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O U R D O I N G : H A RE S T H RIV I N G O N G RO USE M O O RS

Since 1882

11 APRIL 2018

What makes a perfect Labrador?

STALKING

Feisty muntjac in Suffolk SOLDIER PALMER

The joys of watching woodcock

SELF-IMPROVEMENT

What you need to know to become a wildfowler RELUCTANT R ABBITS

A RUGGED MULE FOR TOUGH SPORT

THE CHALLENGES OF FERRETING IN SNOW

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DOG OF THE WEEK

Fred Fred, a four-year-old working cocker owned by Louise Coster and Martin Gregory, loves picking-up but is also a dab hand at beating, dogging-in and shutting the birds in at night on the rearing field. He always makes time for cuddling, and has sired some gorgeous puppies over the past couple of years.

Photographed by Louise Coster

11.04.18 Issue 6,083

£21.74 Fine spring sport The season may be over, but we’ve got some superb spring sport lined up. Subscribe now for less than the cost of a round at the pub.

No basis in reality Some years ago I attended the launch of the SNP manifesto.

Throngs of people wrapped in saltires crowded into a large hall, all of them erupting into thunderous applause when Sturgeon took the stage. Part of me felt that Louis Theroux would have had plenty of material but admittedly the First Minister spoke well.

Last week, I switched on the TV to see her waxing just as emotively about the mountain hare, after footage ilmed by an animal-rights charity was passed to the BBC (see News, p.9). Regrettably, her condemnation of “large-scale culling” as an “unacceptable” practice that could put the species at risk was vintage nonsense. We all know that, in reality, the hare is thriving in managed uplands and control is carefully regulated.

I suppose there are two possibilities. The irst is that Sturgeon knows nothing about conservation.

The second is that she does but arrogantly takes the public for fools and was trying to exploit the footage for political gain. In some senses the irst possibility is preferable but I suspect it is unlikely. The whole issue got me thinking about her impassioned lines on social policy and education back at that manifesto launch. I wonder if they had a basis in reality or whether they were just platitudinous vote grabbers too.

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14

In the eye of the beholder What makes a perfect Labrador?

17

Curiosity killed the muntjac Stalking the little deer in Sufolk

21

Salt tang and teal The joy of fowling on the foreshore

24

Becoming a wildfowler Ekh d[m Yebkcd_ij [nfbW_di _j Wbb

26

Set forth and ferret Simon Whitehead versus the snow

32

Bettinsoli X-Trail Camo Max-5 The ultimate wildfowlers’ irearm?

35

High and not so dry 7d [l[d_d] mWjY^_d] meeZYeYa

38

A mountain paradox Should the hare be protected?

Patrick Galbraith, Editor

Contents / Regulars NEWS & OPINION

REGULARS

06 NEWS

30

COUNTRY DIARY

10

PRODUCTS

31

GAMEKEEPER

12

LETTERS

32

SHOTGUN TEST

FEATURES

35

SOLDIER PALMER

14

GUNDOGS

38

NATURE NOTES

17

STALKING

21

WILDFOWLING

40 FIELDSPORTS FAILURES

24

WILDFOWLING

42

GUNDOGS

26

FERRETING

48

SPORTING ANSWERS

58

SHARPSHOOTER

44 WOODCOCK CLUB

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NEWS

Members of the group receive the award

Award for Angus keepers Moorland managers from the Angus Glens have been honoured for their eforts to protect rare habitats and red-listed birds at this year’s Scottish Rural Awards

ANGUS GLENS MOORLAND GROUP / P. QUAGLIANA / SGA

T

he Angus Glens Moorland Group (AGMG) has won a prestigious national conservation award.

The group, which comprises estates and farms local to the region, was recently crowned winner in the conservation and environment category at the annual Scottish Rural Awards held in Edinburgh.

The awards, which are partnered with the Scottish Countryside Alliance and Scottish Field magazine, seek to celebrate the “true industry, innovation, dedication and community spirit of those who live and work in our wonderful countryside”.

Gamekeepers from the AGMG were recognised for their hard

work and accomplishments in protecting globally rare heather habitats and red-listed moorland birds, while also providing excellent grouse shooting, stalking and angling in the glens.

Through their efforts to control predators, group gamekeepers helped to protect species such as curlew, lapwing, golden plover and blackgrouse.

Shepherds in the group were also recognised for their help in the fight against ticks, which can spread Lyme disease, by deploying hill sheep treated with acaricide in combination with bracken control.

Gamekeeper and group member Alistair Brown commented: “It was a great achievement to be nominated

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in the category for conservation and the environment. We did not expect to win because there were so many fantastic finalists.

“We feel very passionate about the countryside and

Fishery Company and organic beef farm CH & AK Walker.

Other winners at the Scottish Rural Awards included mental health initiative Are Ewe Okay? which took the rural hero title.

“We feel very passionate about the need for better education on what land management delivers” the need for better education on what land and wildlife management delivers for species, environments, communities and in keeping employment and families in our glens. It is a real honour,” he added.

The group won the title over runners-up the Loch Ryan Oyster

Mackie’s of Scotland was named best rural employer and Xanthella took best rural enterprise. The rural hospitality accolade went to Colstoun House, while the lifetime achievement award was received

by Douglas Watson of the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society.

Email your stories / mark.layton@timeinc.com

Queen makes donation in support of gamekeepers HM The Queen has shown her support for the fieldsports community by making a donation to the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust.

The gift to the charity was revealed following the Trust’s annual general meeting last month, though the donated sum remains undisclosed.

Founded in 1992, the Trust was set up to support gamekeepers, stalkers and gillies and their families or widows, who require help during ill health or infirmity, by providing financial grants.

The Queen’s donation will help to further this work.

The Trust’s chief executive Helen Benson said: “We are justly proud to receive support from HM The Queen for gamekeepers, stalkers and gillies.

“The Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust is expanding its services and constantly reviewing how the charity can help more effectively.”

The Queen is well known as a champion of fieldsports

importance of managing deer to minimise damage, keep populations healthy and prevent road accidents.

South Lanarkshire Council and the Lowland Deer Network helped to facilitate and fund the early morning trip and the children were given learning packs and identification sheets by the SGA and British Deer Society.

“It was very worthwhile,” said Mr Quarrell, who hopes to expand the education programme following the success of this first trip.

“None of the children had ever seen a wild deer before.

They have coped with a lot of

In focus this week: should you get your gundog neutered?

33% No 17% Yes 50% It’s not that simple

follow us @shootingtimes

To do this week Shoots have

S U R V E Y until the end of

Youngsters get deer day out A carer in East Kilbride has introduced disadvantaged youngsters in the area to the wild roe deer living on the fringes of Glasgow.

David Quarrell is an experienced deer manager, member of the Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association (SGA) Deer Group and chairman of the South Lanarkshire Deer Group.

He set out to get local children to connect with their environment by taking them out to see the deer, telling them about the animals’ lives, explaining how to identify them and what they eat. He also explained the

Weekend Twitter poll

negative challenges in their lives to date and some of them have not had the chance to experience the positives of the wildlife around them.

“We saw about 14 deer over the morning and the kids were passing the binoculars between them, very excited.

“We talked about numbers of deer and whether they would expect the numbers to be higher or lower the following year.

“They also saw herons at a protected Site of Special Scientific Interest as well as pink-footed and greylag geese, and enjoyed the whole experience,” he added.

the month to send in their submissions to the annual Shoot Benchmarking Survey. Organised by agent Savills and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, the survey compares a shoot’s operations against similar shoots and suggests areas in need of improvement.

In return for completing the survey

by Friday, 30 April, contributors will receive a detailed report helping them to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Anyone wishing to complete the survey should visit po.st/ ShootSurvey before the deadline or contact David Steel by tel 01200 411051 for more information.

Bootbrand

S H O O T LeChameau haspartneredwiththeRoyalBerkshire ShootingSchool(RBSS)tolaunch theReallyWildClayDays.Startingthis month,thesesimulatedgameshooting dayswillrununtiltheendofSeptember andareopentoalllevelsofability.

Eachdaywillbehostedbyateamof experiencedRBSSinstructorsandwill takeplaceatoneofsixvenues:Highclere CastleinHampshire,WestWoodhay estateinBerkshire,FaccombeManor estateinHampshire,WellBarnestatein Oxfordshire,Englefieldestate(pictured) inBerkshireorConholtestatein Hampshire.Formoreinformation,orto book,contactKatieAbsalomviaemail katie@rbss.co.uk or tel 01491 672900.

Youngsters were taken to see wild deer for the first time and learn about how they live and are managed

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NEWS Deer typically retreat from the high tops to lower ground to seek shelter during poor weather conditions

EVENTS DIARY 14 -1 5 A P R I L GREAT SHIRES GAME FAIR Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire www.greatshires gamefair.co.uk 18 APRIL GAVIN GARDINER AUCTION Sotheby’s London Tel 01798 875300 21 APRIL KENNEL CLUB FIELD TRIAL SECRETARIES’ SEMINAR Littlebury Hotel, Bicester, Oxfordshire gundogs@thekennel club.org.uk 3 -1 0 M AY ARUNDELL ART WEEK The Arundell Arms Hotel, Lifton, Devon Tel 01566 784666

Scottish deer hit hard by the snow Hill users in Scotland have been asked to give deer a wide berth while they recover from the cold snap that has buried their food

1 2 M AY

REX/SHUTTERSTOCK / GWCT / R. ARMSTRONG

WEST LONDON SHOOTING SCHOOL DEER STALKING COURSE Showell Farm, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire Tel 020 8845 1377 1 2-1 3 M AY SPORTFISH READING SHOW Sportfish Game Fishing Centre, Berkshire Tel 0118 930 3860

Scottish deer have suffered under some of the worst weather conditions for more than a decade, stalkers have warned.

The return of severe wintry weather over the Easter weekend, following so soon after the Beast from the East, made it difficult for deer to find food.

search of shelter, but the Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association (SGA) reported that many deer were slow to return to the tops in many areas as they were too weak from having food cut off by snow.

The SGA’s Lea MacNally, a professional stalker for almost 50 years, said: “It is probably the

“The food source is there, they just can’t get to it due to snow” Even before Easter, stalkers reported many deer were severely weakened due to having their food sources made inaccessible by deep snow. They cautioned hill users to take care to avoid disturbing the animals.

In poor weather conditions, deer typically retreat from the high tops to lower ground in

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worst conditions for over a decade for deer. Normally it is harder for them in the west during winter because it is generally wetter.

“However, this is affecting deer alloverthehighgroundinScotland, whether numbers in that area are relatively high or very few.

“The food source is there, they just can’t get it due to the length

of time there has been full snow cover. Every winter there is an expected natural mortality but there has been much higher than normal mortality this year.

“Deer are having to expend a lot of energy scraping down through frosted snow to get to food and, in many areas, snow hasn’t lifted for a long time. The deers’ backs have not been dry for months and some calves are barely standing.”

Mr MacNally also advised that anybody up on the high ground should try to give deer “a wide berth” to avoid them moving out of shelter. “Disturbance causes deer to move and, if people take care to avoid that, it could make the difference between life and death for weakened animals.

“It would also be prudent for dog walkers to ensure their pets are under close control.”

Email your stories / mark.layton@timeinc.com

Furore as Sturgeon slams legal hare culls on moors Rural groups are in uproar following criticism of legal hare culling on grouse moors by the Scottish First Minister.

Covert footage of culling obtained by OneKind and the League Against Cruel Sports was broadcast by the BBC, leading to Nicola Sturgeon describing large-scale culls as “clearly unacceptable”.

A Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association spokesman hit back: “If Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Scottish Government want protected sites to be in favourable condition then refuse to back the management actions to achieve that, then estates should stop being thrown to the mercy of campaigners with secret cameras and SNH should carry out the management themselves.

“We are not far from the stage now where people will not want to manage deer and hare populations because they cannot operate without being covertly filmed.”

Tim Baynes, director of the Scottish Moorland Group,

Covert filming of hare culls was taken by animal-rights activists

also responded: “Mountain hare management is not only legal but necessary and is carried out within a regulatory framework of close seasons and licences administered

by SNH. “There is no threat to mountain hare populations as some activists pretend.

Culls on open moorland typically reduce the population by 5-14 per cent.

“Grouse moors, due to the way they are managed, are the best reservoirs and producers of mountain hares anywhere in the country.

“However, the flip side is that they then need to be managed periodically as the population climbs to prevent overgrazing and disease problems.”

Record turnout for bird count More than 1,000 farmers took part in this year’s Big Farmland Bird Count, recording 121 species across 950,000 acres.

Led by the Game &WildlifeConservationTrust, the annual count, which this year took place from 9-18 February, examines which birds are thriving and where, giving an indication of the conservation methods that are most effective. The most

abundant birds overall were starlings, woodpigeons, fieldfares, rooks and chaffinches. A total of 99,712 were found, making up nearly half the total number of birds recorded. A total of 25 redlisted bird species were also recorded.

