Innholdsfortegnelse for 23-Jan-2019 i Shooting Times & Country

The cackle of a cock pheasant rising up out of a spinney is lovely, but it hardly sets my heart racing compared with the “scaap scaap” of a snipe as it breaks from a patch of rushes and zigzags away across a frozen marsh. On the front of this week’s issue is an image that will go down badly in some quarters. On social media over the next few days, there will be a tedious stream of insults and misinformation. The snipe is an emotive little bird and nobody can escape the sad reality that, in the past century, numbers have plummeted — but that’s just half the story. After the war, due to agricultural intensification, snipe were in decline up to the 1960s. Since then that decline has slowed…

A smuggler who attempted to bring 19 rare and endangered bird eggs into the UK has been jailed for three years after being found guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 8 January. Jeffrey Lendrum was stopped at Heathrow airport in June 2018 after arriving from South Africa. On being searched he was found to be carrying eggs from vultures, eagles, hawks and kites, as well as two live chicks. Chris Hill, National Crime Agency investigations manager Heathrow, said: “This offence was clearly no accident as Lendrum had gone to great lengths to both source and then attempt to conceal the birds’ eggs. His claims that he was engaged in an effort to save them from deforestation did not hold water.” Lendrum has a history of egg smuggling. In 2010 he…

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I heard him before I saw him; a crackling in the undergrowth at the edge of the plantation just audible above the sound of the rain dripping down through the trees around me. Raising the rifle scope to my eye, I scanned the treeline to the right of the forest ride. Movement drew my eye to a spot just 80 yards distant, and I held my breath as I watched the sika step cautiously from between two conifers. As the head and front quarters emerged, I was relieved to see it was a good-sized pricket. With just two days left before the turn of the year, this was exactly what I had hoped for while waiting silently in the dawn rain — the final male animal on the cull plan…

Take care to do your works well. Far too much of the work that shoots do in the woods is scruffy, at least in foresters’ terms. In particular, too much coppice is cut too high. Remember that pheasants spend their day on the ground and shelter needs to be on their level. If you cut a hazel stool a foot above the ground, it will sprout from that level, leaving the wind to whistle through underneath — at exactly the level where your birds need shelter most. Whether it is coppice, thinning or skylighting, a clean cut as close to the ground as possible is what is needed.…

It has been an absurdly mild winter so far in Galloway. The days have trailed by in a sequence of drab, grey coolness that has left us wondering if cold weather will ever come. A few good frosty mornings have shown great promise, and it puts a spring in your step to see the rushes crusted in sunlit rime and the cattle standing in swirling pools of their own steam. But then dull, overcast days return and progress is reset again. This mild weather has had some obvious effects on game and wildfowl. The grouse are fit and fast on the hill and they have seen nothing to challenge them so far. We have only had a slight dusting of snow on the highest ground and the birds I flushed…

A couple of centuries ago, before the advent of the breechloading shotgun, shooting over pointers and setters was standard practice in this country. I wonder what the redoubtable Colonel Peter Hawker — lifetime bag: 7,035 partridges, 575 pheasants, none driven — would have made of modern game shooting; I suspect that he wouldn’t really approve. He would certainly have relished shooting over continental pointers, especially well-trained ones like those I watched at Walberswick. On much of the Continent shooting over pointing dogs is the norm: driven shoots are rare, and even rough shooting as we know it hardly exists. There is a simple reason for this: most of the game pursued is wild as releasing pheasants or partridges for shooting isn’t widely practised. It is difficult to get within shot…

Q Is there anything we can do this winter to prevent the heavy algal blooms that we experienced in our small lake last summer? A Algae thrives in nutrient-rich water. The obvious answer is to try to prevent direct run-off after rain because this may carry nutrients, such as nitrates and phosphates, into your lake. High densities of waterfowl will also add substantially to the nutrient load of a small lake. One such lake that I manage for flighting ducks can suffer from algal blooms in the summer. To help counteract this, I introduce barley straw in late winter. In time this breaks down and an antioxidant is produced that can inhibit algal growth in the summer. Some years it is more successful than others and as the lake is…

Q Can you tell the age of a deer by the number of points on its antlers? Will a roe that has a six-point head always be a three-year-old, for example? A In wild deer antler growth is determined by a number of factors, mainly genetics and nutrition. Mature European roe males will generally grow heads that have six points, though in some populations four points would also be considered normal. Mature wild European red deer will develop heads of between 12 and 14 points, whereas in Scotland, they might have heads of 10 to 12 points, but eight would be nearer the average. While it is to be expected that a young animal growing its first head will have single spikes or perhaps a fork this is not always…

