Innholdsfortegnelse for 01-May-2019 i Shooting Times & Country

Last Tuesday at 3.30pm an email was pinged off by Natural England announcing it was withdrawing three general licences, making it illegal to shoot 16 species, including pigeons, crows and magpies. The haste with which this order was made has put a large number of our community at risk of breaking the law. Is it reasonable to expect someone who regularly shoots corvids because they devastate wild bird stocks to monitor the general licence on a daily basis? Of course it isn’t. A well-publicised consultation would have been the answer. Last week I received a letter from an old keeper who wondered if Chris Packham, the man who has spearheaded this legal action, would change his opinions if he spent some time with people who actually engage in conservation on…

BID Airgun enthusiasts have an opportunity to bid online for air rifles dating from 1870 to 2010 as 250 airguns from a private collection are auctioned. Rarities include the Britannia air rifle and the famous Webley Mark II Service air rifle, which dates to the 1930s. Auctioneer Gavin Gardiner said: “It is the largest airgun collection I’ve seen in 30 years as an auctioneer. It will give collectors and enthusiasts alike the chance to own some of the rarest and most desirable collector’s airguns in the market today.” Ordinary airguns are also included in the auction and estimates start at £30. For more information visit www.gavingardiner.com/ APPLY Following the changes to general licences (see main news, p.6) it is a good time to register with Natural England to gain access…

As I sat at my desk on Tuesday afternoon, slightly bored and very tired after an adventurous Easter weekend, my phone started to buzz. Message after message came through from my shooting friends, all saying the same thing: have you heard about the general licence? As I read the Natural England bulletin, my heart sank deeper and deeper, knowing that the legal challenge of one man with a heavy anti-fieldsports agenda, could bring an end to our sport as we know it. Working for an estate with a wide range of interests, including arable farming, sheep farming, game shooting and a strong conservation drive, I can see the benefits that come from controlling the pests listed on the general licences. It is by no means a mission to kill everything…

Was it a rough-legged buzzard? WILD BIRDS Q My neighbour says he saw a rough-legged buzzard perched on the fence at the end of his garden, and his description is quite convincing. The house is in rural Norfolk, but a long way from the coast, so I’m not sure this would even be possible. What do you think? A Rough-legged buzzards are regular visitors to England in small numbers. There are unlikely to be more than 20 individuals wintering here each year, so they are relatively rare. They are birds of the northern tundras, with most of the north European population wintering in continental Europe. Their choice of habitat reflects their liking for wide-open spaces; in England they are most often found wintering on coastal grazing marshes, rarely on farmland.…

How much time do you spend shooting? The first problem is defining what we mean by “shooting”. We all know that in terms of time expended, actually firing a gun makes up an infinitesimal part of the whole shooting experience. For example, you could be out on the hill, spying and stalking for hours before getting a shot at a deer — if that. But you were still “out shooting” for the whole time, I would say. And what about all the time spent in preparation and travelling, or staying with friends in various hostelries in far-flung parts of the country? This is all part of the effort, and part of the fun, too. This aspect isn’t always understood by those who are not of the fieldsports faith. Years ago,…

Helicopter hunters Hunters in Texas who pursued ground quarry by helicopter have been fined thousands of dollars and given a year’s probation. Barbary sheep and a blackbuck antelope were shot in the $12,000 organised hunt, which broke a federal law that bans using aircraft for hunting in all 50 US states. Cody Morganthaler, 36, Edelmiro Martinez, 33, Eduardo Lopez, 39, and Inocente Sanchez, 56, all pleaded guilty. Kevin Winters, the Texas game warden, commented: “The circumstances in this particular case would make any sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts furious.” Online firearms licensing in Northern Ireland CLARIFICATION: Further to our news article from 17 April (Taxpayers subsidising gun owners, says police chief), Shooting Times would like to point out that the Police Service of Northern Ireland also offers online firearms licensing. In…

What are we to do? It seems clear that Chris Packham and his agenda is not only going to drive our sport to extinction, but will also prevent keepers and farmers across the country from protecting crops, livestock and wild birds (see News, p.6 and An impending disaster all round, p.18). We run about 1,000 ewes across a grassland farm and each year around this time, we struggle with corvids not only attacking our young lambs but also tearing the wrap on our silage store, which is a constant battle for us. Shooting and trapping is our only means of defence. With the revocation of the general licence and the inevitable chaos that always follows a Natural England edict, farmers like us are going to be left fighting a battle…

Recently there have been some good articles that brought back memories of dogs I have had over the past 40 years — none more so than Jessica’s last retrieve (Reader’s story, 3 April). For 40 years I have had flatcoat retrievers. If you want independence they have it all. When I went to choose an eight-week-old puppy from three dog pups and sat with them in the run, the boldest one came and sat with me. I threw a rolled-up sock and the other two went to look, but he was straight in, picked it up and came straight back. He chose me rather than the other way round, as he never gave the others a look in. He had a small white blaze on his chest so he became…

