Innholdsfortegnelse for 16-Dec-2020 i Shooting Times & Country

Occasionally in the Shooting Times office, usually an hour or so before we go to press, I get a call from one of my contributors: “That piece, by the way… well, some of the people in it…” It’s a conversation I’ve had enough times that I can quickly get a sense of where it’s going. “…They don’t want their colleagues to know they shoot, so would it be possible to have a look at which pictures you’ve used and could you cut some names out?” In the moment, it’s a nightmare but usually, a few hours after it’s happened, I find myself wondering what the consequences could possibly be of those at work discovering a person enjoys harvesting a few pheasants over dogs. Certainly, it’s up to them and we…

IT’S GOOD TO BE OUT AND ABOUT Thank goodness lockdown mark two has ended — fingers crossed! — and we can resume the country pursuits we love and cherish. Whether it’s duck flighting over a pond, stalking geese on the foreshore, bagging rocketing pheasants or crafty partridges, shooting over ferrets or riding hell for leather after hounds hot on a trail, I urge everyone to get out and do as much as they can. While I hate to be a Cassandra, I can’t help but fear that, come January, we will be under national lockdown again, the price we must pay for the Government’s controversial “five days of Christmas” relaxation of the coronavirus rules. Of course it’s wonderful news that we in the UK will soon have access to a…

Team culling accounts for the largest proportion of the deer that are killed on the estates where I do most of my stalking. The reason for this is pretty obvious. Someone like me, getting on the ground about once a week, can only devote a limited amount of time to shooting deer and I can only be in one place at a time. But if I get a small team of capable and experienced Rifles and place them in good positions, morning and evening, over two or three successive days, I can multiply the opportunities for a useful cull. Instead of a single Rifle bringing two or three carcasses to the larder, it is reasonable to expect half-a-dozen stalkers to bring 20 over three days. It’s been a strange year…

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:…

Continuing my theme of moving away from game roasts, pies and stews, I have been taken with the idea of partridge rillettes, though it could be pheasant or duck rillettes, I suppose. Rillettes is a wonderful thing to eat, but only if you do not have to make it yourself. The amount of fat required is scary, but you only notice the horror of its health-challenging saturated fat levels if you are the cook. Anyone who has ever made a chocolate brownie will know exactly what I mean. Incidentally, a chef friend once gave me a slice of brownie that contained a substantial amount of pig’s blood. I am not squeamish, and it was excellent, but I wish he had told me beforehand. A rillettes is really a way of…

CONTROL RATS Give your local rat pack a call. Many areas now feature a rat pack of terrier enthusiasts who would be delighted to help you reduce your rodent population. Cold weather generally concentrates the pests around buildings and provides the ideal opportunity for the terriers to get to grips with them. Find your local rat pack on Facebook. SPOT TRACKS Take advantage of snow. Not only does the white stuff tend to encourage wandering birds to come home, it also lets you see if you have any nocturnal visitors. While fox tracks should be easy to spot, even smaller animals like stoats can be tracked with care.…

You have highlighted the issue of licensing and fear of visiting the GP (The healing power of sport, 11 November) and subsequent correspondence regarding abuse and bullying (Letters, 25 November and 2 December). The Scottish government report that was published after the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust (GWT) UKwide survey has highlighted issues involved, with keepers suffering from abuse and targeted by extremists and feeling marginalised (News, 18 November). The imminent licensing of grouse moors (News, 9 December) can only exacerbate their feelings of alienation. The GWT works with individuals and families who are affected and has written to Oliver Mundell and every Scottish MP about this matter, which should be taken up with the utmost gravity and urgency. It is good to see stress and depression are becoming topics we can…

A MERE 22 MILES OF water separates England from France, yet the differences in culture between the two countries are enormous. The French are every bit as passionate about fieldsports as we are, possibly even more so, but when it comes to shooting they go about it in a markedly different way. There are driven pheasant shoots in France, but they are few in number. When Harold Macmillan shot in France as a guest of General Charles de Gaulle, our Prime Minister was reportedly unimpressed with the low-flying birds. French shooting is traditionally a highly social affair, where the pursuit, not to mention the lunch, is far more important than the size of the bag. The French word for hunting, la chasse, says it all, for the chase is what…

Over the past few years, pulled pork has been massively on-trend. Some food outlets do it better than others, of course, but the whole American barbecue idea really became fashionable here in the past 10 years or so. As a nation, we have evolved to love spicy, sweet and salty foods. You can’t deny that, though quite rich, it is addictive. And I am a big fan of a good, old-fashioned barbecue. Back in 2011, I went over to Texas with some friends for a road trip, as well as the occasional American football game and rodeo. One of our highlights was to visit as many authentic barbecue joints as we could… and we went to a lot. “I like pulled pork with a little sauce, not too dry... a…

ROLL-OFF MOUNTS In the 1950s, roll-off mounts for faster, toolless attachment and removal of rifle scopes proved popular and effective. The base clamp was redesigned so that one side of the dovetail was hinged. This meant it could be fitted without sliding it up the rail and allowed for a recoil stop to be fitted (if the receiver was drilled). Made by Parker Hale, these mounts were available for BSA, Mauser, BRNO, Walther and other popular makes of rifle in the 1950s. They cost £3.3.0d per pair.…

