Innholdsfortegnelse for 31-Jul-2019 i Shooting Times & Country

A couple of weeks ago in Suffolk I had the privilege of shooting clays with some of the finest Shots the world has ever known. Names such as Wally Sykes, Tohn Bidwell and Barry Simpson will be familiar to many readers. As I walked away from a FITASC stand, having shot poorly, an old boy shouted to me: “Not to worry, lad, in 40 years’ time you might make a reasonable Shot.” Optimistic perhaps, but not entirely impossible. Over the years, I’ve come across lots of older people who tell me that, as the decades have rolled by, their shooting has got better and better. I am still at a stage in life when things such as an evening’s duck flighting evokes so much excitement that all the principles of…

Bywell to host 2020 world title event England is to host the 2020 ICTSF World Down the Line championship. The event will be held at Bywell Shooting Ground in Northumberland. National teams from Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, Tahiti, North Ireland, and Wales are all expected to compete. The world championship will consist of a 250-target competition, with a 50-target final. The first ever DTL world championship was held in England in 1948 and last held in England in 2004. Raven’s protected status in question Questions on raven control in the general licence consultation for Scotland (News, 24 July) have raised the possibility that Scottish Natural Heritage may remove some of the legal protection from the birds. General licence users working their…

The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) has joined forces with the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) to undertake an ambitious nationwide survey that will shine a light on the work of the gamekeeping profession (Letters, 17 July). This important survey, which will be collated and analysed by the GWCT, aims to gain a more up-to-date understanding of the range of benefits game management contributes to conservation in the UK. There is still time to take part and for gamekeepers to tell us about the great they’re doing. Visit po.st/ gamekeepersurvey. To receive a hard copy by post contact the NGO, tel 01833 660869 or the SGA, tel 01738 587515.…

We are all familiar with rabbit pens and once in France I came across a hare pen, but I suspect that nobody has a squirrel pen. It’s something my sprocker Emma could do with, as she has gained a serious interest in squirrels. She is regularly exercised in woodland where squirrels aren’t controlled and, though they are not as fearless as they are in the London parks, for example, they are approachable. What mystifies Emma is that such a tempting quarry displays a remarkable ability to disappear up a tree, which she seems to regard as being somewhat unsporting. Almost all the spaniels I have owned have caught the occasional squirrel, and some have even become quite adept at the art, though never catching more than one or two a…

Training young with old GUNDOGS Q I have an older Labrador and a youngster I am starting to train. I wanted to work them together, so I’ve tried to undertake the training of the youngster with the older dog alongside. Though the older dog is rock steady with a high degree of tolerance, the youngster seems to be taking a long time to understand that he is not there as a distraction. Any advice? A One of the problems a lot of people have is training a dog on its own then finding that, when it comes to working alongside other dogs on a shoot day, things can go badly wrong. You have a good opportunity to avoid this by having an older dog to use in your youngster’s training…

Latin name: Rumex acetosella Common name: Sheep’s sorrel Other names: Red sorrel, field sorrel, cuckoo’s sorrel, sour dock How to spot it and where to find it: A low, tufted plant, sheep’s sorrel has arrow-shaped lobed leaves and small flowers that grow on a tall slightly ridged stalk between April and November. The flowers are yellow/green for males and red for females. It is found in meadows, parks, heaths, lawns, dunes and shingled beaches. Interesting facts: As its name suggests, this Rumex grows where sheep graze and, as the plant cannot tolerate lime, its presence may suggest that the land is lacking this element. Sheep’s sorrel also contains citric, malic and oxalic acid — which is poisonous in large quantities — vitamin C, tannin, potassium, magnesium and iron. Young leaves…

Every year, I release a mass of non-native animals on to my farmland, where they are allowed to roam and breed. I have them culled on a regular basis in pursuit of the ultimate cause of recreation and tradition. There is no doubt that these non-natives have a major impact on the habitats into which they are released. They shape the landscape. But many people regard them as an endearing and integral part of the countryside. There are even forms of public subsidy linked to rearing these animals. I am talking about sheep. Like all modern forms of domestic livestock, the sheep we see ambling around the country have been selectively bred. Most domestic sheep, Ovis aries, are thought to have originated from a species of mouflon from was the…

CHECK Even if you clean your gun regularly, Doug Maclean of Charlbury Guns advises giving it an annual health check before September. The action may have got wet or debris may have got into the lockwork, which can block springs and lead to damage. Take it in to your local gunsmith where it will be fully stripped, cleaned and regreased, ready for the new season. BUY With the season drawing near it’s time to buy your game shooting and wildfowling cartridges. David Thompson at Eley Hawk suggests that shooters should try out its new VIP Steel cartridge, which features steel shot and the new Pro Eco Wad, which dissolves in water and is fully biodegraded within three months. The wad is made from non-toxic, organic materials and finally allows shooters…

