Innholdsfortegnelse for 6-Jul-2022 i Shooting Times & Country

Last week, as is often the case, was a varied one. On Monday, I went to talk to Dr Franco Gussalli Beretta and his son Carlo about their strategy for the company that’s been in their family for over 500 years. On the Friday, I went to the West Country for the Devon Wildfowlers’ annual quiz. Sitting upstairs in the Holland & Holland shop on Jermyn Street, Carlo, who is 25, said he likes to go hunting as often as he can but in Italy, there aren’t many young people who are into it any more. “Strange, really, for me not to be able to get out much,” he concluded in perfect English. Five days later, I sat in Topsham, drinking a pint of Otter and reading questions on everything…

Police have seized guns belonging to former MP Neil Parish, citing concerns over his mental health. Parish, whose political career came to an end after he admitted watching adult videos in Parliament, told LBC that officers had seized his guns. “The police very kindly and rightly took [them] away — because I am a farmer, I have got shotguns, so they took those away from me. When you have blown up your parliamentary career for 12 years, you are not feeling in the best place, and they took them away for my own safety; not that I was going to shoot anybody else, [but] in case I shot myself.” A perceived spike in seizures of guns and revocation of certificates has provoked discussion over the past year. The Home Office…

The killing of hedgehogs We are lucky to have a few hedgehogs still remaining on the farm. But this (right) was left on the gravel turn outside my daughter’s house. She asked what had left the skin whose owner had been freshly killed. I explained that this is how most of the hedgehogs have disappeared out of the countryside. A badger is capable of rolling a curled-up hedgehog over with its paws and eating the contents out of the middle, leaving the skin behind. Three of my foxing friends have described watching this take place. They say the cries of the hedgehog that is being eaten alive are quite heart-rending. A relation of mine in Devon, in the middle of a badger cull area, says that he and his fellow…

Utterly spellbound, I stood on the banks of the River Tyne watching what only could be described as nature in its rawest form. The river, running well below summer levels, had created a significant stony shingle bay. In the shallows of this bay, thousands of juvenile and mini species had taken advantage of the warm water and presumably prolific food supply. Large shoals of minnow and dace were easily seen from my vantage point. Suddenly, a huge eruption of fry and minnows occurred. I glimpsed the bow wave of a large fish that had clearly caused the mayhem. I had stumbled on a feeding frenzy equal to anything that the BBC had filmed in its great Blue Planet series. Menacing bow waves could be seen now in all directions, corralling…

The history of keepering All-powerful at the height of the Edwardian era, the gamekeeper’s influence has faded and David Whitby wonders what the future holds In 1961, President Charles de Gaulle made a visit to the then British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, or Supermac as he was affectionately known. It might be said that the French president led something of a remarkable life, surviving 30 assassination attempts. The leaders met at Birch Grove, Macmillan’s rather fine shooting estate in West Sussex, and de Gaulle had an army of protection and security in tow. The two premiers were deep in discussion in the Prime Minister’s office — no doubt our membership of the European Common Market was high on the agenda, something de Gaulle later vetoed. The month was November, the…

The experts THE ULTIMATE SHOOTING QUIZ TEAM BILL HARRIMAN BASC’s head of firearms and global authority on guns MAT MANNING Airgunner and journalist from the West Country DIGGORY HADOKE Vintage gun expert, firearms dealer, author and journalist BRUCE POTTS Shooting Times rifle reviewer and stalker MIKE SWAN Conservation expert and head of education for the GWCT DAVID TOMLINSON Highly regarded writer and ornithologist LIAM BELL Shropshire gamekeeper, keen wildfowler and amateur naturalist GRAHAM DOWNING Shooting consultant and sporting author TONY BUCKWELL Veterinary surgeon with a special interest in gundogs TOM PAYNE Professional shooting instructor and avid pigeon shooter ELLENA SWIFT Award-winning gundog trainer and canine behaviour specialist TIM MADDAMS Former head chef at River Cottage and runs a shoot in Devon SIMON WHITEHEAD Author, professional ferreter and rabbit…

People who favour reintroducing large predators tend to be idealistic. There’s nothing wrong with idealism. The problems come when it collides with reality. In the context of predator reintroduction, this means the practicalities of living in an environment shared with humans. I am always struck by how few ardent greenies actually live in the countryside. Why is this? Instead of being honest and admitting that sea eagles, lynx and wolves might present a conflict with existing land uses, certain lobbyists try to sell the idea that we’ll all be better off and nobody will lose. A wonderful equilibrium — the balance of nature — will be restored. The land will heal itself. Livestock farming will segue into ecotourism, with cheerful, rosy-cheeked rustics ladling organic yoghurt into wooden bowls for paying…