Bred originally in Portugal as a cavalry horse, the Lusitano became the favoured horse of the cavaleiro, or mounted bullfighter, a use for which it is still bred today. In Portugal bulls are fought from horseback and never killed in the ring. The handsome Lusitano is ideally suited to this work, because it is powerfully built and remarkably agile. A relatively small head and arched neck are typical of the breed, along with a long, luxuriant mane and tail, while the height is typically between 15 hands and 16 hands. Though many Lusitanos are grey, they can also be any other solid colour, from bay to chestnut and even palomino. Away from the bullring they are popular for classical dressage, carriage driving and showjumping. They are renowned for their intelligence,…

I enjoy firearms that make me think about their origins and who used them. I find them far more interesting than acquiring a gun whose history and use is fully documented. There is no challenge in owning one of those. If something has not made me think about it and answer my own questions, it is not very interesting. I enjoy discovering things; a senior police officer once told me that I would make a good detective. I was staying with my gunsmith friend, Robert Tilney. He showed me a remarkable pistol that puzzled him. He thought that it looked like an American Civil War Maynard patent carbine but was not aware that they had ever been made as pistols. Edward Maynard (1813-1891) originally wanted to be an army officer…

The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) is seeking donations for its 2019 auction. The annual fundraiser is known for offering some of the best shooting, fishing and stalking lots, with end-of-season keepers’ days always attracting high bids. All money raised will go towards supporting the NGO’s work. To donate, contact Tim Weston on tel 07590 885512 or email tim.weston@nationalgamekeepers.org.uk. Shooting Times contributor Jamie Blackett has written about his experiences in a rapidly changing countryside, arriving home from the Army to take over a small family estate in Dumfries and Galloway. His book, Red Rag to a Bull,published by Quiller, comes highly recommended by Robin Page, who commented: “Those with mud on their boots and the countryside in their hearts will love it... it has messages for everybody concerned with rural Britain…

Q I have been ferreting for a few years now. I have had some good ferrets and lots of average ones, but I have never had a great ferret. What, exactly, do you think is the ultimate ferret for ferreting? A At some point in every ferreter’s life a favourite ferret will come along, the one that will always do the business. Every now and then, though, a ferret will be bred that is superb on many levels. I have owned many special ferrets in the past but it is really my memories that elevate them to such heights. The truly great ferrets are few and far between. As for the ultimate ferret for ferreting, it depends on what you want out of your ferret. I like drive, which means…

Q Would a .22 magnum round be suitable for vermin and pest control around the farm? A The humble .22 magnum was a natural progression of the venerable .22 long rifle case and served to satisfy the desire for bigger and better from the shooting public. Introduced by Winchester in 1959 as the Winchester magnum rimfire (WMR), it did not chamber a rifle in the calibre until the following year in the form of a slide action Model 61. The WMR’s case length is 1.35in compared with a .22LR case, which is 1in long. Today, numerous rifles are chambered for this round but it is overshadowed by the new .17HMR round. However, it is a much underrated calibre. Usually sporting a 40-gr bullet as standard and capable of 1,900fps, it…

There are two species of bean geese; tundra bean geese breed in northern Siberia and the larger, taiga bean geese further south. Both species are similar to pink-footed geese. They breed in Russia and thousands of them fly south-west in the autumn. But fewer than 1,000 birds make it as far as the UK, and usually not before November. A few tundra bean geese may be found feeding with large flocks of their Icelandic cousins. One diagnostic feature is an orange, as opposed to pink, bill but this is not easy to pick out. There are more taiga bean geese than tundra ones and they tend to be in distinct flocks, feeding in wet grassland sites such as the Yare Valley of Norfolk and the Slamannan Plateau of central Scotland.…

Should children be paid to control grey squirrels? An Australian senator has suggested that children should be paid to cull cane toads with air rifles. Does this set a precedent for grey squirrel control in the UK? Jerry Moss, a ranger in the Whinfell Forest, Cumbria, felt it was a job best left to professionals and Shooting Times’s airgunning expert, Mat Manning, agreed, saying: “I’d love to see a bounty put on grey squirrels, though I think culling should be the job of experienced shooters in order to ensure that squirrels are despatched humanely and that shooting is carried out in a safe and responsible way.” Caution: capercaillie Walkers are being advised to steer clear of an aggressive capercaillie on the Glen Tanar estate near Aboyne, Aberdeenshire. The bird is…

