Innholdsfortegnelse for 05-Aug-2020 i Shooting Times & Country

About a month ago, I had a pint with a folk singer who told me that things like mountain biking are all good and well but to what extent do people out on their bikes ever really stop and engage with the beauty around them? His words came back to me at the weekend when I was standing behind a hedge in East Anglia, soaked to the skin, trying to shoot a few woodpigeon for my supper. Over the course of a couple of hours, I saw a kestrel, two kites, five oystercatchers, three mallard and a muntjac. It wasn’t a wholly successful outing in terms of sport but I did head back inside with three birds, which was enough to make pigeon wellington. That night, as I lay in…

Gwent Police have issued a special warning to gundog owners as a spate of working dog thefts continues across the country. The force took to social media to warn gundog owners in south-east Wales to take particular care. The force’s rural crime team tweeted: “IMPORTANT MESSAGE - Over the last 24hrs Gwent Police has received three reports of theft of working/breedingspaniels/dogs from around the force. Locks/cameras have been removed/ smashed on secure kennels/ buildings. Please ensure dogs are chipped and consider further security measures.” Among the reported crimes was the theft of four gundogs from a farm on Bedwellty Road, Markham. Three liver-and-white working springers were taken along with a Jack Russell. Near Newport six spaniels were stolen in an early morning raid, with thieves targeting kennels at 3.30am on…

The start of cereal harvesting has brought an upsurge in incidents of illegal coursing. In Cambridgeshire, police found 10 hares killed by a single team in one night, with another four teams believed to be operating in the county at the same time. Cambridgeshire officers seized a number of vehicles from suspects in recent weeks. They warned the public not to attempt to intervene in coursing incidents as the perpetrators are often armed and willing to use vehicles as weapons. Suffolk police asked for Shooting Times readers to be on the lookout for a blue Subaru Forester with the registration DV02 XXJ, which has been reported as involved in coursing and was spotted transporting a number of sight hounds. In Surrey, events took a disturbing turn for gamekeeper Les Bashford,…

CATTLE TATTLE Many thanks for the great article about the White Park cattle (Sporting Answers, 15 July); it brought back a couple of great memories. I’d forgotten my dad taking me, aged five, while on holiday to see the Duke of Hamilton’s White Cattle at Lennoxlove Haddington, then a chat with my late grandfather about train travel in the early 1920s when his dad took him on a big adventure from their village to walk miles from Hamilton to the Cadzow High Parks to see these famous rare cattle. I’m now planning a trip with my two young ones to visit the White Park Cattle when things open up a bit more. D Torrance, by email PAWS FOR THOUGHT I was very interested in David Tomlinson’s article (Getting to the…

Harvest time is a very stressful one for the brown hare. Even though there is no food shortage, hares can find this time of change hard to bear. One minute there are golden flowing acres of crops, the next the combine has shaved them away, and soon after cultivation and drilling bring great areas of bare earth. Every year at this time, the GWCT receives reports of hares found dead but, on investigation, they are usually found to be in good physical condition and not emaciated or starved. However, it seems that the stresses of a rapidly changing world make them prone to disease flare ups, and the hares’ own personal type of coccidiosis has often been implicated in these sudden die-offs. It always strikes me that hares live their…

Off the bench, the S20 lived up to its minute of angle claims. Best accuracy went to the Winchester 150-gr with 2,689fps/2,409ft/lb with three-shot groups at 100 yards of 0.75in. The fastest were the 123-gr Sako Gameheads at 2,944fps/2,368ft/lb and groupings of less than an inch. The Hornady 150-gr SST loads gave 2,898fps with 2,798ft/lb energy and 0.95in groupings, while the Browning BXC 168-gr loads shot 2,524fps/2,377ft/lb and grouped bang on 1in. I fitted a Zeiss Duralyt scope and Stalon sound moderator that only increased the overall length to 44.85in. With the crops well grown and the cover dense, stealthy stalking was a must. The compact nature of the S20 was appreciated, as were the synthetic stock and Cerakote finish that meant the wet foliage and damp soil weren’t a…

Over the years, I’ve had a number of encounters – none of them pleasant – with masked hunt saboteurs, so I’ve long thought that it should be illegal to wear a face covering in public. Alas, the panic caused by the coronavirus means that face masks are here to stay, whether we like it or not. As I refuse to wear a mask unless I absolutely have to, my shopping is now either online or at the local outdoor farmers’ market, where the prices may be high but the quality unbeatable. I always enjoy talking to the producers, too. I recently read an article by a woman who didn’t want people to pat her dogs because of the risk of catching the virus from the dogs’ fur. As far as…