NEWS SHOOT Farm sheds will shortly be filling up with grain and oilseeds. Get round your permissions now to clear out feral pigeons before they are able to pollute harvested crops. An air rifle is often the safest tool for the job and a simple .177 spring action can be very effective when well used. APPLY The internet has come alive over the past few weeks with estates looking for grouse beaters. If you are fit, adventurous and have a few weeks you can spare over the holidays, sign up. The larger estates will often offer food, accommodation and pay. However, you must be prepared for any weather and be ready for serious exertion.…

When I was a boy, I loathed the wind. It would tangle my fly-line and bother me endlessly. I am fortunate enough to have spent my working life stalking deer among the high tops — a career in which the wind has played a fundamental part. However, winds of change are blowing in the deer sector. Objectives are being set on halting biodiversity loss by 2030 and starting its restoration by 2045. An overall recommendation of 10 deer per square kilometre was initially accepted by the Scottish government as a maximum density figure, but in all honesty that figure will be considerably lower. And, just as the buffalo disappeared from the great plains of America in a single generation, a similar event could occur in Scotland if these goals are…

The trouble with travel is kit. It didn’t matter in Victoria’s reign, when steam engines thundered north and there was an army of servants and gawd-bless-yer railway porters to transport the small foothill of sporting accoutrements up to river and moor. Anyone familiar with George Earl’s evocative painting Going North, King’s Cross Station, 1893 can only marvel at the insouciance of the passengers. Are they worried that those gun cases, salmon rods, landing nets and six brace of pointers and setters will arrive? Or that something has been forgotten? Not one jot. And they’re certainly not going to pay extra for ‘outsize equipment’ and any item more than 24kg — which, after all, would only cover the Fortnum & Mason picnic basket brimming with the sustenance for the journey. How…

If you are on any form of social media, you will be aware of the Heart of England surplus stock auction. Almost as dramatic as the Jubilee Pageant, the hammer fell on Lot 2 on 5 June with eye-wateringly high prices — £55,065 for 5,000 day-old partridges. That’s £11 a chick. The number of bids was staggering, the hammer price heart-wrenching, and social media has risen — many people are shocked and angry. My first view of the auction was a link sent through by my father. At the time, the chicks were £20,000 — four times the average price of chicks last year and three times the price advertised by Heart of England. People on social media were in uproar. “Never thought I would ever see the day when…

BRITAIN'S GREATEST POACHERSNOTORIOUS ROGUES OF THE COUNTRYSIDE Of all the many books written on the subject of poaching in these islands, perhaps the most outstanding is I Walked by Night, The Life and History of the King of the Norfolk Poachers. Written in old age by poacher Frederick Rolfe, and edited by Lilias Rider Haggard, this work was first published in 1935. From a comfortable position in the early 21st century, it would be easy to judge such a man harshly, but Rolfe’s life was set against a backdrop of poverty and brutality that is now difficult for us to imagine. Born in 1862, Fred Rolfe experienced great hardship in his early life and, despite the class restrictions of Victorian Britain, refused to believe that game was the preserve of…

Gundogs WHATEVER FAULT A retrieving dog may have, be it running-in, whining or not listening to the whistle, there’s only really one that’s serious enough to end a dog’s career and that’s hard mouth. The essential requirement of all dogs that pick-up game, be they spaniel, retriever or pointer, is that they collect dead or injured birds gently and without damaging them. Field trial judges are taught to examine every bird retrieved to check for hard mouth. With practice it isn’t difficult, but feeling a bird’s ribs only tells part of the story. The real test is to dress out game retrieved by a dog. Most dogs won’t leave a mark, except under difficult conditions, such as pulling a bird out of a dense bramble bush. Some, however, will leave…

This modern label dates from 2012 and was specially commissioned for a new-build shotgun, made to order by workers in the London trade for a Texan customer, through Vintage Guns Ltd. The label was designed and created to be fitted into the lid of a bespoke case, which was built by Westley Richards. The label takes its cues from the fashion prevalent from the late 1800s until the 1930s, being black leather with gold embossed lettering and a simple border. The customer had his name engraved on the gun and duplicated on the label. Joseph’s Vintage Guns is the customer’s shop in Richmond, Texas. This is one of only two such guns made to date, but 500 labels were made.…