After reading R. Watson’s letter (Don’t be afraid to try, 2 January) I had to share my experiences, as I have found some of the shooting and countryside fraternity not only cliquey and stand-offish towards newcomers, but also very rude. I have always had an interest in shooting and the country, probably stemming from spending all my childhood holidays in the Trough of Bowland, where I passed most of my time shooting and fishing. Only now, at the age of 48, after a career in the armed forces and now in construction, can I focus on my real passion of being involved more in shooting — or so I thought. My first step was to do a search for gamekeepers and this led me to the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO),…

Bind to: to connect with and grasp prey during flight. Birding-piece: a piece of meat used to recall a bird to the glove. Break into: to penetrate a prey item with the beak. Cast: to hold and immobilise a bird by hand. Crouch: lowering the body and extending the wings slightly in anticipation of leaping into flight. Dive: to descend vertically head first. Drop: to descend vertically feet first. Jerkin: a male gyrfalcon. Jesses: leather straps attached to the tarsus of a hawk. Fed up: when the bird has eaten and has no desire to hunt. Mantle: to spread the wings over the prey when feeding. Stoop: to tuck in the wings and dive headfirst from a height. Tarsus: the shin of a hawk, between the foot and the hock.…

“Cocks, hens, larks or wrens?” my first employer would ask when visiting another shoot. It was obviously said in jest, as no wren nor lark was ever the intended day’s quarry — he merely wanted to know what the host expected the chosen Guns to shoot. As such care needed to be taken on what species and sex was the chosen target, this attention to detail was ingrained in sportsmen, who were acutely aware of the effects of indiscriminate shooting on the next season’s production. Today’s modern Gun, raised on a diet of reared game, knows little of the need for selective care. When wild game shooting predominated the estates prior to the early 1960s, the Gun line was much more in tune with nature’s twists and turns. The intimate…

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…

Latin name: Daphne laureola Common name: Spurge laurel Other names: Olive-spurge, laurel-leaved daphne, wood laurel, copse laurel How to spot it and where to find it: This evergreen shrub resembles the rhododendron, with glossy dark green leaves that have a rounded tip and tapered base. Clusters of fragrant yellowish-green flowers bloom in the leaf axils from January onwards, followed by egg-shaped berries that turn black when ripe. It is found most commonly in woodland, particularly beech, and prefers moist, well-drained soil, but it is remarkably adaptable. Interesting facts: Do not be fooled by the sweet, honeyed scent of the flowers — the whole of the spurge laurel is toxic and it oozes a caustic sap that causes skin rashes, nausea, swelling of the lips and tongue and even coma. Despite…

Q We have lots of birds about, but sadly they keep avoiding us and don’t ever seem to be where we want them. Any advice on how we might concentrate them or get them over the Guns would be greatly appreciated. A It is a difficult question to answer without actually seeing your shoot, but my guess is that the problem is a combination of things. First, I would concentrate the feeders in the drives so that the drives are the only places the birds can feed. Secondly, I would look at the order you do your drives and see if you are unsettling birds or disturbing drives when you are picking-up or moving between them — do sunny banks and game crops in the mornings, warmer wooded drives in…

Q I thought I had a well-trained first-season Labrador bitch until we put her skills to the test in the shooting field. She is doing really well but when I give her the command to “go back” to look for a bird, she tends to swing either left or right rather than go straight back. How can I correct this? A A lot of young dogs in training on dummies get wise to the “go back” command and learn to whizz round very stylishly and collect the dummy that is behind them, giving the distinct impression that they have mastered this skill. In many cases, all they are doing is pre-empting what is wanted from them because it is being trained as a one-off exercise rather than being instructed while…

Q An old clay was kindly donated to the museum where I work. All we know is that they were exported to the US in 1937 and packed in wooden barrels. Do you know what type it is? A The 1936 Parker-Hale catalogue has the following entry: “MLAY RABBIT SROOTING. The clay rabbit is thrown from a single rise trap screwed on to the side of a stout post. When flung from the trap over rough ground, the target leaps along most realistically and is undoubtedly more difficult to hit than a flying target because the unevenness of the surface causes its movement to be very uncertain. “The target is rather more substantial than the bird targets and specially adapted for running. “Clay Rabbit Targets. List No ECB 4 “10/-…

“ Great PR often comes at very reasonable rates. Three walkers came through the drive today and often it can be 50/50 which way it will develop. A few minutes later they were planning a feast tonight with some of Cumbria’s pheasants!” That was the caption of a photo posted on Twitter by BASC’s Duncan Thomas, showing him in shooting gear with three ramblers, who were grinning and carrying shot pheasants. Well done, Duncan. Making the effort to extend friendliness and courtesy out in the field must be a worthwhile investment. But PR is more of an art than a science, and sometimes the situation conspires against you. For example, I recall shooting in a place where some folk from the town had moved into a small bungalow next to…