Innholdsfortegnelse for 15-Jun-2022 i Shooting Times & Country

The Welsh government has confirmed that it has no plans to ban shooting. A misleading, but widely circulated, social media post claimed that the Labour administration in Wales was to ban all fieldsports in the next few years. As Shooting Times suggested at the time (News, 20 April), this has been confirmed as ‘fake news’. Now, in a formal letter to Ken Skates MS, minister Julie James has confirmed the post is “incorrect and the claims are baseless”. However, restrictions to shooting in Wales mean that many in the principality remain gloomy about the future of the sport. BASC Wales director Steve Griffiths commented: “While this will alleviate many fears across Wales, it will not stop the general mood that there is currently limited support for shooting from Welsh government.…

FILL YOUR BOOTS WITH FAT HEN I found John Wright’s feature on fat hen very informative (Living off the fat hen of the land, 25 May). I never realised it was such a useful food plant, although I seem to remember reading it was a major ingredient of the medieval peasant meal ‘pottage’. There were times when it was to be found in untended field corners throughout the countryside but it seems modern agri-chemicals have got it reasonably under control. Pheasants and partridges certainly like it, and if a crop is heavily infested there is no need to put out any feeders. John says he has found it difficult to harvest. Perhaps he should try rough shooting a field of sugar beet where fat hen is rife. We’ve often cursed,…

Some 20 years ago, we pitched a safari tent on 2,500 acres of wilderness in northern Kenya. In those early days we cooked over a campfire, showered with a bucket under a tree and dug a long-drop latrine with a pleasant view over the valley below us. We drew water from a spring down the hill and donkeys carried it up to camp in jerrycans. We used kerosene hurricane lamps and had no electricity. Our two small children slept head-to-toe in a bed next to us in the first tent and we put up a second tent that served as an office and nursery. Everything around us was wild. Elephants walked through the camp at night and, one time, a hyena ate our daughter’s shoes. After dark, the constellations shone…

1 Skinning It’s best to prepare a trophy head as soon as possible after the animal is shot. Of course, if you have decked a magnificent gold-medal buck, you’ll probably want a shoulder mount. If so, take huge care when gralloching and don’t forget to cape the animal right back to a line taken from behind the forelegs up to the centre of the back. Any cuts to the neck or throat are almost impossible for even the most skilled taxidermist to hide. Some people will boil out the entire skull, but I make a ‘frontlet’ by preparing only the top half of the cranium and the facial bones, along with the pedicles and antlers. To do this, you first need to skin the head. Start from the nose and…

I REGISTERED AT A new doctor’s surgery and changed to a different veterinary practice last month. The change of doctor’s surgery was straightforward enough, but it entailed much form filling, while my initial encounter with staff at the surgery left me less than impressed. I was treated with a touch of disdain by someone who seemed to lack people skills and charm. They certainly wouldn’t stand a chance of getting a similar job at my local BMW dealership, where it’s regarded as important to be pleasant and helpful to customers. I’m pleased to say that the switch of veterinary practices was a much easier and happier experience. I like my dogs to have an annual health check and realised that they hadn’t seen a vet for nearly two years. My…

Unlike those deer species that arrived on these islands as hitch-hikers in the wake of Britain’s 19th-century trading empire, the fallow deer (Dama dama) has a much more complex history. Present in prehistoric Britain until the onset of the last ice age, when it became confined to refugia in the eastern Mediterranean, fallow deer were reintroduced here not by the Normans, as most authorities once believed, but by the Romans. This was confirmed recently when archaeologists working on the Roman palace at Fishbourne, Sussex, identified a number of fallow bones, including two jaw bones. The teeth were subjected to strontium isotope analysis, which confirmed that one of the animals had started life in southern Europe before living out the remainder of its days in England. This simple bit of science…

