Innholdsfortegnelse for 26-Jul-2023 i Shooting Times & Country

On Wednesday at 4am, I drove to Hertfordshire for an appointment with some muntjac. I won’t tell you the full story because I’m going to write about it in due course, but the outing was a success and by lunchtime I was back in my garden, in London, butchering two bucks. Butchering muntjac is always a bit of a pain but I felt I did a pretty good job, and that afternoon I sent a few pictures to a WhatsApp group I’m part of. They’re all meat-eaters, I should add. “Could you please not send pictures like that?” a friend replied. “I find it a bit shocking.” This pal of mine is a sensible and educated guy — he loves good food and is keen on cooking. The following day…

Email your letters / stletters@futurenet.com LETTER OF THE WEEK NatureScot is out of touch Having read NatureScot’s dictat on the wholesale culling of all male deer (News, 28 June), followed up with the letter by John H in the 12 July edition, I feel that I must respond. Whoever decided this spurious action to control numbers is out of touch with deer biology and behaviour. Shooting any male should only be done when the quality of said animal is apparent, either by selectively choosing any poor-quality beast or, in the case of mature trophy males, only when he is just at or past his prime. Taking out just any male at any age could well mean that the very best are eliminated before they have a chance to breed, thus…

Liam Bell is headkeeper on a family-owned estate in South Shropshire and a keen naturalist Our game crops are doing okay. They are far better than last year and, while none of them are perfect, they are going to be more than good enough. Thankfully, none of them are going to need redrilling. There was little, if any, difference in the cereal and maize crops when we changed from ploughing, power-harrowing and the use of a conventional drill to strip-tilling (where the soil doesn’t get disturbed), but up until this year the small seeds have struggled. We learned the hard way that the ground needs to be as clean as you can get it for the small seeds, which are only half an inch or so under the surface. “I…

Gundogs DOG BREAKING. IF you published a book with such a title today, you would probably be prosecuted by the RSPCA. However, 150 years ago dogs weren’t ‘trained’, they were ‘broken’, which you will be pleased to know was really very much the same thing. I’ve written before in this column about General Hutchinson’s classic work Dog Breaking, which was the bestselling book for would-be gundog trainers for over 50 years. First published in 1848, it went through numerous editions and remained in print well into the last century. The copy I own is the 10th edition, published in 1898. It’s a fat book, covering everything from basic training to encounters with lions. Dog Breaking grew enormously through its many editions, and it ended up “with odds and ends for…

Ferreting As I sat watching my ferrets playing inside their cages, enjoying the peace and tranquillity the bars provide, a neighbour’s head peered over the garden fence. “Why ferrets, Simon?” he asked. It’s a good question and, in all honesty, I cannot give a simple answer. It’s not that I come from a family that hunts, shoots or fishes — because I don’t. It cannot be from growing up in the countryside, because I am a city boy — although when I was a lad, I was mad about the natural world. I loved every facet of it, especially the freedom and escapism that it offered me. I had a strong interest in birds of prey but ended up with ferrets instead and the rest is history. “I have been…

ATTEND On 28 to 30 July, Ragley Hall in Warwickshire will be hosting the Game Fair. This year is the 65th anniversary, and it’s always a great day out. It’s an opportunity to meet friends for a beer in the sun, as well giving you the chance to see some of the finest guns in the world plus the most exciting new products, from optics to boots and clothing. BOOK This year, in September, at the Savile Club in Mayfair, we’re very much looking forward to hosting the annual Woodcock Club dinner. It’s always a great chance to catch up with fellow members . We’re also looking forward to hearing from the GWCT on woodcock conservation and we’ll be holding an auction with great sporting lots to raise money for…

Last week, a packed courtroom at the Royal Courts of Justice in London heard the claim from a Dartmoor landowner’s lawyer that camping on his client’s ground does not constitute ‘recreation’ because sleeping is not an actively enjoyable activity. The case is the latest chapter in the ongoing wild camping saga. The landowner, Alexander Darwall, a keen Shot and angler, is fed up with people leaving litter on his moor and undermining his conservation efforts, while those who want to camp claim that a vital freedom has been taken away from them. Shooting Times approached Mr Darwall for comment (we were also keen to know if any grouse remain on Dartmoor), but Mr Darwall declined to say anything. Shooting Times understands that the pheasant shoot on the ground have had…

