh, but may inadvertently eat it if is cut and dried and gets into hay unnoticed. Ragwort is a biennial plant that grows from 30cm up to 150cm high. It favours grassy places, in particular waste ground or neglected or over-grazed pastures. Its distinctive clusters of yellow flowers appear from June to October. Interesting facts: Common ragwort is the unofficial flower of the Isle of…

“These felines can bring down prey animals that weigh up to four times their own bodyweight” I have a rather unfashionable admiration for the lynx. I have even admitted that the reintroduction of the big cat to my own locality of Kielder Forest, Northumberland might be feasible — given certain safeguards. This view is not popular in my neck of the woods. The principal opposition to the reintroduction of the lynx comes from sheep farmers. Their concerns will have been sharpened by the recent example of the lynx that escaped from a zoo near Dartmoor. This super-moggie chewed its way out of its enclosure. It was at large for three weeks before being recaptured in a cage trap. Now, here’s the thing. The cage trap in question was set next…