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…

Activists from the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) broke into Heath Hatcheries in Suffolk on the night of Friday, 19 April and claim to have released 9,000 birds. The break-in is part of a campaign by the group to “dismantle the shooting industry farm by farm, shoot by shoot”. Shooting Times spoke to Stuart Fairhead, proprietor of Heath Hatcheries, who said: “We are now running into the hundreds of picking up dead pheasants; we put over 100 in the incinerator yesterday. They either died on the road, got into the river and drowned or died of stress. They were let out with no understanding — the woodland nearby is pinewood forestry so there is no food source or water there.” Charles Nodder, political adviser to the Game Farmers’ Association, said: “What…

1 Simms Katafront hooded jacket RRP £138.99 www.sportfi sh.co.uk The Simms Katafront technical hooded fishing jacket can be worn in all weathers. It features a zipped chest pocket for all your fishing essentials and is available in admiral blue and anvil in sizes S to XXL. 2 Musto Clay BR2 shooting jacket RRP £225 www.musto.com A sporty-looking lightweight men’s waterproof clay shooting jacket with a fit designed to ensure total freedom of movement when shooting. The shoulders are reinforced with soft durable panels for gun mount, with useful pockets for adding recoil pads to provide added protection. 3 Hunter 400 laser rangefinder RRP £149  www.hawkeoptics.com This laser rangefinder is designed to provide a variety of accurate distance measurements at the press of a button. It has been…

Red squirrels have been a constant presence in my life. I’m very lucky to have spent a good deal of time around these little creatures, and they have always done well in the deep hazel woods around our farm. Like most wild animals, squirrels seem to have good years and bad, but when their numbers are booming it is hard to leave the house without seeing one or two. I have to compare this prosperity with tales of decline and loss elsewhere in Britain, and that makes me realise how fortunate we are in Galloway. But change is on the way. Grey squirrels have been advancing for a decade or more, but their numbers have been held in check thanks to determined work by trappers and gamekeepers on the Scottish…

Though plentiful, the mention of squirrel is enough to make the most adventurous of eaters squirm. Also known as the tree rat or tree rodent, it is hardly surprising these delicious critters are spurned by most. I remember the first time I ever tried squirrel. It was at a dinner party many years ago and I was asked to come up with a squirrel canapé to appease our client’s guests. After a lot of research and head scratching, we came up with confit squirrel legs with a sweet and sticky barbecue marinade. It was utterly delicious. People laugh when I say this, but it has a sweet, nutty taste. I was shocked at how good squirrel can be and urge anyone to give it a try. In fact I would…

Purchasing a gundog puppy can be a challenge, so I was amused to read Andrew and Fiona Robinson’s tongue-in-cheek Buyers’ Guide, posted on the Whaupley Gundogs Facebook page. The guide “translates” words and phrases commonly used in gundog adverts. It did make me chuckle, but of course the reason that it is funny is because there is more than an element of truth to it. Untouched — left in the kennel and barks all day. Blank canvas — I started to train it but gave up as it was too difficult. Won’t trial – I have never been to a trial but thought it would be a good way to advertise it as a shooting dog. Only a shooting dog — by insulting every shooting man or woman who doesn’t…

Latin name: Cardamine pratensis Common name: Cuckooflower Other names: Lady’s smock, bread and milk, cuckoo spit, mayflower, meadow bittercress, milkmaid, fairy flower, spinks How to spot it and where to find it: Look in wet grassland, damp meadows, pond margins, ditches, roadside verges and riverbanks and you may see the delicate pale pink, lilac or white of the cuckooflower — so called because it coincides with the arrival of the cuckoo and its distinctive song. In the south of the country, it may appear as early as the beginning of April; further north it will be May. It is of medium height, with hairless, upright stems and a rosette of leaves at the base. Interesting facts: In his Flora Britannica, Richard Mabey shows how the first full blooming of the…

The ruff is a scarce UK breeding bird, which is a shame, because it would be wonderful to see displaying males on their leks. In spring, male ruff moult into finery that once brought them to the attention of milliners looking to adorn hats. Most acquire a large ruff of showy neck and head feathers, in chestnut, black or white, which they puff up and show off, working together to attract smaller, brown females to the lek. Some males are sneakier; they don’t change into colourful summer plumage, instead securing matings by hanging around with groups of females. The first returning male ruff will be seen at East Anglian nature reserves next month, on their way from Baltic breeding areas to southern Europe or Africa. They will still be wearing…

Hatching game birds under bantams is one of the most rewarding forms of rearing. Before large-scale rearing and releasing of game, most estates would supplement the numbers by using chickens to hatch and release birds. Having a great passion for conservation and gamekeeping, I am planning on hatching and releasing a few coveys of grey partridges for a re-introduction project. These birds will be released with the view to introduce a population on the organic farmed estate; they are not being released to be shot and will have fines placed on them to deter people from shooting at them. The Euston system adopted by Mr Pearson Gregory, a shooting tenant at Euston, in Suffolk, was one such method used around the 1900s to increase partridge numbers on the estate using…