Innholdsfortegnelse for 25-Mar-2020 i Shooting Times & Country

I often think that one of the joys of reading Shooting Times is that it provides a bit of escapism. But the implications of the coronavirus now seem so great that it is impossible to ignore it entirely. The truth is that from game farmers, to game dealers, to sporting agents, the effects of the pandemic are going to be seismic. Last week, while wandering through the deserted streets of London on my way to a meeting regarding the Gunmakers Company, I received a call from a contributor who owns a restaurant. He had been thinking about what he could do to help local residents who can’t get to the shops. The answer, he reckoned, was to get a few deer carcasses and make dishes that he could distribute. That…

Gamekeepers have asked for extra time before new stoat trapping rules are implemented. The use of Fenn traps to control stoats is due to become illegal on 1 April. However, delivery of the legal DOC traps has been delayed due to coronavirus. Richard McGill of Game & Country, a gamekeeping supplies business based in Selkirk, explained the problem: “The traps are made in New Zealand and are shipped to Singapore and Hong Kong. In those ports the loads are reassigned for onward transport to Europe. However, Hong Kong and Singapore have been severely impacted by coronavirus so rather than traps taking four to five weeks to reach the UK, they are now taking eight or nine weeks.” Scottish Gamekeepers Association chairman Alex Hogg explained what the organisation was asking for…

WHY WE NEED TO ACT NOW I agree wholeheartedly with Diggory Hadoke’s sentiment (Lead shot use — the EU and beyond, 11 March) that the joint statement on phasing out lead and single-use plastics will “kneecap” those intent on legislating for a total lead ban. In this regard, I wonder how many readers heard Professor Debbie Pain interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Inside Science on 5 March. Prof Pain, formerly of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and RSPB, is now at Cambridge University and she has been an advocate of a total lead ban for as long as I can remember. Her take on the situation is that the voluntary approach won’t work and that the Government should legislate now. I say, let’s prove her and the other doubters wrong.…

This spring will be remembered for record rainfall and coronavirus. All we need now is the four horsemen of the apocalypse to come trotting down the drive. It’s normally around now that we have our annual pre-natal consultation. This consists of my asking anxiously of the cows, “Anyone bagging up* yet?” And Davie growling, “They’ll come when they are ready.” Which is true, of course. Though, sadly, we had a false start when a heifer ejected a dead calf a few weeks ago when neither we, nor she, nor the unborn foetus was ready. This provoked days of anxiety while we waited to see if this was the start of an abortion storm that would wipe us out. It’s not only global pandemics we worry about. Luckily, it appears that…

We hunters are a sentimental breed. On countless occasions I have listened to a fellow stalker describe with misty eyes a particularly special encounter and, in many ways, it is the memory of these moments that brings us back up the hill, season after season. It is quite natural to want to preserve something of this memory, to render it somehow more permanent — a photograph perhaps, or an entry in the game diary, to be returned to for years afterwards. Many stalkers clean and mount the skulls and antlers of their more impressive quarry, often in the mistaken belief that their other half will allow them to display their memento above the fireplace in the sitting room. “It is deeply satisfying to produce a rug from your own hard-won…

I can remember telling you last year how much I like February, a month that fairly consistently gets a rotten press. Almost certainly I mentioned the sight and sound of returning curlew; I probably told you how, sometime in February, lapwings begin to tumble through the sky again over my rough pastures; doubtless I praised February for the gradual revival of birdsong, for the first shy primroses just beginning to show themselves on some sheltered slopes of the big wood and, of course, for white drifts of snowdrops shining along so many banks and hedge sides. I may also have said that, for me, there is a restful quality about the one month in the year when an inner voice is not telling me that I should be out with…

Improving rifle accuracy RIFLES Q How can I improve accuracy in my BRNO rimfire rifle? My normal ammunition doesn’t seem as reliable to shoot these days, so I’m wondering if there is a problem with the barrels or with the ammunition. A Sometimes it is not the rifle that is at fault but the ammunition, and rimfire ammunition can be inconsistent at times. There is such a variety of rimfire ammunition available that it should come as no surprise that not all makes will perform equally well in your rifle. In rimfire rifles, the headspace in the chamber is governed by the cartridge’s rim, so it is essential that a uniform rim thickness is maintained to achieve consistent ignition and accuracy. A simple rim thickness gauge that attaches to a…

