Innholdsfortegnelse for 06-Jan-2016 i Shooting Times & Country

NEXT JUNE, Shooting Times joins The Field, Sporting Gun, Shooting Gazette, Country Life and Horse & Hound as partners in a brand-new addition to the calendar — the Field & Country Fair (see p.4). On 10-11 June at Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire, it will be packed with attractions for shooters and their families. We will update you with the highlights in store, but you can find out more at www.fieldandcountryfair.com. I’m glad that, looking ahead to 2016, the leaders of our shooting organisations find cause for optimism (p.6). The different groups are tackling the various challenges facing our sport. Among a range of objectives, BASC will be scrutinising the EU Directive on firearms; the Countryside Alliance will continue to fight legal and PR challenges from charities opposed to fieldsports; and…

A CHRISTMAS DECOY I thought for a change this Christmas that I would decorate our tree with my decoys (above) as a joke for my wife when she got home. Much to my surprise she loved it! S. Moxey, West Sussex CATLOW’S RETURN PROVES THERE’S HOPE Ten out of 10 to Laurence Catlow for his brave article about depression (Beating the black dog, 9 December). I suffered from depression for several years before being diagnosed by my GP. It is only by seeking help that you can try to understand the problem. Having understanding family and friends is invaluable. The biggest lift I can give to any person who is a sufferer (or who thinks they might be) is that it isan illness, there isan end to it and normal…

The hum of traffic on the A358 to Taunton may provide a constant reminder of the present, but turn down a particular narrow country lane, drive through stone pillars and you are in another era. Here, at the end of a long drive with grassland on either side lies Rowlands, one of Somerset’s most historic country houses, dating back to 1480. This is flat country, with not so much as a hillock in sight and not, one might have thought, ideal country for a driven gameshoot. But, as I was to witness on a remarkable day, the keeperAdam Thompson and his team of 11 beaters, showed some astonishingly good sport. Rowlands, some 10 miles south of the Somerset Levels, is the seat of one of the West Country’s oldest families,…

Over the past couple of months, we have looked at taking your gundog into the beating line or being part of a picking-up team, but the ultimate for any gundog handler has to be shooting over your dog. It isn’t easy and not for the faint-hearted, but these guidelines should help. ABOUT THE TRAINER Neil Varney is a recognised Kennel Club judge for spaniels and retrievers, and is the host and spaniel trainer for both the Wiltshire and Dorset gundog clubs. He runs his own training group, Twistmount Gundogs in Redlynch, Somerset, and travels the country, giving demonstrations and holding training sessions. WALKED-UP SHOOTING THIS KIND OF shooting is becoming more popular and it is where your skills as a gundog handler will be tested, as will the hours of…

It was the Ancient Mariner in Coleridge’s poem who remarked “water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink”. That is, of course, the situation when wildfowling, for though you may be surrounded by water, none of it is drinkable. Most fowlers carry a flask with them, but I wonder how many carry water for their dog? Jon Debnam noticed how thirsty Peg got on wildflowing outings (see main story), even trying to drink the brackish water of the saltings, so now he carries a supply for her. I noticed she was keen to drink whenever she was offered water. Some dogs, like some humans, drink more than others. I always provide my dogs with water, in a so-called unspillable bowl, when they travel in the car but often the water…

Last week (30 December) we explained that there was more to a woodpile than meets the eye — Women from Maine in the late 19th century would choose a husband by how he stacked his wood. Here’s the final part of the list published in Lars Mytting’s Norwegian Wood: Logs from big trees: has a big appetite for life, but can be rash and extravagant Pedantic pile: perfectionist; may be introverted Collapsed pile: weak will, poor judge of priorities Unfinished pile, some logs lying on the ground: unstable, lazy, and prone to drunkenness Everything in a pile on the ground: ignorance, decadence, laziness and/or drunkenness Old and new wood piled together: be suspicious: might be stolen wood added to his own Large and small logs piled together: frugal Kindling sneaked…

Gamekeepers rescue missing golden eagle Angus gamekeepers reunited a missing golden eagle with its owner last month. Les Gibson lost two-year-old “Odin” (pictured with Les) in November when flying him at Glenmuick estate in Aberdeenshire. The bird was later found and returned by keepers at Millden estate in Angus. Lyme disease spreads after wet summer Britain has had an increase in cases of Lyme disease this summer, according to health agency Public Health England. The tick-borne illness can lead to chronic fatigue, pain, memory loss and symptoms akin to depression. The rise is believed to be linked to a growing number of ticks in wet weather and more wild animals to host them. Gamebird of the Year dies Sheila Beattie (right), the 2015 Gamebird of the Year award winner (News,…

