Innholdsfortegnelse for 13-May-2020 i Shooting Times & Country

In this week’s issue, Simon Whitehead’s account of an evening spent stalking rabbits with his air rifle (p29) brought back some happy teenage memories. When I was young, there was nothing I enjoyed quite as much as heading into the fields with my BSA Meteor. The casserole I used to make was always the same: cheap cider, garlic and cream. It was every bit as mediocre as it sounds. When the sun was shining and the rabbits were out, I sometimes managed to shoot three or four but, for every successful outing, there would be twice as many when I would go home empty-handed. I don’t recall thinking it at the time, but those afternoons taught me a wealth of fieldcraft. All these years later, I often see youngsters on…

BASC is freezing its subscriptions for members because of the COVID-19 crisis. The cost of membership usually increases by the rate of inflation; however, it will be held at the 2019 rate until at least March 2022. Subscriptions were previously frozen in 2002 after foot-and-mouth caused widespread hardship in the countryside. BASC chief executive Ian Bell said: “We know that many members will be facing financial challenges in the months ahead. “A decision on subscription levels is usually taken in the autumn. But we felt it was important to bring that forward and move quickly to put the usual increase on hold while people are facing so much uncertainty. “Shooting faces many tough challenges and BASC is only as strong as the membership. This crisis will see many hard decisions…

WIN-WIN FOR STALKING Sometimes columnists imply that acquiring stalking is straightforward; simply get qualified and offer your services. In my experience stalking is the most difficult sport to enter, akin to a secret society where some speak ill of others and permissions are talked about in low voices in case of falling victim to the Cuckoo effect. I have been stalking for many years, and stalking without payment is rare. I am not alone in this quandary and I wonder how many newcomers give up in the crowded marketplace. I have never cracked a place of my own and I probably never will. With increasing numbers of firearms certificates being issued and the calls for have-a-go days and introductions to stalking — all bringing lucrative income — newcomers’ chances will…

I’m currently obsessing about a hedge. It’s not one of those perfectly coiffured things, it’s actually a bit thin in places and far too tall in others. Sitting right on the outer boundary of my wild bird shoot it is not in the ideal location. On one side is a footpath and the other is a highly productive arable field; at one end is a road and at the other a thick, scrubby woodland offers shelter and solace to fox and crow alike. It looks nothing like the stylish farmland illustrations in those glossy GWCT leaflets, nor the perfect midfield beetle banks proudly displayed on farmland bird walks on neighbouring aristocratic ground. However, this hedge is precisely where my stubbornly ecologically illiterate grey partridges have taken up residence. There have…

Last Christmas I didn’t buy any greetings cards. Instead, I came up with the wheeze of creating home-made affairs with a hand-drawn picture by my nine-year-old son. After a family meeting it was agreed that “reindeer in a landscape” would be the perfect subject for Negus junior’s artistic efforts. My wife and I left him to his art while we opened a bottle of sherry. A few festive glasses later we returned to survey his work. The beast he revealed looked markedly unreindeer-like. While a reindeer’s legs are stolidly stumpy, like a cloven-footed Shetland pony, this animal had limbs like a borzoi. Reindeer are short coupled, yet this brute stood over the ground like a drum horse. The shock of seeing the antlers he had drawn, all bulky satellite dish…

Bergara has stepped it up — the Premier exceeds all expectations in the field, especially this Highlander model, which is so fit for purpose. With an excellent Spanish stainless-steel barrel, assembled to Premier line action and stock built by hand in the US, with superb accuracy and an impenetrable finish, seriously, what’s not to like? I can’t wait to try its new .22 rimfire rifles. 20 /20 Accuracy Look at those groups; factory or reload, it shoots like a custom-built rifle 19 /20 Handling Good length barrel, and well balanced at 7.3lb 19 /20 Trigger TriggerTech — I use them on custom-built rifles 18 /20 Stock Practical hunting stock; would like a thumbhole option 19 /20 Value It’s money very well spent 95 /100 Overall Score It exceeds all expectations…

