Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2, 2015 i Shooting Times & Country

THE WINNERS OF this year’s Purdey Awards (the Bingley, Burley and Ilkley Moors Partnership) achieved what many might think impossible — to return grouse to a moor heavily used for dog walking and biking and whose best drive can be seen from Leeds city centre. The team headed by Edward Bromet could have chucked in the towel at the prospect, particularly as their landlord was an urban left-leaning Bradford City Council, which had no knowledge of grouse shooting. They also faced an unpleasant local anti-shooting element hell-bent on seeing them fail. In facing up to the challenge they set up superb communications with the local community, which has asked them to restore the heather on the hillside as they would rather look upon purple flowers in August than white grass.…

The Scottish National Party (SNP) has come under fire for accepting a £10,000 donation from an animal welfare lobby group just a month after its MPs blocked the vote on amending foxhunting laws in England. The Daily Mailrecently reported that Electoral Commission records show that Political Animal Lobby Limited donated the funds on 14 August. Just a few weeks earlier, the SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, was criticised for declaring that her party would oppose Prime Minister David Cameron’s vote to increase the number of dogs permitted to flush foxes from cover (News, 22 July). This was despite the SNP tradition of not voting on issues that affect only England and Wales, its previous commitment not to vote on the Hunting Act specifically and that the changes would have brought legislation…

RSPCA prosecution thrown out by judge A judge has halted an attempt by the RSPCA to prosecute six people under the Animal Welfare Act, using rules intended to stop dog fights. The RSPCA brought the case against private individuals, accused of hunting foxes, badgers and deer using lurchers. But in his ruling at Newton Abbot Magistrates’ Court in Devon earlier this month, district judge Kevin Gray said that there was no case to answer. Clive Rees, one of the lawyers defending two of the six defendants, said: “The RSPCA routinely charges hunting folk with animal fighting under the Animal Welfare Act. “Judge Gray has now ruled, as we argued, that [the attempt to prosecute] was wrong.” Country people send coats to refugees Estate workers and rural residents have pulled together…

What does a typical week involve for you? The great thing about my job is that there is no typical week. It can be as varied as giving lessons at our grounds near Pangbourne in Berkshire, to hosting an auction on a charity shoot or running a day’s shooting in the UK or in Spain. What would you say is the greatest issue in shooting and conservation at the moment? Consistently there is the situation where, as an industry, we have to react to opponents and their criticism, rather than being more vociferous about the good we do on a continuous basis. What are the biggest challenges you face in your job? Always ensuring that our clients’ experience of shooting, be it at our grounds, on our simulated day or…

LIVING INDOORS This is Brock, one of our dogs. The picture was taken after a good day picking-up at Sandholme Mill Shoot in Lancashire. Our dogs mainly live indoors as the photo shows! C. J. Chewster, by email ALL TOO TIRING I thought your readers would like this picture of my new puppy snoozing while “Dad” was reading Shooting Times. N. Crochin, by email A GOOD FIRST DAY This picture of Shadow, an Irish cocker spaniel, was taken on his first day of the new season at Kilconquhar estate in Fife. G. Anderson, by email…

I had been looking forward to this day. I could take my boxful of ferrets, spades, hundreds of metres of netting and as much enthusiasm to fill the season and crack on with catching rabbits. Along with the boys — Richard Edwards, Paul “Sooty” Sutton, Dave “Romford” Jones and Ian “Torchie” Clayton — we were about to tackle a hedgerow planted in the 1800s, which was housing rabbits doing a lot of damage. I decided we needed to surround the whole 325m-long hedge with nets. Given that we had 10 stop-nets, each of which was 10 yards long, our ferreting was going to be on an industrial scale. The warrens weren’t as deep as our previous excursion (In at the deep end, 11 November) but they could catch us out…