The Paradox, Col Fosbery’s invention, made famous by Holland & Holland, required special ammunition to work effectively in the rifled choke section. Eley loaded its solid brass Ejector cases with cordite and one of several options of waisted or conical bullet. Bullets of 750 grains could be solid lead, copper tubed, hollow metal-nosed or conical with a metal base. They could be had in either 2½in or 2¾in brass cases in 12-bore only. Accuracy at 100 yards was significantly better than a normal “shot and ball” gun and the huge bullet travelling at around 1,300fps was massively destructive at close range.…

Adam Steed is the winner of the 2019-2020 GWCT East Anglian Grey Partridge award. He keepers a 3,000-acre wild bird shoot in mid Suffolk set within a successful arable farm owned by the Black family (Reap the wild harvest, 30 January 2019). I asked him what is behind his success. “I was born a farm lad,” he replied. “My father is the farm manager here and I have grown up understanding the need to make a profit from the land.” I wondered if the farm had always had a strong regard for shooting and conservation. “Not really. We had nine grey partridges on the land in 2012. The changes that I wanted to make could not be achieved overnight, so I started by placing barn owl boxes at each of…

FISHING With social distancing rapidly becoming the norm, fly-tying might be just the thing to keep you busy. While many patterns require advanced skills and equipment, others — such as the classic pheasant tail nymph (pictured) — can be tied by almost anyone with a few materials and basic kit. And they are just as deadly. SHOOT Self-isolating? If so, you can fill your time and brush up on your shooting technique by taking advantage of our online video series in conjunction with Hull Cartridge. Top Shot Tom Payne will take you through everything from gun mount to hitting high birds and snap shooting. In the latest episode of How to Become the Shot You’ve Always Wanted to Be, Tom shows you how to make sure your gun fits you.…

Late one evening during a heavy snowfall at the back end of winter, I came across what looked like a pack of large rats attacking something in the middle of the road. I knew a misguided neighbour had long been putting out food scraps for badgers and foxes; this had led to a noticeable increase in the local rat population. Some were enormous — I shot one in my garden as big as a rabbit. So I crept closer and found not rats, but 10 very young fox cubs devouring the remains of a chicken. A vixen nearby attempted to draw me off, retreating and barking. I picked up the chicken carcass and threw it into the field, so the cubs could continue their meal a little less conspicuously. Some…

It’s been a grim couple of months for the keepers, and the wildlife in their care, on the moors. Day upon day of gales, the latest of which managed to remove a number of concrete slabs 2ft long by 1ft wide from my roof. They were concreted on to the roof plate as protection for the slates and I hate to think just how strong the gust was that shifted them. The combination of wind, rain and snow, as we have seen from mortality in hill deer in the past, is not good for the health of anything living out there. I fear the grouse will have slipped somewhat in condition as a result. Anyone with any knowledge of livestock will tell you that when you see them huddled day…

One of the best ways to learn a trade is to observe others. When it comes to training a gundog, it can help to watch others and their dogs. It is then important to apply what you have seen to your own training. I frequently advise clients to train in small groups or pairs so they can watch or even film each other. It makes it easier to spot handling errors and subtle mistakes that, when training on your own, you do not even realise you are making. But more important than this, it is vital that as trainers we learn to watch our dogs’ body language and, even more importantly, to learn what it means. A dog’s mother tongue and first language is body language. As humans we make…

AN ADULT FOX IN full winter coat is a very handsome animal, as I was reminded recently when I was walking the spaniels in a field behind my house. We had disturbed its daytime hunting: it ran away, only to stop after 200 yards to stare back, assessing the risk we presented. If I had been armed with a suitable rifle that might have been a fatal pause, but I wasn’t, and all I could do was admire it. Such a sighting was commonplace when I lived in Kent, but here in rural Suffolk it’s not. Having moved recently from a house on a keepered shooting estate to ground where there is no keeper, I expect such sightings to be more frequent. At least I no longer keep free-range chickens,…

This easy and delicious recipe from Tom Godber-Ford Moore is a real classic. Polpette are simply meatballs, sometimes cooked plain and sometimes, as is the case here, cooked in a spicy sauce of some kind. Tom has played down the chilli in this version to allow for the subtle gamey flavour of the pheasant to come through, though you could definitely crank that up a bit more. The Neapolitans are not renowned for half measures. More traditionally made with veal and pork in Napoli, this recipe works very well indeed with the suggested pheasant, though partridge, rabbit or venison would all work as well or even a mixture. “This easy and delicious polpette recipe from Tom ticks all the boxes” The basic idea for an Italian meatball is certainly an…

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 DIGGORY HADOKE Vintage gun expert, firearms dealer, author and journalist 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 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 Contact the team…

