Innholdsfortegnelse for 13-Mar-2019 i Shooting Times & Country

In this week’s issue there is a letter from a reader (p.13) drawing attention to the fact that, in a piece we ran recently, there is a photo of a novice Shot whose stance is incorrect and who has an eye closed. “Why use poor pictures?” asks the letter writer. On one hand he has a valid point. You could argue Shooting Times has a duty to display best practice in each and every photo in the hope that people who are vaguely interested in our sport and pick up a copy of the magazine see how to do it properly. But that’s a position I’d disagree with. I remember one autumn day borrowing a horse and taking it hunting — my breeches were the wrong colour, I was wearing…

16-17 MARCH WEST OF ENGLAND GAME FAIR Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset www.westofenglandgamefair.co.uk 23-24 MARCH DEERSTALKING FAIR Border Union Showground, Kelso, www.deerstalkingfair.co.uk 29 MARCH GAME SCOTLAND 2019 CONFERENCE Perth Racecourse, Perth po.st/GameScotland2019 30 MARCH RANGE DAY — BARONSCOURT ESTATE Cashty Quarry, Newtownstewart Tel 02892 605050 or email nire@basc.org.uk po.st/BASCrangeday 16 APRIL YOUNG SHOTS ACTIVITY DAY Penrhiwpal Shooting Club, Rhydlewis,Llandysul Tel 01244 573029 or email sian.mean@basc.org.uk po.st/BASCYoungShots…

Missing springer is reunited with owner Amo, the springer spaniel stolen during last year’s Midland Game Fair (News, 26 September), has been reunited with her owner. The stolen springer bitch was found wandering in Bedfordshire 171 days after she was stolen. Amo’s owner Bibby Curtis said: “Amo will be tucked up in my arms all evening and I am so content, happy and beyond overwhelmed to have her home. Words cannot describe how I feel right now.” Firearms licensing consultation The Government has announced that a public consultation on plans to introduce statutory firearms licensing guidance will begin by July this year. It will include measures to resolve the crisis affecting the firearms licensing medical procedure. Home Office ministers had given repeated assurances that the problems with the medical procedures…

I was recently in John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, waiting to see my son after his eye operation, when I was politely interrupted while reading Shooting Times by a gentleman being pushed in a wheelchair by his daughter. He started a conversation with me because he had noted my reading material. He was a fellow shooter. His daughter told me that he had shot all his life, and he had picked-up on several estates in the Oxford area until the onset of Parkinson’s disease and recent macular degeneration meant he had to stop. During the exchange of shooting experiences over the next 20 minutes, it became clear to me that here was a man passionate about country pursuits. Now in his later years and in a wheelchair, with all his…

It was about 4am with rain falling hard from the London sky and people spilling out of nightclubs on to the greasy streets. As I sat waiting for the red signal to change, I noticed a man slumped against the traffic lights. Then movement at his feet caught my eye, a dark object leaving a wake in the oily puddles. Its thick pink tail was the last I saw of it as it slipped through a grate and slunk off into the sewers. “What you all the way down here for?” enquired the checkout attendant at the petrol station, three hours later, in a thick Herefordshire accent. “I’m ratting with those guys,” I replied, gesturing to the forecourt where a group of men in West Midlands Rat Pack sweatshirts were…

As part of the CIC’s continuing work to ensure absolute consistency in measuring, continuation training has been a major facet of our measurers’ lives. We have three newly qualified measurers in England and two more north of the border. In addition, longer-standing certified measurers had additional species training to give them the qualifications necessary to measure European and world species brought into the UK, a truly international capability that exists within the UK Trophy Evaluation Board (UKTEB). This has ensured that the CIC-accredited measurers in the UK will have their credentials re-evaluated and confirmed internationally, along with re-certification in 2019. They have all received an update on internationally approved measuring techniques, which assures the validity of assessments carried out by the UK team. For the full list of measurers visit…

Ingredients FOR THE BARBACOA 1.5KG VENISON SHOULDER 2 RED ONIONS, DICED 4 CLOVES GARLIC 2 LIMES, JUICED 100ML RED WINE VINEGAR 500ML BEEF OR VENISON STOCK 5 SPRIGS CORIANDER 150ML CHIPOTLE SAUCE OR 3 TBSP CHIPOTLE PASTE SALT AND PEPPER 3 RED OR GREEN JALAPEÑO CHILLI PEPPERS 2 TBSP TOMATO PASTE 1 BAY LEAF PINCH OF CLOVES THE METHOD Serves 4 1 Put all ingredients bar the venison into a food processor and blitz. 2 Place the venison shoulder in a baking dish and pour over the marinade. Cover the dish and place in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight. 3 Preheat the oven to 170°C, cover the dish with foil and bake for 5 to 6 hours. 4 Remove the dish from the oven, take off the foil…

