Innholdsfortegnelse for 27-Apr-2022 i Shooting Times & Country

An online protest led by the Grampian Moorland Group has gathered nationwide support. The group of rural workers launched the protest after a new plan was published for the Cairngorms National Park, which called for less traditional land management and more rewilding schemes. The protest, which was modelled on the previous Scottish rural workers protest, used the hashtag #parktheplan to coordinate videos, images and written protests across social media platforms. Gamekeeper and longterm Cairngorms National Park resident Peter Fraser joined the protest. He said: “Deer are to be reduced to five per square kilometre, grouse driving is to be a thing of the past, so I would like to know what people’s livelihoods are going to be.” While keepers led the way, the protest gained widespread support. Among those backing…

Wildfires (Stalking Diary, 13 April) are sadly all too numerous in dry periods, started deliberately by idiots or accidentally by the thoughtless. Only rarely are they caused by lightning. They have to be extinguished by the fire services, aided frequently by keepers and other land managers, for which assistance they get little thanks from the public. The damage to wildlife can be immense and the economic cost of putting out an extensive blaze is significant, yet the punishments meted out to anyone found responsible are laughable. If those who start such fires can be identified, I suggest they are sent a seriously large bill to cover at least part of the costs incurred — if they are children, make their parents pay — and name them on national television. It…

“You should have been here yesterday.” It’s an all-too-familiar phrase which, for anyone with a fondness for shooting and fishing, never loses its sting no matter how often you hear it. The yesterday in question was the day a farmer friend had called me to say a field of recently drilled peas was carpeted with pigeons and crows. Unfortunately for me, I was bogged down with work and couldn’t move with the speed which is usually required to exploit the brief but often very fruitful opportunities that can present themselves to decoyers at this time of year. Arriving the day after my friend’s tip-off, things looked rather different from the scene he had described. Most of the birds that had been ignoring his bangers for the past couple of days…

The moment that Sir Edwin Landseer put the last dab of oil on to his Monarch of the Glen in 1851 and called his patron with the good news, some sporting individual should have sneaked into the studio and set fire to the damned thing. For that was the moment, if I’m not mistaken, when the sporting element fell out of sporting art. If you look at paintings — or, more probably, prints — made before Sir Edwin developed the biscuit-tin school of painting, they comprise a bunch of sporting-looking types in tall hats, accompanied by a motley assortment of spaniel-ish-looking dogs, pursuing a covey or two of partridges, a spring of teal or a wisp of snipe. And, importantly, one of the dogs will be retrieving something, one of…

When I walk the dogs, especially at this time of the year, I usually take binoculars with me. My favourite dog-walking binoculars are my 8x32 Leicas — they are light and compact, as well as tough and optically brilliant. Whether it’s watching a hunting barn owl, or perhaps a trio of boxing hares, they add an extra dimension to any excursion in the countryside. Last season, I encountered a single roebuck regularly, but without binoculars I’d never have known that he was the same individual. He was instantly recognisable by his antlers. The left antler was a typical three-point, but the right antler was malformed, with only a single spike. Because he was so identifiable, I recognised him throughout the summer and late into the autumn, and I came to…

Charles Hellis was not a ‘practical gunsmith’ as his label claims. He was a second-hand gun dealer who moved into retailing new guns, but his sons, Charles Robert and Clifford John, were. This black leather label with gold embossed lettering was a common style of the day, used by most London gunmakers. We can date it from the ‘Charles Hellis & Sons’ name, which was used from 1902, and from the address, 121-123 Edgware Road, which became their trading premises in 1935. At the time, they had cartridge-loading works at Burwood Mews, off Edgware Road. The claim of royal patronage probably refers to The Prince of Wales, who bought custom-loaded cartridges from Hellis, as did the Earl of Carnarvon.…

LOOK TO THE SKIES I’m still scattering a bit of barley in the pond, both for the home-breeding ducks that visit and for any migrants that make a refuelling stop. This morning, I was delighted to see a pair of shoveler (right), as well as the resident pair of mallard. They were up and away as soon as I appeared, as the mallard skulked in the rushes. I’ve never seen a shoveler here in season — if I did, and I had my gun with me, I would probably not shoot. They have a reputation for not being the best eating, but when I offered slices of breast meat in a taste test at a dinner party alongside mallard, none of my guests turned up their noses, and most could…