1 Hawker fleece RRP: £64.99  gb.seeland.com Made in a soft, stretch fabric, this fleece half-zip is ideal as a warming layer in cold weather. It has been designed with an ergonomic fit that allows full freedom of movement, which is great for any keeper on his morning rounds. The structure of the fabric lets air circulate between the fleece and the outer layer to provide the best possible insulation and breathability. 2 Milford shirt RRP: £69.99  gb.harkila.com Many shirts are worn only for the shooting field, but the Milford’s design and colour pushes the boundaries and makes it perfect for just about anywhere. It is available in a variety of bold colours in sizes M-5XL. 3 Gore-Tex Tenere light walking shoes RRP: £165  aigle.com Inspired by the…

This was going to be a lead-free column. But I have been driven to mention the stuff because certain keyboard warriors have conjured up the conspiracy theory that the move away from lead is being driven by big-bag game shoots. They conveniently ignore the fact that even the military are phasing out lead ammunition. The US Army pioneered the concept of so-called “green” ammunition for infantry assault rifles. The idea is that you could kill bad guys without leaving a legacy of ecological damage (something of which The Guardian might approve). The US army’s joint working group for non-toxic ammunition produced the 5.56mm enhanced performance round (EPR). This was first battle-tested in mid-2010 in Afghanistan. And it works. A 7.62mm version was fielded in 2014. Both the US army and…

Stolen cocker found safe and well Duke, the cocker spaniel stolen from deer stalker Paul Childerly, has been recovered. Duke, who was snatched in a planned raid on Mr Childerly’s kennels (News, 18 March), was reunited with his owner after a social media post claimed he was “wandering the street in Ryton-on-Dunsmore”. Mr Childerly said his recovery was an example of “the power of social media”. Fowlers remove fouling rubbish Hardy wildfowlers have cleared dozens of bags of rubbish from a national nature reserve. The team of 36 fowlers cleared the rubbish — which included a children’s slide — from the Lindisfarne reserve. Shane Robinson, BASC wildfowling officer, said: “BASC is fully supportive of these incredible individual efforts that collectively leave the environment in a far healthier condition. Full marks…

You asked readers for their opinion on Patrick Laurie’s article about birds and their association with months of the calendar (Country Diary, 4 March). A cold snap in January was usually the time we’d get to see some pochard come on to the inland flightponds. The drake is a particularly colourful bird. I never took to decoying but February roost-shooting pigeon was always good fun. All you had to do was turn up and hope some pigeon did too. The woodpigeon is a beautiful bird with the subtle greens and pinks among its plumage. March is usually the month that the barn owls begin to hunt my meadow margins just before dusk. A lot of mystery and folklore used to surround the white owl during my childhood but, despite enlightenment,…

If you are anticipating a drop in the price of English guns in the wake of the announcement that lead shot should be phased out over the next five years, and are considering taking advantage of the situation, there are some considerations you need to mull over before parting with your money. The first, of course, is the ammunition you’re going to use. The advice coming from the authorities at the moment is, frankly, unsupported by data and is over-simplistic in delivery. The latest missive from the Gun Trade Association and the Proof Houses is that you can shoot standard steel loads in your 2 ¾in nitro-proofed British gun. Hopefully, you will note the caveat to do so only in guns with 2 ¾in chambers, good wall thickness and in…

Many people are passionate about their favoured breed of gundog and none more so than those who work HPRs. The big difference between retrievers, spaniels and HPRs is that there are a lot more HPRs to choose from. We currently have a dozen different breeds eligible to compete in field trials in this country: German wirehaired pointer, German longhaired pointer, German shorthaired pointer, Weimaraner, large Munsterlander, Italian spinone, bracco Italiano, Brittany, Korthals griffon, Hungarian vizsla, Hungarian wirehaired vizsla and Slovakian rough-haired pointer. In addition, we have two or three other breeds, such as the small Munsterlander and bleu de Gascogne, that are very capable working dogs, but not yet cleared by the Kennel Club to compete here. They are generally known as FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) breeds, as they are…

Latin name: Primula elatior Common name: Oxlip Other names: Great cowslip, true oxlip, bardfield oxlip How to spot it and where to find it: If you have an area of ancient woodland, you will probably have oxlip, a lover of damp woods and shade. From a basal rosette of crinkled bright green leaves, a single upright stem bears clusters of luminous, pale yellow blooms that droop to one side. It is rarely found outside Suffolk, of which it is the county flower, Cambridgeshire and Essex. Interesting facts: It is easy to confuse oxlip with its more common cousin, the cowslip, which has deeper yellow flowers that don’t all hang to one side. There is also false oxlip (Primula veris x vulgaris), a hybrid of cowslip and primrose, but, again, its…