Good news for game-lovers. All of the game sold in Waitrose & Partners from the 2020-2021 season will be brought to bag with non-lead shot.” I quote this from a recent copy of Waitrose Food magazine. Those of us who shoot and eat game may not believe that eating birds shot with lead is the least bit risky — I’ve been doing so for the past 50 years — but we have to remember that lead is toxic and most people want to have as little to do with it as possible. If using non-toxic shot makes game more saleable and brings it to a wider market, that surely has to be a good thing. Thus I was delighted by the recent announcement by our shooting organisations that they would…

Tips for first-time breeders FERRETING Q My jills have come into season now and I am thinking of having a litter. Do you have any tips for a first-time breeder, please? A Breeding a litter of ferrets for the first time can be daunting. Ferrets are hardy little creatures and generally things run smoothly once the parents have mated. The gestation period is 42 to 44 days so don’t forget to mark it on a calendar. Get a large and airy hutch to raise your litter in. Separate the expectant jill from any others at least 14 days before the due date. This will give her time to acclimatise to her new home, make a nest and remain calm in the run-up to the birth. Feed her the best, nutritional…

Samuel Colt will always be associated with revolving arms. However, he did not invent them because there were revolvers — both pistols and rifles — known well before he came on the scene. In fact, Colt may have seen revolver arms in London at the time of his visit in 1830 as a crewman on the merchant ship Corvo. During that voyage, he whittled a working model from scrap wood. This incorporated a seminal change; not only did the cylinder discharge into a single barrel, its rotation was occasioned by cocking the hammer that also bolted it into line with the barrel for each shot. Colt had successive prototypes made by Baltimore gunsmith John Pearson. Each one was a step closer to perfecting the concept. Five years later, Colt was…

A friend of mine says that modern history now divides into two eras: Before Coronavirus (BC) and After Disease (AD). How will shooting adapt if the new normal necessitates some sort of social distancing for the coming season? The first thing that occurs to me is that fieldsports have one obvious defining feature that should put them in a good position: they take place outside, in the countryside. While the science of coronavirus is still emerging, there seems to be a consensus that it is spread most easily by contact with infected surfaces and within confined spaces, rather than in the open air. It is generally accepted that fresh air and exercise are good for us, as long as we keep our distance. It seems to me that falconry, fishing,…

GARDEN Go easy on the weeding. With a little more time on your hands than is normal you might be tempted to sort out the garden. But remember that spring weeds such as dandelions are vital sources of nectar for pollinators, so consider letting them flower for a while before digging them out. TEST Join more than 6,000 people by putting your countryside knowledge to the test. Shooting enthusiasts are being encouraged to use the lockdown to take a free Accredited Game Shot test run by the GWCT. The test is free and is available at gwctknowledge.com.…

The winners of the Eat Game Awards 2019, in association with Taste of Game and Purdey, have been announced over social media following the cancellation of the ceremony in line with Government advice. Annette Woolcock, head of the Taste of Game initiative, said: “Under the current circumstances it is a joy to still be able to celebrate and reward those businesses that care about truly wild British produce; those that go the extra mile in the knowledge that you cannot beat wild game for sustainability, health and taste.” Among the winners was The Caddy Man in Jedburgh, which took the prize for best restaurant. Game dishes you can find on the menu include wild rabbit confit with smoked partridge, Borders’ roe deer, game pie, seared Borders’ woodpigeon or Lammermuir grouse…

There is a lot you can do during lockdown from the comfort of your own home to keep your eye in, ready for your return to pulling the trigger. Areas you can work on without even firing a shot include gun mount, footwork, vision and technique. Gun mount is one of the most effective and one where you can see real benefits quickly. First, establish the gun is unloaded and then set yourself up 2m away from a mirror. Start by placing the gun in your shoulder and your head on the stock, and pointing the bead at your eyeball in the reflection. For most game shooters you want to see the eyeball resting on the rib. If it doesn’t, your gunfit should be checked by a coach when lockdown…

