Innholdsfortegnelse for 24-Jun-2020 i Shooting Times & Country

One of the pleasanter effects of lockdown is that I’ve found myself recalling memories that had faded away when life was busier. Some weeks ago, while making a venison ragout, I remembered beating on a grouse moor and suddenly seeing hundreds of mountain hares on the high ground above us. By now you’ll have heard that last Thursday the Scottish Government banned hare culling. The narrative peddled by those for the move is that the creatures are being eliminated by gamekeepers. The hole in the argument is that research shows hare numbers are more numerous on grouse moors than on areas not managed for shooting. Alongside curlew, snipe and lapwing, mountain hares thrive on moorscapes that would have long ago become lifeless commercial forestry if not for fieldsports. But increasingly…

It always amazes me how many people are seduced by the aesthetic of a gun before they’ve even analysed how well it’s built and given some serious thought to how it handles. I suppose, in many ways, that’s the point. We all like pretty things, it’s simply human nature, so if a manufacturer can churn out well-figured stocks and laser up some pretty engraving, a potential customer decides to buy at first glance. It’s love at first sight and no matter what you do your mind will allow that gun to feel and handle perfectly for you while you’re in the shop and even for the first couple of outings. It’s a condition I like to call ‘new gun syndrome’. You have no hang-ups with the gun so you shoot…

Hares are captivating animals. It’s easy to see why they have featured in a wealth of folklore and mythology over the years, and we are continuously drawn to ponder the secretive life of a creature that is graceful, cryptic and even ‘mad’. Brown hares are thought to have been introduced to Britain from Europe, although it’s hard to place a precise date on when they first arrived. The animals prospered as Britain was steadily converted from wildwoods and fenland into a rich agricultural countryside, and the native mountain hares were gradually squeezed back to the hills and moorlands of the north. Hares had always been viewed as mystical animals and they were closely bound to ancient pagan beliefs, intertwined with fertility rites and the idea of rebirth and renewal. It’s…

THE EARLY DAYS OF OWNERSHIP Ferrets are being born in lockdown left, right and centre. To many of us, it becomes second nature to raise ferrets but to some it can be a daunting task. Giving your kits the best start in life starts with the mating. Pick the right ferrets and leave the jill to her devices for the 42-odd day pregnancy. Two weeks away from the due date you marked on your calendar, make sure she has ample nesting materials and is in good health. A good diet, plenty of fresh water and the vital peace and quiet from prying eyes. Once born, resist the temptation to take a peak when you hear the high-pitched squeals from her nesting chamber. At around three weeks, whilst they are still…

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…

This trout fly is as simple as it gets – just black cock hackle and peacock herl on a dry fl y hook. It takes just minutes to tie and is a good searching pattern. The Black and Peacock imitates a swimming and drowning beetle and is best suited for stillwaters and rivers close to the forest. This fly is certainly a fish catcher but it isn't the most traditional fly. It might be best to use it when no one is watching if you are afraid of losing a bit of credibility.…

CHECK Make sure the pheasant release pens are secure. With many shoots preparing to accept delivery of their season’s supply of poults, now is the time for final checks on pens to be made. Ensure they are secure, paying particular attention to weak points such as entrances. Also make sure all wire is well buried or is turned out and pegged down firmly. Remove any overhanging branches and clear obstructions from round the pen’s perimeter. SHOOT There has been a deluge of rain across the country meaning that pigeon will be switching onto laid barley. Do your local farmers a favour by asking them if you can decoy some pigeon that are damaging their crop. If the weather is hot make sure you keep the birds in the shade to…

In the letter What the Romans did for us, I was reminded of an encounter in 1998. I was employed to look after public countryside sites and nature reserves in Hampshire, and part of the job was to keep on top of some rabbit populations as discreetly as I could. One day I met an American couple on holiday on one of my sites, and I got into conversation with them. The man asked at some point whether I looked after Watership Down? Explaining that it was 20 miles to the north, I then set off at length with comments such as: “That bloody book!” Then, into my stride, I said that the book had enlivened people we referred to as fluffy bunnies, who were convinced that bunnies have visions,…

