Innholdsfortegnelse for 25-Aug-2021 i Shooting Times & Country

A white-tailed eagle has been saved from certain death by the prompt actions of a Highland gamekeeper. Local keepers had been on the lookout for the bird, which was known to have health problems, after a NatureScot-monitored satellite tag showed it to have moved from Argyll to Perthshire. The keeper, who has chosen not to be named, found the bird, which has a malformed beak, in a state of total collapse while he was doing his morning rounds. He captured it and gave it food and water until it could be transferred to a vet in Crieff. His swift and compassionate actions earned him praise on social media, but there was also concern for the bird’s future welfare. On Facebook, Mairi Dobie wrote: “There are fantastic gamekeepers out there; my…

Retailers are refusing to stock disposable barbecues after another summer of wildfires caused by the portable equipment. Earlier this year, Co-op stores within a mile of all of the UK’s national parks dropped disposable barbecues in response to pleas from firefighters and land managers. That move was widely welcomed. Sarah Fowler, chief executive of the Peak District National Park Authority, said: “I am delighted that the Co-op has joined some of our very supportive local MP Robert Largan wrote to the company to say that “disposable barbecues pose a serious risk of wildfires, especially during prolonged periods of warm and dry weather like earlier this year”. retailers in removing them from sale. We would urge other leading retailers to follow this example.” Now Morrisons has committed to drop the product…

The GWCT’s tracked woodcock continue to provide a fascinating glimpse into the summer lives of our winter visitors. Trackers on three of the birds remain active. Holkham, who spent the winter in Norfolk, is currently enjoying the sights of Rauer, an island in Oslofjord, Norway. Norfolk’s other bird, Nellie III, is in Västra Götaland County in southern Sweden, and Fonthill Abbie II, who recently turned five, has returned to her previous breeding grounds in Russia’s Novgorod Oblast. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @SHOOTINGTIMESUK…

I always enjoy Megan Rowland’s articles and she is rightly concerned about all the grey squirrel damage to trees (Stalking diary,23June).There was a time when grey squirrel poisoning, using special hopper feeders, was allowed in new and existing woodland. This was stopped some years ago and as far as I know the Forestry Commission and similar organisations do no grey squirrel control. I understand that trapping is so labour intensive — having to check traps every day — that very few estates can justify or afford the cost. When we used squirrel hopper poisoning, you had to check and top them up every 10 to 14 days. Shooting grey squirrels and drey-poking are great sports, but I don’t think they make much of an impact on their population. I am…

I shot my first grouse on the hill where my grandfather farmed in Galloway. That was 12 August 1999 and I was three days shy of turning 14. I would love to claim that moment as a shining example of my own sporting prowess, but in truth it was quite shambolic. I fired twice at a straggler from a covey of six. There was no way that I could have made contact and I felt sure that my uncle was just being kind when he claimed to have seen my bird with a leg down. The dogs were sent to explore and to my surprise and delight, a bird returned to my hand with a gentle plop. “The hill has hardly changed a bit over the past 21 years” It…

It’s funny how you don’t notice minor inconveniences until they creep up on you to create one big problem. Since the first lockdown 18 months ago, I have been allowed to carry out essential local stalking, when specifically requested. However, this has meant that large areas of my ground have been left unmonitored for quite some time. It is easy to forget that by going about normal routines such as guiding, we are automatically noting the ground and building a picture of what is happening there. I have been doing it for so long that it is now a subconscious action. Consequently, I have a good idea of where my deer are, how the breeding season has gone and how the kids and calves are doing. This,in turn, allows me…

When I was a boy — which is starting to feel like a rather long time ago now — pigeons were relatively predictable. Barley was harvested in mid to late August and pigeons went mad for the grain that was left among the stubble. In recent years, though, with the weather getting increasingly warmer, harvest often begins as early as late July. For all that pigeons love barley stubble, there is something they go even wilder for, which is wheat in its early stages of development when it’s all milky. If you’d told me when I was young that barley stubble would often be devoid of pigeons in the decades to come, I’d have thought you were mad, but it’s happened a lot over the past few years. When the…

