Innholdsfortegnelse for 8-Jun-2022 i Shooting Times & Country

Grouse chicks are experiencing fine conditions as hatches get under way. Cool but sunny weather, with a smattering of showers, greeted the first chicks of the year in Perthshire, raising hopes that the poor hatches of previous years will not be repeated and that moors will have a shootable surplus this year. Excessively cold or wet weather can lead to high mortality due to the chilling of chicks. However, excessively dry weather, which causes water stress and limits insect numbers, can also be a major challenge for the young birds. Forecasts suggest that a period of warm weather will cover the vital first few weeks after hatching, with occasional occluded fronts bringing rain showers. While the chicks look set to enjoy a good start, there is still a long way…

CAST YOUR VOTES I read online about the suggested blanket lead ammunition ban that UK REACH is trying to get through (News, 18 May), . How shocked I was when the full consequences of such a ban were pointed out. This could possibly mark the end of shooting sports if this ban isn’t opposed. It seems little is being done to stop it except an online petition, which I urge every shooter to sign. We are already suffering serious issues with both the supply and cost of ammunition as it is. This suggested ban would include all airgun, shotgun and rifle ammunition. Although shotgun ammunition is available in non-toxic form — albeit a limited supply — it is also considerably more costly. You certainly wouldn’t want to use it for…

I have been thinking about the future of deer and their impact in England. With the COVID-19 pandemic and near-annihilation of the venison market, what lies in store for English deer and their abundance in the years ahead? Where is the ‘Goldilocks zone’ in the maintenance of deer in England? It is generally accepted that there are about two million deer in the UK. It is also accepted that one million of them are in Scotland. Allow me to unburden you from that notion. Nobody knows the exact numbers in England — nor anywhere else in Great Britain. The fact remains that most stalkers don’t even know what’s on their own ground, let alone the whole country. It is simply too difficult to account for six species over four nations…

“Available habitat for wildlife will become condensed by land uses that often favour predatory species” Across more than 5,000 acres of rural Galloway, you’d expect there to be plenty of good spots to have a seat, but there is one particular heather-clad knoll on the periphery of our shoot that I visit at least once a week during the spring months. It doesn’t look like much but it serves a purpose. This mound is positioned above the flattest area of our shoot, a 200-acre bog with tall reed beds, rank heather and deep uncrossable ditches. It’s not the best view, but it looks over a place that’s almost impossible to access and has been left practically untouched since the drainage ditches were dug by the Improvers in the 18th century.…

“It’s wicked to admit, but the memory of taking fur and fin illegally is still vivid” A few days ago, I was casting a fly across a stubborn trout, a gourmet that had so far refused four offerings, including the usually irresistible Klinkhåmer. And while I fiddled to secure the tucked half-blood knot on yet another fly, I talked to my guide about poaching. We were fishing a European river internationally famous for the quality of its wild browns and grayling, and it was accordingly expensive. Not as pricey as the Test or Itchen, but enough to put off locals from coming down regularly. And since it flowed past a couple of villages, I could see it must have been tempting to walk the dog at dusk and have an…

If you asked an experienced pigeon shooter to name the highlights of their year, I’m pretty certain that the time of the newly sown peas would come reasonably high on their list. Pigeons have an uncanny instinct for a good thing. Shrivelled, bullet-hard seed peas are one of them. To human eyes, they look like a shortcut to a bad attack of heartburn. But not to a pigeon. You can drill peas, roll them, choose any way you can devise to cover them with a decent coating of soil, and the pigeon will still find them. Last week I was invited to have a go at defending such a crop on some of the rich Hampshire acres over which Archie Coats mounts guard. There were five large fields of newly…

