Innholdsfortegnelse for 9-Mar-2022 i Shooting Times & Country

Shoot running costs have increased markedly. Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, oil prices have risen steeply. While the UK only imports 6% of its oil from Russia, an anticipated interruption to the supply to other countries has dramatically pushed up world wholesale prices. While Guns will feel oil price rises most acutely at the petrol pump, for shoots this will result in an increased cost for red diesel, which is used to operate farm machinery. The latest data, which lags around a week behind, showed red diesel at 76.9p a litre — an increase of 25p a litre on the same date last year. This means a typical 5,000-litre delivery of fuel will cost £1,250 more than it did last year. Liquefied petroleum gas, which is widely used…

Well-planned and carefully managed hunting can help flatten out peaks and troughs in animal populations and can make them more resilient to the effects of extreme weather. This is the conclusion of an extensive study conducted by scientists at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. The experts used a combination of advanced computer modelling and an observational study of reindeer to assess how hunting affected them. Co-author Professor Brage Bremset Hansen explained the benefits of hunting, saying: “By harvesting a number of animals through fall hunting, we reduce the population density and can avoid the amplified effect of poor winter grazing conditions. “Hunting results in better conditions for the animals that survive the hunt. More animals will survive the winter, and a greater number will produce calves…

STILL AN ISSUE You made some great comments (Editor’s comment, 23 February) regarding hunters having to do a bit of work to achieve a small bag. I particularly enjoyed the huge smile on Jack Bell’s face at managing a single pinkfoot off the estuary (Avoiding barnacles and blistering cold, 2 February). I’ve seen a couple of social media posts that portray the opposite rationale on bag limits; one on the marsh and the other of sporting agents inland killing too many geese and saying: “We got tired of shooting”. This convinces me that there is a big job for our organisations to get on the front foot and educate their members on sustainable shooting and respect for the birds for the year 2022 and beyond. They must not keep their…

“The buck stepped out of cover and on to the plough” It was a chilly morning in early March. As I crept through a spinney on a small Suffolk farm close to where I live, the first notes of a song thrush opened up in the bare branches above me, and on the edge of the wood, a bank of pale yellow primroses heralded the coming of spring. Beyond me was a small field, about five acres in total, surrounded by tall hedges. The half of it nearest the spinney had been ploughed, the rest being the remains of an old cover crop, and as I emerged on to the edge of the plough and scanned the tattered stems of the cover crop with my binoculars, a dark shape moving…

“Foreign Guns couldn’t compete when it came to bringing down high pheasants” Probably the best ever royal Shot of all time, King George V ranked joint-fourth among the 12 best game Shots in Great Britain in a list published in Baily’s Magazine in September 1903. The second son of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, Prince George was born at Marlborough House in London on 3 June 1865. He began to shoot at the tender age of 10, using a small single-barrelled muzzle-loading gun. After embarking upon a full-time career in the Royal Navy in 1877, he was prevented from participating in the sport on a regular basis until after the death of his eldest brother, the Duke of Clarence, in 1892. George, now Duke of York, resigned from the…

With mid-March approaching, our end-of-season rituals are well under way. It’s usually much drier at this time of year and we would be rolling and harrowing the fields. This season, with a very dry winter and the rain arriving late in February, we’re still sloshing through mud; scrubbing, hosing and cleaning it off hunt coats, boots, hats, horses, humans, tack and all. I’m in mud mode. Everywhere I go I bring the topic up, as if it should be an interesting line of conversation that others might be keen to pursue. Everyone will be relieved come the end of the season when I’m no longer entirely submerged in talk of hunting and I have to reintroduce myself to non-hunting friends and family. Getting through the past few weeks to the…

Out of mothballs into fire ANTIQUE GUNS Q I want to use an antique percussion shotgun for clays and rough shooting. When I applied for it to be put on my licence, the police said that I had to have it proof tested before they would allow me to use it. Is that correct? A No. Whether or not a gun has been proofed is not a matter for police licensing departments and they have no jurisdiction in the matter. I have fired dozens of antique shotguns and have never known one to fail. Blackpowder is a forgiving propellant. Make sure the gun is in sound condition. Give it a thorough inspection and look for cracks, excess pitting or pinholes in the barrel walls. Drop a small bore light down…