IT WAS READING James Darley’s excellent book Rebirth of the Royal Spaniel (reviewed in this column two weeks ago), that reminded me how much work is required to re-establish a once sporting breed. It has taken Darley, along with a number of like-minded enthusiasts, almost half a century to re-establish the working Clumber as a genuine and worthwhile alternative to the English springer and the cocker. Darley notes that there “truly has been a transformation in the fortunes of Britain’s most ancient working spaniel breed. This is evidenced in terms of temperament, health, build, openness to training and quality of work”. I don’t think that anyone would disagree with Darley, for the Clumber has been transformed from what had become little more than a giant pastiche of its former self…

To say I was eager for the new D-Max to arrive would be a slight understatement. Isuzu’s flagship pickup doesn’t need much of an introduction. The increasingly popular D-Max has had a bit of an evolutionary remodelling, aesthetically and mechanically. The new D-Max comes in several flavours. As the blue beast was driven down the driveway, it was evident from the shiny two-tone 18in wheels that this was not an entry-level D-Max. This particular model is the DL40 auto, the higher-spec double cab. The new D-Max is rather bold. The body and lines are sleeker but with that underlying ruggedness poking through. The chrome detailing and silver sidesteps complement the shouty blue, or ‘sapphire blue’, paintwork. The wheels aren’t entirely my cup of tea, but the whole package works well.…

Maximum points for reds STALKING Q Is there a maximum number of points that a red deer can grow on its antlers in a year? A This is a frequently asked question and the answer has changed over time. In the 1990s, the late expert Kenneth Whitehead gave the figure as 62 for a stag shot as far back as 1696 by the man who became King Frederick I of Prussia. Since then, however, numerous animals in various locations, including the UK, Europe and New Zealand, have been recorded that far exceed this, but none came from the wild — all originated in either deer parks or enclosures. In fact, one from a park in England had a point count of 88 — there were 44 on either side. Given…

Latin name: Bolboschoenus maritimus Common name: Sea club-rush Other names: Bayonet grass, alkali bulrush, saltmarsh bulrush How to spot it and where to find it: A quick-growing sedge with golden flower spikes, sea club-rush — as its name suggests — likes water, so can be found next to ponds and in wetlands, estuaries or on the coast. It can also tolerate saltwater so does well in saltmarshes, too. It has triangular stems and serrated, emerald-green leaves. The flowers form on the end of golden-brown ovoid spikelets, followed by shiny tear-shaped fruits, each containing one seed. It spreads by putting out rhizomes, forming into dense stands, and is pollinated by the wind. Interesting facts: It was formerly known as Scirpus maritimus. The new genus name comes from the Greek word bolbos,…

Tim Bonner of the Countryside Alliance recently tweeted: “Not content with campaigning against land ownership rights @RewildingB now comes out as actively anti-shooting as well. No surprise given the involvement of @GeorgeMonbiot & @guyshrubsole but surely now time to give up the pretence that its primary aims are not political.” Mr Bonner is referring to campaign group Rewilding Britain, which issued a press release deploring the fact that a goodly proportion of land within Britain’s national parks is managed for driven grouse shooting. The irony, of course, is that grouse shooting funds the continuing management and protection of these glorious landscapes, which are open to public access despite being privately owned. Those of us who live and farm in Britain’s national parks are accustomed to being lectured by outsiders. Yet…

The grouse season has got off to a quiet start, with most moors not shooting at all on the Twelfth and many expecting no significant shooting for the whole season. The now traditional 12 August political and media bunfight was also much more muted than has been the case in recent years. The Scottish press carried a few stories from anti-shooting campaigners, and Farming Todayran a short segment on grouse shooting at 5.45am. However, neither side launched a major media offensive. The Daily Mirrormanaged to run an anti-shooting story; however, puzzlingly, it chose to publish it on 15 August. The Sun also slipped up, illustrating a very short anti-grouse-shooting piece with a picture of a pheasant. “This Twelfth I shot one grouse — probably my only one this year” On…

