Innholdsfortegnelse for 18-Nov-2020 i Shooting Times & Country

Last Saturday was gloomy. At about half-past eight, I remembered, on seeing my boots in the hall, that I was meant to be shooting in Bedfordshire but COVID-19 had put paid to that. The day was going to be at a friend’s farm where we shoot most years. The format is perfect. The bag is always modest and varied, we walk from drive to drive and guns are always out of slips, just in case anything breaks. Last year, as we were heading in for lunch, one of the dogs flushed a snipe from the rushes around an old pond and I caught it as it lifted and rose into the sun. Currently, along with the other fieldsports titles at Future — the publishing house we are now part of…

Of all the UK’s migrant quarry species, only European white-fronted geese are yet to arrive as woodcock falls begin. Early signs that a fall of the birds was under way included a sudden movement by Fonthill Abbie II, the GWCT-tagged woodcock, which had spent the summer in eastern Russia. On around 7 November the bird headed west, following a route a little to the south of that it had flown in spring. Passing through Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, the bird was last tracked to a location between Berlin and Leipzig in eastern Germany, where she rested for a few days. Woodcock also began to be spotted by coastal birdwatchers as they crossed the east coast, with sightings recorded on the British Trust for Ornithology’s BirdTrack app showing a distinct spike…

New restrictions are to be introduced on the possession of antique firearms as the Government seeks to crack down on the use of antique guns in crime. Under the Firearms Act, a certificate is not required for antiques. Now the list of calibres that are considered to be antiques is to be reduced. The Government has not published a list of which calibres are to be affected, but it is understood that they are calibres for which ammunition can readily be produced. The move follows the conviction in 2017 of firearms dealer Paul Edmunds, who had supplied antique guns and custom-made ammunition to criminals. During his sentencing remarks, Judge Richard Bond called on ministers to tighten the law around antique firearms. Explaining the move, the Home Office said: “There has…

A ROYAL BOOST FOR OUR CAUSE? It has always been reassuring that the shooting, hunting and fishing community could see that the House of Windsor also upheld the tenets of our way of life. We are being attacked from many directions for what we do, and the good that comes from our hands-on care of the environment is energetically pushed aside. The campaign figureheads we see in the media all present us as villainous despoilers and not the caring custodians of the countryside we enjoy and nurture. Now we hear that Prince George, at such a formative age, finds himself depressed [after watching Sir David Attenborough’s new film about extinction] and is possibly traumatised by exposure to the gloom and doom expounded in the media. Having brought up a family…

I feel it would be wrong of me to write about something else when the vast majority of us are quite rightly concerned about the very worrying increase in cases of COVID-19 and the associated local and national lockdowns. National lockdowns, such as those we have seen in Wales, Northern Ireland and England, prohibit most forms of shooting. There are very few exceptions. The difference this time is that the shooting season is in full swing and, as the vast majority of shoots rely on income from let days to pay some or all of the bills, it is really worrying. I have friends who are keepering on Welsh shoots in areas that were under local lockdown rules before the Welsh government introduced the 17-day ‘firebreak’ lockdown. They had Guns…

As I write, the country is being pushed into a second national lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19. The repercussions for rural communities and the shooting industry will be enormous, though thankfully we are allowed to continue with vital pest control. Having said that, the wild harvest is certainly keeping the pigeon away from farmers’ crops at present. There has been a significant reduction in winter oilseed rape being grown due to the cost of production. What rape is being grown is in fine condition and many crops have really grown well, almost to the point that unless the weather becomes very cold, pigeon will cause little damage this year. Consequently, the shooting has been very patchy. Overwintered stubbles have shot OK, but it changes from day to day.…

When, in early November, the Kennel Club announced the cancellation of the AV Spaniel, Cocker and HPR Championships, along with five of its own trials, nobody can have been surprised. Not only was it becoming increasingly difficult for dogs to qualify with so few trials running, but there was also the worry that a further lockdown or similar restrictions would come into force in January, stopping the various championships at the last minute. Cancelling makes sense and the only real surprise was that it hadn’t been announced earlier. The IGL Retriever Championship, due to be held at the end of this month, was cancelled in August. With admirable but possibly misplaced optimism, the HPR Championship had been rescheduled to take place at the end of January, rather than its original…

Ingredients 1 THREE-QUARTER-SIZED RABBIT, ABOUT 1.5KG 4 TBSP OIL 1 MEDIUM ONION, DICED 4 GARLIC CLOVES, SLICED 2BIRD’SEYECHILLIES 1 TBSP CURRY POWDER 1½TSPTURMERIC ½ TSP CHILLI POWDER 2 TSP GINGER PASTE (AVAILABLE FROM MOST SUPERMARKETS) 100G PEANUT BUTTER 1 TBSP SOY SAUCE LIME JUICE AND ZEST 1 LEMONGRASS STALK 1TBSPCORNFLOUR 600ML CHICKEN STOCK 400ML COCONUT MILK 1 TBSP BROWN SUGAR THE METHOD Serves 2 to 3 1 Fry the onions, garlic and chillies in the oil for two minutes in a wok or frying pan on a medium to high heat until they become soft. Then add the curry powder, turmeric and chilli powder. Keep stirring for another four minutes. 2 Add the ginger paste, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice and zest and continue to cook for…