THOUGHTS FROM THE FIELD On 8 June AD793, the Holy Island of Lindisfarne on the Northumberland coast was raided for the first time by Norsemen, heralding the start of what is now known as the Viking invasion of Britain. While our general image of these warriors is one of thieves and pillagers, the Vikings gave us much. This is particularly true when it comes to the English language. You can take this on (traust) trust, last (torsdag) Thursday, having (blundra) blundered into my (heim) home in muddy (sko) shoes, leaving a trail of (myki) muck and (myrr) mire behind me, my wife went (berserk) berserk, calling me a (lasinn) lazy, (rotinn) rotten so and so. Indeed, without the Vikings, fieldsports would be a very different thing. When you (kasta) cast…

Police Scotland has been forced into an embarrassing climbdown over a buzzard that it claimed had been “deliberately shot”. The bird was reported to police after being discovered in woodland near Ladybank, Fife, in April. The discovery of the bird’s remains was accompanied by a press release from Police Scotland which claimed that the bird had been illegally killed and that it had died “a lingering death”. The press release went on to ask for witnesses to come forward, saying: “We rely on the public to help us tackle wildlife crime, and I urge anyone in the local and wider community to come forward if they have any information about who may have been responsible.” “Police Scotland claimed the bird had died ‘a lingering death’” The alleged offence was enthusiastically…

Lyme disease is a disabling bacterial condition spread by tick bites. The best defence is to prevent ticks from biting you by wearing long clothing and using insect repellent; the next best is to spot and remove ticks quickly by use of a tick removal tool. Finally, look out for the distinctive bullseye rash or flu-like symptoms following a bite and seek medical attention rapidly. Most waterside invasive species will be very evident now. Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed and skunk cabbage will all be in full leaf. Himalayan balsam should be cut before it sets seed; however, knotweed is best left alone and sprayed or stem injected under licence later in the year.…

Avian influenza continues in France, though at a slower rate. The devastating outbreak, which has led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of birds, has massively disrupted the supply of gamebird chicks and eggs to the UK market. Defra confirmed that a 90-day disease-free period would be required before imports could resume, dashing hopes that birds would arrive in time for the season. However, the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation has launched a campaign to have this period reduced to 30 days and for the regulations to be updated (News, 1 June). Throughout the outbreak, Shooting Times has monitored the figures published by the French agriculture ministry, with particular focus on cases in the departments of Vendée and Loire-Atlantique, where gamebird production is centred. Outbreaks appear to have stopped in the…

Having read Giles Catchopole’s article (Serious matters, 25 May), may I be allowed to offer a few observations? As a coach (as opposed to instructor) with 40 years of experience, it may be considered that I have a vested interest in people taking shooting lessons. However, as a keen game Shot, I submit myself to peer review at the beginning of each season — to much ribald comment — to attempt to eradicate my bad habits. Let me assure you, there is nothing like teaching novices to ruin your own shooting. The point I am trying to make is that a client should be careful in their choice of coach. There are far too many alleged coaches/instructors who, having spent three or four days with one of the shooting organisations,…

Scotland epitomises the ultimate sporting getaway. Ask any sportsman across the globe and I imagine Scotland will rank highly on their wish list of go-to locations — and rightly so. Over the decades it has established a reputation for offering a friendly welcome to those sportsmen and women making the journey — and it was the same for me. I can remember eagerly reading articles in Shooting Times about epic stalks, tracking majestic red stags high on the hills of the west coast. Many years later, these dreams were realised as I stalked my first red stag, which was eventually taken high above Fort William. Traditionally, most people still associate Scotland with those stags, red grouse and Atlantic salmon. However, increasingly, those same people are making the journey — from…

Thanks to a raucous rookery outside my bedroom window, a wildfowler’s internal alarm clock and a middle-aged bladder, my 4am reveille was no great hardship. I beat the rooks to the punch and was drinking coffee before they woke and, as I bounced down the drive, the BBC World Service on the truck radio informed me it was 05:00 GMT. Driving the few miles to Flea Barn with the window wide open was a delicious treat in the milky post-dawn light, made fresh by the overnight rain. As I pulled up on the concrete pad by the grain store, the cock pheasants held a shouting match and the skylarks made their first sorties of the day in their jerky vertical way, joyously telling the world they had survived another night.…