Farmers from every county in England took part, as well as some in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, plus 32 from Austria.

Fieldfares were among the most abundant birds counted this year

Survey areas included hedges, woodland ponds, grass margins, ditches and trees, with most counts taking place on winter cereals, grassland or overwintered stubbles.

Count organiser Jim Egan said he was delighted with the turnout. He commented: “We can also see from the data collated that 50 per cent of farmers have been helping farmland birds in the recent cold snap. This is critical in getting farmland birds, particularly those on the red list, through the winter so they are fit and healthy to breed in the spring.

“It’s great to know that many farmers will also now be providing insect-rich habitat to help provide for breeding birds through the spring and summer months.”

Visit www.gwct.org.uk/ bfbc to view the results in full.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Gundog test raises funds for school The Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group recently hosted its first working gundog test to raise funds for an outdoor learning facility for Kettlewell Primary School, which is helping to educate youngsters about the countryside.

A total of 55 dogs, their owners and spectators braved bad weather as the inaugural Hector Kirk Moorland Cup was held at Conistone and Grassington estate near Skipton in North Yorkshire.

Sonya Wiggins, group co-ordinator and wife of the estate’s headkeeper, said: “I am passionate about educating children about the countryside.” She added: “The money raised today will build a ‘forest classroom’ for Kettlewell Primary School.”

Plea for memories

by Raemoir House The owners of Raemoir House in Banchory, Aberdeenshire, which was once considered a hotel of choice for fieldsports fans, are asking for help in uncovering some of the venue’s history.

Anyone with information of interest to share is encouraged to contact Mhairi Morriss by tel 01330 824884.

Rural cops join the Cairngorms beat Five new special constables are to be appointed to work with Police Scotland to tackle wildlife and rural crime in the Cairngorms National Park.

Scottish Land & Estates chairman David Johnstone said that the special constables could “help to tackle different forms of wildlife crime and rural crime such as thefts, livestock worrying and flytipping.”

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @SHOOTINGTIMESUK

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PRODUCTS

Visit us online / shootinguk.co.uk

From the gun shop Our weekly round-up of the best and latest must-have kit on the shelf 1 Deerhunter Muflon light jacket in Realtree Edge RRP £269.99 www.deerhunter.eu Thisjacketispartofanewcollection designedfortheactivehunterandis100per centwaterproof,windproofandbreathable thankstotheDeer-TexPerformanceshell.It comescompletewithpracticalpockets,an obliqueradiopocketand,liketherestofthe collection, noise-reducing soft material.

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LETTERS LET TER OF THE WEEK ISSN: 0037-4164 Shooting Times, Time Inc (UK) Ltd, Pinehurst 2, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF.

For editorial enquiries: STeditorials@timeinc.com 01252 555220 For picture enquiries: max.tremlett@timeinc.com Subscription hotline: 0330 333 1113 help@magazinesdirect.com Editor Patrick Galbraith Deputy editor Ed Wills edward.wills@timeinc.com Brand assistant Sarah Pratley 01252 555220 Design director Dean Usher Art editor Rob Farmer Picture editor Max Tremlett Chief sub-editor Sarah Potts sarah.potts@timeinc.com Deputy chief sub-editor Nicola Jane Swinney nicola.swinney@timeinc.com News editor Mark Layton mark.layton@timeinc.com Digital Editor Charlotte Peters charlotte.peters@timeinc.com www.shootinguk.co.uk Group shooting editor Jonathan Young Editor in chief — country Mark Hedges Managing director Steve Prentice Group managing director Oswin Grady Classified advertising Felicity Bateman 01252 555205 felicity.bateman@timeinc.com Display advertising Hannah Proudfoot 01252 555309 hannah.proudfoot@timeinc.com Rebecca Norris 01252 555368 rebecca.norris@timeinc.com Charlene Burr 01252 555376 charlene.burr@timeinc.com Laurence Pierce 07971 605143 laurence.pierce@timeinc.com Group advertisement manager Stuart Duncan 01252 555337 Advertisement production Tony Freeman tony.freeman@timeinc.com Innovator (for loose and bound-in inserts) 020 3148 3710 Can’t find ST? 020 3148 3300 Back issues 01795 662976 support@mags-uk.com

Shooting Times is the official weekly journal of BASC and the CPSA BASC Marford Mill, Rossett LL12 0HL Tel 01244 573000 CPSA PO Box 750, Woking, GU24 0YU Tel 01483 485400 Wereservetherighttoeditletters.Nolettershouldexceed250 words.Letterswillnotbeusedunlesstheauthorispreparedto havetheirnameandcountyofresidencepublished.

Lettersshouldbeaddressedto:TheEditor,Pinehurst2, FarnboroughBusinessPark,Hants,GU147BF,oremail STletters@timeinc.com.

Pleaseincludeadaytimetelephonenumber andpostaladdress.

This week’s cover image was captured by Andy Hook

=_l_d] d[m d[_]^Xekhi W jWij[ \eh ]Wc[ Shooting magazines have been encouraging the shooting fraternity to introduce people to our fine sport. I think they should also be introducing people to the pleasures of cooking and eating game. Many people are interested in how healthy game is, but they do not know how to prepare or cook it, and in a great deal of cases it is still perceived as posh food.

I live near Bath, where a lot of young professional people have moved into the village and they wish to be a part of the countryside and all it entails.

We are also lucky to live near a large partridge shoot, and for many years I have asked the shoot’s owners for partridges and have showed the newcomers how to prepare and cook them as the birds

are easy to pluck and prepare.

They now also pluck pheasants and skin cock pheasants, as I have also shown them how to do this. They have been intrigued due to the health benefits of game.

I now have regular requests from villagers each season, and I’m lucky if I have any birds for myself.

R. Freeman, Wiltshire

IN ASSOCIATION WITH SEELAND The winner of Letter of the Week will receive a new William II waistcoat from Seeland. Worth £64.99, it is available in navy, moose brown and pine green and sizes S to 5XL. For more information visit www.seeland.com.

THE WRONG SORT OF SHOT I wholeheartedly agree with Mr Allen-Rowlandson’s comments (Letters, 21 March). Quite why some game shooters think it appropriate to drink throughout the day, I don’t know. We don’t if we’re out with the ferrets, pigeon shooting, fishing or any other outdoor activity.

I will never forget as a young man being invited to shoot at an army shoot where a full lunch was laid on in the officers’ mess, where I was surprised to see plenty of wine on the table. That afternoon the officer who had sat opposite me swung through the line and shot me and the Gun next to me. I suffered little more than sore legs, but the other fellow had a pellet lodged an inch below his eye, which I removed for him.

Very little was said at the time, but I never forgot the incident.

Thirty years later, I was asked to keeper a small syndicate shoot where much the same goes on: drinks from the flask on arrival, drinks at elevenses, then wine on the table at lunch. When I protested and threatened to leave them to it, a drinks policy was introduced — safe to drive. You can imagine how

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effective that was. By the end of the season, back to normal, to the point where one of the traditionalists couldn’t tell the difference between a pheasant and a cormorant.

It’s time for a rethink. If you needed to drink all day at work, you would be considered to have a problem, so why on a game shoot? You don’t see hip flasks at the clay ground either.

R. Bryant, by email

SUPPORTING SHOOTS I want to assure Mr Tusting (Letters, 14 March), and all readers, that the British Game Alliance supports all shoots, whether large and commercial or small and private. If you are running a small shoot, your yearly subscription will reflect the scale of your shoot and is designed to be affordable for all.

A levy on shot birds is entirely optional, the only criterion being that the shoot owner offers this to any paying Guns, and this again encompasses all shoots of all sizes.

Revenue generated by this, and by other commercial partners, will enable us to be the first organisation to devote truly significant funds

towards increasing the demand for game. Indeed, our three-year goal is, far from hindering small shoots, to have created an additional income stream for them via game sales, which outweighs the yearly subscription charge.

It is time for our industry to unite and the British Game Alliance aims to help facilitate that.

Finally, I have a great deal of sympathy with Mr Tusting’s difficulty at self-regulation of chocolate during Lent. Luckily, when an industry is collective in its efforts there is more hope.

The Red Tractor scheme for beef and lamb, and the Marine Stewardship Council stamp for sustainable fish, are two inspiring examples.

T. Adams, British Game Alliance

SPEAK UP G. Jeffery (Letters, 14 March) is right to draw attention to the fact that not all images are as they may first appear and that there may be more than one possible explanation as to how a situation has arisen.

In the same issue, Laurence Catlow made a similar point, adding that any image taken out of its full context can provoke massive misinterpretation

Email your letters / STletters@timeinc.com (First impressions going down the tube, 14 March).

However, what is vital is that all involved in sporting shooting, anywhere in this country, and whether on a small or on a larger scale, observe the Code of Good Shooting Practice. If they see an infringement of that code, they must not be afraid to speak to those involved. Such an intervention does not need to be confrontational; a quiet, friendly word may be all that is required.

It is incumbent on Shooting Times and others of influence within our sport not only to promote the highest standards of shooting practice, but also to condemn in the strongest terms those who are seen to behave in a less than praiseworthy manner. We should not fear to police ourselves nor to play our own, perhaps modest, part in enhancing our sport’s reputation among the wider public.

J. Pickering, by email

FALLING BIRDS ARE NO JOKE I agree with G.A. Crust (Letters, 21 March) that good humour and camaraderie are important aspects of a shoot and the bag is almost incidental sometimes.

However, I must take him to task about trying to drop a bird on or near the next peg. I have been a picker-up for more than 30 years and have witnessed people being hit by falling birds on several occasions.

I was hit on the side of the head by a falling partridge while in the act of taking a pheasant from my dog last November and I can assure you it is no joke. Imagine if, in the act of taking a shot, you were hit by a falling bird?

The result could be a disaster.

Such behaviour should therefore be discouraged.

R.E. Jones, Surrey

LITTER CULPRITS How I agree with Alasdair Mitchell (Sharpshooter, 21 March) regarding plastic waste. The ramblers, cyclists, birdwatchers and walkers all drop litter. They don’t give a damn about the countryside and the birds and animals within it. They are there to enjoy themselves no matter what and they don’t want their pockets or rucksacks encumbered with empty plastic bottles or wrappers.

I know this because I am a part-time gamekeeper on a shoot in the North Yorkshire Moors. We have a number of footpaths and bridleways on our ground and I come across a lot of plastic litter.

I have come across plastic stuffed in stone walls, blocking ditches — bottles are the favourites for this — included in birds’ nests as well as blowing about in the wind, littering woods and fields.

May I suggest that BASC, the Countryside Alliance and the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation, as well as owners of newspapers and magazines, launch a campaign to educate the general public as to their responsibilities while in the British countryside?

Last year I came across a dead hen pheasant during the breeding season. She had stuck her head into a discarded plastic bottle and obviously couldn’t get it off, dying a slow death from starvation, I think. So did her chicks, unless they were predated. I can only

guess at the number of chicks, but taking a figure of eight, we have a total of nine deaths due to one plastic bottle carelessly discarded.

I believe a campaign to highlight what happens to all this discarded plastic should be launched in schools, universities and large employers.

The shooting community might even get Chris Packham on its side.

Now that would be really something, wouldn’t it?

B. Barton, North Yorkshire

NOT FANTASTIC PLASTIC Alasdair Mitchell (Sharpshooter, 21 March) is absolutely right to highlight the issue of plastic wads as unwanted litter from shooting.

Most of us are now good at collecting up spent cases, but collecting wads s impossible.

He highlights he need for cup ads for steel, d mentions odegradable” plastic as a possible solution, but I have doubts.

Iunderstandthatso-called biodegradableplasticsare reallyjustphotodegradable, duetoreducedamountsof theultravioletinhibitorthat stopsplasticsfrombreaking upwhenexposedtosunlight.

IfIamright,wearetrading lumpsofplasticlitterforthe microplasticsthataresimilarly worryingasanenvironmental contaminant.Whatweneedis awadmadefromplantmaterials ratherthanfromplasticto be trulybiodegradable.

M. Swan, Shooting Times contributor

‘‘The wildlife of today is not ours to dispose of as we please.

We have it in trust. We must account for it to those who come after.’’ King George VI

NEXT WEEK IN

MONEY MISSPENT? With numbers in abundance, should you ever pay to shoot pigeons?

POLE POSITION Why drey poking deserves the title of Britain’s noblest fieldsport.

CALL OF THE WILD Legalformammalsbut illegalforbirds—shouldwe look again at electronic calls?

THE BUCK STOPS HERE Bruce Potts enjoys success on an earlyseason roebuck stalk in Surrey.

... AND MUCH MORE!

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Gundogs A Labrador needs to be fit, active, able to do a full day’s work and be ready for another

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder From show dogs to gundogs to family pets, Labradors come in all sizes and shapes. Charlie Thorburn considers what makes the perfect Lab

GETTY IMAGES / ALAMY / S. FARNSWORTH

I

f you wanted to start an argument at a game fair, you couldn’t go far wrong with initiating a discussion about what the perfect Labrador should look like.