With the partridge season fast approaching, the British Game Alliance (BGA) has reminded shoots to make sure they have a game dealer lined up to take their shot birds. BGA chief executive Liam Stokes commented: “This coming season brings with it unprecedented challenges in the sale and marketing of game. Eventually, we need to get every shoot registered for BGA assurance and shooting with lead-free ammunition, so we can secure the market for all the wonderful game we are producing in this country. “But the priority is to communicate. Speak to a game dealer and make sure you know who is taking your game this season. If you run into difficulties, give the BGA a call and we will see what we can do to help.” With shoot bookings busy…

There is a very specific moment each year when I go from laid-back and easy-going to stressed and tired. A weight is transferred on to my shoulders and I carry the burden like Christian in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. This comes after weeks of hard work and anticipation. It is that time when the pheasants are finally delivered by the game farmer. As soon as the pheasants are unloaded into release pens, the stress of making sure electrics and water in the pens is working, and ensuring the birds are fed and healthy, weighs heavy on my mind. Not to mention the ever-present threat of a fox attack. I’m sure this is the case among keepers and shoot managers nationwide. The shoot I run with my brothers is what…

If you are beginning your journey into wildfowling this year, you will no doubt find yourself, in the near future, in a small community hall, listening to wildfowlers who look 70 but are actually only in their early fifties. They will tell you tales of how wet and cold they have been for the love of ducks and geese, and they will tell you that you too must expect to be at least cold and wet this season but quite possibly up to your waist in the sea. It is, I suppose, a perverse rite of passage. With any fieldsport there is a degree of risk, but wildfowling, possibly along with hunting, poses the greatest. When taking to the marsh and saltings, you are entering an environment where the wind,…

How many times have we wished we had a pair of binoculars to hand to get a better look at events that are unfolding in the distance? As shooters, we use our eyes all the time, not only when we’re out with the gun but also out on reconnaissance or simply when enjoying the countryside. A pair of binoculars gets you closer to the action without having to get so close as to risk disturbing the behaviour of the wildlife you are trying to observe. Compact binoculars are a great choice for shooters who want a better view, but don’t want to be burdened with heavy, bulky glass. The choice is bewilderingly large, with all manner of designs, sizes and price ranges. So what should you be looking for when…

Clay traps today are super-powerful, complex, remotely controlled and capable of throwing clays on many different flight patterns to simulate a variety of birds. Their journey has been long and storied, from the earliest days of competitive shooting at captive birds placed under old top hats to modern Olympic disciplines, requiring faultless repetition. The invention and ingenuity of each age has always shaped the machinery. In the beginning, there was live-pigeon trap shooting. Competitive as human beings are, boasts of who was the best shot demanded proof and the field was too random. It required a scenario in which multiple, repeated flying objects (captured birds) could be shot and a venue (usually behind a pub) where spectators could observe and bet on the outcome. Given that the original clays were…

The drone of busy combine harvesters heralds what can be the most bountiful part of my shooting year. Pigeons and corvids quickly home in on the easy pickings left in the wake of these giant machines, and the resulting frenzy can create wonderful shooting opportunities. Shooting over stubbles is an important tool in the ongoing battle to protect crops from hungry birds. There is often a swift turnaround between harvesting and drilling, and any pigeons or crows that have been attracted to the stubbles will make a menace of themselves when the next crop goes in. It’s not only the fields that the birds are initially drawn to that are at risk. Adjacent fields will soon get hit when they’ve gleaned all that was left by the combines, and ripening…

I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t want to talk about their dog, or dogs. If I see an unusual dog, I invariably approach its owner or owners for a chat and I usually end up photographing the dog, too. Most people love the fact that someone finds their dog sufficiently interesting to want to talk about it, let alone take its portrait. When I saw the dog whose photograph illustrates this column, I was intrigued by his ancestry. I guessed that he had labrador blood, but what were the other ingredients? It turned out that his sire was a black labrador, his mother an English springer spaniel x West Highland terrier. I also gathered that half the litter were short-legged, like him, while the others had long legs.…

