Innholdsfortegnelse for 14-Aug-2019 i Shooting Times & Country

A couple of years ago in East Anglia, a grand old lady told me that when she was young “it wasn’t really the done thing to serve game at shoot lunches”. It was the first time I’d ever heard anyone say anything like it, but since then it’s a sentiment I’ve come across a few times. Some weeks ago, a vegan friend told me he relished being a difficult person to cook for because it makes his dinner host “think about their unsustainable food consumption”. I laughed and called him something unprintable, but his worthy point made me think. It’s no secret that the game market is still struggling to realise all the potential demand out there, and needs every bit of help it can get if shooting is to…

Huge numbers of painted lady butterflies have arrived in the UK — a once-in-a-decade phenomenon known as a ‘painted lady year’. In the last painted lady year in 2009, an estimated 11million migrated to the UK. Like several other butterfly species, the painted lady takes multiple generations to complete a migration from sub-Saharan Africa to northern Europe, with up to six generations hatching and dying along the way. Their caterpillars feed on thistles and they are also popularly known as the thistle butterfly. Gamekeepers and shooters across the country have taken to social media to express their pleasure at seeing so many of the butterflies. Shooting Times contributor Patrick Laurie tweeted that he had observed “frankly absurd numbers of butterflies along the thistly headlands of the turnip field”. He said…

Mirror pulls story on puffin hunters The Daily Mirror has withdrawn a story making the extraordinary claim that there had been a spike in the number of UK hunters travelling to Iceland to shoot puffins. An investigated by Shooting Times found the story to be false (News, 7 August). The newspaper refused to remove it until placed under pressure from the Countryside Alliance. The Metro has also edited its version of the story to remove all references to British hunters. Swine fever alert on wild boar hunting Defra has warned anyone who might come into contact with wild boar in Europe to take precautions to avoid bringing African swine fever back to the UK. The disease has led to the death of more than 800,000 wild and domestic…

I barely noticed the cut on my knee as we crawled along the rock-strewn track. Nor did I notice the dew that had soaked my clothes, or the remnants of an unfortunate slug now painted across my thigh. All our senses were focused on the rabbit, which was sitting motionless about 50 yards ahead. My friend Tommy gripped the air rifle tightly. Finally, we inched into range. The pressure built. So close now, almost there… With a twitch of its legs the rabbit leapt into the safety of the hedge and the moment passed. Tommy and I were bewildered. What could we have possibly done wrong? A lot, looking back on it. Our fieldcraft failed us. Our mops of blond hair would have stood out against the grass and mossy…

IT’S NOT QUITE LIKE switching from rugby union to league, but there is a certain similarity. So the fact that four of our top HPR triallers — Tohn Naylor, Rob Gould, Rory Major and Howard Kirby — have started running dogs in pointer and setter (P&S) stakes is intriguing. All four have made up several HPR field trial champions. Howard is a former winner of the HPR Championship and Rob is currently the St Hubertus World Champion. Before going any further, it’s essential to explain the difference between HPR and P&S trials. The latter are normally run into the wind on open ground, while HPRs have to take the ground as it comes, be it hedges, ditches or woodland. Their handlers might like to work them into the wind but…

Time for another dose GAMEKEEPING Our poults are coughing and sneezing as though they have gapeworm, but they have already been dosed. Any ideas what might be wrong with them? The coughing and sneezing could be due to a few things. Perhaps some birds didn’t get the full amount of wormer because they were outside the pen or eating things other than the dosed food. It could also be that the original infestation of worms damaged their tracheas, which are scarred and haven’t fully healed. Of course, it might be that the birds simply need dosing again. If you need to re-dose, remove other food sources and make sure, if you share feeding duties, that the rest of your keepering team know the start and finish dates of the treatment.…

I had heard a lot about fulmars and managed to avoid having to handle one for my first 20 years as a bird ringer. The defensive mechanism of a sitting adult is to regurgitate a foul-smelling oil when approached at the nest. Friends shared tales of clothes-burning rituals after a seabird ringing session and of the perils associated with talking while too close to a fulmar and receiving a mouthful of vomit. The one bird that I did ring smelled awful but was reasonably well behaved. The fulmar is a successful seabird, related to the albatross, that has colonised cliffs further and further south over the past century. Its stiff wings and effortless glides make it stand out from the similarly coloured herring gulls. Fulmars are late breeders, with chicks…