HE’S BEEN CALLED THE MASTER of the unexpected and Jonathan Armigel Wade’s self-titled ‘curvispectives’ are certainly that; a glance at his canon is almost like looking through a wide-angle lens, in which the centre of each painting billows towards the eye. The artist developed this style in 1996, explaining: “I started doing the curvy paintings alongside my more traditional compositions and people seem to enjoy the curvy ones more.” Wade was born in the US in 1960. His father was an army officer and Wade served in the Royal Highland Fusiliers from 1978 until 1991, retiring as captain after the Gulf War. “I left the Army to paint, with little money and a family to support,” he says. “I thought I was trying to compete on a level playing field,…

In the countryside, trouble often comes on wheels. Serious acts of poaching, hare coursing, badger digging, illegal off-road driving, fly-tipping, farmyard thefts, hunt sabs... In all these cases, motor vehicles of some sort invariably feature. With the proliferation of smartphones, CCTV and trail cams, you might think that getting a snap of a number plate would be conclusive. But it’s not that simple. For a start, it may be difficult to get a clear photo of said plate. They are sometimes deliberately obscured with mud. And even if you do manage to make out the registration, the plate could be false or stolen. Furthermore, while the authorities are red hot on using registrations to issue parking tickets, they show no such zeal when it comes to pursuing proper bad guys.…

The Scottish government’s proposed Hunting With Dogs (Scotland) Bill ignores the recommendations of its own experts. Scottish ministers have also announced that trail hunting, the coursing of rabbits, and terrier work all face draconian restrictions or total bans under the new legislation. Announcing the bill, Environment Minister Màiri McAllan said: “I want to make clear that chasing and killing a mammal with a dog, for sport or otherwise, has no place in modern Scotland.” “Trail hunting using an animal-based scent will be banned” Under the proposed legislation — which replaces the 2002 act — a maximum of two dogs could be used to flush wild mammals, including foxes, from cover. The use of more than two dogs would only be permitted under licence. The option of limiting the number of…

DOG With the arrival of spring and the temperature rising, it is a good time to get dogs swimming. Water work is great for canine fitness and even dogs with mobility problems can really benefit from a good swim. The need for wildfowling dogs to learn to retrieve from water is obvious, but learning to take marked and blind retrieves from water is a useful skill for every gundog. REPAIR Fix your pens but don’t relocate them. Given the choice, it is preferable to repair an existing pen than to move it. The soil under pens can be significantly altered by the birds’ manure and it’s generally agreed that it is better to focus these impacts on a small number of sites rather than spread them too widely.…

A hunt has volunteered its kennels to act as a hub to collect vital donations for Ukrainian refugees. As the situation in Ukraine rapidly worsens, the Kimblewick Hunt has begun collecting blankets, sleeping bags, coats, jumpers and fleeces, hats, gloves and rucksacks. Hunt staff and members will then ship the goods on to the Ukraine Aid depot in south Oxfordshire for onward transport to Ukraine and Poland. Hunt staff say they were spurred into action by the sight of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, including many children, being left without shelter, clothing, bedding, food or school supplies. The kennels will act as a central drop-off point for urgent supplies, for anyone wishing to donate in the Great and Little Kimble cum Marsh parish in Buckinghamshire. Eleasha Sallis, a spokesman for…

There have recently been a lot of column inches in the shooting and farming press devoted to the increase in penalties for those convicted of hare coursing (News, 23 February). Any increase is welcome but, without wishing to appear in any way negative, I would urge those who think this will make a jot of difference to consider the following, before getting too excited, and make note of the word ‘convicted’. I had vast experience in prosecuting these people and exactly the same issues remain now as before the increase in penalties, which relate to the maximum level of fine and so on. The only way this would have helped would have been a minimum sentence that is best known by the public in cases of murder (minimum term, life)…