The advertising blurb announces: “This crop is great for insects.” But which insects is it referring to? Since there are more insect species than all the rest of the world’s animals put together, it stands to reason that no one cover crop, nor even a mixture, can be good for them all. Insects are fashionable. My inbox has a missive from a wildlife trust telling me 41% of insect species are at risk of extinction. I suspect that is an exaggeration, and that many are rare, so the 41% does not imply that scale of decline in overall numbers or biomass. “For game chicks and ducklings, these little slow-moving lumps of food are crucial to early survival” Still, that does not detract from the worry. As a community, we who…

My mother’s most-used everyday cookbook in the 1970s was an edition of The Constance Spry Cookery Book that she must have been given after her wedding in the late 1950s. I still use many recipes from this great tome: the dark and sticky Belvoir ginger cake, the toffee pudding and her method for sugaring a roast ham. But as children our favourite was Maryland chicken. “Pheasant has too much flavour compared with the blandness of modern chicken” Imagine southern-fried chicken before KFC got hold of it — a fresher version served with plump but light corn fritters and fried banana. We thought it a great treat and years later when I made it for my own children they adored it too. It is not always easy to persuade a young…

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…

The .45 Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP) round was developed in 1904 by John Moses Browning to be teamed with his new pistol, which became the popular Colt M1911 automatic. The round, which was originally a 200-gr bullet moving at 900fps, was used in both World Wars and is still popular. The standard military round, which became a 230-gr bullet pushed at 830fps, is subsonic and lends itself to use in suppressed pistols. It was also used in the Thompson submachine gun. The .45 ACP provided soldiers with a close-range weapon possessed with good stopping power, which is exactly what the army wanted at the time. It has since been replaced by modern rounds with less recoil, higher velocity and similar terminal ballistics. DH…

1 dG 8x25 scope RRP: £1,650  uk.swarovskioptik.com The dG is the first long-range optical device that allows you to identify and document your sightings. The full potential of this scope is unlocked when you link it to your smartphone, which allows you to share your pictures and findings on the dG app and connect with other users. 2 Bearhunter rucksack chair RRP: £129.99  gb.harkila.com Versatile and waterproof, this rucksack chair is made with a strong steel frame. The detachable chair has a pocket for a thermos flask and two outer pockets. The rucksack itself is hard-wearing and should last for years, making it perfect for any country enthusiast. 3 1100 OVIS GTX hunting boot RRP: €265; SALE: €199  en.zamberlan.com This boot was designed to cope with hard…

Ewe and her lamb shot with air rifles Police are hunting thugs who brutally attacked a ewe and her lamb using air rifles. The lamb was killed after being hit with eight pellets. The ewe survived a similar number of hits but was left with serious injuries. The attack took place close to Loch Doon, near the town of Damellington in Ayrshire, at around 4.30pm on Sunday, 3 May. Inspector Christine Boyd of Galston Police Station said: “We believe those involved drove off in a red Ford Escort van and we are appealing to anyone who may have seen this van to contact police. Our officers will be patrolling the area and carrying out further inquiries into the incident.” Fantastic Ms Fox’s epic journey GWCT scientists have recorded a remarkable…

I am a weekly reader of your magazine and saw the six-ball challenge (News, 15 April and Letters, 29 April). I decided to have a go with my cockers Molly and Ruby, who both sat beautifully. I could see, however, the tennis balls were the biggest interest, despite having a rabbit dummy and plastic pheasant and duck in front of them. So I also rolled the tennis balls around them a few times, for extra steadiness. Next challenge please! S Johnson, by email…