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…

Latin name: Galeopsis tetrahit Common name: Hemp-nettle Other names: Common hemp-nettle, hemp deadnettle, false hemp, bee-nettle, blind-nettle, day-nettle, dog-nettle, glidewort, holyrope, brittle-stem hemp-nettle How to spot it and where to find it: Hemp-nettle’s flowering season is in late summer, though in a mild year like this it can flower into October or even November. Those flowers, purple-pink or white, are rather mouth-like — with an upper hood and a lower ‘lip’ — though not unattractive. But they are said to have an unpleasant smell. The flowers at the top of the plant form seeds, with each plant producing anything from 380 to more than 2,000 seeds. Hemp-nettle likes disturbed ground, so can be found on arable land, waste ground, roadsides and woodland clearings, as well as beside streams and rivers.…

“If I understand the… rule of six correctly, it is illegal for seven children to feed ducks but legal for 30 men to shoot ducks.” So read a letter to the Financial Times. Highlighting the apparent anomalies of various Government structures during the COVID-19 restrictions has provided all sorts of amusement for commentators. Much of the comment has been humorous, but some has had a darker purpose. Witness the way the Labour Party pounced on grouse shooting during the first lockdown. Despite this outdoor activity satisfying every logical test for exemption, Labour’s class warriors resorted to the well-worn tactic of sending a letter of protest to the Government. The sole purpose of such a letter is, of course, to ensure that the media publish it. I doubt Sir Keir and…

BE ALERT Anyone looking after poultry or gamebirds must be on high alert for outbreaks of avian influenza, otherwise known as bird flu, after another case of a highly pathogenic strain was detected last week. If you are unsure about how to identify bird flu you should visit bit.ly/GOVbirdflu or contact your vet. All suspected cases must be reported. CONTROL Autumn can be a good time to control mink and getting on top of them can have a huge positive influence on waterbirds and small mammals. The GWCT mink raft is recognised as the best tool for monitoring and controlling mink. For more details, including instructions on how to build one and guidelines for use, visit bit.ly/GWCTminkraft…

The idea that ancient men hunted animals while women gathered edible plants is being overturned by new archeological discoveries. Anthropologists reviewed evidence from burials across the Americas, which included one in Peru of a young woman. The woman, who was in her late teens, was buried around 9,000 years ago with a 24-piece kit of hunting items, including spear points and stone skinning knives. Remains found at the site suggest she hunted deer and camelids such as llamas and alpaca. The team reviewed details of burials “from Alaska to Argentina”, all of which took place at least 8,000 years ago. They found that women made up one-third to a half of all burials that can be attributed to hunters. Marin Pilloud, an associate professor in anthropology at the University of…

I was interested to read Richard Negus’s article about game books (Turn-up for the books, 28 October). We have both estate and personal game books, the latter going back to the 1870s and the former back to 1888 when my great-great-grandfather rented Auchlyne. Some of the entries, especially in the personal books, make for interesting reading. In 1872 one of my ancestors killed his first grouse with a catapult. It appears that my grandfather and grandmother spent two or three months of the winter in Egypt and Palestine, possibly with the army. The entries include quail, snipe, woodcock, chukar, duck and sandgrouse. There are also photos of fish caught, which look like tigerfish. Another entry is “1 mongoose” while “4 coots, 1 pelican and a heron” are also recorded. Back…

As we entered Keats’ “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”, here on the Atlantic Irish coast we experienced a bit of each. An unusually calm and mild September in Kerry gave way to a wet and foggy October and, while the pace of life for us Homo sapiens continued to be dominated by the coronavirus, it was profoundly reassuring to see that within the deer population it was very much business as usual. Shrinking daylight hours were silently registered by cervine pituitary glands across the country, kickstarting the annual hormone surge that would culminate in the rut. Mature sika stags started drifting in from the margins and showing up in the usual stands throughout September. By the end of the month, the hills and forests of the county once again…

NOW, THE INSCRIPTION PRO IS high-end and jam-packed with gadgets and gizmos. Its understated luxury and newfangled technology comes at a price. That price is £73,970, on the road. I know that’s a load of money, but when compared with its rivals with the same kit, that’s actually not too bad. The XC90 ticks many Shooting Times boxes for me, a proper all-rounder with good eco credentials. From driving around town to getting away on a country sporting break, the XC90 is more than capable and it does it with understated Swedish style.…

Bedfordshire Police have appealed for help after seizing what are believed to be stolen dogs. The force removed 12 dogs during a raid earlier this month. Eight of them have now been reunited with their owners; however, police have been unable to find the owners of the remaining four. Three of the dogs appear to be working-type spaniels: two are black-and-white cocker spaniels and one is a black-and-white cocker or springer. The fourth dog appears to be a brown-and-white, mixed-breed dog. Dave Brecknock, the officer investigating the kennel thefts, said: “We know the massive emotional impact that these dogs being stolen has had on their owners. “We have managed to reunite the majority of the dogs we recovered with their owners, but we’ve had no luck with these last four…