THE MOST ASTONISHING THING about Keith Sykes’s artwork is not that he uses the unusual medium of scraperboard, but the amount of fine detail he manages to get into each piece. Scraperboard is a form of direct engraving where the artist scratches off dark ink to reveal a white or coloured layer beneath. But looking at some of Keith’s work, you would almost think it is a photograph, as he skilfully uses light and shade to capture the unique character of the creature he portrays. He explains: “Because the basic technique of scraperboard is to scratch through the inked surface to reveal the white background, the medium is perfect for depicting hair and texture — it is no coincidence that most of my subjects are hairy! “I enjoy inking dog…

Could a shortage of imported gamebirds for this coming season signal structural change in driven game shooting? In years to come, will we look back and recognise this season as the turning point — the first time in decades that the inexorable trend of releasing more and more pheasants was reversed? The immediate worry is that some gamekeepers may lose their jobs, because the shoots that employ them won’t be able to sell enough shooting due to a shortage of imported gamebird eggs and chicks. Any commercial entity relies on making a return on its investment — and the fixed costs of a major shoot can be very high. A shoot needs to sell shooting simply to wash its face. The pressure to generate income may be considerable. Some far-sighted…

A significant number of shoots are cancelling days or simply writing off the entire season as the combined effects of low bird availability, high prices and general economic strain bite. An outbreak of avian influenza in France has led to restrictions on the export of chicks and eggs to shoots and game farms, greatly reducing the number of birds available to UK shoots. And prices of essential shoot supplies such as feed and fuel have increased dramatically as the war in Ukraine affects exports. “A shoot was booking at £80 a bird in order to break even” According to a survey by shoot booking website GunsOnPegs, up to a third of planned shoot days could be cancelled, particularly on partridges. The survey found that while around 70% of pheasant shooting…

APPLY Book a place on a Deer Stalking Certificate (DSC) Level 1 course. We are yet to meet somebody, no matter how experienced they are as a stalker, who hasn’t learned something useful on a BASC DSC1 course. The course covers everything from shot placement to species identification. The DSC2 takes things up a notch and includes game handling and hygiene. BOOK Why not plan a trip north, to Orkney perhaps, for some goose shooting? Greylags are in plentiful supply in Scotland, unlike red-legged partridges at the moment. There’ll be plenty of shooting to be had this season but Guns might have to try different things.…

As the first swallows appear in our skies, our thoughts naturally turn towards summer activities and spending time outdoors. Plans are made, with dates scribbled in the diary for family breaks, fishing trips, visiting friends, a day out to the coast or the annual bonus for those of us who are part of the fieldsports community — going to the Game Fair. Community is very much the operative word when it comes to fieldsports and sharing common passions serves to unite us, regardless of wealth, profession, creed or class. This community spirit is something those of us on the inside mostly take for granted and appreciate to a lesser extent than we probably should. We’re a diverse lot and we go about our sporting activities throughout the year strictly within…

Striking the balance between simple enjoyment and technical advantage is seldom straightforward. Modern shooters are faced with a huge choice of hi-tech gadgets and gizmos that can help to put more quarry in the bag, but there is no denying that being overburdened with complicated equipment can take the joy out of a day or night in the field. The new breed of after-dark optics from InfiRay do an admirable job of walking the delicate line between improved performance in the field and over-reliance on sophisticated digital technology. In short, they work well without being difficult to use. My current preference for after-dark rabbit shooting is to use a thermal spotter — because nothing tends to go unnoticed when you scan the field for heat signatures — and to pair…

Dinner, debt, deer ground — some things are just better shared. It’s how and with whom that counts. As I write, bright light from a climbing sun cuts through my kitchen window. Fresh dew glitters on the lawn. The draw of the outdoors is strong, but I’m sitting at home and the rifle is in the cabinet. A message has just appeared on my phone — a summary of a friend’s early-doors stalk: the route taken, sightings of note, details of the deer now hanging in his chiller. When you can’t be there yourself, such reports are the next best thing. But the value of working with others to manage deer extends far beyond the opportunity to relive the experiences of fellow stalkers on familiar ground. Some would have you…