The worth of the Game Fair is something I often see debated across social media. Perhaps it is no longer valuable for the long-standing country folks, but for the new wave of country dwellers it is the ideal place to be introduced to the countryside. Growing up, for me and many others, it was a highlight of the year; playing with the ferrets, trying all sorts of interesting food and entering our lurchers in competitions. Nowadays it seems to be a very fashionable place to be seen, alongside the likes of Wimbledon, Ascot or Henley. So, what does that mean for an organisation like the BGA? Well, this is the first year where we will be going solely under the Eat Wild banner, as we have had much more success…

Charlie Blance is a stalker, fishing gillie and conservationist working across Scotland The late summer months are a particularly sociable time of year for those of us who work in the industry, the month of July especially so. With the Scottish Game Fair landing on the first weekend of the month and the big one at Ragley Hall on the last, this month is full of opportunities to catch up with friends, share stories from the season past and aspirations for the seasons incoming. But there is another event, written in the diaries of those who like a much more ‘up close and personal’ kind of stalking – the British Bowhunters meet. I attended the meet last year for the first time as a newbie with a borrowed bow. I’m…

Introduced in 1955, the .243 Winchester cartridge is reckoned to be the most popular 6mm round in use today for hunting medium-sized game and for target shooting. Designed by necking-down a .308 Win case to take a .243in (6.17mm) bullet, the round is capable of achieving high velocities thanks to the large powder capacity of its case and the fact it shoots flat out to most ranges at which one might expect to engage live quarry. It is not surprising that BASC has estimated that nearly 14% of all rifles held on certificate in Britain — around 60,000 — are chambered for the .243 Win cartridge. “Try a variety of different cartridges and see what works best in your own rifle” It is a forgiving round with low recoil. I…

Those of us in the North, the proper North, not Manchester, can rightly claim to live among the most diverse counties of England, in every meaning of the word. The sport those counties contain within their boundaries is varied, from hunting and angling to grouse, partridge and pheasant shooting, and the best wildfowling you could find. You will be hard-pressed to find a Yorkshire resident who would not subscribe to the adage that it is the greatest county in England, and for good reason too. It is the largest by some distance and it stretches from the great Humber coast to over 2,000ft at the head of Swaledale, and the water from those high hills and grouse moors feed the rivers that end up in the Humber. Indeed, all three…

I never fail to be frustrated at how selfish and unthinking some dog owners are. Earlier this month, I joined a walk organised by the charity Butterfly Conservation on a spectacular piece of Wiltshire downland. The walk was led by the owner of the land, a man of senior years with a great enthusiasm for butterflies and moths. The fact that he is also a keen shooting man is not significant to this story but is worth noting. Frustratingly, it was a cloudy morning, with only brief glimpses of the sun. Butterflies are most active when the sun shines, so we didn’t see nearly as many individuals as we might have done otherwise. However, we did enjoy an abundance of marbled whites and meadow browns, along with ringlets, gatekeepers and…

LIVING LIFE THROUGH A SMALL SCREEN The show season is in full swing, and before long I will be with my friends attending the Game Fair on the Pugs and Drummers stand. Not only will I be launching my new book of the same name, but I will be demonstrating how ferreting works to the masses, and showing them why we ferret in the first place. A few years ago, I started to think that a time would come when what we do, in the sporting world, would become hard for the general public to associate themselves with. Unfortunately it appears that time has now come. We are now a generation living life through a small screen. The mobile phone is both a connection and disconnection to the real world.…

