Innholdsfortegnelse for 2-Nov-2022 i Shooting Times & Country

The Scottish Labour Party will push for crippling restrictions on the use of dogs in vital pest control. Labour MSP Colin Smyth told a thinly attended debate on the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill that his party would propose an amendment to remove the licensing scheme which would allow more than two dogs to flush foxes from cover for them to be shot. Mr Smyth said: “You cannot license cruelty.” His view was strongly challenged by SNP member Fergus Ewing who pointed out the impossibility of flushing foxes from rough ground and woodland with just two dogs and by the Conservative’s Rachel Hamilton, who asked him how else pest control could be taken forward. The bill is backed by the Scottish government, however it was clear that the SNP’s own…

We all know that the peregrine is the fastest bird on the planet, and when it stoops it accelerates faster than a Ferrari. Nobody seems to know for sure quite how fast, and estimates range from a modest 120mph to a less plausible 250mph. What I do know is that it’s all over in the blink of an eye, as I was reminded last month at the British Falconers’ Club (BFC) International Field Meet at Woodhall Spa. I made the mistake of trying to photograph a stooping peregrine, but would have been much more sensible to have simply watched. The falcon was a three-year peregrine tiercel being flown by Robert Woolstencroft, the quarry wild grey partridges. After an unsuccessful morning with nothing in the bag we were running short of…

I had a meeting a fortnight ago with one of my farming customers. We had presented him with his hedgerow management plan, as some 53km was set to come under our care. For the next five years we would lay or coppice, plant new, change cutting regimes and fill gaps. All this would be done at no little expense to him and considerable physical effort by Richard Gould and I. The sole reason for all of this cost and labour was to improve the biodiversity potential of our customer’s Norfolk farm. His ambition was admirable, to ensure these arteries of the landscape fill with bird life. This bold and selfless step is not uncommon with farmers today, yet in this particular case the altruism was marked — more wild birds…

Digital riflescopes seem to be rammed with more and more features every time a new model comes out. Some of those gizmos are very useful and certainly help to put more pests in the bag, while others appear to be there for no better reason than to outdo the competition when it comes to comparing lists of fancy extras. One feature that has become incredibly popular on modern electronic optics is the ability to capture video and still images. With more and more Shots wanting to record footage of their outings to share with friends or a much bigger audience on social media, the ability to capture the action as it unfolds is an absolute boon. I have also found that, by being able to watch back a recording of…

We walked, the three of us, around our small shoot on the Saturday, as much for the exercise and a look-see as for anything else. The rabbits had been left largely to their own devices last winter and the summer had shown signs of successful breedings close to the farm, but we had not inspected the far side. No birds had been put down this year because of administrative problems and we had decided to rely upon rabbits, pigeon, the odd hare and a possible partridge or two to see us through this season. We worked to a plan, and because only we three and Sam the springer were involved, we placed a stop gun at strategic points. I played the part for most of the time and nothing came…

Across 1 On the pitch, a vessel requires sporting know-how (10) 7 Wild boar collective noise from an emergency room (7) 8 A dog turns savage at occurrences on the rugby pitch (5) 9 One of hunting’s detractors is a bit of a romantic (4) 10 The raven is only holding game meat (7) 13 County of England where rum had been mixed (6) 14 Rearrange cover around a large country clothing fastener (6) 17 Gun keepers roll them up to get work done (7) 18 Gamebird feed supplement scattered on icy roads? (4) 20 Do something constructive with quality of gun manufacture (5) 21 The toilet will make a metallic noise as targets are taking a circular path (7) 22 Intelligence gives scope images a far from dull quality!…

NEWS Britain is to have its most openly and vocally pro-shooting prime minister in decades. Rishi Sunak, who represents the Yorkshire constituency of Richmond, is known to be a game Shot and an advocate for moorland management and the benefits of grouse shooting. The appointment of the 42-year-old former chancellor of the exchequer was welcomed by the Countryside Alliance. Chief executive Tim Bonner said: “As a rural MP, Rishi Sunak will know the anxieties many in the countryside face in relation to the cost of living crisis. Food security and the transition of farm support to help tackle the huge challenges of climate change and reversing biodiversity decline are also high on his Government’s agenda.” “Sunak has appointed a number of pro-shooting ministers” Members of the north of England shooting…

Salmon catches on Scotland’s rivers appear to have shown some improvement this year, however they remain poor. Most of Scotland’s rivers have now closed. Final catch figures will not be collated for most rivers until early next year, but the information which is available suggests a slightly improved picture. In Scotland’s far north, the Thurso recorded a total catch of 787 fish; a significant improvement on the past two years, but still well down on the river’s five and 10-year averages. The Spey, which closed at the end of September, is yet to publish any figures, but Shooting Times understands the season has been ‘mixed’, with some weeks performing well and others doing poorly. The final week on the Tay saw a total of more than 400 fish taken; this…

There’s a damaging portrayal of fieldsports in the media. I’m referring to anyone involved in country pursuits, from part-time beaters to veteran deer stalkers. Some come in for more stick than others but none of us are immune. My view is that we need to rebuff the critics wherever possible, rather than shying away from these conversations. The most proactive step we can take is to introduce the younger generations to our sport; they are the future after all. “After the initial stalking experience, plenty of youngsters are eager for more” I have found that, after the initial experience, plenty of youngsters are eager for more. I appreciate that it is not always easy to part a teenager from a mobile phone but if you can manage it, and get…