CHECK Gamekeepers and shoot operators have experienced a spate of vandalism, with release pens being targeted by vandals. Display CCTV warning signs and consider setting trail cameras around pens. Try to be unpredictable about when you visit pens to keep criminals guessing, and don’t be drawn into confrontations. Photograph all damage and report it to the police every time it happens. BUY There is great value Scottish salmon fishing available at the moment. You may have to hunt around for bargains but smaller rivers will provide good fishing at this time of year for less than £50 a day, while tickets on angling association water and upstream beats can often be had for around £10. Most will prefer flyfishing, but there is no need to splash out on expensive salmon…

The curlew’s plangent cry across the mudflats has been a disturbing feature of life on the Solway Firth this summer. I say ‘disturbing’ because, while I am delighted to hear them here when there is an ‘R’ in the month, curlew are supposed to be safely tucked up with their young in their upland breeding grounds in June and July. It is possible, putting an optimistic spin on it, that these birds are leaving their mates in charge and flying off to feed before returning inland. We know they do that, sometimes travelling long distances for a seafood feast. But the numbers of them — and the fact that we are seeing quite a few pairs — leads to the depressing conclusion that they have failed to raise a brood…

I have many things that keep me busy in my ‘retirement’, one of which is helping to look after two sites in the Pennines owned by the Philip Wayre Upland Trust. They are both interesting and important sites in their own right. One of the many things we have been doing is surveying both sites for a whole range of species, plant and other, on the principle that if you do not know what you have it is difficult to manage for it. This spring, in conjunction with Durham Wildlife Trust, we instigated a reptile survey on the lower of the two sites in Weardale. This consisted of the placement of a number of pieces of black corrugated felt roofing sheeting on suitable parts of the holding, leaving them for…

RABBITS, PREDATOR SPECIES AND DISEASE With the harvest imminent, this is a fantastic time to have a look at your land. The rabbits have been breeding well but it appears rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) has established itself, and the rabbit will have to breed a large degree of immunity if we are to see numbers rise to previous levels. The world has changed and this is affecting how we all manage rabbits. The invention of thermal night vision and the popularity of the .17 HMR rifle has curtailed many a rabbit population across the country. We are becoming too efficient in what we do. RHD has affected our rabbit populations, and conservationists and controllers are noticing the impact this has had on the cycles of life. As the rabbit is…

Some years ago I went to the last day of the cocker championship, which was held that year at Sandringham. Despite walking at the front of the gallery I scarcely saw any dog work, only the occasional glimpse of a spaniel darting back into cover. It was a reminder that, generally speaking, field trials are a sport for participants rather than spectators. Retriever and HPR trials are better than those for spaniels, but they can still be challenging to view. In contrast, pointer and setter trials not only offer great viewing, they are also genuinely exciting to watch. Not only do you have the spectacle of two dogs competing at once, rather than only one, but these are dogs that really are running, usually flat out over the most challenging…

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…

1 Verney-Carron Perdrix travel bag RRP: £69.95  newforestclothing.co.uk The travel bag has a capacity of 60 litres and has eight pockets, including one for dirty linen. There is a webbing carry-strap and it is trimmed with imitation leather. You will never want to be without whenever you are away from home. 2 Ptarmigan Ultralight II dark olive coat RRP: £329.95  schoffelcountry.com The latest, lightest Schöffel shooting coat, with two-layer laminate construction, is great for all year-round protection. The superior quality Venturi fabric now has updated waterproofing and breathability, ensuring you stay warm and dry. Shooting features include retainer straps, large reinforced pockets and an added underarm gusset for lift. 3 Oliver Brown Eaton sports jacket RRP: £395  oliverbrown.org.uk This lightweight jacket is an enduring and versatile summer…