When cooking with game, there are two trains of thought: classical and modern. For many people, the recipes of old are the ones that they keep going back to. Some work really well but most don’t, the reason being that these recipes were written in a time when most ingredients were hard to come by. Salt, pepper and sugar cost an arm and a leg, so recipes at this time were simple and worked with ingredients that had a fuller flavour, such as hung game instead of fresh, mutton instead of lamb and older boarish pork instead of young pigs. We also need to remember that the game of then was different to the game of today. We understand the structure of game better than before. We have a treasure…

Wild boar attacks dog in Norfolk Mark and Vanessa Shadbolt were walking cocker spaniel Luna on a lead when she was attacked by a wild boar/ Hungarian-Mangalica cross at Westacre Estate near Swaffham. Luna suffered a deep wound across her stomach and was left needing stitches, while owner Mark had a gash on his knee. Estate owner Alec Birkbeck said the creature, which is part of a rewilding project, was apparently protecting her young and would be monitored. Felix Petit NGO leads meeting with local MP On 14 July, the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation facilitated a meeting on Salisbury Plain with local MP Danny Kruger and the gamekeepers and managers who have been affected by the rules around Special Protection Areas and GL43. MP Danny Kruger said “The way ahead is clear.…

We are embarking on an annual ritual this evening, which I look forward to all year. My husband is a beekeeper, and every July for the past 10 years, we wait anxiously for the heather to come into bud so the bees can make us delicious heather honey. After a heather inspection today, the decision has been made that tonight is the night. We will wait for the sun to go down, head to the beehives at home with torches, block up the entrances, strap them up and load as many as we have got into vehicles before driving them up on to the moor. I have heard that for some, eating heather honey is like eating grouse; it is isn’t for everyone. Its strong, caramel-like, malty taste lingers on…

We now live in a world of instant gratification; it could be part of the reason why wildfowling isn’t quite as popular as it once was. People now have more disposable income and can afford to pay to stand on a peg and shoot pheasants, partridges, driven ducks and maybe even grouse. Depending on the shoot, you can pretty much guarantee some shooting; you don’t need to learn about tides or the weather, or even need to own your own dog. Wildfowling, on the other hand, takes time and commitment to become successful. But when you need to work hard for your successes, the rewards run far deeper in my opinion, though I’m clearly biased. “If I get time, I’ll be off to spend money I don’t have on fowling…

If you’re keen on shooting, you’ll doubtless have dreamt of visiting some of the world’s top gunmakers. Often these places are fascinating, from Beretta in northern Italy to Holland & Holland on Jermyn Street. Set out in a vintage car, tour Italy and Spain, drift around Mayfair: great coffee, great wine, rich history. Talk to artisans and designers; take months to decide on the perfect gun for you. Barrelmakers, actioners, lockmakers — meet them all and get a real feel for the personalities of the brands and, of course, handle the guns themselves. It would make for a perfect summer but sadly most of us don’t have that much time. Modern life means we are time-poor, so the idea of setting out on the road to visit multiple gunmakers will…

There is nothing more exciting than acquiring new stalking ground, particularly if it’s in a new county. New terrain, different land uses and fresh scenery are exhilarating. New stalking ground is much more than just ground: it is a gateway to the next set of adventures and progress in one’s stalking career. There are new farmers nearby as well as fellow shooters — who knows what it may lead to? One thing in the shooting world tends to lead to another. Top of the list is, of course, which deer species are present. For a northerner like me, that fact is particularly true. Everyone needs a break from roe once in a while. “Ask and you shall receive”: an absolute mantra for securing new stalking ground. I was lucky enough…

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 controller IAIN…

I have never worried about being ‘debanked’, but maybe I should be. Perhaps I will have my bank account and cards suspended after writing this column. There’s a lot of it going on. Bankers are not exactly popular, but then nor are shooters. In these intolerant times, woe betide anybody who doesn’t fall in with the correct opinions on certain subjects. As fieldsports aren’t classed as a religion, anybody is free to discriminate against us. Some banks most certainly do — just ask any gunshop owner. For several years, there has been a growing trend for banks to refuse or cancel banking facilities for businesses associated with firearms. Some bankers don’t bother to make a distinction between a respectable family business serving the rural community and organisations like the Wagner…