Money from an international financier with alleged connections to Russia’s intelligence agencies has been at the centre of funding Scotland’s damaging salmon farming industry. The secretive businessman Yury Lopatynskyy, who was born in Ukraine and brought up in the US, has close links to the Russian financial system and is believed to have made his fortune in Moscow after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Among his portfolio of investments is a large part of Charlotte Square in Edinburgh, where the First Minister’s official residence, Bute House, is located, an award-winning wine range, called Chateau de la Combe, and an estate in Argyll. “Industry insiders hailed him as the ‘lifesaver’ of the company” However, his alleged links to the Russian intelligence services have attracted the most interest. In 2017, papers…

Ill-considered use of messaging apps and social media has proven to be yet another wildlife criminal’s downfall. Mark Bond, 38, of Westwood Road, Maidstone, was found guilty of killing a fallow deer and causing unnecessary suffering to a dog after a trial at Maidstone Magistrates Court. Among the evidence offered at the trial were video and voice notes sent via WhatsApp. These included one where he told friends, “That bitch is the best lamping dog I’ve seen in my life. She’s an all-rounder. She killed a fox in minutes and got three foxes in an hour. She is unbelievable.” In another, he claimed that his dog had taken a deer and that he would be “eating venison for a week”. “She killed a fox in minutes and got three foxes…

I read with interest one of your reader letters titled ‘TB and the cull’ in the 13 April edition of Shooting Timesandwould like to share my experiences of the same. I have been in a small shoot in the south-west of England (a TB hotspot) for about 35 years and when joining as a young man, can clearly remember brown hares, skylarks and even green plover were all fairly abundant. We had one badger sett in our main wood and that was about it. Over the years, this sett expanded into many satellite setts that, in turn, expanded into fields, hedgerows and beyond. Coupled with that expansion was the onset of TB in our neighbouring farms and the disappearance of the hares and skylarks. Move on several years, and post…

As we welcome spring, it not only marks a change of the seasons, but also the much-anticipated roebuck season. For me, it is without question the highlight of the stalking calendar. Mother Nature has started waking up from her long slumber, birds are starting to pair up, fresh shoots appear on the trees and roe does get ready to give birth to kids. There are physiological changes happening to the roebuck, as well as changes in their behaviour, at this time of year. The most obvious and noticeable change is antler growth and the shedding of their winter coats. Antler tissue is one of the fastest-growing tissues in the animal kingdom. While many organisms can regenerate body parts, deer are the only mammals that still possess this alien power of…

I work with all levels of dog handlers, from first-time owners to well-seasoned competitive handlers. I often refer to other sports and use them to explain a theory or aspect of training that handlers may struggle to grasp. However, one thing that never fails to surprise me is the assumption that every single dog owner in the world makes — that they can train a dog. It may seem a ridiculous thing to say, but anyone considering getting a dog automatically assumes that they will be able to train it. With the best will in the world, anyone who works with dogs knows this is simply not the case. I have played and taken part in many sports in my life. Some I was good at and some not. But…

I recently stumbled upon a woodcock’s nest in the forest above my house. This was a major coup for me and I marvelled at the beautiful eggs in their little cup of moss and pine needles. I had almost given up hope that I would ever see a woodcock’s nest, despite the fact that I’m usually pretty good at finding nests, if such a thing is skill and more than good luck. I celebrated quietly to myself and the only small fly in the ointment was the fact that I didn’t have my phone or a camera to get a picture. I suppose the satisfaction is not really something you can catch in a photograph anyway. Over the years, I’ve found the nests of everything from nightjars to whitethroats, but…

OUR VERDICT In life, sticking to what you are good at has always been sound advice. I appreciate that this brings a certain ‘vanilla’ aspect to our existence and some are prone to looking over the fence at the greener grass of our neighbour’s pasture. So when a gunmaker such as Benelli decides to break from the world of semi-automatics and pump actions and make an over-and-under, you have to ask whether this is a case of ‘the grass is always greener’ or the work of a genius. Our own gunmaking company, Atkin Grant & Lang, has been making sporting shotguns since 1821 and in these 200 years our gun designs have actually changed very little, the biggest development being the invention of the cartridge and breechloader. To use a…