“Lord Walsingham used stuffed birds for roost shooting and decoying over crops” Managing woodpigeon numbers to prevent crop damage is not a modern problem. Between 1720 and 1793, Gilbert White recorded the importance of controlling woodpigeons, due to the significant damage caused to turnip crops and staple crops such as barley. Using a muzzle-loader, he was unable to shoot them on the wing and therefore discussed the importance of shooting birds at roost and decoying stubbles, using hand-carved decoys made from beech and ash. In the 19th century, renowned game Shot Lord Walsingham dealt with the technique of decoying, roosting and flighting to prevent crop damage in a Field and Covert volume of the Badminton Library, published in 1884 — four years after the first issue of Shooting Times. Walsingham used…

“Anson and Deeley’s boxlock design has arguably been the foundation of all others” On a delightful game day towards the end of last season, I was pegged next to a charming gentleman who was a good Shot. The rather annoying sort who seems to take each bird in slow motion, making it all look effortless. Naturally, we got talking and started discussing the guns we were shooting. This was a fairly traditional, reasonably high-end day with the majority of Guns using English side-by-sides, such as older Purdeys and Hollands, so I was surprised when he showed me his modest William Ford boxlock. When I asked what his dream gun would be, he said that he would not swap his William Ford for anything. It had been in his family for…

The Suzuki Jimny doesn’t need much introduction; the wee Japanese 4x4 has earned itself a cult status and many, including yours truly, were thrilled when the latest Jimny was released in 2018. We were equally devastated when, thanks to emissions laws, it was withdrawn from EU and UK markets in 2020. With a year-long waiting list, there were many who missed out on the mighty new Jimny. As a result, if you can find a second-hand one, expect to pay up to and over £10,000 above the original price tag. Fortunately, in 2021 the Jimny got a lifeline, following the announcement of the new Jimny LCV (light commercial vehicle). That’s right, the legendary Jimny lives on with the back seats taken out and a bulkhead cage put in. Take that…

I have often said that if I want my mortal remains to be deposited anywhere, then my first choice has to be the Ouse Washes. I don’t see why the ducks shouldn’t benefit from what little I will have to offer. A few ounces of potash and bone meal, albeit overcooked, may just cause the grass to grow richer and greener over a small area the following winter with consequent benefit to a wigeon or two. I feel I owe the old ducks at least that. The Washes and their wild inhabitants have given me some of the greatest moments of pleasure in my life and, with luck, will continue to do so. This slightly morbid thought is another way of saying that I have always found the Fens and…

A limited sample size, and the desire by shooters to use up old ammunition stocks, means a new study into the use of lead ammunition does not show the true picture, according to BASC. Authors of the study — which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Conservation Evidence — found that “99.5% of the 215 pheasants from which shotgun pellets were recovered had been killed using lead ammunition”. This led the scientists to conclude “that the shooting and rural organisations’ joint statement and two years of their considerable efforts in education, awareness-raising and promotion, have not yet had a detectable effect on the ammunition types used by hunters who supply pheasants to the British game meat market.” A BASC spokesman said: “With Covid interrupting two years of shooting, it is…

Capercaillie could be extinct in Scotland in 20 years, according to a new study. The report, commissioned by NatureScot, looked at the causes of decline and sought to understand how they could be addressed. In recent years, a number of large estates in the bird’s core range, in Badenoch and Strathspey, have abandoned all predator control as part of either forestry management or ‘rewilding’. Rewilding advocates have claimed that climate change, not their land management practices, is responsible for the bird’s decline. However, the report was clear that this is not the case. Instead, the expert panel agreed that predation on eggs and young chicks is a more likely contributor. The main predators affecting the Scottish capercaillie population are crows, foxes and pine martens and “increases in predator numbers —…

Spring is here. And what a joy it is too. The snowdrops, first to arrive as ever, carpet the floors of the woods and copses around the estate and on every daily dog walk that carpet seems to spread further and further. While they are not quite out yet, the daffodils aren’t far behind. Spring is such a hopeful time of year, and the early seasonal flowers embody this like nothing else. The arrival of spring also signals the end of winter and with it the phasing out of some of the sporting seasons, most notably for me, the fallow doe season that finishes at the end of March. So the opportunities to get up into a high seat or out on foot with a set of sticks quickly diminishes…