My son has a Mole, which lives in our garden. Mole pops in for breakfast, returns for a light lunch and a bath then sleeps it off in an oak tree. He reappears when my son returns from school and enjoys a hefty supper, then they have a quick chat, before he disappears to an unknown destination. Mole is a jackdaw, so called because of his colouring in the reassuringly practical manner that eight- year-old boys have when naming pets. Mole was a runt, a weakling, a discarded lesser sibling, kicked out by his stronger nest mates. The ball of grey bedraggled fluff was discovered by my son under the ancient horse chestnut that rears over the front of our cottage. Generations of the communally living rogues have called this…

1-4 AUGUST COUNTRYFILE LIVE Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire countryfilelive.com 12 AUGUST SEASON OPENS FOR GROUSE AND SNIPE (not in Northern Ireland) 16 AUGUST GLORIOUS 16TH GROUSE CLAY SHOOT Barbury Shooting School, Wroughton, Wiltshire basc.org.uk/events 23 AUGUST SHOTGUN SAFETY OFFICER COURSE BASC Scotland, Trochry, Dunkeld basc.org.uk/events 24 AUGUST CORNWALL CLAY SHOOT Caerhays Castle gwct.org.uk/events 28 AUGUST RETRIEVER GUNDOG TRAINING DAY Bridgecroft Kennels Gelligaer, South Wales basc.org.uk/events 13 SEPTEMBER NORTH WALES CLAY DAY North Wales simulated game shoot, Conwy gwct.org.uk/events…

A greater understanding of the benefits of gamekeeping, and the importance of both sensitive habitat management and timed, targeted predator control among decision makers and influencers in government, is to be applauded. This improved understanding and at times reluctant acceptance of the hard facts doesn’t include the people who are blinded by prejudice, motivated by misplaced class hatred and a refusal to accept anything that challenges their already fixed ideas. Challenges to what we do are nothing new, though they appear to be becoming more frequent. This is no doubt due in part to the ease with which things can be shared on social media and a proliferation of self-professed experts. Are these attacks the skirmishes before the war, a clue to the battles that lie ahead of us? Defending…

Sleep seems to be a bit of a national obsession. A recent study suggested that too little can lead to an early grave. So when my alarm went off at 3.45am I hesitated for a moment, strongly inclined to switch it off, roll over and surface at a more civilised hour. But the instinct to shoot crows flows powerfully through me. So the weakness was only momentary. With a thick dark coffee in the thermos and two excited dogs in tow, I stole out of the house like a cat burglar to set up a dawn corvid ambush. “The instinct to shoot crows flows powerfully through me; I’d go so far as to say I hate them. So the weakness passed” The day prior — a muggy Saturday in Tuly…

IF YOU OWN AND work gundogs, it pays to be a reasonable all-round naturalist. Not only does it add immeasurable pleasure to the day if you can identify all the wildlife you can see when out picking-up or shooting, but a broad knowledge of natural history is useful, too. I’ve often come home with a game bag full of mushrooms, and can assure you that a freshly picked field mushroom has 10 times the flavour of the supermarket variety. With knowledge and the confidence this gives you can gather anything from chanterelles to sloes. Some botanical knowledge can be very useful, too, for other reasons. If you’re picking-up grouse it’s quite satisfying to be able to tell bell heather from cross-leaved heath or ling. The latter, by the way, is…

If there is one type of hunting I love but don’t often get to do, it’s wildfowling. Getting up on a cold crisp morning with a hot flask of coffee, settling in place and waiting for the morning flight is beautiful, peaceful and extremely exciting. It’s a challenging type of hunting that necessitates the correct wind, fieldcraft and concealment. However, that is the easy part because it is the shooting that is by far the most challenging. Wildfowling is a game of teamwork usually between the Gun and his trusty dog. Without a dog, wildfowling on open waters is an almost impossible feat. The birds are not easy quarry but when you succeed the rewards are certainly worth it. There are a lot of recipes that can be made with…

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…

The great skua or bonxie is a beast of a bird, with a deserved reputation as a fierce defender of its nest and young. In the second before you feel the thump on the back of your head, you hear the “whoosh” of the wings of the approaching bird. It’s enough time to contemplate your fate but not enough time to duck out of the way. Bonxies spend most of the year wandering the Atlantic oceans, coming ashore only to breed. Within the UK, most great skuas breed in Shetland, Orkney and along the north coast of Scotland. The most recent population estimate is about 10,000 pairs, which is more than half of the total for the North Atlantic. Great skuas mainly ‘make their living’ by harrying other seabirds to…

1 Cottesmore II fleece jacket RRP: £189.95  schoffelcountry.com In classic moss green, this fleece is a versatile addition to your country wardrobe. Crafted from a premium quality fleece, the full zipped jacket is extremely soft and comfortable to wear. Quick drying, lightweight and versatile, it is ideal for changeable weather. 2 Gunnerside shooting coat RRP: £299  laksen-sporting.com This is a lightweight shooting coat with stretch, designed for complete freedom of movement in the field. It has total protection from unpredictable elements and is trimmed with faux suede on the shoulders to aid gun mount. 3 Dromond holdall RRP: £54  barbour.com The Barbour Dromond holdall is a lightweight bag constructed in waxed-cotton canvas for a rugged look. The zip closure features branded stud fastenings at either end, while…