I have dealt with my all-time favourite seaweeds, dulse (29 April 2020) and laver (3 February 2021), over the past two years in this column, and it is time for more. Of the 600 or so seaweeds that grace our shores, a mere handful are edible. Most are too stringy, chalky, slimy, bitter or rare, though none (save a rare kelp that contains sulphuric acid) is poisonous. I have a mental list of a dozen or so I collect every year. Here are a few more for your delectation. There are two species — carragheen, Chondrus crispus, and false carragheen, Mastocarpus stellatus — that not only look similar, but can be used in the same way. These seaweeds are not eaten directly. Instead, a gelatine-like substance is extracted to set…

I parked the truck underneath a gnarled old oak that crookedly stands at the end of a hedge, a mix of elm sucker, maple and hawthorn. My eyes were on the bund that lay 50m away, made by piling subsoil from a pond creation into a 2m-high ridge on to which tussock grass and wildflower seed had been sown two autumns ago. The imperfect mound made perfect grey partridge nesting habitat. Greys adore broken ground. On one side of the bund lay a grass track cutting through a rough meadow; on the other, a field of well-tilled beans, their emerald shoots poking through the tilth. I twiddled the reticule on my binos, and the clumps of burdock and ribwort plantain, Timothy grass and budding pink campion became clear. My gaze…

Bipod versus sticks debate STALKING Q I have recently been looking into the merits of having a bipod on the rifle and also carrying a set of support sticks for the occasions when I take standing shots. The fitted bipod adds weight, so I have been thinking about removing it. What do you think? A Generally, I have both when I am stalking, but it really depends on the ground that you stalk. It is important that we use the best rest available prior to taking any shot, as that reduces the chances of an error and potentially wounding your target. Getting down to take a prone shot is always going to be the most stable platform. However, in order to do that, you need a clear line of sight…

One of the reasons I like buying hunting kit in person is that I can get my hands on the stuff and feel it. I can’t do that online. At the excellent new Stalking Show, for example, I was finally able to handle and assess the differing fabric of Stoney Creek’s Tundra and Frostline jackets. In the old days, the choice of hunting clothes boiled down to tweed or waxed cotton, take it or leave it. Today, specialist clothing manufacturers bombard us with technical data about breathability and waterproofness. In my distant youth, I thought ‘waterproof’ meant precisely that. How wrong I was. Hardly any clothing remains waterproof under all conditions. The closest you might get to it is something like those sea-fishing outfits made by the likes of Helly…

The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation has advised members to “plan your business on the premise that the bulk of eggs will not be arriving from France for the majority of this rearing season”. The advice comes as France’s catastrophic bird flu outbreak continues. While fresh cases continue to be detected in key areas, there is now a very clear slowdown in numbers of new cases. The week from 12 April to 19 April saw only six new cases in the Vendée and none in Loire-Atlantique. These are the key regions for gamebird rearing. Cases in neighbouring Maine-et-Loire, which appeared to be accelerating, have also slowed, with only five new cases this week, while a feared outbreak in Finistère, Brittany, appears to have been stamped out. However, all of the previous control…

The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill has passed its final hurdle in the House of Commons, but its long-term implications remain unclear. The new law will force the Government to set up an Animal Sentience Committee (ASC). The ASC will look at all new laws and policies and decide whether the Government “is having, or has had, all due regard to the ways in which the policy might have an adverse effect on the welfare of animals as sentient beings”. This could include areas such as reform of the general licences, changes to shooting or fishing seasons, legislation around trapping and snaring, and a wealth of matters connected to livestock farming. However, the ASC’s only power is to publish a report; it can’t force any changes to be made to laws…

SUPER SPINONI While reading my father’s copy of Shooting Times, I was truly delighted to see an article by David Tomlinson dedicated to this wonderful breed, the spinone (Gundogs, 2 March). I for one have had experience with working spinoni for nearly 20 years. While I agree that they are not as commonly seen working on the shooting field as a lab or spaniel these days, I have had the pleasure of working mine and shooting over this fantastic, versatile breed. When trained well, the spinone is the best of both worlds — they love to hunt, are cracking on a retrieve, wonderful swimmers and equally sit beautifully on peg should they need to. It baffles me why there are so few on the field. I’m not sure I agree…