Even the most casual countryside observer will be aware that there is huge variety in the breed.

As it is the most popular pedigree dog in the world, many of us will have some experience of Labradors. Around 35,000 Labs are registered with the BritishKennelClubeachyear,compared with 9,000 springer spaniels. In the US, the Labrador has ranked number one for 26 years in a row.

Labrador retrievers were originally called the lesser Newfoundland or the St John’s water dog. They were brought back from North America separately by the Earl of Malmesbury

and the Duke of Buccleuch, and both men had the same intention of using their dogs as sporting dogs. >Wl_d] ^WZ j^[i[ Ze]i \eh W dkcX[h of years, the two men met on a shoot in the 1880s. Subsequently, the Earl ended up giving the Duke a couple of males from his kennel to breed with females from the Buccleuch kennel.

This was the start of the Labrador and it was oicially recognised by the Kennel Club in 1903.

The Labrador grew in popularity because its short, thick coat was deemed preferential to the longer, higher-maintenance coats of some of the other retriever breeds. The Kennel Club, which set the breed standard, describes the Labrador as: “Strongly built, short-coupled, very active; broad in skull; broad and deep through chest

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and ribs; broad and strong over loins and hindquarters.” The Labrador should not have excessive body weight or excessive substance and should have an “otter tail”, which is thick at the base and carried low.

But if this is the standard set by the governing body of all our breeds and competitions, why do we see such a variety of registered pedigree Labradors? Dogs at a ield trial can sometimes resemble a whippet cross.

Go to a show ring and you will see a seemingly short-legged, unit lump that could not jump a ive-bar gate. The answer is people and our perceptions.

Labradors were created by two aristocrats in their private kennels.

The Earl and the Duke originally had an image of what they wanted to produce and others have added

A show dog may be perfect in judges’ eyes, but field triallers would view it with disdain

Buccleuch Avon is considered to be the ancestor of all modern Labrador retrievers

their own stamp, for better or worse.

In addition to selective breeding, other breeds have undoubtedly been crossed with the Labrador to try to improve the breed.

Strengths and weaknesses When breeding a Labrador at our Mordor Gundogs kennels in Perth, we don’t use some new up-and-coming champion or championship winner — we look at our bitch’s strengths and weaknesses and try to ind a dog that complements them. Just because a female is attractive and a good worker does not mean she will produce good ofspring. We like to keep a number of our puppies to train to make sure they are the type we want to produce.

We are not only looking for a healthy dog — we also want a kind, easy-going temperament. We like a strong, good-looking dog with a good double coat as well as one that is keen to learn and please. Gentle dogs are generally preferred, but we are careful not to mate two soft dogs for fear of producing timid puppies.

I have met many Labrador breeders over the years, and I know that a show breeder would look in disgust at the narrow-faced, smallboned, long-curly-tailed ield trial dog that I controversially referred to earlier as a whippet cross. The keeper or ield trialler would look at the overweight, seemingly less trainable and possibly less intelligent show dog with similar disdain. After all, this is a working breed, so surely its ability is far more important than looks?

As a breeder of what I think are good-looking Labradors that work well, I can see both sides. A Lab that does not look like a Lab is just not a Lab. However, a Lab that cannot jump a fence with ease, do a full day on a grouse moor and be ready for another, is also not a Lab. A Lab needs to be it and active but the modern obsession with

speed, often confused with drive, is a misplaced one. When working thick cover or heather, looking for a tucked-in wounded bird, speed can be a bad thing. The fast dog will often be eye-wiped by the steady, methodical pace of the traditional Lab. I want level-headed reliability.

However, I too am being narrowminded in my thoughts. In the Labrador world, showing and ield trialling are small fry. In the middle you have the average family Labrador.

Some work, most don’t, but they comprise a large proportion of the Labradors out there today. What is important is that this large majority of owners know what they are looking for when buying a Labrador.

A championship-winning ield trial dog or a best-in-breed show-

stamina. Not every dog needs to be like Sir Mo Farah, but neither should they be built like a sumo wrestler.

What about trainability and conidence? Bold, conident dogs might do well in competition as they have the drive to handle the rigours of trials. Yet if they are too headstrong, most trainers will ind them a handful. An overly soft-natured dog might be easy to train, but might be too timid to ever be an outstanding worker in the ield.

Characteristics So how do we rank all these factors into the order of importance when choosing a puppy or a mate for our dog? Ultimately, it comes back to what characteristics we think are the most important.

“A Lab must be able to run. Not every dog needs to be like Sir Mo Farah but neither should they be built like a sumo wrestler” winning dog does not necessarily produce good working pets or family dogs. Ultimately, to the pet owner of the Labrador, the big draw is temperament — and yet the breed standard does not cover it.

When trying to produce the perfect dog — and we must strive for perfection when breeding — we must make compromises. Take, for example, conformation and athleticism. A Labrador must be able to run and jump and have good

I would encourage those breeding from their Labrador to spend time picking a mate. Think about your dog, her family and what you are trying to produce your puppies for, and then ind a dog to complement her. Meet the dog beforehand, learn about his temperament and have a good look at him. Ask to see some of his progeny.

What you are breeding will greatly inluence the new owners’ lives, so have the decency to do your bit to help that be a good experience.

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Stalking

Peering through the bramble bush, looking for movement

black Labrador, out of the tailgate. But already I could feel a chill in the east wind, harbinger of the snow forecast to fall later in the week. It was blowing at right angles to the two principal rides that run through the wood which I was planning to stalk, so I chose to start by creeping along the more downwind of the two.

First pheasants

Graham encourages the buck to show itself by using his Buttolo deer call

Curiosity killed the muntjac When the deer winded him, Graham Downing thought his chance had gone but both parties made mistakes and the buck’s proved fatal

G. DOWNING

T

he back end of winter, when the woods have quietened down after the game shooting season and even the pigeon shooters have ceased their Saturday afternoon vigils, is the ideal time to stalk muntjac. While the irst cowslips hint that spring is not far

away, the woodland loor is still bare, ofering the best chances of spotting those little deer as they patrol their territories at dawn and dusk.

There was still barely a hint of grey in the eastern sky as I parked the Land Rover, pulled on my stalking jacket, checked the rile and let Teal, my

In the depths of the wood the breeze was stilled; I could just about feel it chilling my left cheek as it gently rattled the bare twigs above me. The irst pheasants clattered from their roosts to forage in a lailed maize cover crop on the woodland edge.

I walked slowly, stopping every couple of yards to scan the ride in front of me and the forest loor to right and left with my binoculars.

I saw nothing apart from a couple of hares chasing each other along the ride before they stopped to nibble beneath a bramble bush.

The distinguishing signs of hare and deer browsing are quite obvious if you know what you are looking for, but I often wonder how much of the damage attributed to the smaller deer species is caused by hares.

Sunrise was lushing the sky with a dusty pink. After stalking for an hour I had covered some 500 yards and was approaching the end of the wood. Should I simply turn and stalk back along the other parallel ride? Or should I try my luck in the plantation of young oaks that lanks the eastern edge of the main wood?

It is a plantation I don’t often stalk and, as I crossed the deep

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Stalking Perhaps it was Teal that tipped the balance. I have often found that when they spot a dog, deer can sometimes appear more curious than alarmed.

Perhaps on getting that glimpse of a black Labrador standing next to this weird apparition in camoulage and head net, that buck felt more quizzical j^Wd YedY[hd[Z$ ;_j^[h mWo" _dij[WZ of hightailing it into the next parish, my buck simply retreated into the fbWdjWj_ed e\ oekd] jh[[i$ >[ XWha[Z"

boundary ditch on the plantation’s edge, I could see plenty of evidence j^Wj ckdj`WY m[h[ _d h[i_Z[dY[$ Ceij of the tracks were old and washed out, but there were enough that were sharp, crisp and fresh to keep my hopes alive. Slowly, steadily and silently I moved through the plantation, Teal walking quietly beside me until, through the undergrowth on my left, I caught a momentary licker of white.

young plantation where the buck was still barking. Taking my Buttolo call out of my pocket, I worked it with my left hand while controlling the rile with my right.

I made half-a-dozen faint calls and waited. The barking ceased and I knew that it was not the muntjac that was being stalked, but me. If the buck appeared, I would have no more than a few moments to ire a shot. After a minute or so, in my peripheral vision

Distinctive silhouette

“He barked his repeated challenge, as if to ask by what right I had the audacity to trespass into his private domain”

Freezing immediately, I paused and waited before edging slowly forwards, my glasses irmly ixed upon a tangle of grass and bramble some 50 yards back into the plantation. There I glimpsed the distinctive silhouette of a muntjac buck, clearly on high alert. But as I opened my sticks and edged my rile upward, there came a single bark and the buck was gone.

I should have been more careful — the only chance of the morning and it had gone. But as I berated myself, there came another bark and then another. The muntjac was static once more, standing back in deep cover perhaps 70 yards away.

It was evident that the buck, though startled, was not unduly alarmed. In such situations I have often found the natural curiosity of a muntjac is such that it can be encouraged to respond to a call and show itself. Luckily, the wind was right, so I carefully set up my rile on the sticks, facing into the

I caught sight of a movement 30 yards away to my right.

There he was, bold as brass in his chestnut coat, standing and looking at me through a gap in the trees. The Buttolo had done its job well but I had miscalculated where the animal would appear. Now, with his eyes ixed on me, there was no way I could turn sticks and rile through 60° to take a shot without spooking him.

With a lick of his tail, the buck was of, back into deep cover, whence came an indignant cacophony of barking. I thought he’d won that round, so it was curtains for my stalk.

I had done well to lure him out of cover but now he must be fully aware of the danger facing him. Surely I must have run out of chances.

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as if to ask by what right I — or my dog — had the audacity to trespass into his private domain.

It dawned upon me that this stalk was not over. The buck was now in a plantation of 15-year-old oaks, some 60 yards back from a dense clump of bramble bushes. These would give me cover for the next part of my stalk.

Cel_d] m_j^ kjceij YWh[" ? cWZ[ _j to the brambles without interrupting the stream of what I imagine was muntjac invective coming at me from the oak plantation.

Kneeling in front of the brambles, I peered through every chink in the winter-battered foliage with my binoculars. Panning them slowly back and forth, I looked for any sign of movement on the other side of the

tired greenery, but I could see none.

I could not see the muntjac either, which meant he could probably not see me. I would therefore have to stalk around the side of the bush if I was going to get sight of him again.

It took me 10 minutes to creep, on my hands and knees, the next ive yards, carefully moving each briar and blackthorn twig out of my way so as not to make a sound. Teal inched along beside me and eventually, miraculously, we gained our objective unnoticed by our quarry.

Having crept around the bramble bush, Graham takes a kneeling shot

Bored barking By now the barking was sounding a little less outraged and ever so slightly bored, but it was coming from something short of a decent shotgun range in front of me. I raised my head to look through the frieze of dry grass in front of me and carefully I checked with the binoculars. Standing among the young oaks was the buck, head down and looking as though he was wondering what all the fuss was about. Slowly I raised the rile, bracing it against my pair of hazel sticks to take a kneeling shot, and the moment I caught sight of his pale chest through the winter oaks, I squeezed the trigger. Through the scope I saw him collapse and kick his last.

He was a good, mature animal, six or seven years old and in tip-top condition after a long winter. It had been the most fascinating battle of wits to bring his career to an end.

I had made plenty of mistakes, but he had too and in the end my persistence had paid of; the last mistake was his. It had covered no more than 100 yards and lasted maybe half an hour, but that stalk had been like a game of chess, an utterly absorbing duel between hunter and hunted. That stalk once again made me appreciate why I love the challenge of hunting these feisty little deer.

Teal and the muntjac, a mature animal in excellent condition

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Most sporting sportsman

Salt tang and teal Where the wigeon whistle and human beings don’t belong, the wildfowler inds the most noble sport, says Mike Swan

H. HUNT / S. FARNSWORTH

S

ix o’clock in the morning.

The overnight wind had moderated but it was still blowing a full gale from the west and there was driving rain. The wildfowler whistled quietly to himself as he walked through the still-sleeping main street of the small Welsh cockle ishing port. He felt almost smug in the anticipation of the sport that saner, but ininitely more boring, mortals were about to miss.

After weeks of warm, quiet weather, the gales of November had arrived and, with the tide just starting to creep over the lats of the lower estuary, the wigeon and pintail would soon be on the move. Normally they would ride out the tide, or loat gently in with it, but today it would be so rough that they

would be forced to ly into the saltings for shelter. And he would be waiting.

It is more than 30 years since I wrote those semi-autobiographical words, but my passion for this wonderful sport is undiminished. Apart from stalking baby bunnies sitting out in the summer sun and knocking a newly ledged jackdaw of its perch, my irst real live shots were out on the Medway mud with my father.