Spring is here and thankfully there is no sign in the long-range weather forecast of any more snow or hard weather. The first of the lapwings are back, the grey partridges are all paired and the pheasants are starting to spread out. Hares were chasing each other and vying for mating rights in mid-February and the few deer we have are more visible now that the shooting has finished and the grass is starting to grow. All of which bodes well and brings me to a question that crops up every two or three years in shoot rooms and pubs, mostly in January. Should we change the shooting seasons or are we happy with them the way they are (“Season creep” and our sport’s future, 27 February)? Is October too…

By two strange quirks of fate, both within days of each other, the past — my past — was suddenly a matter of both curiosity and wonder. First, let me take you back a few decades to the 1960s and 1970s, a time when I earned a fairly meagre crust as an assistant editor on Shooting Times but had the good fortune to work under the expertise of Noel “Tim” Sedgwick, the renowned Editor and author of the weekly Tower-Bird articles. Among the regular contributors to the magazine was one J. E. F. Rawlins, an all-round sportsman and countryman who lived in south Somerset. Jack Rawlins’s articles were invariably fascinating, well-written and vivid accounts of his days in pursuit of game, wildfowl, pigeons and, occasionally, of his hunting exploits. He…

At the end of the shooting season I like to escape somewhere warm, and this year I travelled to southern India to see the endemic birds and animals of the Western Ghats, the highest range of mountains south of the Himalayas. A trip like this is in some ways more of an expedition than a holiday, as there was no sitting on the beach or around the swimming pool; most of the time was spent in the wilds, including two extensive tiger reserves. Alas, I didn’t see any tigers, as the tiger reserves of southern India are so densely forested that the big cats are more usually heard rather than seen. Nor did I see any wild dogs (dholes), though these are not, so I was assured, uncommon. I have…

Latin name: Daphne mezereum Common name: Mezereon Other names: Dwarf bay, lady’s laurel, mysterious plant, spurge flax, wild pepper How to spot it and where to find it: Britain is coming back into bloom and leading the way is Daphne mezereum. You should be able to spot its vibrant blooms, if you don’t smell them first; they are very fragrant. They are clustered in twos and threes from buds on the twigs in early spring, followed by berries that look a little like redcurrants. The plant is fond of woodland, dappled shade or shady edges. Interesting facts: Interesting facts: According to myth, the Grecian beauty Daphne was pursued by many suitors, including the god Apollo. Daphne prayed to the Earth to protect her from his advances, whereupon she was transformed…

1 Which of these traps was made illegal in Scotland in 1971? A Fenn B Gin C Larsen D Cage 2 Which famous shoot is the birthplace of the bowler hat? A Linhope B Castle Hill C Holkham D Bolton Abbey 3 Which breed claims ancestry from the now extinct St John’s water dog, exported from Newfoundland in the early 1820s? A Springer spaniel B English pointer C Labrador D Poodle 4 What is the collective term for ferrets? A Parliament B Business C Caravan D Pack The Accreditation is based on The Knowledge book on the conservation benefits of game management and the law on shoot days.To order, visit www.gwctknowledge.com. Do you know the law? Now take the real test! Visit www.gwctknowledge.com to become a GWCT Accredited Game Shot…

There is no mistaking a Sebastopol goose: its frizzled feathers and loose fluffed plumage give it a distinctive appearance. Descended from the greylag, the Sebastopol’s origins can be traced back to the Crimea, and it was from the port of Sebastopol that the first birds were sent to England, arriving in 1860. These geese were bred specially for their curly feathers that were favoured for stuffing pillows and quilts. This plumage makes flight difficult. Today the Sebastopol is popular as an ornamental bird and with waterfowl exhibitors. Two colours are permitted: pure white or buff. The bill and feet and legs should be orange in both colour variants, with the eyes blue in white geese, or brown with buff. A gander will weigh from 12lb to 16lb, a goose from…

With the trout season now open on many English, Welsh and Northern Irish rivers, and opening on 15 March in Scotland, stiller, warmer days will offer opportunities to find a fish. Nymph fishing is often the most successful method early in the season. Classics like the Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear and Pheasant Tail Nymph will produce results but anglers of a more modern bent often look to super-heavy Czech nymphs cast upstream and trundled down the stream bed to tempt early trout. With spring finally arriving it is almost duckling time. Ducklings won’t eat for the first 24 to 48 hours, but after that chick crumbs make a great feed. Ducklings should be fed ad lib so keep feeders topped up. Choose your crumb with care. Some chick crumbs are…