If you’re busy sorting out your woodpile for the winter, or if you go for walks through woods, you may well be familiar with that yellow gelatinous substance found on rotting wood or fallen timber. Depending on which part of the country you are in, this is known by all sorts of names, including golden jelly, yellow trembler and yellow brain. In Robert MacFarlane’s book Landmarks, he says it is sometimes called “witches’ butter” or “fairy butter” because it can look like actual butter, or “star jelly”, because, according to folklore, the material is said to have fallen from the sky. However, according to Maria Golia’s book Meteorite: Nature and Culture, it hasn’t come from the clouds: the substance is likely to be Tremella mesenterica, a common jelly fungus, which…

1 BARREL 22in hammer-forged barrel of finest chrome moly that is worked and hardened inside and out to be as hard-wearing as possible. 2 SIGHTS None on this model, but action drilled and tapped for scope mount — a Tasco one-piece in this case. 3 ACTION Improved Mauser design with some nice engraving and superb blued finish. 4 STOCK Fine European walnut stock in a trim, fine-handling profile. When is a Parker Hale Lightweight not a Parker Hale Lightweight? When it’s a Norman Clark Gunsmiths Stalker rifle. When Parker Hale ceased trading in 2000, Norman Clark Gunsmiths in Rugby bought the remaining stock, and now supplies the spares for most of the models in its range. Norman even has Bill Smallwood, a…

GARDENING Look after your lawn as the weather gets colder. Avoid walking on it when it is covered by heavy frost or snow, as this will damage the grass beneath. If it turns out to be a milder winter, then mow the lawn as usual if required, but raise the height of the blades. You can also spike the lawn with a garden fork to improve drainage and aeration. COOK Try out some new game dishes, courtesy of Game to Eat’s new recipe leaflet, which includes instructions on how to prepare sloe gin and wild game sausage roll, Asian spiced partridge and many more. Visit www.gametoeat.co.uk to view and download the leaflet. FISHING Received wisdom may have you believe that you need to go smaller in winter by dropping down…

Hedgehog numbers have more than halved in rural areas in the past 15 years, according to a new study by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and the British Hedgehog Preservation Trust. The State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2015report says that urban hedgehogs have only fared a little better, with the animals suffering a one-third population decline since 2000. There are believed to be less than a million of the creatures left in the UK, down from 1.55million in 1995. The report suggests that intensive farming and poor hedgerow management in rural areas, coupled with a rising trend to pave over gardens for parking space in cities, is to blame for the declines. It found no indication that badgers were affecting hedgehog numbers, as has been suggested by previous studies.…

Twenty-five youngsters from across northern England helped to restore peatland by replanting sphagnum moss in the Forest of Bowland, as part of a joint BASC/United Utilities conservation project last month. Edgar Brothers will now sell firearms from American gunmaker Barrett Firearms, following a deal to make the shooting wholesalers the sole UK distributor. Corncrake numbers have dropped in Scotland by nearly a fifth this year, according to the results of a survey by RSPB Scotland. Supermarkets have seen a £3million drop in sales of sausages and bacon in recent weeks, following the World Health Organisation’s report linking processed meat to an increased cancer risk (News, 4 November). TWEET OF THE WEEK “Partnership work with #farmers has been vital in helping rare crickets.” Natural England (@NaturalEngland) tweets about a recent conservation…

WE NEED A COLD SPELL FOR GOOD SHOOTING It has been a testing season so far in regard to holding the birds due to the mild weather. However, we are having some fine sport and I am finding the birds where I want them on shoot days at the farmers’ syndicate Fieldhead near Morpeth, Northumberland, where I am headkeeper. Our last day produced some fantastic high, fast pheasants that curled over the Guns on a strong westerly wind. I’m doing a lot of hand-feeding to hold the birds, but am hoping that the helping hand of a good long cold spell will arrive soon and the excellent start we have had to our season will continue throughout. Next season will be my 20th on the same shoot and this photo…