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@futurenet.com By post:…

With so many of the normal channels of communication among keepers closed this year due to the pandemic, it’s been hard to meet up with friends and colleagues to get a feel for the potential prospects of this coming season. It’s never easy to predict in advance how things will pan out. I find it vital to be able to chat with other wild-bird keepers. Shared experiences can add a lot to your thought process and strengthen your initial findings, confirming the ups and downs of the breeding season. In lieu of the Game Fair and being able to chat at the local pub, the telephone has been red-hot recently. Data has been flooding in about how the grouse moors have fared. Grouse, a most special wild bird, is a…

BEE MESSY Manage vegetation sensitively. In high summer, with vegetation at peak growth, it can be tempting to take the strimmer to paths and around where pegs will be. But hold off where you can. Summer flowers can provide vital nectar for honeybees, which will allow them to get through the winter. A little loss of tidiness may pay dividends for biodiversity. PEST CONTROL Keep a close eye on the fields. Freshly cut cereal stubbles offer some of the best feeding and can attract large numbers of woodpigeon. This makes them ideal for some “strategic control”, which can be a good way to help prevent serious damage to crops in the spring.…

I have been reading with interest the lead/non-lead debate for shooting game. No one has thought about what the end user wants. The final consumer of game requires a good, nutritious, healthy game meal. The retail sector is keen to remove lead from game meat to open up to a bigger market (ie, selling to customers who are not happy with game being shot by lead). The debate that has circulated is about whether the new lead-free ammo is any good and should the organisations be backing a phasing out of lead. The whole industry needs to take a positive stance and try the new bio ammo and Jocker cartridges, see what they are like and report back. The more hunters/shooters who do this means we can then build a…

Time and again some well-meaning person or body calls for a closed season for hares, but at GWCT we think that is actually a bad idea. Aside from the fact that precious few hares are shot in spring and summer, there is the very real issue of damage. With hares legally able to be shot at any time of year, a farmer with a problem can set about dealing with it if he or she wants to. If there were a closed season, and someone anticipated damage, the incentive to hit the hares hard during the open season would be much stronger, and we believe that hares would be worse off as a result.…

Incredible. A truly pivotal rifle that is priced correctly, is intrinsically accurate straight from the box, handles totally naturally, is reliable and fully adjustable. I have ordered one. 19 /20 Accuracy Extremely accurate straight out of the box. 19 /20 Handling Excellent balance and smooth bolt operation. 19 /20 Trigger Good adjustable factory trigger with a predictable and safe operation. 19 /20 Stock Superb ergonomics and take-down, exchange and storage features. 20 /20 Value Excellent value for money, a bargain at the price. 96 /100 Overall Score Sako has a winner on its hands with this innovative centrefire.…

Real Mexican tortillas, made with genuine cornmeal or masa harina, have been on my mind all summer. It began with two books. The first was the brilliant thriller American Dirt, written by Jeanine Cummins, which tells the story of a mother and her son, and their desperate escape from the cartels via the migrant trains through Mexico. Tacos, the comfort food of the nation — stuffed, folded cornmeal flatbreads or tortillas — feature often in the novel. In my other read, Cooking in Marfa, the cookbook of The Capri restaurant in Texas, authors Rocky Barnette and Virginia Lebermann sum up the role of the tortilla: “The tortilla can be your napkin and spoon. Comfort yourself in its warm, steamy skin” “The tortilla can be your napkin and your spoon at…

Latin name: Lapsana communis Common name: Nipplewort Other names: Ballogan, holgan weed, poor man’s friend, succory dock-cress How to spot it and where to find it: Found in cultivated fields, wasteland, field and woodland margins and hedgerows, nipplewort looks similar to the dandelion and, in gardens, is considered a common weed. Its pale yellow flowers, formed on slender, erect stems, are smaller than those of the dandelion and only open in sunshine. Interesting facts: The name Lapsana is Latin for ‘charlock’, a wild mustard that nipplewort is said to resemble. Communis simply means ‘growing in company’; where there is one nipplewort plant, there will be plenty. The common name comes not only from the fact that the seed capsule of the plant resembles a nipple but also its medicinal properties…