No shooting before at least 3 December Driven game shooting can not begin again until 3 December at the earliest. Garry Doolan, BASC’s deputy director of communications and public affairs, explained : “There was a great deal of uncertainty and confusion around the end date for lockdown and BASC contacted the offices of various ministers and MPs last week to get clarity. Shooting, like everything else, needs to be able to plan ahead, especially in the middle of the game season. The Government has now provided definitive advice that 2 December is expected to be the final day of lockdown and the restrictions will be in place throughout the entirety of 2 December. Time to beef up out-of-date law Gamekeeper and Shooting Times contributor Ed Coles has launched a petition…

This has been a summer of extremes, a year of restrictions, challenges both judicial and governmental — 2020 is a year we will not forget. Nonetheless, the seasons come and go, spring into summer, summer into autumn. Birds nest, hatch, fledge and fly. Harvest is over and the game season begins. Grouse on the moors, partridges in the fields, wildfowl on the marshes and pheasants in the woods. We have worked hard this year, whether in office, field or yard, and have had to get used to a ‘new normal’ in our work and daily life. At times, our social contact has been minimal and virtual. The one opportunity we get to meet is in the field and, this year, even that is at risk. Those of us who have…

For years, I have been serving a stiff drink or three to my mushroom-hunting companions first thing in the morning. For the peaceable pursuit of mushrooms, it is perfectly acceptable to hit it hard and early, provided one of us (me) is sufficiently compos mentis to tell a mushroom from a toadstool. So as something of a renowned outdoor drinker, and a morning drinker to boot, the idea of field cocktails appeals enormously. Hard and early is not suitable, however, for a shoot, so restraint is sensibly exercised until elevenses and even then only light refreshments are in order. Yes, I know that such noble aims are not always met, but let us pretend. The classics of sloe gin with the juice of sloes and a drink involving sloe gin…

Though crop protection is a job I usually carry out with a 12-bore, the airgun has been the tool of choice on several occasions this autumn. When pigeon and corvids are hammering seed drillings, a shotgun enables me not only to take birds on the wing but also to make lots of noise — so even when I miss birds I’m still driving them away. The disturbance caused by a booming 12-bore isn’t always welcome, though, especially when the crop is close to houses. In this scenario, an airgun provides a discreet solution, and I recently wrote about a memorable day shooting pigeon and crows over maize stubbles with an air rifle (Add crows for luck, 21 October). This week I found myself in a similar situation after a farmer…

AS A PROFESSIONAL writer, I’ve always tried to write plain English that’s easy to understand. Unfortunately, lawyers don’t do the same, as I was reminded last year when I sold one house and bought another. I’m not sure what trainee solicitors are taught at law school, but expressing themselves clearly and concisely in written English doesn’t appear to be a required skill. The same is true of civil servants who pen legislation. I have been reading through the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Part VIII, Control of Dogs. The first two points, under the heading “Seizure of stray dogs”, read as follows: 1 Every local authority shall appoint an officer (under whatever title the authority may determine) for the purpose of discharging the functions imposed or conferred by this section for…

I love a good curry, especially a nice aromatic coconut one. I have written a handful of rabbit recipes over the past year, but this one is a particular favourite. As we head deeper into the winter, it makes for really hearty soul food and is absolutely packed full of flavour. For this recipe, I use a three-quarter-sized rabbit. Do try to avoid anything too old or tough, as the meat can be a little bit drier. Being a big fan of spicy foods, I often experiment with different types of curries. I particularly like an aromatic Indonesian-style curry, which is where I got my inspiration for this dish. The peanut butter works really well with the rabbit and slightly thickens the sauce. For this rabbit, I used my Ruger…

Schultze, the original ‘smokeless’ powder, was introduced in the mid-1860s by Nobel Industries. This white, 42-grain bulk powder was suited to firing heavy charges as well as standard loads, while maintaining moderate chamber pressures. It was made from nitrated pellets of wood impregnated with barium nitrate and potassium nitrate. Eley loaded a Pegamoid paper case lined with metal in order to make it both watertight and gastight. Into this, it packed Schultze powder under 1 1/16oz of shot. It also loaded Schultze into its Special Wildfowling cartridge, loaded with 1 1/8oz of shot. One of the stranger claims to fame the company made was that the Prussian factory where it was founded burned down in 1869. A blackpowder factory would have exploded.…

CLIMATE HYBRID JACKET This jacket features groundbreaking technology which uses an insulating membrane that works to retain warm air molecules. Once the body has warmed up, the membrane helps maintain the temperature, while allowing any moisture to wick away through its outer membrane. For the cold winter months this insulated, waterproof jacket will keep you warm on a day on the peg or stalking from a high seat. ❚ RRP: £249.99 ❚ gb.seeland.com SUPERTRAP NO 3 This is everything you could want from a manual clay pigeon trap. It provides a huge variety of targets, including single and double rising clays, and can throw three types of clay sizes up to 95m. It is very flexible, so you are sure to have lots of fun along with a potentially challenging…