Vivid memory My irst success was at a single teal; I had been sent to try to creep in range of a pair of wigeon that had landed on ekh Yh[[a WXekj '&& oWhZi WmWo WdZ when I was nearly in reach that teal came swinging in to join them. My other vivid memory of that trip was

the wild music of whistling wigeon passing high overhead at evening light.

Since then I have been lucky indeed to go on and enjoy all manner of shooting sports, but coastal wildfowling remains the one that brings the highest moments of joy.

Driven pheasants are a wonderful challenge and seeing the head go back as a high bird dies in the air is hugely satisfying. Grouse on a gale skimming over the heather, pigeons jinking over the treetops in a breeze as they come to roost, bolting bunnies pushed out by ferrets, and snipe zigzagging away as they lush from boggy ground — all ofer tremendous sport and challenging shooting, but none quite have the salt tang that I relish so much.

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Most sporting sportsman With the ever-changing tides, the wildlife of the shore is always on the move

I love my woodland stalking too, and the skill needed to creep up on a mob of wary fallow is something else. Pulling of a successful shot after a long stalk is a real high. Perhaps the wariest quarry I ever set out after mWi W m_bZ jkha[o _d <beh_ZW$ =_l[d a glimpse of trouble at half a mile, he would be of, so the only thing you can do is persuade him that you are the most desirable female in the world.

J^[ ia_bb e\ co ]h[Wj \h_[dZ 8_bb FWbc[h in calling a bird who was of the view that the ladies should come to him was impressive indeed and the shot mWi if[Y_Wb$ 8kj ceij Zh_l[d i^eej[hi cannot quite understand taking a sitter at about 15 yards with 40g e\ De$* Wi j^[ Ykbc_dWj_ed e\ i[l[hWb hours of patient work.

8kj ij_bb ? h[jkhd je m_bZ\emb ed j^[ shore as the noblest of all. Part of it is the magic of the environment and the real skill in living comfortably enough out there that you can still i^eej$ >kcWdi Ze dej h[Wbbo X[bed] _d the cold, wet expanses of the shore, so clothing yourself well enough that you can even operate a gun takes a bit of fbWdd_d]$ 7\j[h W c_b[ mWba WYheii j^[ marsh to your chosen spot, you can work up a fairish sweat even on a sub-

zero January morning. Working out what to wear to avoid overheating, and what to carry to trap the warmth when you get there, is all part of the job.

I love the big sky too. With unhindered views all around, it is all so much more interesting than looking up out of a hole in the ground, for high driven birds. With the ever-changing tides, the wildlife of the shore is always on the move and the wader smoke from great wheeling locks of knot, plovers and other shorebirds has starling murmurations tipped into a cocked hat. On top of that, you never know from which direction a bird is going to approach, but you can bet it will be from behind while you are focused on something else. If you can snatch a shot at a teal that has nearly knocked your hat of, you are pretty quick.

You can even be caught out when facing in the right direction and I will

“If you can snatch a shot at a bird that has nearly knocked your hat of, you are pretty quick”

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long remember one such occasion on A_haYkZXh_]^j 8Wo$ ? mWi mW_j_d] _d hopes of an evening light at wigeon in the saltings to graze and looking straight out into the bay, when ive teal came racing by at head height.

I had been looking in exactly the right direction, but they were so low they were invisible against the dark background of the far shore.

Victory roll I tried to screw myself around for a shot, but my feet were ixed in the mud and the birds were out of reach in an instant. I swear one did a victory roll as it lifted over the wood behind me, temporarily silhouetted against the low, sodium-lit clouds over the town.

7 \[m c_dkj[i bWj[h YWc[ j^[ m_bZ calling of greylags and over the next 20 minutes skein after skein came, two gunshots high, heading out into the bay to spend the night roosting on the lats, kdj_b j^[ j_Z[ ƒ eWj[Z j^[c$ 7dej^[h blank light, but there was plenty of excitement for this wildfowler.

One of the reasons for my poor ikYY[ii _d iekj^#m[ij IYejbWdZ _i j^Wj I do not have much idea what I am Ze_d]$ 7 i_d]b[ m[[a e\ \Wc_bo ^eb_ZWo [WY^ D[m O[Wh c[Wdi j^Wj ? ^Wl[ b_jjb[

chance to explore this wonderful coastline properly; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a case of snatching a couple of hours here and there and guessing what might pay of.

That is the other great thing about wildfowling â&#x20AC;&#x201D; everyone is in with a chance, but those who do their homework can make a big diference to their own success. Guessing what the combination of tide, weather and time of year will do to the behaviour of the ducks and geese, and getting it right, is hugely satisfying. Simon Garnham was right to extol the virtues of an inland light at truly wild birds (A precious privilege, 4 April), and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d accept his invitation any time, but I still feel that the shore has the edge.

Coastal wildfowling is so varied, from waiting in a gale-torn dawn for the geese, knowing that in this wind theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll ly lower and perhaps just over your head, through daytime tide lighting with a few decoys set out on a sheltered creek, to waiting by a salting splash at dusk for the wigeon that left their â&#x20AC;&#x153;calling cardsâ&#x20AC;? as evidence of last nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visit.

What is the ultimate? For me it is a right-and-left out of a pack of pintail that would have passed over the tide edge too high, but which have made the mistake of giving my decoys a slightly closer look. They are still high enough to spot even the slightest movement if I fail to cower motionless in my hide until the very last moment.

And Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll relish every last mouthful too.

Mikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first real live shots were out on the Medway mud, shown here at high tide with the lights of the Isle of Grain in the background

Left: After a mile walk across the marsh to your chosen spot, you can work up a fairish sweat even on a freezing morning

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This series is inspired by a conversation between three gentlemen in The Compleat Angler. In the book they argue about which is the inest or noblest of the ieldsports of their day. In the coming months we will attempt to discover which sport is the best of them all.

Nick Horten is the chairman of Langstone Wildfowlers and is deeply passionate about getting people into the sport

Wildfowlin Try the greatest sport with a gun that Britain can ofer and it will take a grip on your soul

M

Wildfowling clubs The history of wildfowling clubs is worth investigating, as it has much bearing on where we are today. Most clubs were formed in the 1950s as a result of pressure from the Protection of Birds Act 1954, when many birds were lost from the quarry list — some rightly so. Seasons were shortened and restrictions were imposed. It was obvious that fowlers needed to band together to obtain, if nothing else, legitimate shooting rights since many shot over “their” marshes with tenuous legal rights.

Wildfowling clubs around Britain’s coastline got off to a flying start, ably steered by the ever-growing Wildfowlers’ Association of Great Britain and Ireland (WAGBI). And let’s not lose sight of the major part Shooting Times played in all this, with its unequivocal support of club wildfowling in its early days.

Of all the shooting sports, wildfowling is most akin to true — and truly sustainable — hunting

Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC). Clubs were, generally, easy to join, great value for money and largely free from what some might have seen as red tape.

Yet by the early 1990s or thereabouts, wildfowling clubs were becoming a victim of their own success. Proper management by club committees began to impose membership limits — and some clubs had waiting lists of more than 15 years. People regarded the sport as a closed shop and started to look towards clay shooting, pigeon shooting and syndicated game shooting, which had long since thrown off its mantle of imagined exclusivity as an entry point into the sport of shooting.

Then, in 1996, came what seemed like the hammer blow of non-toxic shot. By now fowling had, in the eyes of those outside its cloistered walls, become difficult to access, and was beset with rules — one of which now required the use of a specialist gun

“The clubs, assisted by BASC, have given the sport a new lease of life” Club wildfowling has gone through a number of phases of development.

Gaining in size and momentum through the 1950s, the local wildfowling club was seen as the gateway into shooting for all those who lived within striking distance of a club.

By the 1980s wildfowlers had a stranglehold on WAGBI, one they firmly retained even when its name changed to the British

since, as everybody knew, using non-toxic shot was going to destroy your gun.

Club wildfowling momentarily faltered.

The big clubs soldiered on, but many of the smaller clubs had to work hard to enlist new recruits, and work even harder to keep them. Despite heroic efforts by a small number of individuals, fowlers lost their political impetus. No longer able to organise

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the bussing in of hundreds of members to a BASC AGM, the most recent purely wildfowling-orientated candidate for election to BASC’s council lost out to a woman who had been a BASC member for less than a year. Wildfowlers seemed to have lost interest in the future of their sport. Looking in from the outside, you could be forgiven for thinking that fowling was dead in the water.

Renaissance Yet with some skilful use of social media, the clubs, assisted by BASC, have given the sport a new lease of life. Wildfowling is perhaps, of all the shooting sports, most akin to true, and truly sustainable, hunting. It requires exceptional fieldcraft, a broad ecological knowledge, an understanding of weather and tidal conditions, bird-identification skills, an in-depth understanding of ballistics, decoying, calling and more.

You need to be able to deal with the harshest of environments and the frequent disappointment. Don’t go fowling if you want big bags. Yet for all that, if wildfowling gets a grip on your soul you’ll never give it up.

If you are thinking of joining a club, let me, over the next few months, walk you through your introduction to the greatest sport with a gun that Britain can offer.

This article is the first in a fortnightly series that will tell you everything you need to know to become a wildfowler. The next instalment will be in the 25 April issue.

S. FARNSWORTH

y love affair with the saltmarsh began at the age of six, when I discovered this utterly amazing tide-lapped, ever-changing playground literally at the end of my street. It was almost preordained that I should start wildfowling, so in 1972, at the age of 16, I joined a wildfowling club.

I was too young to have my own shotgun certificate or gun, so I spent the first four months of my membership trudging along behind my mentor unarmed. This made the first bird I eventually bagged with my singlebarrelled Baikal — a then-legal redshank — all the more memorable. But by then, I was completely smitten by wildfowling and have remained totally immersed in it ever since.

Ferreting

Set forth and ferret We know we can’t control nature, but after a second blast of snow Simon Whitehead decides he’s stir crazy enough to try

“The rabbits, unable to sidestep the huge mustelids, had two choices — stay or bolt”

J. HALL

I

n my previous article (Mobhobs that I bred last year. They might handed on the moor, 14 March), have been inexperienced, but Sooty I said we were still at the mercy and I knew exactly how to operate of winter — and boy, was in such wintry conditions.

I right. Even in our microclimate It was obvious that this was going in the Sufolk riviera, our world to be a diicult day. The drifts had came to an abrupt standstill. Pipes blocked one hedge in completely, froze, the snow settled and the though the other hedgeline was easterly wind ensured that drifts ferretable, as were a sea of bramble made roads treacherous. Relatively patches. For once we didn’t need straightforward jobs such as looking a dog to mark the occupied warrens after livestock were hard, but getting — we could simply follow the tracks. to work was even harder. A little The warm breath and body heat of reminder from the Beast from the the rabbits melted a thin layer around East that, no matter how hard we try each hole — and at least we were out. to control it, nature does what it wants Elsewhere, many rabbits had been and we are powerless to stop it. blocked in completely. They survive A few days cooped up made by refection to extract muchme eager to get back out needed nutrients from with the ferrets. The their droppings. If the roads seemed ine, weather had worsened but I did worry what and they were unable we would encounter to get to the surface when we arrived. to feed, their bodies The only way to ind would have started out was to set forth to eat away at their fat and ferret. Luckily, reserves and then, in the beet had been a desperate attempt to Simon reaches for lifted on the piece of survive, at the muscle. a stubborn rabbit land we were to work.

Unfortunately, it While the cover the sugar may have been enough beet would have ofered the rabbit for some pregnant does to have warrens would have made ferreting to reabsorb their foetus until the impossible, the snow presented an conditions are better suited for even bigger challenge. breeding. Not only has this weather Ferreting in the snow can be as knocked back the old and weak, but helpful as it can be problematic. The it also curtailed the boom in young rabbits don’t like bolting in it unless rabbits for a few weeks. they have to. It makes inding them To begin with we surrounded an easier because the snow gives away area of bramble with plenty of longtheir presence and activity, but the netting. I collared the ferrets because rabbit is a clever survivor. It knows the warrens were deep, made of sand that running into snow makes no and the pipes were large — too large for sense whatsoever, so tends to stay put. even the largest of jills and the rabbits Would we get any bolters or would our would have simply just run past them. day be dictated by the spade?

I had both Bella and Tawny but this To try to beat this conundrum, type of ferreting proved too much I worked a team of six extremely large for Tawny. She couldn’t penetrate (, I>EEJ?D= J?C;I 9EKDJHO C7=7P?D;

Up and away: Bella jumps over a long-net

Bella is no spring chicken, but she can still scoop up rabbits before they hit the net

Ferreting

ABC OF FERRETING In this column, Simon outlines the essentials of good ferreting

LIKE FOOTBALL, IT’S ABOUT THE SQUAD

I

t is that time of year again. Ferrets all over the country will either be in kit, separated or removed from their season – or at least I hope they have. A large proportion of ferreters unwisely seem to switch off come the end of the season. Some sell their ferrets and then re-stock come the autumn, but like all animals ferrets get better with age and experience.