Judging by the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) postbag, shooters seem pleased that the High Court in London has found against Natural England (NE) and in favour of a gamekeeper on the question of licensing the control of buzzards to protect his gamebirds (News, 25 November). It is indeed extraordinary that David has beaten Goliath and it would not have happened but for the perseverance of the keeper, Ricky McMorn, and the vision and bottle of the NGO in backing his case. Make no mistake, the judgement was a legal landmark: never before have countryside interests been defended in this way. But this is not a moment to crow. We need to be considered about what happens next. The licensing system for the control of wildlife, which NE administers, is founded…

Our pheasant poults were delivered in the third week of June and are now strong, healthy adults with full tails and colours. When they arrived, our management had to change totally; we cut our release pen numbers down from seven to three due to buzzard kills. While the recovery of the buzzard is a conservation success story, the numbers — growing yearly where we are — pose a challenge and we have altered our practices to adapt as much as we can. The reason we have our poults in June, for example, is to have them well-grown before the buzzards fledge in July. Working with three pens also allows us to act as human scarecrows against the raptors, whose population is rising all the time. We have tried all means…

NEVER GO FERRETING WITHOUT A FINDER One essential piece of kit is the ferret-finder. This electronic device has revolutionised ferreting since its invention in the late 1960s. I use the latest model, the MK3. This has divided the ferreting community because it is like Marmite: you either love it or loathe it. The MK1 has a loyal following but, without starting a huge debate, the reason I like the MK3 is that it has a greater range, is easily repaired if I break it and it doesn’t receive interference from metallic objects such as rabbit fencing. Using these devices is simplicity itself. I’d advise the newcomer to follow the basic rules of thumb: once your ferret has a collar fitted, never switch it on or off while it is on…

IT’S SURPRISING THAT , despite the fact that the French are passionate about shooting — la chasse — only one of their numerous gundog breeds has ever become established in the UK. That is, of course, the Brittany; I’m discounting the Korthals griffon as its origins are in the Netherlands, though its stronghold is France. In contrast, five German gundog breeds are a familiar sight over here, one of which, the German shorthaired pointer, is our dominant HPR. The GSP is also popular in France, where they call it le braque Allemand. The word braque translates as pointer, and all the French dogs with the name braque not only look like pointers, but work like them, too. Intriguingly, an alterative name for the vizsla is Hungarian braque. There are a…

A true hero of nature conservation has died aged 92. Norman Moore was, by all accounts, a modest man and you may not have heard of him. He did more for the UK’s raptors than all the legions of shrieking, caterwauling raptorphiles put together, because he was the man who discovered the toxic effects of organochlorine pesticides accumulating in raptors. His discovery has been described as one of the most important conservation achievements of the last half century. Many people know that Rachel Carson’s 1962 book, Silent Spring, effectively blew the whistle on the effect of pesticides on birds and other wildlife. Once Silent Springwas on the bookshelves, environmental activists and the authorities sat up and took notice. It was the beginning of the end for the indiscriminate use of…

Those convicted of wildlife crimes in Scotland could receive tougher punishments, as Holyrood is considering proposals for new legislation. A new report by the Wildlife Crime Penalties Review Group last week set out 10 recommendations to cut down on wildlife crimes. Included were suggestions for fines of as much as £40,000 and imprisonment for up to a year for some offences. Further recommendations concern the use of impact statements in court and consolidation of existing wildlife legislation. Jamie Stewart, director of the Scottish Countryside Alliance, commented: “We do not believe that the introduction of emotive personal victim statements will aid consistency of sentencing and therefore warrant inclusion in this type of crime. Whilst we agree that the outdated, barbaric and criminal practices of a few may put at risk the…

