Innholdsfortegnelse for 26-Jun-2019 i Shooting Times & Country

As far as I’m concerned, holidays should consist of walking-up grouse in the Hebrides or casting a fly on a hill loch. Last week though, under duress, I went to France. Predictably, it was too hot and the beer was weak and, a little less predictably, I was put in charge of an aggressive Dalmatian. One evening, while watching the sun go down, my host remarked: “We often have the chasse in these fields. They park in the courtyard and go where they please.” He added they had never given anyone permission, “it’s just what they’ve always done”. I thought about how difficult it can be to get permission to shoot in the UK. In many ways, our culture of landownership has a lot going for it, particularly in terms…

The estate where I am a gamekeeper is an organic farm, so establishing quality game cover is a struggle. One of the stipulations of being organic is that we are not allowed to apply granular fertilizers nor use chemical sprays to kill the weeds on the crops. This means most of my plots are heavily burdened with dock and creeping thistle. We grow a few different types of game cover, but mainly sorghum and a two-year kale mix that consists of kale, mustard, phacelia, sweet clover, fodder radish and vetch. I find growing mustard with any kale crop helps to reduce the pressure of a flea beetle attack. As the mustard grows quickly it seems to attract the flea beetle instead of the kale. The sorghum mix contains sorghum, sunflowers,…

In the fish aisle in a supermarket in south-west London, a label reading “wild trout” caught my eye. It is quite rare to find such goldmines and I immediately jumped on it, afraid that someone would beat me to it. On closer inspection, the label stated: “Caught in Scotland a week ago.” I was dubious and chalked it up to bad advertising. But the thought stuck with me; what you would consider “wild”? Could catching a fish outside urban areas be defined as “wild” or would more substantial evidence be required to earn that title? To answer this question, I was kindly invited by Shooting Times contributor richard Hardy to his patch in Wiltshire to try my hand at fishing for trout. The work he has done there to try…

SOME YEARS AGO, Shooting Times featured a debate between two contributors on a subject on which they had opposing views. The Editor asked me to write in response to a professional trainer who argued that dogs never need to be taken for walks since all they need is exercise. Dogs don’t need walks? I’d walked dogs all my life and until then it wasn’t something I’d ever given much thought. Of course, the difference between walks and exercise is subtle. Foxhounds, for example, are simply turned out into an exercise yard for much of the year, though foxhound puppies are traditionally walked, which means giving them lots of experiences to prepare them for life. That’s the vital difference. A walk can produce lots of different encounters, while exercise is just…

There is a certain symmetry to serving pigeons with beans. Pigeons love beans. I love pigeons, but broad beans took me a while to get the hang of. They are, let’s face it, a bit of a faff. While I love the way they come in their own cotton-wool-lined sleeping bags, I quickly tire of the effort required to release them from their sleeping quarters. As cooks will tell you, the trick is then to remove them from their more fiddly inner skins, the ones that makes it look like they have been in the bath too long. In this recipe that chore is neatly avoided and the beneficial dietary fibre retained within the dish — winner, winner, pigeon dinner. I use plump, fresh, skinless pigeon breasts for this dish…

Latin name: Spartina maritima Common name: Spartina Other names: Small cordgrass How to spot it and where to find it: The wildfowlers among you may well be familiar with spartina maritima, as it forms the prairies that are our saltmarshes. These are where rising and falling tides and the meeting of fresh and sea water create unique habitats that are nursery areas for fish as well as feeding and breeding sites for wading birds and waterfowl. Spartina stands up to 70cm tall, green in spring and summer, turning light brown in autumn and winter. It has slender leaves and produces flowers on all sides of the stalk. Interesting facts: Maritima is one of several spartinas and the only one native to the UK. The earliest recorded discovery was at Brigg…

SHOOT Do you have land that could be shot over and isn’t used for much? All across the country there are people with neglected ponds and areas of land where pests are flourishing. There are also people who are very keen on shooting but struggle to get permissions. If you are one of the former, why not help out one of the latter and help get more people more involved in our sport? Pigeon-watch forums or social media would be a free and easy way to reach out. BOOK Make sure you have your tickets for the GWCT Scottish Game Fair, which takes place from 5 to 7 July in Scone, Perthshire. The event features an impressive line-up of exhibitors, with competitions, expert coaching and sports activities for all ages…