At this time of year my thoughts turn towards my squad of ferrets for the forthcoming season. I have big decisions to make. Have I been happy with my team, and how and where can I strengthen it? Do I breed from my existing jills or try to source new blood.

My conundrum compares with a football manager during the close season and that is how I view my team of ferrets; as in football, ferreting is now a squad game. I have to look after my jills carefully during the summer.

They will stay in season until mated, injected or they come out of season naturally, usually around September.

Photoperiodism

Sooty sets up the long-nets in the snow

The breeding season of the ferret is governed by the hours of daylight over the hours of darkness, a process known as photoperiodism. Both sexes will exhibit different characteristics due to their hormone levels.

One of the many old wives’ tales connected with ferreting says that if you don’t breed from your jill she will die. The act of mating stops the build-up of oestrogen; it is this act, and not the birth of the litter, that removes the ferret from her season.

For those jills from which I have decided not to breed I remove them from their season by using a vasectomised hob ferret, a hoblet. If you cannot get the services of one, then a “jill jab” is available from the vet and this will have the same effect. I’m a total advocate of the removal of seasons in my jills.

I>EEJ?D= J?C;I 9EKDJHO C7=7P?D; (-

Ferreting the brambles and small run-throughs like the diminutive Bella could, so she was put back in the truck. Bella is no spring chicken but, after the loss of C_bb_[" ? dem ^Wl[ `kij jme bkhY^[hi$ EdY[ fbWY[Z _di_Z[ j^[ XhWcXb[i" the hobs chattered their way around kdj_b j^[o \ekdZ j^[ mWhh[di$ J^[ rabbits, unable to sidestep those huge mustelids underground, had two Y^e_Y[i » ijWo eh Xebj$ J^[o cWo ^Wl[ run around in a bid to avoid the boys, but once above ground they were helpless as Bella’s forte is picking them up barely inches from the pipe.

Rabbits frolicking 8ej^ Ieejo WdZ ? mW_j[Z fWj_[djbo \eh some action, chuckling at the sight in the next ield of rabbits frolicking in j^[ YebZ m_dj[h W_h$ J^[ oekd]ij[hi were putting in a fair shift, a few rabbits bolted and were either caught

by Bella or the nets, but they grew less interested. Finally, Bella gave the game away by moving outside the nets and on to the next hedge.

J^_i mWi m^[d ? b[Whd[Z W b[iied0 no matter how fun ferreting in the snow looks, in reality rabbits don’t like je Xebj _d _j$ ? ^WZ `eXi je Ze WdZ X_bbi je fWo" Xkj j^[ hWXX_ji `kij j^_da WXekj avoiding being eaten by something, illing their stomachs and breeding.

J^[ ^[Z][b_d[ ? h[Wbbo mWdj[Z je do was submerged by snow and this _i m^o ? hWj[ j^[ bed]#d[j ie ^_]^bo$ M[ surrounded the whole hedgeline to

avoid being caught out by a snowcovered bolthole because the last j^_d] ? mWdj[Z mWi je i[[ W fkƇ e\ idem WdZ W fej[dj_Wb [iYWf[[$ ? fbWY[Z four ferrets in and watched Bella.

Bella is a good barometer of the action, scooping up the irst rabbit to bolt before it hit the net, but after a while she sat down and whimpered, W ikh[ i_]d ? d[[Z[Z je ][j co ifWZ[$

“We didn’t need a dog to mark the occupied warrens — we could simply follow the tracks” J^[ Xh_]^j#ehWd][ Xen ed j^[ \[hh[j# inder read 4ft. Quite shallow, ? j^ek]^j" Xkj _j mekbZd¿j Z_] _ji[b\" ie ? ijWhj[Z$ Ieejo beea[Z ed Wi ed[ Xo ed[ j^[ \[hh[ji ijWhj[Z je [c[h][$ Ikh[bo there were more rabbits than this? ? Yedj_dk[Z je Z_]$ EdY[ co ifWZ[ had reached the 4ft depth, a large Y^WcX[h [c[h][Z$ ? Yedjehj[Z co XeZo _dje j^[ ^eb[ ie ? YekbZ h[WY^ ekj$ ? YekbZ \[[b j^[ \kh Xkj mWi kdWXb[ je Yedd[Yj \kbbo$ ? fki^[Z co i^ekbZ[hi down and reached the tucked-under b[]i e\ j^[ ijkXXehd hWXX_j$ ? mWi through and the rabbit was extracted.

Co ]kj \[[b_d] jebZ c[ je cel[ ed Xkj ? mWid¿j ^Wffo ie ? Z[Y_Z[Z je fbWY[ Wd ebZ[h ^eX _d j^[ mWhh[d$ ? m_i^

The end of the day: Sooty, Simon, Bella and the day’s rabbits

(. I>EEJ?D= J?C;I 9EKDJHO C7=7P?D;

? ^WZd¿j$ M[ ]ej W \[m cWhai ie Ieejo WdZ ? Zk] j^[c ekj edbo je ƏdZ j^Wj j^[o m[h[ Z[WZ$ HWXX_ji ^WZ cWZ[ j^[ fatal mistake of facing these ferrets ^[WZ ed [Whb_[h1 ? cWZ[ j^[ c_ijWa[ e\ ZekXj_d] co \[hh[ji$ M^[d m_bb ? b[Whd5

Digging them out J^[ \[hh[ji m[h[ XWYa Zemd WdZ j^[ rabbits on the next piece weren’t keen ed Xebj_d]$ ? fkj Wbb i_n ^eXi Zemd _d a bid to sway the action one way or Wdej^[h$ ? mekbZ b_a[ je iWo j^[o Wbb bolted and we went home, but the snow and ferrets combined to ensure j^Wj Ieejo WdZ ? a[fj mWhc Xo Z_]]_d] them out.

7i j^[ ^[Z][b_d[ mWi Yecfb[j[Z we sat down and warmed up over W ^ej Zh_da$ ?j cWo dej ^Wl[ X[[d j^[ prettiest or the most productive day, but we can only catch what’s there.

J^[ m_dZ ijWhj[Z je m^_f kf WdZ j^[ temperature was dropping; we were in for another frost.

FERRETING ON FILM

Watch Simon Whitehead and his team on their day’s ferreting at www.shootinguk.co.uk/videos.

C_a[ I^ehj

Country Diary A still “snipped” from a video shows a fox avoiding a legal snare — and indicates just how careful gamekeepers have to be when setting them up

H

ave a good look at the camera trap image of a fox (right) and see if you can guess what is going on. It isn’t the bestquality picture because it is a “snip” taken from a video. The fox has curled its tail between its legs and its hackles are raised.

Such behaviours are commonly exhibited by wild canids when they are fearful or alarmed by something — as with domestic dogs.

The fox’s super-sensitive nose is directed towards something in the ivy, just to the right of a well-used run that passes through a shelterbelt of beech trees. The eagle-eyed among you might be able to spot a loop of wire over the run, to the left of where the fox’s nose is pointing. Moments later, the fox leaps into the air, swishes its tail and disappears off to the right, before quickly rejoining the run and trotting out of view.

With tail curled between its legs and hackles raised, the fox has sensed something amiss in the ivy

Strange odour This year I am experimenting with a different snare anchoring system — a wire-cable retrievable earth anchor, available from Perdix Wildlife Supplies (www.perdixwildlifesupplies.com). They are lightweight and I like the fact that you can firmly attach the snare to the anchor cable away from where you want to set it.

The whole lot is then driven into the ground using a special long-handled driving bar.

After setting the anchor cable by pulling

“I brushed against ivy while checking the pin was tight and it was enough to alert the fox” it with a hook, the result is an anchored snare that extends out of the ground. This arrangement carries a very low scent profile.

Whatever snare anchor system you use, remember that it must be effective at holding not only a fox but also any nontarget animal that might be caught. There is no single anchor type that will suit all ground conditions. A snare will only catch a fox if it remains undetected, so it is crucial

)& I>EEJ?D= J?C;I 9EKDJHO C7=7P?D;

that you take great care not to leave out-ofplace odours — human, dog, tobacco and so on — on the snare or where it is set.

Importance of scent As a predation scientist at the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, I’ve had a privileged insight into the lives of foxes for more than 20 years. Our team has accumulated enough field evidence and video footage of foxes approaching snares to convince us of the importance of scent.

We make a big deal out of this in our training courses and guidance on fox snares.

As we move into the season when taller vegetation makes it more difficult to see and shoot foxes to reduce their impact on ground-nesting birds and other wildlife, snares come into their own. They are uniquely effective tools that have no functional replacement, so please use them responsibly and make sure that you follow relevant Codes of Practice. For more information on fox snares and how to use them, visit po.st/GWCTsnare.

Mike Short is an ecologist at the GWCT. He is a keen angler, deer stalker and forager and helps to run a wild bird rough shoot in Wiltshire.

M. SHORT

What this video showed was a fox avoiding a snare that I’d set, apparently after it detected a strange odour where the snare was attached to the ground anchor. Though I’d set the snare two days previously, I’m pretty sure the fox was reacting to traces of human scent that I’d left behind. This was interesting because, knowing how acute a fox’s olfactory senses are, I go to great lengths to avoid doing that.

In this instance, I’d used a D-shackle to attach the snare to an angle-iron anchor stake, driven right into the ground, to prevent any captive animal from becoming entangled around it. It is crucial that you fully tighten D-shackle pins with pliers, as vibration from hammering the stake in can cause the pin to work loose.

My guess is that I accidentally brushed my skin against the ivy while doublechecking the D-shackle pin was tight, and that was enough to alert the approaching fox. Though I’ve had years of success using this anchoring arrangement, in this case I’d clearly been clumsy when setting the snare.

If it hadn’t been for the video evidence, I’d never have known that a fox had approached the snare, detected it and then avoided it.

It was a useful learning experience and I’m now extra-careful not to leave scent behind when tightening D-shackles at ground level.

Liam Bell is chairman of the NGO and headkeeper on a family-owned estate in South Shropshire

Gamekeeper Every stalker wants a clean kill and will track a shot deer by the blood trail until it is located but sometimes a little extra help is necessary

O

ne of the attractions of stalking is that no two days are ever the same. Our fallow cull has gone pretty much to plan. With the exception of one morning — when things didn’t — most of the animals we have shot have dropped on the spot or run only a very short distance, which is quite common with a heart shot, before they have fallen over.

On the morning in question, my stalking partner and I had split up as usual, each of us stalking a different block of woodland.

I heard him shoot and he followed up with a textbook report. The same thing happened 20 minutes later. Until this point I hadn’t seen a deer nor any fresh slots.

I had just about finished my block when I spotted a small group of does standing in the sun on the edge of the wood. They

weren’t quite in the field but close enough for me to be able to make them out. After a detour around the field and a stalk through a rather noisy beech wood, I approached the area I had last seen them and to my relief they were still there.

The stalking sticks were set up. I took my time, picked my doe and fired. I was sure I saw a reaction to the shot but I didn’t hear the strike. I reloaded and waited, while the other does milled around another 100 yards or so up the wood. While waiting for things to calm down, I noticed a doe limping towards me, creeping through the cover, keeping very low to the ground and obviously looking for somewhere to lie up.

I stood, she came closer until she was only 50 yards away and offered a shot.

I fired, she fell over and I was glad to have made amends for poorly placing my shot the first time. It was only when I went up to “her” to bleed her that I realised my mistake and that it was an injured buck fawn with a joint missing from one of its hind legs — probably caused by entanglement in a fence.

“At 250 yards we ran out of blood and the trail appeared to go across a ield”

No body, no blood

The deer was found in a neighbouring wood

This left me with the issue of the first doe I had shot. I went to where she had been standing and looked for a body or blood and found neither, but I wasn’t happy putting it down to a miss. I picked up my stalking partner, collected his deer, collected the fawn and went to have another look.

We widened our search and, 40 or 50 yards on, found a blood trail. We followed it for another 100 yards or so, expecting to find the doe dead, tucked up in some cover.

It was not to be. At 250 yards we ran out of blood and the trail appeared to go across an open field. We were at a loss as to what to do and I was cursing my poor shooting.

By lucky coincidence, I had bumped into a friend at the British Shooting Show the previous week, who had told me about Watzmann, the Bavarian mountain hound

This column is in association with the NGO

L. BELL

For more information contact: The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation mmm$dWj_edWb]Wc[a[[f[hi$eh]$ka &'.)) ,,& .,/

The Bavarian mountain hound followed a cold trail of more than half a kilometre to find the doe

he was training. He had been to Germany to enter him in his first tracking test, which for a young dog appeared to be quite tough.