OUR VERDICT This month’s rifle was not quite what I was expecting and at first glance it might be construed as an odd choice for a review. However, the Chiappa Little Badger is quite appealing. Falling into the category of ‘survival rifle’, the Little Badger, like its namesake, is adept at handling harsh wilderness and provides a nasty bite, too. Not every shooter goes in for the latest high-flying gizmos or high-grade walnut quality, and to many a rimfire is simply a tool. If it shoots straight and true, it is more than good enough for vermin duties around the pens or the farm. That is clearly the ethos Chiappa channelled when it created the Little Badger. “This might be the perfect keeper’s gun, ideal for vermin shooting in a…

When I started out as a beater, there were always hares about and, while pheasants dominated in the game cart in the weeks around Christmas, there were also a few dozen hares laid on the floor of the larder. As game shooting has become commercialised, hare shooting has declined. When you have groups of strangers with guns romping about your land, it is only sensible to keep them aiming skywards. It has also led to the fetishisation of the high bird. If you tell your visiting shooters that only the highest will be deemed acceptable in polite society, there is a sporting chance that they will not spend their day peppering your staff. Thus it is the case that “no ground game” has become the mantra before the start of…

Most of us will have had a quick look round our release pen by now. Rotten posts and rusty wire will have been noted and earmarked for work parties. Electric fences will have been checked for breaks and shorting, and gates, pop-holes and run-ins given the once over just in case. Making a pen secure, and ensuring it is structurally sound, is fairly straightforward. Nevertheless, I always think it is a good idea to ask a friend to take a look at it when it is done, to see if they can pick up on anything you might have missed. Some friends of mine did exactly that when they leased a patch of ground just up the road from here and asked me if I could nip across and have…

I caught up with James Crowther while he was in his tractor, spreading lime. He’s not your typical keeper. His family owns the 5,000 acres over which he toils and, at this time of year, when he’s not busy preparing for the arrival of poults, checking tunnel traps or dealing with bookings for the season ahead, he’s tending to some 3,000 sheep. “There’s not much downtime,” he said. I suspect that’s something of an understatement. The Upperwood Estate sits on the edge of Saddleworth Moor in the Peak District and has become synonymous with testing birds. It was once home to a small syndicate shoot for family and friends, but the Crowthers decided to change tack 15 years ago and started letting days instead. “We enjoy having lots of different…

What do you do if you are on your own in the countryside and you come across somebody behaving suspiciously? Those of us who have been permitted to own firearms are at a potential disadvantage in any confrontation. Our certificates could be at risk, even if we are the innocent party, if matters descend into a ‘he said, I said’ row. Often, the best policy is to observe and report, rather than getting involved. I recall Natural England requesting the help of wildfowlers in reporting illegal commercial bait diggers. We were warned not to approach them, in case they tried to claim they had been threatened with guns. Instead, we were asked to report them and, if possible, supply vehicle numbers. Some forms of shooting — such as wildfowling, deerstalking…

A legal fight has broken out over the proposed EU lead ammunition restrictions. FACE, the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation, requested a dossier of information that was held by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). However, the agency repeatedly delayed releasing the information. When the information was finally released, the consultation had already closed and FACE was unable to use the full data in its response. The federation then appealed to the European Ombudsman, which found “maladministration in how the EFSA had dealt with the complainant’s access request and, specifically, its failure to comply with the time limits set out in the EU legislation on public access to documents”. BASC’s Dr Conor O’Gorman explained the significance for the UK. “This development is directly relevant to Northern Ireland (NI) because…

The green laird phenomenon may have peaked as estate acquisitions face increasing scrutiny and the Scottish government prepares to tighten its fiscal belt. In recent years, prices for sporting estates and hill farms in Scotland have skyrocketed in response to the emergence of a new breed of estate owner looking to ‘rewild’, while making money through carbon trading and timber production. These new owners are referred to as ‘green lairds’. In a recent review, leading estate agency Strutt & Parker noted that “the valuation methodology for some hill land, once based on sporting yields of grouse or red deer, is now assessed on forestry, carbon capture and rewilding potential”. A crucial driver of this change has been the availability of forestry planting grants from the Scottish government. The green laird…