One recent morning a report came in on the ranch radio to say a lion had attacked a breeding cow while the herds were trekking to water. The herders had bravely chased the predator off the injured animal. She was still on her feet and so I asked for her to be brought up to the yards so I could take a closer look. When I saw her, she was walking all right but her snout was pouring blood. Once we got her into the crush and head clamp, we saw from claw- and teeth-torn flesh that the lion had leapt on to her hindquarters, lunged the length of her back, clutched at the skull, wrenched this back, and with teeth and forepaws snapped or crushed the upper jawbone and…

With our opening meet less than a week away, the start of another season is upon us. The structure of things brings a little order to the chaos. There seems to have been more prime ministers than I’ve had days hunting over the past month or so! With the dry summer and autumn there is still plenty of cattle out and this means getting the wire down and opening the country up so we can follow hounds across country is proving difficult. The going too could be a problem unless we have a bit more rain. What little rain there has been has done nothing but make things very slippery, and the ground in front of a lot of fences, still poached from last season, is rock hard and not…

THOUGHTS FROM THE FIELD When was the last time you tucked into a gratin of tripe or blood cake and fried eggs? The end of rationing in 1954, a rise in prosperity and supermarkets seeing off countless independent butchers, all quelled the British taste for offal. Cheaper cuts and offal became the stuff of school-dinner nightmares or imagined wartime austerity. This month celebrates the 23rd anniversary of the recipe book Nose to Tail Eating by the chef and owner of St John restaurant, Fergus Henderson OBE. Fergus has been rightly credited, through his London eatery and cookbooks, with re-awakening our love for liver and passion for pig’s ears. Not only are his dishes delicious and affordable, they are now considered to be environmentally friendly and notably ethical, due to their…

Woodcock have begun to move as the November full moon approaches. Veteran tagged woodcock Fonthill Abbie II departed her breeding grounds in western Russia under a waning crescent moon on 22 October. She flew a southwesterly course over Lake Ilmen, into Latvia and then on into Lithuania. This will be at least the fifth consecutive year in which Fonthill Abbie II has made the trip The GWCT’s two remaining tagged Scandinavian woodcock, Holkham and Nellie III, are yet to show any significant seasonal movement. However, other Scandinavian birds have begun to arrive. Birdwatchers on the Shetland Islands have been reporting sightings of woodcock for the past week, and bands have been passing over Fair Isle. Currently, however, numbers remain small. The advice on shooting woodcock remains not to shoot them…

NEWS The Scottish government has begun the process of licensing the country’s grouse shoots, with a long-awaited consultation on the legal structure of its licensing scheme. Introducing the proposal, the government said it hoped to address a “number of problematical issues surrounding certain practices on grouse moors”. However, rural groups express their concern over “the introduction of yet another layer of legislation, regulation and bureaucracy”. Under the proposal, licences would be issued on an annual basis as a licence to kill grouse on a specified area of land. The proposed legislation would introduce three new criminal offenses of taking grouse where a licence was not in place. Much of the concern from the shooting community over the proposal has centered on the revocation of licences on spurious grounds and the…

Eight hours and 54 minutes was the time that flashed up on the sat-nav when I entered Ullapool as my destination. By any stretch it’s a long haul and the monotony of the A1 doesn’t immediately fill you with enthusiasm for the hours ahead. But after a while, that dull road yields to the hills of Northumberland and then on into the Scottish Borders. The crossing over the Firth of Forth now gives a spectacular view of the old road bridge and the extraordinary feat of engineering beyond, as the famous structure of the rail bridge hoves into view. Then on to Perth, Inverness and the extraordinary road over the hills to Ullapool. It is, I suppose, a sort of sporting pilgrimage. Stornoway bound Ullapool isn’t the final stop though;…

The incomer A beginner’s diary: the first lessons Part 1 of 6 The shooting world is evolving and I was wondering recently what it’s like to get into it today. Over the next year we’ll be following Jim on his journey. PG “Okay, I want you to miss deliberately in front,” said John, “so I can see where the shot is going, in relation to the target.” Taking this instruction and its explanation at face value, I called for the clay and released the contents of the Beretta’s bottom barrel at it, or rather at the airspace well ahead of it. Pellets and target came together above me in what ordinarily would have been a very satisfying manner. As shards of shattered clay tinkled on to the browning…

In my last article I told you how, over the course of the summer, I fell victim to crippling attacks of anxiety and how, by involving myself in the activities I loved, even though this was sometimes initially difficult, I began to find my way back towards a better state of mind. I told you how flanking on the local grouse moor, how clay pigeon shooting, how working on my little shoot and how a return to my rivers all brought soothing comfort, with hope for the future and the beginnings of peace. Well, the process has continued, mainly through the generosity of friends. A month or so ago Lindsay Waddell wrote a piece on a day walking up grouse on his pocket-sized moor (The heights of success, 12 October).…

“One of the things to remember about being in a wildfowling club,” I told Charlie, “is that it isn’t all about rising early, getting cold and shooting.” With these sage words of wisdom ringing in his ears — or endless diatribe if you are 12 years old — my son gave in and agreed to join me on a Great Yarmouth Wildfowlers work party. Such activities are part and parcel of wildfowling. Reed beds are little different to coppice woodland. If they are left to their own devices they begin to succumb to disease and fail. If given a winter’s cut they are refreshed and reinvigorated. Another job for the fowler is to repair or replace the liggers — foot-bridges that allow passage over gutters and dykes. The corrosive sea…