A good way of estimating the age of a muntjac buck is by boiling out the tusks. Clean them off with a scouring pad and use a toothpick or cocktail stick to remove the core of dark material from the root. On a young buck, the roots will be wide open, but between the ages of about three and five years they will close over until at between five and six years there is not even a pinprick of a hole left. Many old bucks will have broken tusks as a result of fighting. The intact, long and finely curved tusks of a senior buck are a prize indeed.…

According to a new study published in the journal Canine Medicine and Genetics, pugs can no longer be considered as a typical dog when being treated for health issues. This was a story picked up by many of the newspapers last month, but I suspect that it’s years since any serious vet considered pugs or any of the other brachycephalic breeds — such as bulldogs — as typical dogs. We have known for years that breeding dogs with flat faces, bulging eyes and wrinkled foreheads isn’t good for the health of the unfortunate animals. But breeders have continued to produce these dogs anyway, encouraged by an enormous growth in demand for these breeds. Registrations of bulldogs have more than doubled in the past 10 years, while those for French bulldogs…

“Always ask the attendees at the practice to applaud and make a bit of noise” Most packs at this time of year will have set a date for their puppy show and all hands will be on deck to make sure the kennels are looking their best for the day. Anything that doesn’t move will have either been painted already or will be about to be so, lawns carefully mown, hedges trimmed and hanging baskets set out. The tea for after the prize-giving will have been arranged and the judges organised. But all this is only one side of the equation, and many would argue the least important side, as preparing the young hounds for the puppy show is not something that happens overnight. It takes plenty of practice and…

THOUGHTS FROM THE FIELD On 15 June 1910, Captain Robert Falcon Scott set sail from Cardiff on the SS Terra Nova for his ill-fated voyage to the South Pole. Scott died on the Ross Ice Shelf in 1912 and never knew his son, Peter. In the explorer’s last letter to his wife, he wrote of his son: “Make the boy interested in natural history if you can. It is better than games.” Thankfully, the boy became interested and Sir Peter Scott went on to become one of history’s most highly regarded naturalist polymaths. The wildfowler, conservationist, author and artist founded the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, established the Species Survival Commission and invented the red list of globally endangered species. Scott followed his father’s footsteps down south. He first visited the…

The Lake District National Park Authority has become the latest UK public body to suspend trail hunting on land it owns after the trial of Mark Hankinson (News, 27 October 2021). Hankinson, at the time director of the Masters of Foxhounds Association (MFHA), was found guilty of inciting others to break the law in comments he made in a webinar, a copy of which was obtained by hunt saboteurs. The verdict led to a wave of public bodies banning trail hunting. The Park Authority suspension only applies on land it owns or manages directly and not on land in the park in other ownership. Polly Portwin, director of hunting at the Countryside Alliance, said: “It is for hunts to show that their activity is legitimate and once that is demonstrated…

A report into gamebird releasing for the Labour Animal Welfare Society has been slammed by experts. The report was written by the controversial academic, Professor Stephen Harris, whose now heavily criticised work was significant in the campaign to have foxhunting banned under Tony Blair’s administration. Prof Harris appears to make little attempt at impartiality in his latest report, stating openly: “It is my decision as to what evidence I wish to include in my review.” He went on to blame gamebird releasing for a wide range of issues, including increased fox numbers, damage to habitats, lead pollution and increased antibiotic resistance. However, a review of the report by qualified experts at the GWCT raised serious concerns about its methodology and conclusions, saying: “The overall conclusion of this process is that…