Eyesight is key for shooting and staring at your phone during lockdown won’t have helped. There are exercises available online but, with such a sensitive body part for shooting, I prefer to consult a specialist. Ed Lyons, the ‘go-to’ vision specialist for many top shooters, has developed some eye training kits with several options for home use (visit ed-lyons.com). With any muscle, it is important to warm it up before training. Ed suggests the following: sit or stand in a relaxed position. Hold a pen about 6in from your face. Keeping your head still, move the pen slowly to the right and follow it with your eyes until you can go no further. Come back to the centre. Then repeat smoothly to the left, and back to centre. Then up…

POINTING IS ONE OF the most fascinating of dog behaviours and one that was recognised long ago as a useful trait to encourage in hunting dogs. Today, there’s a misconception that only pointers, setters and the continental HPR breeds point, but any breed of gundog will point, though it’s unusual for retrievers or spaniels to do so. There’s a logical reason for this, as pointing is a behaviour that spaniels or retrievers have never been selectively bred for. In contrast, all the pointing breeds have been carefully bred to encourage pointing; in the past, individuals that didn’t point would have been put down. I once had an English springer that pointed, though a better description would be that she indicated game. She was a great rough-shooting dog — if you…

THE METHOD Serves 4 to 6, depending on appetite Ingredients 4 PHEASANT BREAST FILLETS 4 TBSP PLAIN FLOUR, SEASONED WITH A PINCH OF SALT 1-2 EGGS, BEATEN 6 TBSP DRY BREADCRUMBS, OR MORE FOR THE SALSA 6 MILD GREEN CHILLIES, FINELY CHOPPED JUICE OF TWO LIMES 4 TBSP CHOPPED CORIANDER 4 TBSP CHOPPED PARSLEY FOR THE CORN FRITTERS MAKES 8 2 EGGS, SEPARATED 200G SUGAR-FREE CANNED SWEETCORN KERNELS, DRAINED (OR DEFROSTED FROZEN SWEETCORN) 90G FRESH BREADCRUMBS PINCH OF SEA SALT 1 TSP BAKING POWDER VEGETABLE OIL, FOR FRYING 2 LARGE BANANAS 1 To prepare the pheasant, use a sharp knife to cut out any bruising — it does not matter if a hole is made. Place the fillets, spaced well apart, between two large sheets of baking parchment. Hammer evenly…

Latin name: Laetiporus sulphureus Common name: Chicken-of-the-woods Other names: Sulphur polypore, sulphur shelf, crab-of-the-woods How to spot it and where to find it: This bright yellow mushroom is found on oak, cherry, sweet chestnut, willow and occasionally yew. The young fruiting bodies are pale yellow and rather globular, but they darken with age as they form tiers of fan-shaped brackets climbing up the host tree’s trunk. Interesting facts: It is considered to be one of the best mushrooms to eat, with a texture and flavour said to be like chicken — hence the popular name. It must be cooked before consumption and if you find it, take the smaller bodies, cut them into slices, brush with oil then fry them in breadcrumbs and serve with lemon juice. It also freezes…

Being of an adventurous disposition, I am in the habit every year of wading out among the rocks at low spring tide with a baited crab pot in each hand. On my return the next day, my prize will usually be several small but tasty velvet swimming crabs, some under-sized brown crabs, the occasional and extremely welcome lobster and, once, a large and angry eel. The big catch, however, is spider crab, a creature of southern and western coasts. Its Latin name is Maja squinado, appropriately meaning “the angled thing that arrives in May”. By the end of summer they are gone. Spider crabs often arrive so close to the shore that you can wade among them in waist-high water, a crab pot being superfluous. If you are not so…

I read with interest that the GWCT is about to undertake some research regarding the curlew. Funding is being sought to enable the use of satellite tracking of 20 birds to help to understand and discover why they have declined by 50% in recent years, and if this can be reversed. The GWCT has suggested, and rightly so, that we as an industry can be a key part of the mechanism for recovery. We must support such initiatives and assist in any and every way we can. This article made me think about the curlew under my management over the years. For a greater part of my career, I worked in the uplands where the curlew still had a stronghold. The management in place, principally for red grouse, gave the…