LAST SEASON, I admired a handsome black cocker dog I met on a shoot. His owner, unaware that I make a living from writing about gundogs, proceeded to give me a short lecture on cockers. He assured me that it was a far older breed than the springer, which is debatable, then asserted that there was no point in getting a cocker that wasn’t solid black or liver, as these were the best workers, as their successes in trials had proven. There’s no disputing the fact that solid black or liver has become the prevailing colour in working cockers, but this isn’t so much because these dark, solid-coloured spaniels are the best workers but due to the fact that the dominant working cocker sires in recent years have been solids.…

One of the few criticisms thrown at game meat is that it can sometimes have the propensity to go dry after cooking. This is especially true of pheasant if it isn’t handled with a bit of care and sensitivity. Even with the buttery yellow fat on the breast of a mature bird, the meat can still dry out, but brining is quite literally the solution to this issue. A brine, or wet cure, is a saline liquid that has been flavoured. It is a bit like a marinade, but has more curing qualities than that. When the meat is fully submerged in the brine, the salt in the liquid draws out the moisture via a process of osmosis. The muscle filaments in the meat then start to relax due to…

Latin name: Glaucium flavum Common name: Yellow horned poppy Other names: Horned poppy, bruisewort, sea poppy, seaside poppy How to spot it and where to find it: The yellow horned poppy is a coastal plant that grows on shingle beaches, cliffs and sand dunes. The golden-yellow flowers appear in June and are followed by the ‘horns’ — curling seedpods that can be up to 30cm long. When it is broken, the plant exudes a yellow sap that is poisonous. The poppy is easily recognised when seen in its beach habitat. It has yellow petals and blue-grey leaves that are fleshy, covered with fine hairs and lobed. It often forms in clumps and is mostly found around the coast of England and Wales, as far north as the Wash on the…

1 Meindl Dovre MFS GTX Leather Hunting Boots RRP: £289.99 farlows.co.uk The shorter boot in Meindl’s Dovre range is ideal for roe buck stalking and is said to be comfortable straight out the box. They are totally waterproof, of course, and as with all leather boots, they will look better and better with age. 2 Teales Premier Loader’s Bag RRP: £199.99 forelockandload.com This is a classic loader’s bag with a few clever details. It has 20 pairs of double cartridge pockets on the front and a large mouth for easy access into the bag itself. It is designed to hold 200 cartridges comfortably, but can hold 250 at a push. 3 Ultimate Jacket RRP: £180 browning.eu Designed to cope with any weather you find yourself in, this…

A stolen gundog featured in Shooting Times has been recovered by its owner. Pip, a springer spaniel belonging to gamekeeper Francis Bere and his partner, Emily Kretz, was snatched from their kennel in Somerset late last year. At the time, Emily described the theft as “a punch to the heart”. Last week, Emily contacted Shooting Times to say that more than six months after the theft, Pip had been dumped at a veterinary practice in Birmingham. The practice had read his microchip and the dog had been recovered. While Pip’s case provided some welcome good news, across the country gundog thefts have continued. On the night of the 13-14 June, thieves broke into Lindcoly kennels at Freckenham near Newmarket, Suffolk. They snatched four flat-coated retrievers: a male called Oscar and…

BASC’s COVID-19 safe shoot service BASC is launching a new service to help shoots reopen safely. The COVID-19 guidance visits will help shoots identify and manage risks connected to COVID -19. The visits will be undertaken by BASC regional staff and will be available to BASC-affiliated clubs/syndicates and BASC gamekeeper members. The service will initially be available in England and Northern Ireland but will become available in Scotland and Wales as government restrictions are eased. Restrictions stop play at Game Fair The Game Fair has been postponed yet again and will now take place in July 2021. Hopes that it might be able to take place this summer have been dashed by the continuing COVID-19 restrictions. The Northern Shooting Show has also been cancelled. In a short announcement the show’s…

Despite gloomy headlines and tales of decline at a national level, 2020 seems to have been a bonanza year for curlews in Galloway. Having found five broods of young curlews over the past week, it’s worth pondering how this came to pass. I was under the impression that dry conditions in April and May meant that our moors were too dry and hard for adult birds to feed. The ground felt powdery, and a huge wildfire raked our heather away in a single swoop. I made the assumption that all nesting attempts had been cancelled or postponed until 2021, but the truth is that adult birds often seem to ‘vanish’ during incubation and my pessimism was proved wrong. Five broods might sound like plenty, but that tally is drawn from…