No change to licence on protected sites General licence 43, which allows the releasing of gamebirds on and around protected sites, has been renewed largely unchanged. The licence, which was introduced in response to a legal challenge by campaign group Wild Justice, allowed releasing to continue as long as best practice was observed. The reissued licence is substantially the same with some clarifications to the ‘consenting process’. Shoots releasing birds on or around protected sites are advised to contact shooting or gamekeeping organisations for advice if they are at all unsure about the terms of licences and consents. Fowlers fire for Her Majesty’s jubilee With the countryside turning out in force to mark HM the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee from 2 to 5 June, locals in Lincolnshire made their traditional noisy…

Between Colchester, Britain’s oldest recorded town, and Sutton Hoo, the site of Anglo-Saxon treasure, lie three of East Anglia’s principal estuaries: the Deben, the Orwell and the Stour. It was on this last that I took my daughter Liz for an evening paddle in our double kayak and we took our rods. Neither of us held out any great hope for a catch; it’s not been a good season for bass so far. Despite a few attempts last year and this, Liz hasn’t been lucky on the river. She’s always loved crabbing — the wonder and excitement of plucking creatures from the deep never fails to amaze children — but she had never caught a fish on her own line. “An egret fished, languid and lazy, in the shallows” The…

Most deerstalkers have a bit of a fascination with antlers, and some have rather more than just a bit. I fall into that second category. To be clear, as a self-confessed muntjac nut, I prepare and keep the trophy head of every antlered muntjac buck I shoot. I suppose the idea emerged some 20 years ago when I was hunting in France and saw a wall in my host’s shooting lodge that was entirely covered with roe heads. I thought: “Amazing! That looks great. I can do that with muntjac.” And so I did. “It is a reminder of those wonderful days spent out in the fields, hills and forests” It’s horribly early now to get out for a morning stalk but the world’s a great place at 4am, when…

A modern-day yachtsman sailing around the wild and mountainous Isle of Rhum in the Inner Hebrides is probably unaware that during the late 19th and early 20th centuries the 26,400-acre island was considered to be one of the top deer forests and walked-up grouse shoots in Scotland, where unauthorised visitors were forbidden to land. Indeed, public access was not allowed on Rhum until 1957 when Lady Monica Bullough, widow of the final laird, sold the property to the Nature Conservancy Council for use as a National Nature Reserve. Originally farmed by crofters in the traditional Highland manner, Rhum was cleared of the bulk of its population in 1826 and converted into a large-scale sheep farm of about 8,000 sheep. The island was offered for sale by the laird, the MacLean…

During the season, our dogs are kept occupied with the roles they play in the shooting field. While training will continue in a limited form, because of their work, keeping them entertained is relatively easy. Once the season is finished, however, many of us turn to other means to keep them fit and sharp. The most important thing is to know your dog and what their drive is like to select a routine that suits them. Each discipline requires a different ability but at least one will suit any breed, and give them a break from shooting while continuing to sharpen certain skills and keep them fit. Agility Agility is a fast, exciting and technical sport. Some trainers will advise that training for agility will undo gundog work, but I…

I made a stupid error of omission yesterday. I had wandered across the road and down through the copse that leads to my embryonic flightpond, intending to check a tunnel trap, when a black shape glided from an oak and set up a devil of a din. Another crow mysteriously appeared and, protesting in violent corvine language, the pair circled above me, frequently swooping within range. I quickly saw the cause of their anguish. A youngster, a huddle of drooping black feathers, was half-flapping, half-flying in a silver birch. The parents, all credit to their courage, were determined to see me off and must have congratulated themselves on their apparently easy victory when they saw me turn tail to streak back through the wood. I had neglected to carry my…

WJ JEFFERY WJ Jeffery ran a successful and long-lived gun retail business and became very influential in the development of rifle cartridges. He had no manufacturing facility — despite the claim on the label — and sold guns commissioned and built by makers to the trade. This minimalist paper and ink label is distinguished by its rare use of contrasting red letters. The address of 13 King Street in London covers the years from 1898 to 1914, which was when the firm was at its most profitable. It became a limited company in 1953. W J stands for William Jackman.…