Keeper Adam Thompson (pictured) works part-time and somehow manages, through working long hours, to fit in his job dealing with property maintenance with the running of a modest, but successful shoot. Some 15 years ago he moved from Surrey, helped out on a nearby shoot, took over as keeper and, two years ago, was taken on as sole keeper at the Jordan shoot. Adam may have come late to keepering, but his professional approach and successful running of this private family shoot could scarcely be bettered. With flat ground, Adam had to think carefully about his choice of birds. He was advised to use the Bazanty strain and has found that they work well and show good sport. Certainly, the birds I saw on the Speke family day, with a…

WHETHER YOU ARE out hunting a few rough patches of headland and hedges or participating in a more formal organised walked-up day, you will need to take a few bits of equipment with you. The first is something in which to carry any game that you may be fortunate enough to shoot. Traditional gamebags are still by far the most popular, but increasingly handlers are using training vests or waistcoats. These have the added advantage of plenty of pockets for mobile phones, cartridges and so on, but because you carry any shot game in the large rear pocket it spreads the weight more evenly. When you are walking long distances, this is far more comfortable. The second thing you should always carry is the means to humanely despatch any pricked…

“Never shoot at large numbers of birds on the wing. You will only make them decoy-shy” 1 Winter shooting can be difficult, especially over crops such as rape. Try not to over-shoot rape in order to keep birds decoying well. 2 Never shoot at large numbers on the wing. You will only educate the birds and make them decoy-shy — 10 on the wing is the maximum. 3 Make sure you only shoot when wind conditions are favourable. This is because you are relying on the wind to break the flocks up. 4 Let the birds have their first feed before you start shooting, as this will give them confidence in their chosen field. 5 Show them what they want to see — use plenty of decoys not too far…

Saving the deer was a priority at Berkeley, because animals were not normally killed at the end of a hunt. With no wild population left, parkland animals were carted in from Berkeley Castle and other estates, and the objective of the chase was to bring them to bay after a sporting run, and return them unharmed by cart to safe grounds where they could recuperate to run again. Hungry rural people envisaged venison, however, and would try to purloin an animal. Grantley recorded how his hounds chased a stag across the Thames, near Eton, where it was tackled by “bargemen and louts” and their dogs. He crossed by boat to claim the animal, was attacked, and joined by boys from the College. Other supporters crossed by the bridge and the…

The Royal Berkshire Shooting School’s (RBSS) Ultimate One competition hit the headlines last year, thanks to the top prize of a brand new Range Rover Autobiography, the biggest prize in clayshooting history. This year, the award-winning school has developed the competition into the Ultimate Pair, with entrants competing to win either a Range Rover Sport Autobiography, donated by Stratstone of Mayfair, or a pair of handmade B25 shotguns from renowned gunmaker Browning. This year’s prize-fund, which is worth more than £160,000, also includes a vintage Rolex donated by David Duggan Watches. Launched on Monday, 5 October and running until Saturday, 30 January, the idea behind the competition is to raise the aspirational element of shooting, as Dylan Williams, managing director of the RBSS, explained: “By incorporating brands such as Browning,…

MPs have questioned why the use of lead ammunition is being singled out as a health concern, when the lead content of other food items is so much higher. In a debate on lead ammunition in the House of Commons last month, Rishi Sunak, Conservative MP for Richmond, commented: “The average consumer is exposed to 60 per cent more lead from their consumption of beer (pictured). Products contributing more lead to our diets than game meat include potatoes, coffee and even everyday eggs. Simply put, all studies carried out to date show that eating game meat in moderate quantities has no effect on blood lead levels.” Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Conservative MP for The Cotswolds, concurred: “The threat from game meat specifically is extremely small. The European Food Safety Authority has stated…

Lindsay Waddell, chairman of the NGO If the past is any sort of indicator of the future, 2016 will be a busy year for the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO). The list of major issues that might alter how we go about our jobs grows ever longer by the day. There’s only one thing to do — roll up our sleeves and get stuck in. The recent publication of the Law Commission report, Wildlife Law(News, 18 November), is a case in point, as it could have ramifications for almost all aspects of keepering. The good news is that it incorporates many of the NGO’s recommendations. The bad news is that some other parts of the report are a real worry for keepers. The NGO is alert to the dangers and ready…

