Innholdsfortegnelse for 27-May-2020 i Shooting Times & Country

Last week, on what must have been the hottest day of the year so far, I went to Suffolk in the hope of seeing some turtledoves. Many East Anglian readers will probably know of Graham Denny and the luckiest may have even faced his infamous partridges. Not long after arriving, I heard that purring sound of summer in the trees while drinking a cup of coffee in the yard. Looking up, I saw one of Britain’s last turtledoves perched in an old willow. Then, we set off round the field to check the traps. Halfway along a dense patch of bramble, Graham stopped and pointed into the scrub. “There’s a nest of long-tailed tits in there. See the two yellow bills?” It took me a while but eventually I made…

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) is urging gamekeepers and land managers to get out and count grey partridges. The Trust, which is considered a world-leading authority on the birds, uses data collected by volunteers during spring and autumn to assess how many birds are breeding and how successful they have been . “I would strongly encourage anyone who has signed up for the Partridge Count Scheme to get out into the fresh air, see some wildlife and count partridges on your land while there is still time this spring. For those who have already done so, please do not forget to return your count form to us,” said the GWCT’s head of project, Julie Ewald. Gamekeeper Ed Coles, who works in the birds’ traditional heartlands in eastern England,…

The Country Food Trust has delivered its millionth meal to those in need during the coronavirus pandemic. The Trust produces game-based, pouched, ready-meals that simply need to be opened and heated up to provide a nutritious main course. The charity, which had closed down production until the game season, reopened at the beginning of the crisis in order to help ensure the most vulnerable were fed. The Country Food Trust’s CEO, Tim Woodward, said: “We launched our coronavirus appeal on 28 March 2020 and have been incredibly well supported by our existing supporters and a wide range of new donors, who are keen to help with what they hear is a growing and significant problem. Receiving funds swiftly enabled us to order and distribute an additional 100,000 of our game…

MAKING GOOD USE OF INSIDE INFORMATION Spending so much of my time in the countryside with rabbits, I get an instinctive feeling. This is based upon what I was always led to believe when I was younger: that if you get into the mind of the animal you are managing, you will be far more successful than if you don’t understand how it lives, moves and acts, especially under pressure. Looking back over the decades of rabbiting, I should have inwardly digested those sage words a lot sooner as it would have made my life a lot less stressful. Since I have moved to North Yorkshire, one particular rabbit on the farm has illustrated this in a more obvious fashion than his counterparts ever could. At the bottom of the…

This recipe is based loosely on the Savoyard classic tête de veau, or rolled head. It is made with salted, rolled, boiled and chilled veal’s head, or sometimes a pig’s head simply called tête roule – either is delicious. The meat, once cold, is dressed in cream, mustard, raw onion, parsley, salt and chopped egg. This version is a riff on that but made as a ‘must do’ as I had some lovely cold hare meat in the fridge. You can up the ante with capers or serve it with cornichons; I will leave the detail to you. This recipe will work with almost any leftover, slow-cooked game meat, but hare’s punchy and distinct flavour shines through. “Nothing, however, will spoil this dish like poor-quality eggs — you have been…

Latin name: Fragaria vesca Common name: Wild strawberry Other names: Alpine strawberry, fraise des bois How to spot it and where to find it: You might have to look hard for the wild strawberry, as it tends to nestle amid taller plants and grasses. It likes hedgerows, dry, grassy banks and shady woodland. Look for tiny white five-petalled flowers with golden centres on red stems and glossy leaves with toothed edges and hairy undersides. It flowers from April to July and the berries follow. Interesting facts: While nothing like the huge fruits found in supermarkets, our native wild strawberry is tiny but bursting with intense sweetness. Our forefathers knew the little fruits were good to eat, as archaeological evidence suggests that they have been consumed by humans since the Stone…

ALERT Watch out for Asian hornets. BASC is renewing its warning to look out for these giant insects, which are a serious threat to native pollinators. Any sightings should be reported immediately to DEFRA. A guide to identifying Asian hornets is available in the news section of the BASC website. FISHING Cast a dry fly for trout. The end of May and start of June is the height of the traditional dry-fly trout-fishing season, often using imitations of the ephemera, better known as mayflies. A dry fly cast upstream is one of the most traditional but also one of the most effective ways of targeting large and wary fish. Mayfly imitations are almost as varied as the flys themselves, but the ‘Adams’ patterns are a consistent favourite.…

Deputy Chief Constable Dave Orford, the national lead on firearms licensing, has given guidance to police forces on shooting during the COVID crisis. He said: “When considering outdoor shooting, police should view it in the same way they would for golf and fishing.” Recent government announcements have made it clear that these sporting activities are now permitted in England. The announcement continued: “My guidance to forces is clear: any facilities associated with outdoor sports and physical activities, including shooting ranges, can now reopen, if those responsible for them feel ready to do so and if they can do so safely, and in line with related public health guidance. My advice extends to outdoor pest control and deer management, on the proviso that they are doing so in line with guidance…

I must sympathise with M Grant’s sentiments (Letters, 13 May) on stalking. Over the past 30 years I have shot or seen shot in excess of 1,000 deer, plus dozens of other large game on three continents. As a North London lad of immigrant stock, getting into regular stalking was almost impossible. I was fortunate to meet my late friend Gerry Posner, also a North London lad, who unfortunately passed away at the age of 41. Gerry lived for a while in the countryside and fell in love with deer; although he knew nothing about them, he was fortunate to be a close neighbour of Eric Masters, perhaps Britain’s first professional stalker, who started his education. Gerry had thousands of acres of stalking in Wiltshire, West Sussex and Dorset. Most…