Satellite-tagged duck’s odyssey A satellite tag fitted to a wigeon has revealed an extraordinary tale of long-distance migration. The unnamed bird was tagged in Finland and its tag showed that it wintered on the east coast of Britain before heading to the Orkney Islands, then crossing the North Sea. It flew over Norway and Sweden, crossed the Gulf of Bothnia and passed to the north of Helsinki, before entering Russia. It continued east for another 1,300 miles to reach its breeding grounds in Siberia. In autumn it flew back to the UK, completing a round trip of nearly 10,000km. Hunting harriers return to Crufts Harriers will be returning to Crufts for the first time in more than 120 years. The small hounds have been absent from the show since 1898,…

The old crone leers at the young man in a dominatrix kind of way, her huge breasts straining against her greying bra. He sits on the bed as if trapped by a terrible dilemma, his head in his hands. The caption reads: “So, do you want those pheasant poults or not young man?” Apologies if you have seen this brilliant meme that someone WhatsApped me the other day. And if the creator is reading this — you nailed it. The hiatus caused by an outbreak of bird flu in the game farms of France is having knock-on effects on shoots across the UK. Fortunately, Chris, our regular supplier, is not rapacious like some (see p36) and is clearly looking to build a long-term relationship with his customers that will see…

I have spent a pleasant afternoon on my reloading bench, where I turned out enough .303 cartridges for my various Lee Enfield rifles to see me through the next few club sessions on the range. I enjoy reloading; it’s very therapeutic and produces custom ammunition at a considerable saving from factory loads. While I reload by choice, people in remote parts of the American West had to do so out of necessity because they lived hundreds of miles from the nearest store or trading post. They also didn’t have the resources to carry lots of reloading components and tools and had to rely on what would take up little space and minimal weight in their saddlebags, wagons or pack pony’s panniers. There wasn’t a need for huge quantities of ammunition…

I like tradition, especially the traditions of country sports, which goes a long way to explaining why I’m a hunting enthusiast. Last month, I had the pleasure of attending my local foxhound pack’s puppy show, a timeless event that has changed little over the past century. It’s a chance for the huntsman to show off his new entry — puppies bred during the past year — and to have them appraised by his peers, usually another professional huntsman and a visiting MFH (Master of foxhounds). It’s also an opportunity to thank the puppy walkers for their efforts. There’s one essential for a puppy show and that is fine weather. There’s nothing more miserable than sitting in the rain. This year, we were blessed with a typical English summer’s day, with…

There was a time when I followed confit recipes to the letter. For those not in the know, it is a method of preserving meat that originated in France in the long, lost era before the invention of fridge-freezers. The meat — which was commonly poultry, pork or rabbit — would be seasoned and salted, left for a couple of hours and then slowly cooked in a deep bath of duck or goose fat, sometimes pork lard. At this point, it could be sealed in jars and stored for months. Before cooking, the fat would be scraped off and the meat either roasted or added to casseroles, notably the famous south-western French dish, cassoulet. “Cooking times vary for game, but don’t stop cooking the meat until it is genuinely soft”…

Simon WestExecutive director, The Gun Trade Association gtaltd.co.uk The Gun Trade Association was established in 1891 to “protect, promote and represent” the firearms industry. Although these words were no doubt intended to cover political pressures, COVID-19 meant Simon West was protecting the industry in very different circumstances. “I was very pleased that we were able to adapt to providing business-survival advice,” Simon explains. “We kept people going and we’re now in a different environment, where the most immediate threat is the police licensing delays.” With the bit now firmly between his teeth, Simon says the GTA will continue to fight against the “perfect storm” facing shooters. “If you’re fighting for something you believe in, you always feel better about it. Then you can celebrate your walked-up day in the snow…

TIMES SHOWN FOR LONDON THOUGHTS FROM THE FIELD The tit family is a group of passerine birds, the most common of which are the garden favourites, the blue, great and coal tit. The name, a source of much schoolboy sniggering for countless generations, stems from ‘titmouse’ or the earlier old English ‘titmose’. ‘Tit’ was the name given to any small creature, and somewhat confusingly the suffix ‘mouse’ or ‘mose’ was the name given to all birds. The word titmouse only truly fell out of common usage following the publication of William Yarrell’s History of British Birds in 1843 where he shortened the moniker to plain “tits”. The blue tit, the most common of all British tits, is known by many regional names. In Scotland they are ‘blue bonnets’, in Devon…