Innholdsfortegnelse for 22-Jan-2020 i Shooting Times & Country

Some months ago, for reasons I can’t currently divulge, I was out shooting for a few hours with my terrier, followed by a trio of cameramen. It was not something I’d done before and the added pressure made me shoot appallingly. Three snipe on the bounce zigzagged out of the reeds in front of me and each of them lived to tell the tale. But the experience was far from futile. Knowing that a large number of people might end up seeing my every move made me think very hard about each little thing I did. At one point, a hare sprang from the grass in front of me and, having No 7 shot in my gun, I watched it disappear over the horizon. A while later a cock bird…

Vote for Simon — a true Game Hero Shooting Times writer and rabbiting expert Simon Whitehead has been nominated in the Game Hero category of the Eat Game Awards. Founded by Purdey’s, Boisdale restaurants and Taste of Game, the awards are dedicated to “recognising and helping to develop game as a vibrant and modern addition to the British menu”. Simon is a passionate advocate of hunting and cooking rabbit. To vote for him go to eatgameawards.co.uk/voting McDonald’s should sell pheasant The Duchess of Rutland has told Good Morning Britain that McDonald’s should be serving pheasant burgers and nuggets. During a discussion on the restaurant chain opening a branch in Rutland, she told host Piers Morgan that pheasant was “organic” and “the cheapest food of all”, adding: “There’s no hormones in…

Pheasant is authentically at its best when you go back to its roots — with the flavours of Asia, the bird’s native land. Originating from the foothills of the Caucasus, pheasant tastes superb when eaten with other ingredients from those regions — the fruits, nuts and spices that give the delicious pilafs, sauces and stews their exotic characteristics. While we quite rightly like to slather our roast game with rich bread sauce and gravy, recipes from the Middle East are lighter, sharper and perfect for healthy mid-winter eating after the excesses of the festive period. Fesenjan is one such, a Persian stew made with pomegranate molasses and walnuts that can be adapted to all poultry and most game birds but which I believe is finest made with pheasant. “Recipes from…

In a recent column (Sharpshooter, 11 December), I explained my delight in discovering that a Labrador I had assumed was a mere pet turned out to have a natural affinity for retrieving. However, the dog’s owner read my piece and took umbrage at my description of her as “an elderly relative”. The relative in question is my mother-in-law. The word she objected to was “elderly”. In my defence, I reminded her gently that she is in her 88th year. But I could see she was unimpressed at my attempt to wriggle off the hook. I should explain that she is a solicitor and still has a practising certificate; she goes into the office most mornings. She doesn’t regard herself as “elderly”. And good for her. Many lazy assumptions about age…

Big-game hunter Ollie Williams has left the reality TV show Love Island after more than 40,000 people signed a protest petition. The 23-year-old big-game hunter left the show after just three days, saying he was still in love with his girlfriend. However, his inclusion in the line-up of glamorous young love-seekers had fired up controversy, prompting 467 complaints to Ofcom. A change.org petition launched to oppose his inclusion in the show claimed “victory” in an update. The petition’s author, ‘Amey C’, had originally posted: “Ollie Williams… has been exposed as a bloodthirsty big trophy hunter. He has proudly posed with an array of dead endangered animals, including warthog and water buffaloes.” Chris Packham joined the debate, saying in the Daily Mail: “Why on earth are ITV thinking about giving this…

GARDEN Late winter is a good time to cut hazel and holly sticks. The trees are dormant and will recover well when the spring comes. If the sticks are stored inside they should be ready for use when the shooting season starts again. CHECK As the season closes, keepers’ days are in full swing. Ensure that a full safety briefing is given and someone is on hand to help inexperienced Guns. If your day is taking place on 1 February, Guns should be reminded that snipe and woodcock will be out of season. Thanks to Nick Horten of Langstone Wildfowlers, who was the first of many to point out that the wildfowling season runs until 20 February below the high-water mark, not as stated (News, 8 January).…