Fingers clasped beneath the wooden frame and rough thumbs on top, Gerald Gray holds the picture of his grandfather up to the light. I look from the moustached face of the man sitting next to me, to the face in the magazine cutting. The nose is longer but there is the same kind curiosity in the dark eyes. ‘James Henry Gray,’ Gerald says proudly, ‘you can see where that was. That was in The Gamekeeper Magazine.’ Down at the bottom of the stained paper, a date is written in bold: ‘September 1931’. I read it aloud. ‘That’s it,’ Gerald replies with a smile, as though he’s asked me a question and I’ve hit on the right answer, ‘that’s when it was.’ He passes me the frame, then turns and looks…

For most lowland shoots, the cost of pheasant and partridge poults is probably the biggest single outlay in the annual budget, so you want to spend your money wisely. Shopping around is clearly sensible, but beware of going on price alone. All poults are not equal and it is an ancient axiom that the cheapest price is rarely the best value for money. I am often asked about strains of pheasants and what sort has those magic qualities that we all want. For the gourmet, they need to eat well, but I think they all taste much the same, so what we are interested in is that they fly like dingbats. We also want them to hold to the shoot like glue and for those left after the season to…

Feathered game have from time immemorial given gratification to the palate of man,” began Mrs Beeton in her 1861 Book of Household Management. The chapter on cookery assures us that the eating of game has a noble pedigree, stretching back to Moses and beyond. She lists fine instructions for the preparation of delicacies such as bustard, bittern and corncrake. Game was the height of sophistication, favoured by lords of the manor and “so many persons of great wealth who have not otherwise the means of procuring game”. The latter — those who don’t own land, but rather have to pay princely sums to secure their game meat — were responsible for encouraging poaching, according to Mrs Beeton. The commercial poaching of pheasants and partridges was a serious business, from before…

RATHER MORE THAN a quarter of a century ago I bought a wooden dog kennel. Manufactured by A Neaverson & Sons Ltd of Peterborough, a company that started making kennels in 1934, it was a good investment. When I bought it, I had three generations of springers — mother, daughter and granddaughter — and, though they lived in the house, they always went into the kennel when they came back from their morning walk, or whenever we wanted them out of the way. I remember debating in this column the best type of bedding to use. The old books all recommend straw, with the consensus being that oat straw was best, but wheat made a reasonable alternative and spiky barley was best avoided. These days, few people use straw, as…

From the moment I operated the top-lever, I realised that the 828U was a bit different. In a strange way, it felt like a semi-automatic in operation. The top-lever was stiff, as this recocks the mechanism, and due to the floating breech, the opening was vague and needed to be worked at when closed, giving an unpleasing clunk that sounded like a semi-auto closing. The safety and barrel selector are situated on the top strap. Little purchase is available in the safety and moving it to the firing position was a struggle. The gun mounted consistently and comfortably. The stock measurements, design of grip, shape of fore-end and how the measurements can be adjusted were high points. The shooting experience was good, too, with the balance of the gun biased…

It had been a good shoot. A very good shoot. I leaned comfortably on the gnarled black oak of the bar counter, sipped my rum and pep, puffed a cigar and stared at the russets and golds on Percy’s sporting calendar. You know... that melanistic on the last drive... I’d really stopped that high bird... that rabbit as it motored for the kale... and the woodcock... well, that was a snap shot as it should be taken. “’Lo Whiteface,” a voice broke into my reverie as a hefty middle-aged chap, black and yellow labradors at heel, walked to the bar. “ Thanks, I will,” he responded to my invitation and Percy drew a pint of his best bitter from the wood. The dogs sought sanctuary near the roaring fire and…

NOT WHAT IT SEEMS Q Can you identify the small, day-flying moth shown in my photograph? It was taken in Ashdown Forest in East Sussex. A The insect shown in your photograph isn’t a moth, but a butterfly — a dingy skipper. One of our smallest butterflies, it is a species that is easily overlooked as it is extremely well camouflaged. When freshly emerged, these butterflies are pretty in a subtle way. After a few days, they lose scales from their wings and end up looking as drab as their name suggests. Though widely distributed, breeding throughout much of England and even as far north as Inverness in Scotland, they have become rarities in many counties. They are easy butterflies to overlook, as their fast-beating wings become a blur in…