3 DECEMBER EAST OF ENGLAND FARMING CONFERENCE East of England Showground, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire Tel 01733 234451 6 DECEMBER MOORLAND ADVENTURE: NAVIGATION COURSE FOR WALKERS Buxton Mountain Rescue team car park, Dove Holes, Buxton, Derbyshire Tel 01625 573615 10 DECEMBER HOLT’S FINE MODERN AND ANTIQUE GUN AUCTION Princess Louise House, Hammersmith, London Tel 01485 542822 11 DECEMBER WINE AND GAME TASTING EVENING WITH CHRISTMAS SHOPPING Park Lodge Shooting Ground, West Cowick, East Yorkshire Tel 07739 684555 12 DECEMBER THE SCHOOLS CHALLENGE 10TH ANNIVERSARY FINAL The Oxford Gun Company, Jericho Farm, Oakley, Buckinghamshire Tel 01844 238308 15 DECEMBER RAT CONTROL COURSE FOR GAMEKEEPERS GWCT headquarters, Burgate Manor, Fordingbridge, Hampshire Tel 01425 651013…

It was great to see the 2016 Olympic team highlighted in Shooting Times (News, 18 November) but I didn’t see any mention of them on TV. Did I look away at the wrong moment or is this yet another example of prejudice in action? They are all medal winners and as worthy of nationwide, positive publicity as any runner or jumper, but they have been conspicuous by their absence. Amber Hill, for example, was the youngest ever skeet World Cup gold medal winner at 15. Her success should have been trumpeted from the rooftops at the time, yet there was barely a mention except in the shooting press and nothing much has changed over the succeeding three years. We shooters of all persuasions should be jumping up and down, demanding…

Under the tutorage of my old friend Des Purdy, I’ve become a convert to reloading ammunition for my rifle. Some time ago, Des convinced me that, if I wanted absolute consistency and accurate performance, reloading was the only way forward. Given that he had all the necessary equipment, and that I was free to use it if I so wished, reloading would save me a lot of money too. I would even have a free supply of Sako brass cartridges through a mutual friend. Of course, the greater accuracy of carefully refined home-loads is no secret, and it’s one that Shooting Times’s own specialist rifle experts frequently refer to in their excellent articles. But reloading is a science in itself. Being one of those who lack a natural aptitude for…

Some years ago I had a memorable day’s shooting in south-west France. Communication was tricky, as my companions’ accents were as thick as a crust of baguette. My spoken French is poor, so I hardly understood a word. I didn’t appreciate that it was the last day of the season until everybody packed up at 11am and trooped back to a barn at the farm we had set off from two hours before. Here a banquet had been set out by wives and girlfriends, and the feasting continued until 4pm. The meet had been at 8.30am, when I was fascinated to discover why all French chasseurs carry exceedingly sharp hunting knives. They’re not, as I had thought, for finishing off a wounded boar, but for slicing a French loaf without…

BILL HARRIMAN BASC’s head of firearms and global authority on guns MAT MANNING Airgunner and journalist from the West Country BRUCE POTTS Shooting Timesrifle reviewer and stalker DAVID TOMLINSON Highly regarded writer and ornithologist LIAM BELL Shropshire gamekeeper and keen wildfowler GRAHAM DOWNING Shooting consultant and sporting author PAUL RAWLINGS Gundog expert and A-panel spaniel judge CHRIS DE CANI Riverkeeper, with specialist knowledge of chalkstreams TONY BUCKWELL Veterinary surgeon with a special interest in gundogs TONY JACKSON A game Shot, keen stalker and former editor of Shooting Times TOM PAYNE Professional shooting instructor and avid pigeon shooter SIMON WHITEHEAD Author, professional ferreter and rabbit controller IAIN WATSON Keen stalker and senior CIC international trophy judge Contact the team Email: stanswers@timeinc.com By post: Shooting Times, Blue Fin Building,…

It was a Yorkshire man, William Stickland, who is reputed to have introduced the turkey to Britain. Legend has it that he bought six turkeys from native Indians while on an early voyage to America in 1526. He is believed to have sold these birds in Bristol market, but he continued in the turkey trade, making a small fortune, and enabling him to build Boynton Hall, near Bridlington. The turkey soon found favour in Britain, and by the early years of the 18th century as many as 250,000 were reared annually in Norfolk. Getting these birds to the London markets was a challenge, so every autumn flocks of anything from 300 to 1,000 birds were walked south. However, the turkey remained a luxury food here until the 1950s. Today, around…