FUTURE OF STEEL Further to your article (Steel-proofing for a Spanish side-by-side, 8 January), we would like to correct you in so much as Eley Hawk’s VIP Steel Pro Eco Wad 32gr No 3 and No 5 cartridges, with their fully biodegradable and dissolvable wads, are loaded at standard steel load pressures (less than 740 bar), so are suitable for nitro proof guns. The load is placed in a 2¾in case at this time. We deliberately designed this cartridge for standard steel load pressures so it could be fired through nitro proof guns. Please be assured we are developing solutions to the environmental, market, political and legal aspects that will evolve over the coming years. The launch of the fully dissolvable wad has been very successful so far and we…

I’ve been travelling the length and breadth of our glorious nations. Professional work has taken me to Yorkshire, West Sussex and the Scottish Borders; deer have led me to the deepest, darkest recesses of Cornwall, and kind invitations for wild pheasants to Kent and Herefordshire. I’m pleased to report that these forays from my Wessex redoubt have shown that we aren’t heading to hell in Greta’s apocalyptic handcart. Indeed, all around business is thriving — roe are in velvet and discerning old cock birds have chosen helpfully to spring up perfectly in line with my badly misaligned barrels. My uncharacteristic cheerfulness has only been enhanced by the sporting folk encountered on these travels — keepers with real passion and gusto, and landowners with the sparkle of pride in their eye…

The experts 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 rifl e 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 TONY BUCKWELL Veterinary surgeon with a special interest in gundogs 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 CIC international trophy judge Be his leader, not his boss GUNDOG TRAINING Q Two…

W.J. Jeffery established something of a reputation for making big rifles. In its 1930 catalogue it promoted what was then a novelty, described as delivering “energy almost that of a double .577 Cordite Express Rifle”. The cartridge had a bottle-necked case with a rebated rim, seating a metal-coated, lead-cored bullet. The cartridge and the rifle were promoted together, the concept being a purpose-built standard Mauser magazine rifle with a powerful cartridge, designed to stop the heaviest game. At the time, double rifles were expensive and magazine rifles were not always strong enough to handle the biggest loads. The Jeffery .500 was a 535gr bullet with a velocity of 2,400fps and a muzzle energy of 6,800ft/lb. That rivals a then popular double-rifle cartridge, introduced by Lang in 1907; the .470 Nitro…

1 Seeland Buckthorn overtrousers RRP £89.99 gb.seeland.com These overtrousers are extremely hard wearing and durable. They also have a stretchable, elasticated waist for comfort and the leg hem is adjustable, making it easy to slip over wellies or high walking boots. Ideal for beating or walking-up through tough terrain in search of an elusive cock pheasant. 2 Coast Ultra-distance HP314 torch RRP: £219.99 furfeatherandfi n.com This is an extremely powerful torch with a very bright light and ultimate reliability. The optics are specially optimised for distance use. It will throw a pure white beam almost half a mile, which you can focus from flood to spot with a fingertip. This gadget is particularly useful when journeying to and from the foreshore in darkness. 3 Ridgeline Neketai neck…

24 JANUARY TASTE OF GAME DINNER Bodysgallen Hotel and Spa, Llandudno, events.basc.org.uk/ events 7 FEBRUARY GWCT ESSEX SPORTING BALL Braxted Park Estate, Witham, Essex georgejones@ newneyhall.com 8 FEBRUARY BASC NI RANGE DAY Baronscourt Range, Omagh, N. Ireland events.basc.org.uk/ events 14-16 FEBRUARY GREAT BRITISH SHOOTING SHOW NEC, Birmingham shootingshow.co.uk 22 FEBRUARY GAME MEAT HYGIENE COURSE The Estate Centre, Great Durnford, Salisbury, Wiltshire https://tinyurl.com/ hun2hux 22 FEBRUARY SHOTGUN & CHELSEA BUN CLUB LADIES’ CLAY SHOOTING Moorland Shooting Ground, Launceston shotgunand chelseabunclub.co.uk…