A total of 22 hen harrier chicks have fledged from nests on grouse moors in Lancashire. The birds hatched from five different nests on moorland owned by United Utilities in the Forest of Bowland. The young birds have been monitored and protected by a team of scientists, farmers and gamekeepers. James Bray, RSPB Bowland project officer, said: “I feel really proud to have been involved in helping these chicks to fledge. “The RSPB team of staff and volunteers, United Utilities and their tenants have all worked incredibly hard to make this season a success and we all want to see them thrive. “It has been such a joy to see this small local population grow from three to five pairs over two increasingly successful years, having endured two terrible years…

25-26 AUGUST FENLAND COUNTRY FAIR Stow-cum-Quy Park Cambridgeshire fenlandfairs.com 25 AUGUST GLAD RAGS AND CARTRIDGE BAGS LADIES’ DAY Gleneagles Hotel Auchterarder 29 AUGUST BUCKS COUNTY SHOW County Showground Weedon Park, Weedon near Aylesbury buckscountyshow.co.uk 6 SEPTEMBER LADIES’ CLAY TARGET SHOOTING DAY Presaddfed estate Holyhead, Anglesey basc.org.uk/events 7 SEPTEMBER OPEN DAY, EMMETT AND STONE COUNTRY SPORTS Wilton Farm, Marlow Road, Bucks emmettandstone.co.uk 13 SEPTEMBER NORTH WALES CLAY DAY North Wales Simulated Game Shoot, Conwy gwct.org.uk/events…

I am a 15-year-old avid reader of your excellent magazine. My father is a farmer but also a keen Shot who introduced me to shooting. One of his ambitions is to enjoy a day’s grouse shooting. He was invited on two days’ back-to-back grouse shooting in 2007. However, my younger sister was due to be born so he had to graciously turn it down. Shortly after, my mother went into labour but no medical help was available. Being an arable and, more crucially, a beef cattle farmer, he was able to deliver my sister at home. It was a feat he brings into conversation whenever he needs some extra credentials! In jest, we always say that my sister owes him a day on the grouse moor. To this day my…

Earlier in the year, I was asked by Holland & Holland if I would like to sit on the judging panel for its new gamekeeper bursary. The scheme, which is very much in its infancy, is aimed at student or newly qualified keepers — in their first five years of employment — who want to further their education. It will give them the opportunity to explore ideas that will help their careers and improve their understanding of some of the more complex issues in game management. There were some really strong entries that included ideas for a grey partridge recovery project, an extension of an existing deer management plan, a trip to explore the relationship between large predators on the Continent and sheep farmers and game shooters, and a series…

I shot my first pheasant more than two decades ago and ever since then I have experimented with lots of different ways to cook this tasty bird. This recipe is easy to prepare and a bit of a showstopper that can be served, either hot or cold, as an everyday meal. I created this recipe some years ago when I was invited to a shoot with lots of other chefs and we were all asked to come armed with an easy-to-make recipe showcasing the best of wild British food. One of the reasons I created this dish is that you can use the whole pheasant and partridge without wasting any of the legs or wings. The honey counters the saltiness of the pork and creates an almost salted caramel taste,…

Latin name: Digitalis purpurea Common name: Foxglove Other names: Bloody finger, cow flop, dead men’s bells, dog’s lugs, dragon’s mouth, fairy bells, gloves of Mary, witches’ fingers, throat root How to spot it and where to find it: The tall spikes of the pink-purple tube-like flowers of the foxglove are instantly recognisable. However, the plant — which can grow up to 2m tall — can be confused with common comfrey when not in bloom as its hairy, toothed, oval leaves are similar. It grows freely in roadside verges, woodland edges, heaths, gardens and hedgerows. Interesting facts: Pollinating insects love the foxglove. Those handsome spikes have been likened to a skyscraper, with nothing but cafes on every floor, open 24/7 for visiting bees. As they empty each flower of nectar they…

“Yes, I’ve stalked roebuck in Kielder Forest during the midge season,” I told an enquirer. “But I don’t want to talk about it.” The midges of Kielder, In Northumberland, are the stuff of legend. Said to be the size of parrots, they can render a man of my size as thin as a vegan within hours. Or so they say. Yet, whisper it softly, we haven’t had too bad a year for midges so far. We live a couple of miles from the Kielder boundary but we were able to sit out around a fire pit one recent night, despite the high humidity and lack of a breeze. That’s unusual for this time of year, at which point conditions generally reach peak midge. I shall be interested to see if…