That Shooting Times is celebrating its 140th anniversary says a great deal for both its readership and the generations of dedicated staff who have laboured to produce it. At the time of such an impressive landmark, it is interesting to muse on what changes in the shooting field you might see if transported back to 1882. Would the average shooter blend in or be viewed as something of an oddity? Perhaps the first thing that might be noticed in the Victorian sporting field is how much the class structure affected everything. Game shooting for the average person would have been much less available than it is today and the idea of paying for a day’s sport was virtually unknown. Driven game shooting was largely by invitation only and almost solely…

Shooting Times was born in a time of some major step changes in the shooting industry. For one thing, there was no ‘shooting industry’ as we know it today. Buying a peg on a prestigious shooting estate was simply impossible. You either had the connections necessary to get invited on a driven shoot, you had the necessary land, house and staff to run your own shoot, or you stuck to wildfowling. However, there was certainly a gun trade and in 1882 it was in rude health. This was midway through the heyday of innovation that characterised the British trade for 60 years, and the avid sportsman was very keen to stay abreast of the latest improvements in firearms and ammunition. Mousetrap In 1882 hammerguns were still mainstream. The first hammerless…

I was 14 when I entered my first dog show, competing with my cocker spaniel, Kim. Though his temperament left something to be desired, Kim was a good-looking chap. We entered the gundog class, but failed to gain as much as a rosette. We were beaten by a cocker that, in my teenage opinion, had much inferior conformation to Kim. Clearly the judge didn’t agree. I do remember that the local MP, the recently elected Eric Lubbock — a Liberal who had surprisingly overturned a large Conservative majority — made a speech. We couldn’t hear a word of it because the microphone didn’t work. It was many years later that I entered a show again, this time one in my village that had attracted entries from miles around. I entered…

THE JIMNY LCV ticks many boxes — the main one being that it makes me smile while driving. More than capable off-road, it’s a near-perfect shoot run around. It’s a versatile and hard-working little 4x4 — the only downside is the load weight. Add an extra gear on the open road and slightly tighter steering, and it would be perfect for the field or commuting. The Jimny LCV starts off at £16,796 (plus VAT) which is good value, but getting hold of one may be a problem as supply is limited. With that in mind, I don’t want to give it back. If Suzuki can please send the bill to Shooting Times.…

Like many other boys of my generation, I started my shooting life potting pests around farm buildings. My grandfather was a herdsman on a Somerset dairy farm and his employer was delighted to find a young lad willing to help thin out the unwelcome critters that were making raids on his tumbledown barns. Back then, starlings were an abundant and legitimate quarry and I took great pride in picking off birds from the vast flocks that descended on the yard to gorge on animal feed. The truth is that my tally of eight or nine over a weekend couldn’t have made much of a difference, but it still gave me a glow to think that I had a role to play in an operation that fascinated me. Around the time…

C B Vaughan was not a gunmaker. He was a gun dealer from a family of silversmiths and pawnbrokers. They became involved in the gun trade initially by providing gun storage. Vaughan sold new guns and rifles — at Westley Richards there are records of him buying new Mauser rifles in the early 1900s — and second-hand guns and rifles were his speciality. With prestigious premises in the West End of London, he was nicely placed to cater to the young officers and empire builders who might not quite have the budget to order a new gun from a top London maker. Charles Bowman Vaughan was the director during this period. The dark red leather and gilt lettering indicates 39 Strand as the address, which dates it from 1909 to…

THOUGHTS FROM THE FIELD I own a first edition of Lady Birkett’s book Hunting Lays and Hunting Ways. Despite its title, this is no 1920s Jilly Cooper ‘bonkbuster’ but a charmingly comprehensive anthology of hunting poetry and song. The breadth of the subject matter is staggering. There are poems to terriers, songs for stags and odes to hares. Hunt staff, Masters, horses, hounds, great runs and blank days are all immortalised in folk songs, best sung before a country pub’s roaring log fire. Curiously, shooting seems largely devoid of songs dedicated to the sport. The folk rock band Steeleye Span produced a song called The Bold Poachers in 1973 and the modern folk duo Show of Hands more recently released The Gamekeeper, a haunting ballad about a Devonshire keeper heading…