Jim’s dog had passed and he had offered his services if we ever needed a follow-up on a wounded deer.

I called him. He came across a couple of hours later with the Bavarian mountain hound and we went to the shot site to have a look. There followed the most amazing display of dog work I had ever seen.

Jim, who was calm and unflustered throughout, worked and interpreted every move the little dog made. It found some hair at the shot site that we had missed, followed the blood trail and marked the larger spots with a casual turn of its head.

It followed the line the deer had taken to the letter and then led us over the open field to the doe, which was dead in a neighbouring wood — a cold trail of more than half a kilometre.

I have a Labrador that can follow a blood trail, but nothing like as well as Jim’s Bavarian mountain hound did.

My stalking partner was so impressed he has bought his own puppy.

Jim works with the United Kingdom Scent Hound Association, which offers a free tracking service to stalkers. For more information, visit www.UKSHA.org.uk.

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Shotgun test

Bettinsoli X-Trail Camo Max-5 The Italian manufacturer has gone to great lengths to ensure this is the ultimate fowler’s irearm while keeping down costs, says Roger Glover

T

here was a time when I would have shunned a camoulage-painted gun. It would have been dismissed as a home-bodged efort by some diehard wildfowler on a worthless irearm. That view would probably have come from my mentor in the gun trade who was a former employee of a well-known gunmaker — traditional views of a past era.

Times and techniques move on, the home-grown tricks of those old fowlers have been surpassed, and guns and cartridges have seen developments unthought of in the days of blackpowder. As an evolution of those basic ideas, Bettinsoli has produced the X-Trail Camo Max-5, which brings all the crucial elements together — the power and reach of heavy loads and the concealment of efective camoulage.

R. GLOVER

NEED TO KNOW Maker

Bettinsoli, Italy

Model

X-Trail Camouflage Max-5

Bore

12-bore/89mm

Barrels

32in multichoke, steel shot proofed

Rib

Tapered 10mm to 7mm ventilated

Length of pull

14½in

Weight

7lb 12oz

Features

Realtree Max-5 camouflage

Price

£1,075

The demand for heavier cartridges has led to the development of extreme loads for a 12-bore. With shot loads of lead now at 64g, there was no way that would it in a standard 3in cartridge until the late 1980s, when the 31⁄2in case came into play. With muzzle velocities around 1,200fps or more, loads of this sort produce some pretty heavy recoil.

A tough gun is needed to cope with that, as well as a decent barrel length to complete that powder burn and accelerate the shot up to speed.

Barrels and action The Bettinsoli X-Trail is up to that challenge and is capable of the roughest use out on the marsh. The barrels have 31⁄2in chambers for the heaviest loads, proofed at 1,370 bar, and chrome-lined for lead alternative shot. The metric length of 810mm is all but 32in, so plenty of length to make use of that extra charge.

Ventilated side ribs would not be my irst choice for a gun destined to be used in harsh environments.

Bettinsoli might have done better with solid ribs or open sides with ribs only at the muzzle, but side vents are a problem to keep clean. This appears to be the trade-of from its parent gun, and a lack of planning to change the spec to something more useful, but it does keep the cost in check.

The same could be said for the top rib — why use a ventilated rib on a gun that won’t ire successive shots, when all the vents are going to do is collect

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dirt and salt? The tapered rib of 10mm to 7mm seems a bit broad for a gun of this intended use, as a 6mm parallel rib would have been far better, but broad seems to be the fashion.

Simple ejectors are a plus for this sort of work, though. Running in lovely, broad dovetail slots in the monobloc, there is little to trap dirt or cause problems. The only moving parts of the ejector system in the fore-end are two simple pivoting pawls to trip the ejectors and, again, simplicity is the key to reliability. The engine turning in this area is a bit of an embellishment that is not entirely necessary, but no doubt another hand-me-down from the parent gun.

Another disappointment is the use of short choke tubes — at 51mm long, the tightest you can use for steel shot is modiied. This again is a case of building down to a price, rather than up to a speciication for a requirement.

The action for this X-Trail Camo Max-5 comes straight out of Bettinsoli's line-up

Shotgun test PAT T E R N S H E E T S 5

“Not only does the inish ofer photoclass images of your surroundings — it also improves grip” You could change these to extended chokes with aftermarket items, but the technology does exist to produce long internal chokes as an original itment with the gun. The longer they are, the tighter you can choke for steel, so surely it is an advantage for the dedicated wildfowler.

The action for this gun comes straight out of Bettinsoli’s line-up. It is good use of a standard action that is somewhat heavy by comparison to some makers. But heavy and solid is what is needed in this application, as a 6lb gun if ired with 64g loads would be painful. At 7lb 12oz this Bettinsoli will absorb most of that harsh recoil.

In terms of longevity, the stout, thick-walled action will have very little lex, even with the iercest of cartridge irings. All components are built on the heavy side, with nothing looking like it will succumb under any circumstance. One nice little touch is that the trigger-guard has a thickened safety edge on the right side, in case you have a little slip.

The safety/selector, while lacking the reinement of a Rolls-Royce door closing, does have the beneit of great purchase and equal efort required in any direction of movement. Even with cold gloved hands, your thumb is going to know exactly what is going on. It is an excellent safety catch, positive and function orientated.

PATTERN SHEET 1 Eley Lightning Steel 36g No.1 shot, plastic wad, modified choke, 30 yards. A typically dense pattern with steel, but with more distance a touch more choke might help.

6

PATTERN SHEET 2 Eley Alphamax BB 36g, plastic wad, full choke, 30 yards. Not quite as tight as the steel, being a lead load, but the full choke keeps it together well.

CONCLUSION Havemyprejudicesagainstcamouflagedgunsbeenovercome?Yes,theyhave.Thisis agunforapurposeandalotofefforthasgoneintothetechnologiestobringyouthis.Itis ahugeleapforwardfromthedaysofhand-paintedside-by-sidesfiringatbesta36gload oflead.I’mtoldthatwhenthecamouflagedoesgettheoddblemish,itjustaddstotheeffect.

Barrelsand action

Thisgunisallaboutheavyloadsandlongshots.WhileIthink therecouldbemorethoughttowardshowitwillfareinasalt-laden environment,itisalotofrobustgunforthemoney.

19

20

Thereisalotofmechanicaltake-upinthetriggerbeforethesear releases,thenquiteacleanbreakattheendofthat.Inreal-time shooting,thiswouldbeonecontinuousmovementandisquite apleasuretouse.

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20

Triggerand safety

Thewoodisagood,stronggradeofstraight-grainedwalnut,with littlechanceofwarpingorsplitting.Thecamouflagefinishissuperb forthejob.

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20

Stock

Thelengthofbarrelandoverallweightmakeitswingthrough atargetwithease.Highangledbirdsshouldbelessofaproblem withthisgun.

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20

Handling

Value

Asaderivationofanexistingdesignthisgunwilldoeverything expectedofit,butitcouldhavebeenalittlebetterexecuted.

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20

SCORE

92 100

Stock The stock is shorter than I’d prefer, but at 141⁄2in it falls into a special class of stock. Bettinsoli has recognised that this gun will likely be used by someone wearing six jumpers, a dule coat and full-length neoprene vest, and has allowed for all those layers in its consideration of stock length. While testing the gun with just the one jumper and a leece, the short stock didn’t present problems for me, even when iring of heavy loads — a testament to the gun’s overall design.

The stock is fairly generous in the hand and quite deep in proile.

A right-hand palm swell adds to this and gives a solid handful of gun to hold. The rubber recoil pad is ideal.

It is very even in its padding action, not hard lumps to create a pressure point, and just the right degree of give to take out the worst of the recoil.

The main selling point of this gun, though, is the inish. Hydrographics are a relatively modern invention or at least in their use on guns. Realtree

Max-5 is designed speciically for wetland use. Not only does it ofer photo-class images of your surroundings, but the material used gives an improved grip on the gun too.

It covers every external surface — bar the serial number and proof marks — with the only black parts of the gun on show being the recoil pad and safety catch. However, for a camoulaged gun, it is furnished with a gold trigger, which I ind questionable.

I>EEJ?D= J?C;I 9EKDJHO C7=7P?D; ))

Soldier Palmer Native British woodcock have declined hugely over the past few decades

High and not so dry After a fascinating evening watching roding woodcock, Soldier Palmer discovers the disadvantages of falling asleep on the job

REX/SHUTTERSTOCK / ALAMY

N

ow is the time to watch roding woodcock. These mysterious waders have been in the spotlight over the past few months as their numbers have declined, and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s (GWCT) extraordinary tagging project has shed new light on birds that come pouring across the North Sea every winter.

Most of the birds we ind in the winter are migrants and concern is mainly over our resident breeders.

Native British birds have declined hugely over the past few decades and they have become horribly rare in many parts. It is generally good practice to monitor breeding attempts in the summer; if nothing else, survey work allows the pleasure of the shooting season to extend far beyond mere guns and cartridges.

The woodcock’s roding display is a subtle, understated gem that is always worth a look, and it adds a whole new dimension to winter days spent in pursuit of this ine bird. In the last quiet moments before darkness, the cocks emerge from hiding to ly in slow, ponderous loops through the

As with so many wildlife encounters, the busy, bustling display is made even more special by a cast of supporting characters, from badgers and moths to bats and owls.

Waiting for woodcock is a ine way to spend a spring evening and there is the additional glow of knowing that, by recording data and returning it to GWCT and British Trust for Ornithology recorders, you’re playing a small part in conserving the species.

Setting the midges aside, you might think that surveying woodcock

“It’s diicult to maintain enthusiasm when every second is literally paid for in blood” wood. Peak displays usually coincide with the irst real wave of midges and the spectacle can be a hard sell to my wife. She loves to see the birds, but it is diicult to maintain enthusiasm when every second is literally paid for in blood. She has often retreated to the car after a few moments and I return to ind the windows black with marauding beasties.

was one of life’s gentler pleasures, but I recently managed to make an absolute hash of it.

Returning on foot from a joyous evening spent with the woodcock, I slogged back towards the Land Rover through rough, wild country on the distant boundary of the farm. The birds had lown well, but soon there was rain falling and I had packed up

I>EEJ?D= J?C;I 9EKDJHO C7=7P?D; )+

Soldier Palmer In a series of practised little flicks, the worm bounced up the woodcock’s beak and into his mouth

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“I was a mile and a half from the nearest human being and the rain had really kicked in” mWhc WdZ Yec\ehjWXb[ _d W ZWha l[^_Yb[" m[Wh_d] W j^_Ya `WYa[j m_j^ co Whci \ebZ[Z WYheii co Y^[ij$ ? h[c[cX[h j^_da_d] j^Wj _j mekbZ X[ l[ho [Wio je \Wbb Wib[[f$ ? mea[ kf WXekj jme ^ekhi bWj[h$ J^[ Ze] ^WZ ijh[jY^[Z el[h ed je co bWf WdZ bWo ideh_d]$ <eh W cec[dj ? medZ[h[Z m^[h[ ? mWi » WdZ j^[d ? h[c[cX[h[Z$ M_j^ W ib_]^j bWk]^" ? jkhd[Z j^[ a[o _d j^[ _]d_j_ed je ^[WZ ^ec[$ J^[h[ mWi W l[ho ib_]^j m^[[p[" WdZ Wi ? jkhd[Z j^[ a[o W]W_d ? ^[WhZ Wd [l[d \W_dj[h m^[[p[$ ? ^WZ b[\j j^[ ^[WZb_]^ji ed WdZ j^[ ebZ XWjj[ho mWi Z[WZ$ ? mWi W c_b[ WdZ W ^Wb\ \hec j^[ d[Wh[ij ^kcWd X[_d] WdZ" _d j^[ j_c[ j^Wj ? ^WZ X[[d Wib[[f" j^[ hW_d ^WZ h[Wbbo a_Ya[Z _d$ ? med¿j ]e _dje Wdo ]h[Wj Z[jW_b je [nfbW_d ^em ? h[iYk[Z j^[ BWdZ Hel[h" Xkj ikƊY[ je iWo j^[h[ mWi W ]h[Wj Z[Wb e\ mWba_d] WdZ fki^_d] _dlebl[Z$ 8o \ekb c_i\ehjkd[" ? ^WZ fWki[Z _d W ib_]^j jhek]^ X[jm[[d jme ^_bbi WdZ j^[h[ mWi de Y^WdY[ e\ hebb_d] eh `kcf#ijWhj_d]$ ?j Z_Z dej jWa[ bed] \eh c[ je h[Wb_i[ j^Wj ? mWi _d \eh W l[ho bed] d_]^j _dZ[[Z$

Conservation

Northern Nature Notes W I T H L I N D S AY WA D D E L L

A mountain paradox The managed grouse moors of Scotland are the white hare’s stronghold, yet there is support to have it protected from shooting

REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

M

ountain, blue or white, what you call this animal will depend on where in the country you originate from. My name for it, in keeping with my life in the Angus glens, is the white hare.