Hunting smartens up Snaffles’s grave The grave of ‘Snaffles’ has been renovated with funding from the art and hunting worlds. Charles ‘Snaffles’ Johnson Payne is renowned for his painting and drawing of horses. A keen rider to hounds, he was a leading artist of hunting and other equestrian scenes and is well known for his appreciation and understanding of other fieldsports. The neglected grave in Fonthill Gifford near Salisbury was repaired with donations from fine-art dealer Rosenstiels, Houndsmagazineand the Countryside Alliance. Do you know a keen young keeper? The deadline for the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust’s two annual awards is looming. The Lady Scott Award, first presented in 2010, is given to a partner, spouse, family member or friend of a gamekeeper. The GWT Young Gamekeeper of the Year award is…

I’m going on a low-carbon holiday. While I wish that icecap preserving self-sacrifice was the motive for my modest getaway, an anaemic bank balance has more to do with it. Whatever the motive, I’m off for a planet-friendly getaway. I’m going to walk out of the village. After about a mile, I will turn left and head up into the trees. After about five miles, I will reach a little-visited loch. There I will cast a team of flies, watch otters sport and drift to sleep under the dancing stars, though midges, rain and tangles may also be involved. Then, I will hike on through a series of lochs, travelling by foot and canoe, angling for wild fish and fending off either sunstroke or hypothermia. It will be brilliant and…

Quirky rifles are always great fun to shoot and this Chiappa Little Badger was no exception — I soon had a large grin on my face. It makes you focus on your technique and trigger-pull more acutely than usual. I fitted a scope and an A-Tec Wave moderator to mute the report. It made for a very stealthy rimfire and I had three rabbits on the first evening with it. I ran the usual suspects of subsonic loads from Eley, CCI, RWS and Winchester. The Eley subs achieved 0.75in five-shot groups and 1,015fps for 87ft/lb at 30 yards. They would make a great all-round load. Upping the weight and the CCI suppressor load with 45-gr hollowpoint was nearly as accurate. I managed 0.85in groups and generated real clout at 968fps…

It was recently put to me that without grouse shooting in the UK, red grouse would soon be gone. To the average member of the public this defies reason, but within the shooting community we are well aware that shooting and conservation often — if not always — go hand in hand. In an era of increasing pressure on many traditional gamebirds — grey partridge and capercaillie spring immediately to mind —sharp focus inevitably falls on the conservation and survival of these species. But against the backdrop of a rapidly changing landscape and increasingly unfriendly politics, what role does shooting have in the future of these birds? Although poorly managed shooting can place pressure on bird numbers, this pales into insignificance when compared with the effects of habitat loss. In…

Choosing a new ferret box FERRETING Q Now my season is over, I am in the market for a new ferret box. I have seen a few boxes advertised with twin compartments. What benefits do these have over a single box? A I’ve been asked this a lot lately. Ferreting is, like most activities, subject to fads and fashions. I am not an advocate of the twin compartment boxes. I cannot see what benefits they bring to the ferreter over a large single box, other than separating your ferrets. The usual reason for using a twin box is to prevent your ferrets from squabbling while in transit. However, to my mind, if a ferret squabbles in the box, it is going to continue to squabble in a warren. This is…

Joseph is the lesser known Egg. He was the nephew of the great Durs Egg. Joseph was at 1 Piccadilly from 1813 to 1834 and this paper and black ink label features the Royal Warrant of King George IV, who ascended the throne in 1820. It also declares the patent for a ‘Waterproof Gun Lock’, one of several patents Joseph lodged. In 1835, the style changed to Joseph Egg & Sons. Given that this paper label is at least 188 years old, it is in remarkable condition.…