The long layoff from shooting during lockdown has been a frustrating time for many of us. Most of my shooting entails the control of grey squirrels, and it seemed difficult to justify a drive of 10 or so miles to keep my feeding stations going when we were all being told to stay at home. Consequently, for five weeks or so, my shooting was limited to using an airgun to punch paper targets in the backyard. It was a text from a farmer friend that eventually convinced me that a proper outing would be more than justified. His farm was inundated with crows, rooks and jackdaws that had initially homed in on the silage clamps. He explained that his maize silage was getting caked in corvids’ droppings and that the…

I do like the handling of Chapuis Armes guns and this was no different. On test on the towers at the shooting school, the handling was a delight using a variety of cartridges. Starting on the 40ft tower and working up to the 130ft tower, the handling and balance of the gun were exceptional. The trigger pulls were well regulated and the timing on the ejectors perfect. I shot different cartridge brands, from 28g to 32g, and found the recoil very soft due to the balance of the gun. If you are someone who uses cartridges in excess of 32g, this is probably not the gun for you. I would suggest something in excess of 8lb to keep the recoil manageable. The gun comes in a hard, plastic case with…

Keep it simple with wildfowl GAME COOKERY Q I want to create something delicious with all the wildfowl I shot with some friends in Wales at the end of last season. I have teal, woodcock and wigeon, all plucked and ready and in the freezer. How can I make the most of them? A Make the most of them by keeping it simple, rather than trying to do anything too complicated. Wildfowl is delicious, so it’s important to let the meat talk for itself. I would roast the birds by placing in a hot pan, browning them off on the stove, then popping in the oven and, once cooked, leaving to rest. Serve with some simple seasonal garnishes, plus purple broccoli, roast potatoes and any other vegetables you fancy. A…

.375 H&H MAGNUM Widely touted by commentators as the most versatile cartridge in the world, the .375 H&H was minted in 1912 and is still one of the most popular chamberings for the larger medium game rifle. Today, .375 H&H is the minimum specified calibre for big game in most African countries. Carrying a Woodleigh bullet of 350 grains, pushed at 2,300fps at the heavier end of the scale or a 270-grain Barnes TSX at 2,625fps at the lighter end, the .375 is well suited to any quarry from medium plains game or deer to elephant. Holland & Holland conceived the .375 as a high-velocity, cordite-propelled, belted cartridge suited to the magazine rifles that were gaining popularity just before World War I. It has proven to be a huge success.…

Since the lockdown started, this estate has been bombarded with walkers, cyclists and horse riders. One would have speculated that nature would have been given a break during this crisis but, from speaking to other keepers across the country, everyone is in the same boat. The general public have come out in force, walking where they wish, parking where they wish and generally ignoring all aspects of the Countryside Code. We are continuing in our game-shooting plans; game covers will soon be drilled and poults are on order. However, I worry how I will be able to keep game content with the hundreds of unruly dogs and owners walking around fields and through woodland. There are many local shoots that have decided not to go ahead this year. A welcome…

Recently, a 57-year-old man and his 19-year-old son were killed, and his daughter injured, by a water buffalo in Wales. The animal in question was reported to be of the Mediterranean breed of water buffalo — a strain developed in Italy, where its milk is used to make buffalo mozzarella cheese and ice cream. In the Welsh case, the animal had been hand-reared and was part of a herd, the milk from which is used to make eco-friendly soap. The photo originally accompanying the story on the BBC News website (and other news sites) showed a Cape buffalo — an entirely different species, one of the famous Big Five. Auntie Beeb’s a dear, isn’t she? We tend to refer to any large African animal as ‘big game’. But in Africa,…

Still time to apply for BASC scholarship The closing date for applications to BASC’s legacy funded scholarship programme 2020 has been extended until 17 July as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. BASC’s scholarship programme aims to support and encourage those wishing to develop their knowledge in conservation, land management or gamekeeping. It provides financial assistance to applicants where lack of funding obstructs education and future careers. Further details can be found on the BASC website. Newton Rigg college set to close Agricultural college, Newton Rigg, where many of the country’s top keepers learnt their trade, is set to close. There are currently 800 students at the college and the move would lead to 117 job losses. The news comes after Askham Bryan College, which runs the institution, asked for…

Dry weather persisted all through the end of March and into April. The hill was cracked and dusty without rain, and small eddies of wind rustled menacingly through the flossy grass. Into the last week of April, it was blatantly obvious that the slightest match or cigarette end could spark catastrophe – like many other parts of the UK, the Galloway Hills had been dried to a crisp. I had been working on a hill fence for several weeks and I watched the peat begin to crack with dryness as the days went by. Looking up from my chores one morning, I saw smoke in the distance and felt certain that we were in for some bad news. Following the track a couple of miles over the brow of the…

During lockdown I have been walking the same ground with my dogs on a daily basis. It’s debatable whether the walks have been for the benefit of the dogs or me, but I suspect that we have all enjoyed and benefited from the routine of daily outdoor exercise. I’ve always had an interest in birdsong, so on all of my walks I make a mental note of the birds I hear. It’s been a good year for cuckoos in my corner of Suffolk, and I’ve heard them every day since I registered the first bird calling on 22 April. A fellow dog-walker had heard one 10 days earlier, but I suspect that this was a passing individual, as it certainly didn’t linger. Garden warblers have also enjoyed a good spring,…

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 Email: stanswers@ti-media.com By post:…