City dwellers in Bristol are seeing more and more deer on the streets and pavements, with one of the animals even venturing into the offices of a law firm. Charles Smith-Jones of the British Deer Society told Shooting Times: “As long as deer have a bit of cover to hide away and feel secure they will turn up in the oddest places. They are appearing in other cities, too, and there are confirmed reports of muntjac in central London.” With good indications that the population of deer in England is higher now than at any time in the past 1,000 years, experts say it is hardly surprising the animals are searching out new habitats. Bristol offers plenty of allotments and gardens for food and has cycle paths that provide a…

In response to the comments from Nick Elsdon (Letters, 19 June), a vast amount of work has been done by all the organisations – including BASC – since Natural England pulled the general licences without consultation or notice. Matt Cross’s interview with our chief executive Ian Bell (Fighting our corner, 12 June) covered much of the detail of BASC’s response. It also gave an excellent overview of the chaos that had unfolded in our countryside and how the organisations worked tirelessly to address the key issues in front of them. BASC was not alone in this, but we worked hard behind the scenes to brief journalists, MPs and other key decision-makers and took our concerns around general licences to the very top of government. We also fed in on a…

At this time of year, attention is turning away from roe deer until the rut in Tuly, and more towards keeping the fox population down. I took the remington on test in the field after foxes, using the remington 95-gr AccuTips. I also added a new night Master Trident, which has a red, amber and infrared illumination beam option — this proved very handy. “Crawling among the foliage, you appreciate the lightweight and synthetic nature of this rifle” With it attached to the Aim Sports, this outfit was now a day and night hunter for foxes. With pens being sorted for the coming season any vermin or foxes are on the list of undesirables. For this reason, positioning myself in several ambush positions overlooking hedgerows used as fox runs for…

Flower-rich areas for pollinating insects are a popular choice in many Countryside Stewardship Schemes and the rules often ask for half the area to be mown in late June to stimulate a second flush of flowers. This could hardly come at a worse time for ground-nesting birds and there is usually a let-out clause to reflect this. I would always invoke this and not cut, just in case. As one who long ago studied pollination for his PhD, I would also point out that you can choose an array of species for these pollen and nectar mixes that ensures flowering all summer long, with no need to mash up other wildlife in June.…

I performed a similar procedure on a tiger in Armenia.” As a throw-away line that takes some beating, but it was an entirely matter-of-fact statement from veterinary surgeon Gerhard Putter. He was discussing with me the work he might have to do on the mouth of my springer, Rowan. Gerhard is a specialist in veterinary dentistry and oral care – my vet had referred Rowan to him for his advice and treatment. In a lifetime of owning dogs I’ve met many vets, but seldom have I met any who have explained in quite such detail the options available. Vets, like doctors, can confuse you with long words, but Gerhard was careful to explain procedures and medical conditions in terms that I could understand. My own vet was concerned that Rowan…

Can you feed birds all year? WILD BIRDS Q I know we are encouraged to feed birds during the “hungry gap”, but is it OK to continue feeding my garden birds during the summer? A There was a time when the official advice was to stop feeding during the summer owing to the risk of parent birds feeding their chicks on unsuitable food, such as peanuts. However, we now know that supplementary feeding throughout the year helps garden birds and that suddenly withdrawing a regular food supply is poor practice. We also know that birds aren’t daft, and will not feed their chicks on unsuitable foods. In the same way, it makes sense to continue feeding game during the summer. I have a couple of feeders hung in hedges near…

The most famous feral pigeons in Britain are probably the ones that patrol the outfield at The Oval, in London. Cricket commentators frequently remark on their understanding of the game and the canny way in which they settle on parts of the ground where it is unlikely the batsman will hit the ball. The ancestors of these streetwise birds are rock doves, which can still be found around northern coasts, but the hand of man has changed the way they behave. Originally domesticated to provide winter meat, the birds were encouraged to live in the pigeonholes of dovecotes (or doocots). Breeding by aviculturists developed the wide range of plumage types that we see in flocks pecking around our feet in streets, parks and on railway station platforms. Pairs breed successfully…