I’M NOT usually a fan of off-road automatics. They are sometimes a bit ‘all or nothing’ when pulling away, but I was quite impressed with the power delivery from the Isuzu D-Max. Traction up the limited slopes in Edwardshire wasn’t a problem, with the only limiting factor being the potential for scratching the wheels and paintwork going through the lanes. The D-Max DL40 is without doubt a very capable and versatile pickup and lives up to the standards of its predecessor, with an added bit of high-end style. I miss the 2.5-litre engine a little bit, but the 1.9 is more than capable. My only minor criticism is the suspension dampening, but other than that, the legend lives on. Now let’s talk cash. The higher-end spec level is matched by…

It would appear from recent conversations that there are many country folk with tales to tell of odd happenings. Some defy explanation and are perhaps quite rightly dismissed as coincidence. BB quoted an example some time ago of a claw-shaped birthmark on a child, following a confrontation between the pregnant mother and a large cockerel. “Explain that away if you can,” wrote BB in Shooting Times, “and yet, I put it down to coincidence.” There is nothing else for it but to accept it as just that — unless you believe in the supernatural. And since I’ve lived on the edge of a village, instead of on the edge of a town, I have been reminded of odd occurrences that are in no ways connected with superstition. How do you…

EDWINSON GREEN & SON This black leather label with gold embossed lettering indicates the main address of the business in Gloucester and notes an additional shop in Cheltenham. The Cheltenham shop, which was E C Green’s main business location, opened in 1867 and he took over the Gloucester one in 1870. From the prominence given to Gloucester on the label, it seems probable that it was affixed to the case of a gun sold from there. The Gloucester shop closed in the 1920s. Green’s son joined the company in 1896, prompting the change of style. The attention drawn to “Winners of the two first prizes at the last London field trials” provides a clue as to the date because it likely refers to the 1866 trials. Green styled himself as…

All four of Scotland’s major salmon rivers will keep their grade one status in 2022 under proposals from Marine Scotland. Anglers on the Tweed, the Tay, the Spey and the Dee will be able to take fish home, though catch-and-release will still be preferred. Annual gradings of Scotland’s salmon rivers began in 2017 with 47 rivers being given grade one status. After a few years of the numbers of rivers in each grade changing unpredictably, the number of rivers at grade one settled at 36. The Alness, Moriston and Ness will drop from grade one to grade two; however, the Horisary on North Uist and the Broom will be promoted from grade two to grade one. Sarah Blackie, who fishes the Stinchar in Ayrshire, told Shooting Times: “It is important…

Some sporting estates have been leading the way in using nature-based solutions to tackle climate change. Restoring peatland has been identified by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) as a key tool to sequester carbon. The sphagnum mosses that make up peat lock up carbon dioxide more quickly and for much longer than trees, so producing a wet environment in which they can thrive is vital. In March, the Moorland Association reported that its members who manage upland estates in England had restored more than 3,000 hectares of degraded peat. In the North Pennines, nine privately owned moorland estates have restored nearly 1,000 hectares. As well as reprofiling eroded areas of peat and blocking drains, the estates have brought in sphagnum moss and heather brash to restore…

Final counts of hen harrier chicks fledged have turned out to be even better than expected. As we reported last week (News, 18 August) broods were on track for 77 chicks fledged in England, the highest number since records began. But final figures show that 84 young harriers left their nests in England this year. Counts by gamekeepers also revealed that 50 merlins had fledged on the North York Moors, a significant recovery since a very poor breeding year in 2020.…

Having expressed hope about the proactive and confident nature of the new Aim to Sustaincampaign(Letters, 11 August), I feel it is unfortunate that the group is being thrown in at the deep end so soon after being founded. But as a collective of multiple shooting bodies, its organised response to the Plymouth shooting tragedy is needed urgently, and will be vital to demonstrate that proactive and confident nature in action. A city suburb and internet hate cults may seem a long way away from the grouse moors and pigeon hides, but there is no longer any such thing as splendid isolation. Already the papers are pushing for yet more gun bans. The Times published an editorial claiming “the devastation that a single maladjusted fanatic can wreak is justification enough for…