The Countryside Alliance has hit out at the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Cheshire over what it called a “wasteful” focus on hunting. PCC David Keane, who narrowly avoided a vote of no confidence in December, called a public meeting to question the Chief Constable over his policing of hunting. In 2017, hunting incidents made up just 0.06 per cent of the 273,000 incidents reported to Cheshire Police. Despite this, Mr Keane chose to commission a report to advise on how hunting could be policed better. Tim Bonner of the Countryside Alliance said: “The Cheshire hunts operate entirely legally and have always co-operated with the police.” Meanwhile, BASC has announced that it is making a complaint to the PCC for North Wales over tweets by the North Wales rural…

1 Chevalier Navste WS coat RRP £239  www.chevalier.se A coat for the active fieldsports enthusiast. This silent technical garment has comfortable cuffs with thumb holes, as well as underarm ventilation that regulates your temperature. It is great for stalking through wet woodlands. 2 Härkila Alta rucksack in Melton wool RRP £209.99  www.harkila.com A slim and noiseless rucksack made for shooting where a minimum of storage is required. It has adjustable compression straps to keep it comfortably close to the body. There is also a detachable gun holster and two game carriers. 3 Ledlenser P7 LED torch RRP £65.95  www.ledlenser-store.co.uk The Ledlenser P7 is brighter than the previous model and boasts a number of new features. A larger switch ensures better grip and easier operation when wearing gloves, while the dynamic…

In responding to my letter of 23 January, Matt Cross says there are legitimate questions to be asked about salmon farming and hopes Shooting Times will continue to ask them. That is fine but might be best asked over a cup of coffee with someone like Gilpin Bradley, who I am sure would be happier to have someone talk to him face to face rather than sit back and speculate. I would also hope that any search for “evidence” would not be done in the manner of trespass and covert filming as was done in the first article I saw bearing Mr Cross’s name, given that these are rightly condemned when done by the RSPB or RSPCA. Using a canoe seriously breached the biosecurity of the cage site. J. G.…

English roe had a good year in 2018. After reporting an increased number of heads presented for measuring in 2017 — the best on record — we were prepared for a slower year in 2018. Reports from stalkers across the country were suggesting lower numbers of quality bucks. As so often happens, a result perhaps of the increased feed available in winter and despite the Beast from the East taking some lesser specimens, this was not to the case. Numbers presented for assessment rose to a new high of 1,710 heads, 387 of which were English roe — 400 were Scottish roe — and 308 reached medal standard, an increase of 28 per cent. Of these, 64 were of gold medal quality, another increase on last year, this time by…

Grouse moors around the country erupt into life on the Glorious Twelfth, becoming a celebration of wildlife, friendship, sport and business. Old mates get together in the beating line, Guns salute passing squadrons of grouse and the hills echo with curlew lifted by the activity below. This scene has been mirrored on Ilkley Moor for much of the 20th century; business has taken place and from my own experience nature has flourished. Come 10 December the season was gone, but for the first time in a decade not a single shot had been fired, brace consumed nor friendship reunited on the moor above my home. It has almost been a year since Bradford Council decided to end Bingley Moor Partnership’s (BMP) lease at Ilkley and the management it brought, so…

Along with the wigeon, teal, the smallest duck in the UK, is my favourite in a number of respects. It is a stunning bird to look at — the drake, at any rate — with its chestnut and striking green head, highlighted by the cream to yellow stripes acting as defining lines between the colours. Much of the body is grey and barred with black. The female is, by comparison, rather drab, not unlike a miniature female mallard. Compared with many of our other species, the teal is quite diminutive. The flyweight of the duck species, it is some 8in to 12in long with a wingspan of around 21in to 23in. Weighing in at ¾lb for a male and females a little less, it does not make for a large…

Cabinet or certificate first? SHOTGUN LAW Q Do I need to buy a gun cabinet and have it installed before I apply for my shotgun certificate or can I wait till it is granted? A This is a bit of a chicken-and-egg question. On one hand, condition 4 on all shotgun certificates makes it plain that only once you possess shotguns must you take measures to secure them from unauthorised access. On the other, a Chief Officer may not issue a certificate unless he is satisfied that the applicant will not be a danger to public safety or the peace. It could be reasonably asserted that someone without a cabinet might not store his guns securely after the certificate was granted. As is always the case, such a situation needs…