Unlike my son, who fired his first shotgun aged nine and has been mad keen on shooting ever since, I hated it. My early experiences were of freezing cold winters in the mid-1970s when the only time I ever shot was in early January, with a biting north-easterly hitting the Norfolk coast. I couldn’t wait until the end of each drive when I could jump in the farm foreman’s Morris Marina pickup truck and warm up my hands over the hot air vents. “Digger” Rust was said foreman at Great Farm, Burnham Norton. When I was 12 going on 13 we headed down the farm on a warm day, with me driving the Marina, to a field called 28 acres. We drove up the hill and soon put up a…

1 Harris tweed and blue leather hip fl ask RRP: £60 www.marlboroughofengland.com The 6oz flask is covered in Harris tweed fabric, handwoven in the Outer Hebrides, and with vegetable-tanned leather. The screw-top is fixed to a flexible brass chromed hinge to prevent it from detaching. It will fit perfectly into a pocket and is ideal for stalking days on the hill. 2 Puppy training dummy ½lb RRP: £5.49 www.uttings.co.uk If you are looking to ease your puppy into some light training this summer, this ½lb dummy is an ideal starter point to introduce the dog to some of the basic drills. Designed with no loose parts to discourage chewing, better pick-up positioning and to prevent injury, it is also in a light colour for easy marking. 3…

Threat to curlew Scottish curlew face a new threat over a potential reroute of the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness being considered by Transport Scotland. North East MSP Lewis Macdonald said during a Holyrood debate that if the road were diverted through farmland as planned, the birds would be “disrupted and probably displaced”. Ross Macleod of GWCT Scotland warned: “Curlew are facing serious decline in Scotland and developments like this only add to the pressure. Proposals must show they will leave our species and habitats no worse off.” Ministers have dismissed a local campaign for the existing route to be upgraded. Red kites poisoned Tests have shown that two red kites found dead near Kirkcudbright on 10 May were poisoned by illegal pesticides. The birds were found within 50 yards…

My war against mink continues in the dank, trouty burns of Galloway. I was astonished to catch large numbers of these American invaders within a few weeks of setting my first trap. I took almost 20 mink from one trap in the first three months of the year and it was gratifying to realise that 20 mink would take a lot of feeding. By removing them from the riverbank, I was creating some valuable breathing space for our poor beleaguered water voles. As often seems to be the case with trapping mustelids, the cage worked in fits and starts. If I caught one, I could be pretty sure of catching another the following day. This must be related to scent, since the trap latterly began to smell so strongly of…

By 1700, the standard armament for the European infantryman was a flintlock musket and bayonet. The cumbersome and weather-sensitive matchlock musket with its forked rest had been phased out – as had the pikemen needed to protect the musketeers as they loaded. Armed with a flintlock musket and bayonet, the foot soldier’s tactical flexibility and speed of manoeuvre increased dramatically. He not only carried a missile but also one that would serve for both offence and defence when its bayonet was fixed. While early muskets were procured by regimental colonels in a piecemeal fashion, eventually the form was standardised and “pattern” arms were developed by the Board of Ordnance to ensure common standards throughout the service. Land Pattern From the 1730s, the standardised musket became known as the Land Pattern…

THE ULTIMATE SHOOTING QUIZ TEAM 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…

Now that we have workable general licences back in place, it may be useful to try to take stock of what Wild Justice’s legal challenge has achieved to date. For the first time that I can recall, the antis got a PR bashing. Pictures of bloodied, crow-pecked lambs and smashed bird nests had an emotional impact that no stereotypical moor owner bemoaning the loss of his “grice” could ever hope to achieve. Not that everyone on our own side appreciated this. I read a shooting forum post which bewailed the fact that one broadcaster had interviewed a farmer rather than a shooting representative. What planet does the poster live on? The plight of lambs, or curlew, or songbirds drew public sympathy in a way that game birds do not. The…