I crouch in the cool shade of an ash tree. Cow parsley, alexanders, nettles and thistle and deep, deep shadows make the hide seem unnecessary, but I’ve draped a scrim net across four poles just to be sure. The slight depression of an ancient hedge line and its ditch make an ideal ambush point from where I can watch cloud shadows scud across a 30-acre field of rape stubble. To my right, some 400 yards up the hill, is a quiet B-road. Down the hill to my left is a valley with grazing cattle, a wood line of more ash and oak trees and the estuary far off in the distance over another slope. My field lies convex like a sheet being stretched and dropped at both ends, or a…

Get to know local geography thoroughly. Find safe entry and exit routes on the marsh and learn to use navigational aids on your phone. The tide charts are predicted but they do not take into account the prevailing weather conditions, so exercise restraint and respect the environment. Ensure your equipment is suitable for the job, but do take extra clothing and keep it in a dry bag. Ensure you take nutrition and a warm sugary drink for the duration of the flight, with some left for when you return to the car to warm up. Pre-existing health conditions should not bar you from wildfowling, so inform your mentor or membership secretary, who will be only too happy to support you and your needs.…

Ever since I was old enough to walk by myself, I have been going shooting with my family. I’ve always been attracted to the working gundogs side and, since I was eight years old, my father would give me his own trained dog to work on a shoot day. With a fully trained dog to guide and nanny me through the day, I began to learn. Aged 15, I began training my own dogs and, after a little more than a decade, I started training for clients. Over the past nine years, I have researched, explored and improved my techniques so that I can assist my clients to the very best of my ability. It has taken a long time to get to this stage and I am still aware…

One of the most accomplished Victorian sporting artists, George Lodge is something of a mystery. One biography describes him as ‘personally elusive’, while even his book, Memoirs of an Artist Naturalist, reveals precious little about the man behind the brush. What we do know was that Lodge was born in 1860 at Horncastle in Lincolnshire, one of 11 children. He grew up with a fascination for wildlife in general and birds in particular, shooting his first woodcock at the age of 12. He stuffed and mounted it, though not, he admitted, very well. He went on to become a skilled taxidermist, using his specimens as references for his paintings. He also believed it impossible to draw the outside of a bird without an intimate acquaintance with the inside. Admired artist…

One result of the COVID-19 pandemic is that unprecedented numbers of people have visited the British countryside. Green spaces quickly became precious havens in which to spend enforced leisure time and to escape depressing television news. As the country opens up but with foreign travel off-limits, more people are exploring rural Britain, with many venturing into the countryside for the first time. Outdoor activities have never been so popular with the urban masses. The daily queue at the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) last summer bordered on a mini riot; sales of paddleboards and kayaks have exploded; and wild swimming and wild camping — to the horror of national park authorities and landowners — are gaining more and more devotees. But what about fishing and shooting? Is there any likelihood…

Who doesn’t love a good takeaway? There is something so gloriously lazy about getting an Indian or a Chinese, but what I also love is trying to replicate takeaway recipes at home. The recipe I’ve been dreaming of lately is a pigeon-based reimagining of that Cantonese classic crispy chilli beef. Though certainly not healthy, it is delicious and the subtle spice with the sweet-and-sour-style sauce lends itself perfectly to game. You could use venison here, but right now, given we are mid-harvest, pigeon is in abundance. Like most of my other pigeon recipes, this dish primarily uses breast meat. In truth, there is little on the legs. If you are catering for people who have never tried pigeon, or may be apprehensive about it, this is certainly a good starting…

In 2017, George Monbiot wrote an article for the Guardian declaring that livestock production was the world’s leading contributor to greenhouse gases, claiming this was due to methane released by farmed cattle and sheep. The article instigated a national spike in veganism. However, following a new landmark report by the United Nations, it appears Mr Monbiot’s claims over methane may have been overblown. The report confirms that methane breaks down in 10 years, compared with the 1,000 years it takes for carbon dioxide. It goes on to highlight that previous demands for swingeing methane-mitigating livestock reductions globally had been misleading. It is now estimated that a mere 0.3% reduction in methane emissions is required to reach net zero warming. Ian Davis, a livestock farmer from Hatfield, when asked for comment…