“Ferreting reaches a fine zenith on a fiercely cold, frosty morning when the merest suggestion of gunshot makes you wince” The rabbits have gone again. For the past few years, the number of bunnies on the hill spiralled out of all control during the warm days of summer, then collapsed with the first cool winds of autumn. Some nights I would see 30 or 40 at a time as I came off the heather after a long night with the lamp, and their numbers seemed to grow by the day. Clusters of tiny kits gathered around the mouth of every warren, and the rushes were filled with skulking bodies. My wife and I relished their long days of prosperity, particularly since she has an excellent Pakistani recipe for quail that…

“We couldn’t hear each other because of the wind and had to resort to shouting and hand signals” Alex Hogg is chairman of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association and is an experienced keeper on a 7,000-acre estate that puts up pheasants and grouse This last month’s shooting has been dominated by the weather. We have had more windy days this season than the last two or three put together. Not just windy days, but days when the wind has been so strong that it has been nigh on impossible to get the birds to go in the right direction. The winds have made the shooting exciting and, in some cases, extremely difficult. We have two beats and they each favour a different wind. The south-westerlies added an extra 20mph to the…

LAURENCE CATLOW, A PASSIONATE SHOOTER AND ANGLER FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS, HAS WRITTEN FOUR BOOKS ABOUT SPORT WITH ROD AND GUN AND IS NOW BUSY WITH A FIFTH. HIS NOTEBOOK WILL RUN IN THE FIRST ISSUE OF EVERY MONTH. Some of you will have read about my little shoot in much earlier editions of Shooting Times. Others will know nothing of High Park, which is what I call it. And so, for your benefit, I shall take you with me on a bright morning, as I do the rounds of my feeders and make sure that my birds have plenty to eat; for then you may have some idea of what I am writing about when I start telling you about my shooting days. High Park lies at the…

1 BARREL 24in chrome-moly steel chambered in the classic stalking 7x57mm (.275 Rigby) cartridge. 2 SIGHTS Custom-built scope rings and mount gives a sturdy and classic look. 3 ACTION Mauser 98 Argentine 1909 bolt action, beautifully honed and polished. 4 STOCK The superb crotch walnut is highly figured throughout the butt section and flows up through the fore-end with a perfect oiled finish. WHAT TO LOOK FOR Barrel: Proctor rifles were made to order, specifying make, contour, rifle twist and so on. Action: Classic British stalking rifles tend to use the Mauser 98 action but Remington, Sako, Ruger No.1 and so on were also used. Weight: 7.5lb Length: 44in Features: Best English finish to metal and woodwork Supplier: Francis Lovel, tel 01993…

AT THE TIME, on a hot summer day, it seemed a great idea, but when the alarm went off at 3am on a December morning I wasn’t so sure. To explain, I need to go back to June and the golden retriever inter-club working test. It was an excellent event, which I covered for this column (A golden bounty, 15 July). Particularly impressive was Jon Debnam’s bitch, Peg, who achieved the second highest score of the 48 dogs competing. I discovered that Peg wasn’t a test specialist, but an all-round shooting dog, with wildfowling her forte. Jon suggested that I might like to see Peg in action on the saltings, and I jumped at the chance. In November Jon emailed me: “There’s a good tide on 8 December. Would you…

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,…

Mid-winter is high season for cutting the osiers. Osier or willow beds were once a familiar sight in our lowland landscape: they were traditionally planted on damp or poorly drained soils that were of little use for anything else. Here the trees grow quickly, so the young shoots could but cut or coppiced annually, producing a crop of willow that would be woven into baskets. As the demand for willow baskets declined, so did the practice of planting the willow beds. Today, however, willow is back in fashion, both as a biomass crop and for basket making. There are many thousands of varieties of willow to choose from, but the three most popular species in this country are Salix triandra, Salix viminalis and Salix purpurea. Propagation is easy: freshly cut…

“I am willing to bet that virtually all shooting fans underestimate the amount of money they spend on their sport” How much do you spend on shooting? I know, I know — it’s the sort of question nobody should ask themselves. What is it barristers say about cross-examination? “Never ask a question to which you don’t already know the answer”. Well, when it comes to shooting expenditure, I must confess that I honestly don’t know the answer. So I really shouldn’t ask the question, should I? And yet, in the journalistic pursuit of truth, I feel I must at least broach the subject. On one thing we can all agree: shooting costs a heck of a lot more than our other halves know. (Note how I used phraseology applicable to…