Growing up as I did about as far from the sea as one can get in this country, my knowledge of seabirds was limited to rather large ones like the herring and black-backed gulls that came inland to raid the lambing fields every spring. I did, however, spend some time pouring over books (there was no internet then), which gave me an insight into just what there was to be seen at the coast. When the day came, many years later, and I was bobbing around trying to catch some fish at sea, and a bird landed in the water close to us, I knew instantly I was looking at a fulmar. They are an almost kind-looking seabird, not large – up to 18 inches or so – and weighing…

So, after negotiations between the trade associations and the government to enable shooting to restart, I was able to wander slowly back into the school suffering significant withdrawal symptoms, having not pulled a trigger for some time. Shortly before we had to close I did the test on the Fausti XF4 .410, which brought a massive smile to my face. It will be interesting to see if the Class Round 28-bore with 32in barrels does the same. This gun targets the game market and whilst it comes in a range of calibres, I was fascinated to see how it performed with long barrels in this bore size. The first thing you cannot miss on taking the gun out of the case is that it is fitted with a bright orange…

My new house is bordered on one side by a long-distance footpath, though most of the people who use it are local dog walkers. The path is separated from the garden by a thick hedge, so walkers can pass by totally oblivious to my presence. I’m getting to know the names of some of the passing dogs, even though I’ve yet to see the animal itself. It is, of course, the naughtiest dogs whose names I hear most often, simply because these are the dogs who have to be shouted at, and their name repeated. When out in the garden, as I have been a lot this spring, I’ve become an unwitting eavesdropper on a number of conversations (always one-sided) between owners and dogs. There are some owners who conduct…

I’ve been left high and dry STALKING Q Last year, three of us built a permanent high seat overlooking a replanted area of about 10 hectares in a conifer block of around 200 hectares that we rent for roe stalking. For ease of access and because the owner insisted that we put in a lot of effort to protect the new trees, the seat is at the lowest side of the clearing, looking uphill. So far, despite spending many hours in the seat (which holds two of us at a time), we have yet to see any deer, let alone shoot one. We are at a loss to know what we are doing wrong. Any ideas or pointers would be gratefully received. A As a starting point, are there deer…

.450 (3¼IN) The .450 BPE was developed in the 1870s and refined into one of the most popular rifle cartridges of the 19th century. Ideal as a deer and plains game cartridge, it was pressed into service by African hunters to take on dangerous game as well. For elephant, a 365gr hardened lead bullet was effective. For lion, the same weight but with a softer projectile was a favourite of 20th-century professional hunter John Taylor. Ernest II of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha reputedly shot running deer with a .450 at 480 yards. The cartridge is a straight-walled, rimmed, centrefire case with a jacketed soft-point bullet. A 365gr bullet travels at 1,700fps and the lighter 275gr bullet will achieve 1,975fps. Rifles chambered for this round can be used today with Kynoch nitro for black…

Despite all my rain-dancing efforts, we still haven’t had a drop here in my part of the Chilterns. My game cover seeds are still in the bag they arrived in and the seed beds are so dry that not even a single weed has sprouted in them. I think this may be the latest that my game covers have ever been drilled and, due to being organic, they are really going to struggle to get going unless we receive some regular moisture combined with heat. Last year was a similar struggle, although my main issue was huge flocks of corvids pulling out the plants and seeds before they could establish. Scarecrows and bangers just about managed to keep them off but they soon became wise to the deterrents. This year,…

For shooters to complain about paying for medical reports is a complete no-no in the current political climate. The saga of widely varying fees for the screening of the medical records continues, but it is surely unseemly to harp on about this while the NHS is battling COVID-19 on our behalf. More importantly, we need to recognise that the main body representing GPs, the British Medical Association (BMA), is not a shining beacon of altruism. On 10 June, a report in primary care journal The Pulse revealed that the BMA had told GPs that they were not obliged to offer patients routine COVID-19 antibody testing. This appears to contradict guidance issued by NHS England, which had earlier said that GPs could offer the test to any patients who were having…