1 XM1 PCP air rifle RRP: £395  gmk.co.uk The new, ergonomic surfaces make this rifle appear strong and robust. These same surfaces are designed with a multifunctional view to cater for the avid Shot. It is available in .177 and .22 calibres and comes with a 3-9x40 scope, two mounts and a sound moderator. 2 Chatbourne smock RRP: £219.95  alanpaine.co.uk This smock features reinforced fabric shoulders to make the gun recoil more comfortable and increase its durability. It also has a fleece-lined kangaroo pouch pocket and a concealed chest pocket, which are ideal for storing all your valuables and essentials. 3 Snipe overtrousers RRP: £179.95  schoffelcountry.com Offering excellent protection from the elements, these trousers are windproof, waterproof and breathable. They are ideal for wet days in the…

If you shoot but are not a member of a fieldsports organisation, does that make you a freeloader? It’s a contentious question. In January 2017, I wrote: “To me, enjoying your shooting without being a member of any organisation is short-sighted and perhaps even selfish. Surely there is an organisation to suit every shooter? And even if you don’t think so, I do hope you will find ways to help fund essential research, or help at a Young Shots activity, or conservation — whatever.” Since then my attitude has hardened. One reason has been the way certain people boast about the cheap shooting insurance deals they’ve found and use this to attack membership organisations. They seem to think the only justifiable reason for joining an organisation is for the insurance…

Wildlife artists join up for online gallery The GWCT and three of the country’s leading wildlife artists have teamed up to create an online wildlife art gallery. The GWCT Wildlife Art Gallery features work from Ashley Boon, Rodger McPhail and Ian Greensitt, and offers pictures priced from £50 to £11,000, with 25% of all sales going to support the GWCT. You can have a look at the pictures and sculptures at gwctgallery.org.uk Free course for keepers ‘WAGs’ The Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust has launched a new course for the spouses of keepers. The HIND course has been specially created by Sally Thompson, who is one of the Trust’s volunteers and a trained mental health professional. She will also deliver the course, which is to be held online. The free course will…

In August 1998 I was a student, living with my parents on the edge of the New Forest. It was a vibrant rural community where I knew practically everyone and everyone knew me, albeit often as “Tony and Bet’s grandson”’. The hot summer days were spent wisely chasing squirrels, salmon, deer, beer and girls, my trusty old Land Rover winding along the dusty lanes from one adventure to the next. Trundling home one night, in the increasing light of dawn, my sleep-deprived attention was grabbed by two unexpected forms running under the NatWest cash machine in the centre of town. Scurrying away from my rattling conveyance was a mustelid outline. My tired eyes were disbelieving but my brain was rapidly alert, my synapses screaming ‘mink’ at sufficient volume to drown…

It will come as no surprise when I say I am obsessed by guns. I like everything about them — their texture, craftsmanship, ingenuity and their social/historical contexts. Touch any old gun and you shake hands with history. Yet for all that, there is something I like even more and that is adverts about old guns. They are a fleeting window into a bygone age just as old photographs are. Both freeze time and allow us to spend a brief moment in the period where things that we treasure today were born and used. Sources for gun and shooting adverts are many and varied; many old books carry them as do magazines, trade directories and manufacturers’ catalogues. Polished wood and finely wrought metal are things of beauty but printed paper…

Breeding questions on the UK’s Chinese water deer STALKING Q When does the Chinese water deer (CWD) rut take place, when are the young born and is it true that the young can breed in the year that they were born? A In England, the CWD rut takes place over seven to eight weeks, mainly in December with some activity expected in the last week of November right through until Tanuary. Gestation is estimated at being between 165 and 210 days, so the young are born between mid-May and Tuly. They are weaned around the three-month mark and by the time they reach six months old are about 80% of their adult weight. The rutting period in England matches the one in China. CWD have multiple births, with up to…

.280 ROSS The .280 Ross was the precursor to a surge in high-velocity small-bore rifles. It became popular immediately. Sportsmen were amazed at the killing power of a 160gr bullet driven at 2,700fps. Jeffery’s version pushed it even harder, achieving 3,000fps with a 140gr bullet. However, it perhaps flattered to deceive and was responsible for some notable deaths in the field. George Grey took on a charging lion and hit it with five shots, apparently with no effect, before it killed him. The Ross rifle for which the cartridge was designed was also liable to fail — the straight-pull bolt occasionally took backwards flight into the face of the unhappy trigger-puller. In all, the .280 Ross was an important gateway cartridge to the world of high-velocity loads and small bullets,…