The white hare is a lovely animal to see, and the Latin name, Lepus timidus, gives you an inkling of just how timid it is. These hares do not like the company of man, escaping at the earliest opportunity when they spy you coming, and given that they have been pursued by man for thousands of years there is some justiication in the timid nature of the animal.

One of our pastimes as boys was to stalk these hares sitting at the mouths of old rabbit burrows, whereupon they would slide into the hole for safety.

That was exactly what we wanted as they were often too large to get far down the hole, and could easily be

reached and pulled out. We found them good to eat, being less strong than a brown hare.

The white hare is our only native hare, the brown being an import thought to have been brought by the Romans as there is no history of it here until their arrival. Slightly smaller than the brown variety, white hares are conined to the higher ground in Scotland, with the exception of a population that was taken to the Peak District for sport in the 1800s.

Given that there are excellent populations on some border hills,

“It is important to be able to prove that you are doing the population no long-term damage”

). I>EEJ?D= J?C;I 9EKDJHO C7=7P?D;

it is surprising that white hares are not found in the higher Pennines or the Lake District, but they are absent. ?j _i iec[j^_d] e\ W fWhWZen" dej beij on those who manage land, that the main stronghold for the white hare is the managed grouse moors e\ IYejbWdZ$ ? iWo fWhWZen X[YWki[ there is something of a campaign at the moment to have the white hare protected because of shooting. ?j _i jhk[ j^Wj m[ Ze dej adem `kij ^em cWdo j^[h[ Wh[ _d j^[ KA" m_j^ estimates of 300,000 to 350,000 animals, and therein lies the problem m_j^ Ykbb_d]$ ?j _i _cfehjWdj je adem" and be able to prove, that you are doing the population no long-term damage.

As someone who saw attempted extermination of the white hare over large areas of Scotland by the old Forestry Commission — when land was bought and planted with conifers — ? ƏdZ _j Wbceij bWk]^WXb[ j^Wj j^[ Əd][h is now being pointed at game managers for trying to keep populations, which their management is aiding, in check.

But then you only have to look at how the red deer is treated when it Yec[i je j_cX[h ]hem_d]$ ? mekbZ

Conservation

The white hare is built to survive severe environments, with three layers of fur to keep out the cold

hope that sporting estates take a rather more considered approach to their hare management and not pursue the scorched-earth policy that was typical of the Forestry Commission. There should, after all, be room for everything, and a hill without white hares is lacking one of its indigenous species.

Harsh weather The females will breed in their second year, with one or certainly two lots common. They may have up to four young at a time and the gestation period is rather variable, with 50 days around the norm. The young may be born from January onwards into September, but I suspect that January young will not fare well in many springs due to the harsh weather.

The hare is a high-altitude dweller and is built for living in those severe environments, with three layers of fur to keep out the extreme cold.

The white hare will eat most vegetation, especially when pressed, and though grass and heather make up a considerable part of its diet, it will crop most upland plants when necessary.

As winter approaches the hare’s coat changes from a dark brown to white but, as with the stoat, not all go completely white and you end up with hares with mottled coats dotted around the hill. That broken type of coat will, in many years, serve the hare well, as it will help it to blend into broken snow cover as well as the stone beds that contain quite a bit of white or grey rock.

That camoulage is vital as in many areas the white hare is the main food supply for several other species.

Golden eagles, foxes, wildcats, stoats and, where they do occur together, mink,

The white hare, which has a brown coat in summer, eats grass, heather and other plants

will all predate the white hare. Just how long the whites live will depend upon where they reside. If they live on moorland managed for grouse shooting, the absence of the fox will give them a ighting chance of living to perhaps eight or nine years of age.

Where they are exposed to high fox densities, then they may do well to reach half of that. This is now part of the problem with the white hare — due to lack of management there are large slabs of Scotland with few or no white hares left, with the public fed a diet of “leave it alone and all will be well”.

Land managers know better.

Main food supply: a golden eagle feasts on a mountain hare — foxes, stoats and wildcats will also predate on the creatures

I>EEJ?D= J?C;I 9EKDJHO C7=7P?D; )/

Fieldsports failures

My worst shoot day An evening’s deer stalking started so well for Tim Weston, with three fallow in as many minutes, but then his luck changed…

A

fter a beautiful day in Wiltshire, I decided to go stalking to see if I could cull a few more fallow deer.

The ground was still soft after all the rain we’d had during the winter, so getting into position was a slow afair.

I made my way to the deer lawn with a perfect wind and readied myself.

As soon as I was in position, a fallow stepped out on to the lawn — what luck.

The timing was perfect. The fallow was a large-bodied animal, but had hardly any antler so it was one of the best cull prickets to get. I placed the cross-hairs, shot and down he went.

With the shot a second fallow pricket stepped out and trotted towards me for 50 yards before stopping and meeting the same fate as its companion. I reloaded and waited, and then a third buck came out, even closer, which I despatched too. Three fallow in as many minutes and the season’s cull was achieved.

K. REYNOLDS

Hard work I started to drag the deer up the hill, one by one, towards the top of the deer lawn where there is a hard forestry track. It is quite a long drag, around 600 yards up a hill. I use a deer sledge, which makes the drag somewhat easier, but it was still hard work. I started with the largest animal, loaded him in the sledge and started to drag. It was just starting to get properly dark now and my mobile rang in my pocket. “Hello,” I said.

“Hi darling, it’s me,” came the reply from my wife, Rachel. “I’ve locked myself out of the house and Toby [our little boy] is asleep in the back of the car. Can you come home to let us in?”

“OK love, I will just load up these fallow and come home,” I said.

I dragged and dragged, but the going was slow and I needed to get home.

I decided to gut the animal in the tray and remove the green content to make the deer lighter to drag. Eventually I got him to the extraction point and headed down towards the other two deer.

I took the green out of these two as well, to make the drag easier. I had to

“I cut down two lengths of conifer and strapped them to the back wheels to make a paddle”

sharpen my knife halfway through the gralloch with the wonderful BladeTech sharpener I keep on the Land Rover keyring. However, as the deer were still heavy and it was taking too long, I decided I would get the Land Rover and drive to these deer after I loaded the other one into the pickup.

It was now dark and almost an hour after my wife had phoned. I arrived back at the truck and put my hand in my

“The day was rapidly turning out to be not so great” pocket — to ind no keys there. I must have left them where I sharpened the knife. As my head torch was locked in the truck, I headed back to the gralloch site using the light from my mobilephone torch and frantically looked for the keys. Luckily, I found them, but it took 20 minutes. The day was rapidly turning out to be not so great.

I rushed back to the truck and, while navigating through the dark

*& I>EEJ?D= J?C;I 9EKDJHO C7=7P?D;

wood, managed to walk into a branch that hit my nose, which ijWhj[Z je Xb[[Z$ CWhl[bbeki$ 8WYa at the truck I shoved a piece of tissue up my nostril to stem the bleeding and then headed down to the deer lawn. I loaded the irst beast into the tray in the pickup and then drove down to the other two.

Proper stuck Then I got properly stuck. The front wheels were almost half-covered in mud. This day was proving to be not at all what it was cracked up to be from the promising morning. I cut down two lengths of conifer and strapped them to the back wheels of the truck to make a paddle. I had seen this on OekJkX[ WdZ" j^Wda\kbbo" _j meha[Z" but the going was slow. I got of the wet deer lawn and on to the forestry track (which I should have stayed on anyway) and called my wife.

“I’m on my way home,” I said.

“I will only be a few minutes now if nothing else goes wrong.”

“Oh, don’t worry love,” she replied. “I found the keys in my handbag.”

Gundogs Bramble, Anne-Marie’s liver-and-white workingbred English springer spaniel, with her puppies

The best of both

D. TOMLINSON

Left with only one spaniel, David Tomlinson has to decide whether to get a puppy — and, if so, which breed and where to get it from DOGS ARE SOCIABLE animals and I’m sure they are far happier with company of their own kind than living a solitary existence.

For much of the past 35 years my wife, Jan, and I have shared our life with at least two, and for a few years three, springer spaniels. When my senior springer Fleur died in October 2016, aged 15, we were left with her daughter, Rowan, but for various reasons we have put of getting another dog. Now, at last, we have made a decision: a puppy will be joining the Tomlinson household early next month.

Deciding what sort of dog to get has been a long and somewhat tortuous process, complicated by the fact that I’ve never bought a dog from anyone other than a friend. A shooting pal bred my irst spaniel and my shooting partner, Peter, bought another puppy from the same litter. She became the founder of our line of springers, of which we have known seven

generations. This line has inally come to an end — Rowan will be 12 this month. Time for something diferent?

A great deal of thought has gone into choosing the next dog. A rescue dog was a strong possibility, and I even thought of a rescued English setter

“They have that important drive to hunt all day and still have energy for ducks at night” from Greece, a country with which I have a strong association. In the end we ruled out a rescue dog because we were uncertain how Rowan would have coped with an adult moving in to her territory. Quite what she will make of a puppy is another matter, but at least she will remain top dog.

Deciding on a puppy opened a huge ield of choice. I toyed with

*( I>EEJ?D= J?C;I 9EKDJHO C7=7P?D;

the idea of opting for something completely diferent, such as a Spanish water dog or even a lagotto romagnolo, but I was unable to ind any breeders in my area. My wife remains a spaniel enthusiast, so a spaniel it had to be.

We both liked the idea of a Clumber but almost all working Clumbers are closely bred. As a gundog correspondent I’m only too well aware of the hereditary diseases that plague many of our gundog breeds, so we decided we wanted as outbred a dog as possible.

Thus the decision came down to a sprocker, an English springer-cocker cross. Three years ago I interviewed Lynda Elliott, a sprocker enthusiast, for an article I was writing. She said: “People need to understand that the sprocker is neither a mongrel, a crossbreed nor a designer dog. It is a 100 per cent spaniel. I believe the sprocker is taking us back to what the springers and cockers were like back in the 1970s and early 1980s. They were strong hunting dogs with a biddable nature.

Gundogs DAVID’S VIEWPOINT

INTRODUCING LITTLE EMMA What name would you choose for a new dog?

C

hoosing a name for a puppy is a challenge. The ideal name is something short and snappy that the dog will quickly learn, which doesn’t sound like the name, or names, of any of your other dogs or those of your friends or children. Using human names can be tricky and has a number of pitfalls, but there are plenty of other options.

One I rather like is to use a traditional hound name. If you consult Hunting, written by His Grace the 8th Duke of Beaufort and first published in 1894, you will find a wonderful list of hound names. Traditionally, with a litter of hound puppies, the first letter of the dam’s name

“They tend to be not so highly strung as the springer nor as stubborn as the cocker, but they have retained that important drive which enables them to hunt all day and still have energy for ducks at night. In my experience they are easy to train, loyal and eager to work. They are also handsome dogs.”

There is one major disadvantage to a sprocker: because the Kennel Club fails to recognise it as a distinct breed, it cannot be registered and is therefore barred from competing in any oicial Kennel Club competitions.

This isn’t a concern for me, especially as none of my springers has been Kennel Club registered.

is used for all the puppies in her same litter. Thus a hound called Matchless might have puppies named Magic, Medlar, Mercury and Melody. These would make first-rate gundog names, too.

The top 10 pet dogs’ names in the UK are currently (in order) Alfie, Charlie, Max, Oscar, Buddy, Archie, Bailey, Teddy, Milo and Toby, while for bitches they are Poppy, Bella, Molly, Daisy, Lola, Ruby, Millie, Rosie, Tilly and Roxy. The name we have chosen for our new puppy, Emma, appears at number 21.

Why Emma? For a start, we don’t have any friends called Emma, so there’s no chance of confusion. It’s short and punchy, so suitable for a dog. In the days before she was born, a storm named Emma swept up from the Mediterranean, dumping 12in of rain in a week in southern Spain. As I was in Spain at the time, it was a memorable experience and one my new puppy will remind me of.

Hounds have a traditional naming system

If we had followed foxhound tradition we would have chosen a name beginning with B. There’s a fine choice, ranging from Buxom to Bashful and even Blameless.

Optimist that I am, calling a new puppy Blameless would be pushing my luck too far. I have my fingers crossed that Emma will be easy to train and not too destructive.

Email: dhtomlinson@btinternet.com

Jan Tomlinson meets 14-day-old Emma, her new sprocker

Research Having decided on a sprocker, it was a matter of inding a suitable puppy. This entailed lots of research, much of which came to nothing, until an internet search came up with Uggeshall Kennels in our home county of Sufolk. We went to meet Anne-Marie Millard, who runs the kennels with her partner Richard Botwright, a keen shooting man. We liked Anne-Marie’s approach and the look of her dogs. While she breeds both pedigree cockers and springers, she also specialises in sprockers. We put our name down on the waiting list for a bitch sprocker puppy.