1 Newton tailored sporting shirt RRP: £89.95 schoffelcountry.com Made from a premium composition of 75% cotton and 25% wool, this shirt is an ideal layer for cold days in the field. With a classic cutaway collar and single adjustable cuff, it blends style and warmth perfectly. 2 Dog travel kit RRP: £89 orvis.co.uk Pack this lightweight, rugged nylon canvas dog travel bag with enough food for day trips or weekend jaunts. It contains three smartly designed inner chambers: a large, airtight bag for storing 4lb to 5lb of dry food and two smaller receptacles for all your dog’s food and water needs. 3 Taiga overtrousers RRP: £179.99 gb.seeland.com The Taiga is Seeland’s warmest hunting trouser. They are waterproof and have a WindBeater membrane, in addition to thick…

“My God, I thought that was your leg breaking,” said Martin, ashen-faced. We were hind stalking in Highland Perthshire. I was some way behind him as we traversed a steep patch of snow that felt as solid as concrete. We had to pick our way across, unable to kick steps into the crystalline surface. Suddenly, my wooden stick plunged through the crust and I fell forward, still clutching it. The stick promptly snapped with a horrible, semi-muffled crack. Martin had assumed this was the sound of my femur fracturing, accompanied as it was by my anguished shriek. It was a salutary lesson. What if I really had broken a bone? We were at nearly 3,000ft, up the side of a very steep glen, miles from the nearest house and a…

Help BASC with Welsh review BASC is encouraging all shooters in Wales to engage with Natural Resources Wales’s (NRW) call for evidence on the review of how it regulates the shooting and trapping of wild birds. “BASC will be providing a wide range of information on behalf of members but it is vital that anyone who is able to provide evidence of their own does so,” said Steve Griffiths, BASC Wales director. You can find the consultation on the NRW website or at basc.org.uk/gl/wales Sweet success in cool burn test The effect of a cool burn on moorland vegetation has been demonstrated in a remarkable short film by photographer and filmmaker Kirk Norbury. Mr Norbury pushed a chocolate bar half an inch into the underlying moss then stood by as…

On 30 November, the night sky was bright with a full moon, the so-called Beaver Moon. There are up to 13 moon cycles through the year and each of them is given a name. It takes the moon about 29 days to go through all its phases, meaning each month, on average, there is one full moon. The Native American tribes named the moons to keep track of the seasons. Many of the names relate to particular events expected to occur during the relevant month. For instance, the Strawberry Moon in June is associated with the harvesting of strawberries, and the July one is given the name Buck Moon, because it is at a time of year when the male deer will have shed their antlers and begin to regrow…

Many of you reading this will be thinking, why is there a roosting article at this time of year? Has Shooting Times bucked the usual trend of pigeon shooting specials in February, the classic pigeon month when traditionally we can use all three methods of pigeon management — roosting, decoying and flighting? The simple answer to that question is yes; this isn’t a normal year, as we are all very aware. However, the goalposts for pigeon have only been moved temporarily. A lot of our winter pigeon shooting isn’t really governed by pigeon damage over many farms and estates. Our pigeon shooting is governed by how much we will be disturbing the game that might be at large in hedgerow, spinney, copse, cover or woodland. Any top keeper knows that…

THE SANTA FE is a pretty decent vehicle and it certainly ticks some Shooting Times boxes. Loaded to the hilt with kit and toys, you’ll not go far wrong and it offers decent value for money. Yes, a little more ground clearance would be nice and there is a little more road and wind noise compared with other higher-end SUVs, but it’s fair to say that the South Korean firm has done a good job. Now, what we really want to know is how much cash we are going to have to part with. The Premium SE, with metallic paint, comes out at £45,155. Now, I know £45,000 isn’t cheap, but that’s pretty good value for all the kit and toys on board, plus the five-year warranty. Compared with other…

What do you give as a Christmas present to the dog that has everything? OK, I’m not being serious, but apparently 90% of dogs do receive Christmas presents, so finding them the perfect present is far from easy. Gundogs are unlikely to appreciate collars studded with Swarovski crystals, but there are practical gifts that might well improve the quality of their lives. My diminutive sprocker, Emma, has had an early Christmas present in the shape of a neoprene coat. Finding one that would fit her was the major challenge, but Everything Outdoor (01328 712120), based at Holkham in north Norfolk, offers a formidable size range, so there’s one suitable for everything from a Chesapeake to a Jack Russell. There’s also a choice of colours — black, green, orange, herring bone…

Latin name: Sonchus arvensis Common name: Sow-thistle Other names: Milkthistle, field sowthistle, hawkweed How to spot it and where to find it: Considered by many as a weed, this perennial can grow pretty much anywhere, springing up on roadside edges, grass verges, field margins, saltmarshes and, unwelcomely, in gardens. It grows from a basal rosette of shiny leaves, with an erect stem that can grow to 1.5m tall and is furrowed and bristly. The upper leaves on the stem are lobed and have spiny edges. It produces golden yellow flowers — some of which may still be seen now, though its season generally runs from July to late October. Interesting facts: Those bristly stems contain a milky white sap. Sonchus is Greek for ‘hollow’, while arvensis means ‘of planted fields’.…

For most of us, November has very much been a month of holding our breath and waiting to see what happens next. Thankfully, now that the England-wide lockdown has ended, we will, for the time being at least, be able to carry on with the rest of our low-ground season, albeit with risk assessments, tracking and tracing, and social distancing in place. It’s a very different season, but we do live in a very different world. We have to make the most of it and we are, to a person, grateful that we have been allowed to do so. Estates and shoots in Wales that rely on the income generated from let days have had a tougher time of things than those in England as far as restrictions on shooting…