I answered my doorbell to find a fellow villager in a distressed state, asking for help. She’s a doughty lady, so I was intrigued to know what was upsetting her. She told me that a cock pheasant had taken up residence in her garden and was using her bird feeder. She had shooed it away several times but the bird had taken umbrage. The pheasant was attacking my neighbour with startling vigour at every opportunity, chasing her around the garden, pecking at her legs and ankles, cornering her in her shed and throwing itself at the windows whenever it spotted her in the house. Husband and gardener were tolerated but the bird was going crazy whenever the woman appeared and she was terrified. My neighbour was keen for me to…

Winter feeding is well established now. Even though the weather for this part of the country has remained unseasonably mild, birds of all types are searching out a nutritious bite. Most wild bird keepers will by now have a well-organised round of additional food distribution areas — these become more and more vital as the days shorten and natural food gets harder to find. This year on the estate we are benefitting from hard work in the spring and summer sowing and establishing wild bird food crops. The Countryside Stewardship Agreement has provision for several hectares of seed mixes designed to provide a variety of differing seed types to feed not only the larger game bird species but the ever-growing population of smaller, passerine birds. Heavy rainfall It’s a joy…

As with any rifles it is best to try out as many different brands, bullet weights and velocities to determine what works best. Semi-automatics are particularly fussy, so I tried out subsonic, high velocity, lightweight, heavier weights and new polymer-coated rounds, too. It’s also important to realise that with an inertia semi-automatic, some of the energy is taken out of the fired round and often velocities are slower than with the same ammunition in a simple bolt-action rifle. “The Deluxe is a handsome beast that handled and shot well yet still has that purpose-like build” I fitted the supplied new Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9x40mm scope, a dedicated rimfire scope with associated reticule system — very good quality at a good price. I also used a Swiss-made Brügger & Thomet sound moderator,…

I try to avoid clichés whenever I can, and I hope that you don’t spot too many in my writing. However, a recent incident reminded me of the old cliché, ‘hands off the wheel’. I had one of these moments in a car park. I was sitting under the tailgate of my car, pulling my boots on, with my spaniels sitting obediently behind me. Dogs that jump out of the back of a car as soon as the tailgate is lifted are a danger to themselves, as it is all too easy for them to get run over or struck by a passing car. My spaniels have been trained to sit until given the command to move, and 99 per cent of the time they do just that. However, on…

Latin name: Arum maculatum Common name: Lords-and-ladies Other names: Cuckoopint, wake-robin, bloody man’s finger, Jack-in-the-pulpit, devils and angels, snake’s head How to spot it and where to find it: This perennial loves shade and can be found in woodlands and hedgerows. You might see it now as it pushes its first arrow-shaped leaves through the bare soil in late winter and early spring. The flowers — which appear in April and May — form on a tube-like structure called a spadix. In autumn, they are replaced by a spike of bright orange berries. Interesting facts: Despite its elegant name, this plant has to attract flies for pollination and releases a sharp odour rather like urine. The berries are toxic but the tuberous roots are edible when baked. They produce starch…

Over the Christmas break I was shown a gun by Edwin Hodges by a guest at our shoot. I hadn’t heard of him before and a bit of quick research on the mobile revealed him to be an actioner to the London gun trade. Initially I thought he was just an obscure craftsman but, in fact, he was a major player and produced guns in his own name. Edwin Charles Hodges was the son of Edward Hodges, a leather dresser. He was born on 9 October 1831 in Bermondsey. At 14, Edwin was apprenticed to his uncle, Ebenezer, a gun-barrel maker in Camden. In August 1852, Ebenezer emigrated to Australia. As Edwin had completed his apprenticeship, he set up his own business as an action filer and gunmaker at 23…