The goshawk is a big bird; a female weighs about 1,5kg, which is six times as heavy as a sparrowhawk. Recent work by British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) scientists has revealed new information about the movements and diet of goshawks. In an article in BTO News, members learned that youngsters fitted with satellite tags in Thetford Forest spent much of their first winter in farmland areas, habitat that birdwatchers would not traditionally associate with the species. Come the spring, when breeding pairs are displaying, the youngsters, now nearly one year old but unlikely to breed in their first summer, became more restless. One female did a tour of the whole of East Anglia over a 20-day period. Back in the forest, the research team discovered that half the prey items…

Looking out from a nearby viewpoint at the grouse moors of the North Pennines, I can see they have a thick covering of the white stuff. The excited media coverage about global warming has gone back into hibernation. However, I am still pleased that I didn’t trim my wildlife hedge before the 1 March deadline (Sharpshooter, 6 March). As I explained last week, it wasn’t worth taking the risk of disturbing potential nesting attempts. But I see from recent media reports that a hedge near Winterton, Lincolnshire, was less fortunate. There, a housing developer covered a hedge in netting to prevent birds nesting. This is perfectly legal, so long as it is carried out before 1 March and there is no evidence of nests already being built. The idea behind…

AN AERIAL BALLET Hind stalking with my son George a few weeks ago on the west coast of Scotland, we watched a golden eagle — with its huge ungainly wingspan — chase a woodcock for two or three minutes, ending up very close. The woodcock dodged, the eagle did handbrake turns, the woodcock gained 30 yards, then the massive acceleration from huge wings closed the distance until it jinked again and the theatre repeated. We could hear the wings beat the air, see the eyes, huge beak and count the talons as the eagle stretched to reach the prey just before the next swerve. The woodcock was eventually caught on the wing. It was an extraordinary experience. I wonder if others have witnessed this deadly aerial ballet? R. C. Bruce,…

I have known Ashley Holmes for more than 15 years and I am sad to say I think the poor man may have gone mad. The signs are clear. First, he gladly does a job that requires him to clutch red-hot pieces of metal while standing near the bits of horses that your mother told you to avoid. Secondly, if he survives getting kicked by his four-legged clients, some of his two-legged customers believe that invoices need only be paid with the regularity of a blue moon. Finally, and I think this may be conclusive, he claims to be “glad the game season is over” so that he can get back to some “proper sport — pigeon shooting”. My amateur identification of Ashley’s condition came about after I phoned the…

One of the UK CIC’s senior measurers, Charles Fenn, died suddenly in late October 2018. Having been a measurer for more than 20 years, Charles had become very much an expert on sika, his preferred species. Having also developed an expertise with African species, he was appointed a senior international trophy judge in 2016, contributing to the work of the International Trophy Evaluation Board (TEB) and representing the UK TEB in that forum. Those who knew Charles always speak of his readiness to help stalkers, to explain the somewhat esoteric ways of the measuring system and to encourage hunters to look after their quarry in the spirit that the CIC has always embodied. He will be sorely missed.…

Barbacoa originated in the Caribbean but is now considered more a Mexican style of cooking. Using chipotle, fresh coriander and cloves, barbacoa is perfectly suited to venison as it really enhances the flavour of the meat. This recipe uses a shoulder of venison for “low and slow” style cooking. The meat becomes extremely tender, absorbs all the flavours from the marinade and simply falls off the bone. The smoked chipotle won’t blow your head off but leaves an intense flavour with just the right amount of spice. You can make this dish in the kitchen or, like me, on the barbecue when weather permits. Just be sure to make enough, as they won’t last long. I have always been a fan of big flavours and spices in my cooking. Using…

I also rather like a nettle omelette. You need to wilt the nettles in a little butter and garlic before adding the beaten eggs, salt and pepper, and cooking. Serve with plenty of toast for a filling meal any time of day. Nettle beer and nettle lemonade are both worth a try and nettle soup is a favourite, but must be carefully made. I use a potato and onion base, well seasoned and thoroughly cooked with a fresh vegetable stock. Then I add as many washed nettle tips as I can cram into the base before pureeing to a thick, luscious and bright green soup. It must be served right away, ideally with a little crème fraîche and some flakes of smoked trout.…

FULL OF THE JOYS OF SPRING The year is ploughing on at a rate of knots. The rabbits are all hormonal, the same as my ferrets. Thankfully my team of castrated hobs (hobbles) are cracking on with the land I have to cover. The entire hobs have been separated and the jills are starting to become too erratic to consider serious work. This can be annoying, but I cannot risk working a jill ferret that has her mind and body full of hormones while I need to manage the rabbits. “I can only breed what I want to improve on what I already have” The ferret shed is getting its annual clean. The hutches inside need a lot of care and attention as they are getting old. I might alter…

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…