I was in Andalucía, watching the rare Iberian lynx, when an email came through from Anne-Marie to let me know that her springer bitch, Bramble, was in labour. Would we like a puppy if there was a suitable bitch? Hours later Anne-Marie sent a photograph of the only bitch puppy and we conirmed that we would like her.

Bramble is a liver-and-white working-bred English springer: three of her grandparents were ield trial champions. The sire, Nevil, is another of Anne-Marie’s dogs and is a lemonroan working cocker. He has just one

ield trial champion grandparent but two ield trial champion greatgrandparents, so is of proven working stock. Nevil tends to throw roancoated ofspring, so it seems highly likely that our puppy will become a liver roan as she matures.

It is 12 years since we last had a puppy, so I’m sure it’s going to be a shock to the system. It is easy to forget what hard work they can be, but May is a great time to get a puppy because the long days of summer are ideal for introducing a growing dog to the world it is going to live in.

I>EEJ?D= J?C;I 9EKDJHO C7=7P?D; *)

Woodcock Club

Sold! To the right and to the left Ed Wills reports from the 34th Shooting Times Woodcock Club dinner and auction, where members discuss the wader and its future

D. GOULD

I

t had just gone midday when The guests were looking forward I arrived at Vauxhall station to a drinks reception, followed by in London, armed with a lask a three-course dinner with wine, of tea and a Tupperware a charity auction in aid of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s container of ham sandwiches for woodcock research, a rale and the great journey north. “Hatield, an after-dinner speaker. Soon, sir? It’ll probably take about 20 conversations of present shooting minutes,” answered a slightly debates and gallant tales confused guard when I asked were cast upon me. One just how many hours the trip to Hertfordshire would take. member regaled me with his story of And so it was that a past celebration I arrived at Hatield House, the venue for of the club where the 34th Shooting he took a taxi back Times Woodcock from the venue Club dinner, some and presented the four hours early. driver with a bottle No matter: on the of champagne from pretext that it was a case that he had so far, I had booked won at the auction.

Shooting Times Editor myself into a local hotel Before dinner, we Patrick Galbraith so I spent the afternoon heard from Shooting eating complimentary Times Editor Patrick shortbread while reading Galbraith about how woodcock a book about bears in Romania. have been a great topic of debate this year. With many questions surrounding the sustainability Dinner is served of the bird being on the quarry list, A few hours later, as the clock chimed Patrick stated that he felt shooting 7 o’clock, the honoured members of the bird should continue but with the Woodcock Club descended upon a certain level of restraint. the Old Palace at Hatield House. ** I>EEJ?D= J?C;I 9EKDJHO C7=7P?D;

The Shooting Times Woodcock Club Established in 1949 and administered by Shooting Times since 1983, the Shooting Times Woodcock Club is a unique institution with a worldwide reputation. It can only be joined through a rare and skilful feat of sportsmanship under demanding conditions.

The privilege of membership is through the achievement of a rightand-left at woodcock before two witnesses. Members proudly sport their club tie and the badge with its four pin feathers. There is also an annual Woodcock Club dinner.

For more details, contact the Woodcock Club secretary, Sarah Pratley, at sarah.pratley@timeinc. com or visit www.facebook.com and type in “Shooting Times Woodcock Club”.

Woodcock Club

“It highlighted the importance of ringing woodcock and of conserving this little bird”

L-R: Carrie Gelling, Ronan Gelling, Hilary Gelling, John Gelling, Alison Gelling, John P. Gelling

The night’s auctioneer Elwyn Davies starts the bidding for the first round of lots

Patrick then introduced the irst speaker, Eric McLaughlin, house guide of Hatield House, who took us on a journey through the history of the room in which we were sitting. That monarchs have eaten, been taught and formed cabinets inside those four walls certainly gave me and my neighbour, John Gelling, who was celebrating his birthday that evening, an even greater appreciation of the room.

After the main course, the baton was passed to our guest speaker, Owen Williams. Owen, a sporting artist and intrepid woodcock ringer, conidently stated that his desire to shoot woodcock had gone. The reason for giving up such a tricky quarry was not what you would expect. As Owen has ringed more than 1,700 woodcock in the past eight years for data research and more information into the life of the species, there is now a higher chance of him actually shooting one of his ringed birds. I think we all understood his situation fully.

Woodcock Club member Ali Veli (left) with his guests Emine Chirali and Ilkay Chirali

of the list of various species in copious Wcekdji m[h[ *&& meeZYeYa$ ? YWd¿j have seen more than ive woodcock on a table in my life, so to have that amount placed in front of me would have been astonishing. It was an inspiring speech and highlighted the importance of ringing woodcock and the need to sustain the population of this little bird.

After a pudding comprising a lovely chocolate-orange tart complemented with an orange sorbet, the charity auction began, with fantastic lots including pigeon tower shooting m_j^ Jec FWod[ WdZ W ZWo¿i \[hh[j_d] with Simon Whitehead. The bidding was overseen by Elwyn Davies and, fuelled by a great sense of excitement by it all, my hand started to go up a number of times for various lots.

The last lot was a beautiful drawing

by Owen of a pair of woodcock in light. The drawing drew a fair amount of attention and I was sorry not to have placed the winning bid.

However, I am pleased to announce j^Wj j^[ [l[d_d] hW_i[Z ("+&& \eh woodcock conservation work by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Sense of family

Owen Williams, sporting artist and guest speaker, is director of the Woodcock Network

As I headed back to my hotel _d >WjƏ[bZ" ? YekbZd¿j ^[bf Xkj \[[b a strong sense of family from the club and its members. Almost every member I talked to that night had told me that they thoroughly enjoy these events as it gives them a chance to catch up with other compatriots who have had their right-and-left. And as I slipped under the covers, I found myself wishing for a right-and-left myself to join them next year.

Hatfield House guide Eric McLaughlin

Invigorating speech Owen spoke of feasts held in honour of the Bishop of York at the end of the '+j^ Y[djkho m^_Y^ i[hl[Z kf *"&&& pigeons, 100 curlews and 1,200 quail, to name but a few. But at the bottom

Woodcock Club committee member Ian Haddon peruses the auction lots on offer

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SPORTING ANSWERS The experts THE ULTIMATE SHOOTING QUIZ TEAM

You won’t just be giving the gift of fishing tackle but also a new life on the river or lake bank

BILL HARRIMAN BASC’s head of firearms and global authority on guns MAT MANNING Airgunner and journalist from the West Country BRUCE POTTS

Shooting Times rifle reviewer and stalker DAVID TOMLINSON Highly regarded writer and ornithologist LIAM BELL NGO chairman, 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

M. MANNING / TAYLORMADE PHOTOGRAPHY / ALAMY / REX/SHUTTERSTOCK / H. MITCHELL / S. FARNSWORTH

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, Pinehurst 2, Farnborough Business Park, Hants GU14 7BF

Flyishing kit for beginners FLYFISHING

A work colleague is about to retire and has mentioned that he is going to take up lyishing as a new hobby. We would like to buy him some tackle as a leaving gift, but it all seems rather complicated. What would you suggest as a starter kit?

It depends on where your colleague is going to do his lyishing, but an 81⁄2ft–9ft rod is a good all-rounder. Fly rods are rated for diferent weights of ly line and a rating of between four and six covers a lot of bases. Some ly lines loat and some sink, so one of each may be a good idea.

The reel should match the line rating that you have chosen. A landing net is a must, preferably a fold-up one that can be clipped to a belt or bag, plus a ishing bag or waistcoat with lots of pockets. A good pair of scissors is useful, especially attached to a retractable

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zinger that can be pinned to a jacket, plus a pair of forceps for removing hooks from a ish’s mouth. A lybox doesn’t need to be too fancy, and a selection of dry and wet lies will set him on the way.

Finally, he’ll need a rod licence, but he’ll have to sort that out himself when he has decided what species he is ishing for, though a small waterproof wallet to keep it in would be a handy addition.

There are many starter kits available online for a wide range of budgets, but if you are not a lyisherman yourself I’d recommend a visit to your local ishing-tackle shop. The staf will be only too happy to help you with your requirements.

If your colleague does take to lyishing, I’ll guarantee that he has half a dozen rods within a year of taking it up and your gift may well have been usurped. However, you never forget your irst ishing rod and you will be giving him the gift of not only some ishing tackle but also a new life on the river or lake bank. CDC

Expert tips and advice

Fallow fawn with roe doe Native DEER

At the end of the pheasant season, I saw on two separate weekends a roe doe and her kids grazing out in an arable ield on a wood edge. When I took a closer look, I realised that one of the kids was not a roe, but a fallow fawn.

The animals were feeding as a group and moved back to the wood as a group.

Recently, I came across what has to be the same trio on a diferent part of the estate. As we don’t usually see fallow, what do you think is the explanation for this?

The most obvious explanation would be that the fallow has either been orphaned or detached in some other way from its dam and has, as hill stalkers would say, “fallen in” with other deer — in this case roe.

So far it has chosen to stay with them, and indeed it has managed to do so without being lushed out by the adult roe. As the days lengthen, the adult roe will take steps to rid herself of her adopted follower, as well as her own kid, and if you can keep in touch with them it would be interesting to see if the fallow remains in the current general area or if it moves away. IW

Classes or private lessons?

GUNDOG TRAINING

I am about to get my irst gundog to train — a working cocker dog puppy. I would like to take the dog shooting with my husband and want him to sit still when he is standing for driven birds.

Would classes be best to train him or are one-to-one lessons best? I am worried about going to an expert as I have no idea where to start.

You should not be worried about going to an expert spaniel trainer, as he or she will have the knowledge and experience to set you both of in the right direction to achieve success.

One-to-one lessons should be less intimidating than going to classes.

A good instructor will make you

feel at ease and certainly you will not, or should not, be put in a position where you feel intimidated.

Equally, there are some extremely well-run classes, and if the instructor sees that you are having any diiculty he or she should be able to give personal advice on the way forward. However, the class situation for your young puppy, and indeed for you as a novice handler, could be very distracting.

Therefore, I would advise you have one-to-one lessons with a recognised instructor. These lessons can be tailormade to suit you and your dog’s ability and speed of learning, and need not be any more expensive in the long run. You can always join in with classes or group sessions at a later date when you feel more conident and able to cope with working in the company of others. PR Gundog training: one-to-one lessons can be tailor-made to suit your dog’s ability

Britain

Plants, lowers and fungi of Great Britain at a glance Latin name: Caltha palustris Common name: Marsh marigold Other names: Crazy Beth, kingcup, meadow cowslip, mare-blobs, publicans-and-sinners, water boots, yellow gowan How to spot it and where to find it: The marsh marigold has yellow buttercup-like flowers and glossy, dark, kidney-shaped leaves on long stalks. It prefers marshes, water meadows, riverbanks, ponds and lakes. It doesn’t fare well on acid soil and is happiest where other plants are constrained by shade or flooding.

It flowers from March to June.

Interesting facts: Caltha means “cup” and palustris means “of the marshes”, while “marigold” is a corruption of “Mary gold”, a reference to the Virgin Mary.

However, the marsh variety is not related to other kinds of marigold.

The marsh marigold has many uses. A yellow dye can be made from the flowers, and parts of the plant may be eaten — though with care.

The leaves can be used like spinach but must be cooked in several changes of water, while the root must be well cooked and never eaten raw.

The flower buds can be cooked or pickled and used instead of capers.

Every part of the plant is an irritant and might cause blisters.

Marshmarigoldhasbeenused totreatseizuresandanaemia, adecoctioncantreatcolds,and apoulticeofboiled,mashedroots appliedtosores.Ateamadefrom leaves is both a diuretic and a laxative.

The marsh marigold flowers from March until June and is loved by bees

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SPORTING ANSWERS

Advice on ferret breeding

Spaniel stakes

FERRETING

GUNDOGS

Cockers and springers have separate championships each year, but can they ever run together in other ield trials?

If they do, would the judges make allowances for the smaller cockers, especially if they have to retrieve a hare?

Cockers can compete against English springer spaniels (ESS) in novice any-variety spaniel trials, and it is not uncommon for a cocker to come out on top. All spaniels are judged to the same Kennel Club regulations even when diferent breeds are competing against each other. It should always be the spaniel that gives the best performance on the day that wins, with no allowance given to size or speed. The judges will also be looking for the best game inder.

There are also all-aged stakes and the requirements for entry in these may be restricted by the organising society. Some of these stakes exclude cockers and ESS so that the other spaniel breeds — Clumber, Welsh, ield, Sussex, Spanish water dogs and lagotto romagnolo — can compete together. Other all-aged stakes allow all breeds of spaniel to enter without breed restrictions.

Cockers are just as adept at handling hares as the larger spaniel breeds, and having trained cockers for more than 40 years I only once had one that refused to pick-up hares.

I also remember one open cocker stake where geese were shot and fell on a lake. Every cocker that had the opportunity brought one of these huge birds back to the bank, though some needed a little help to get out of the water with their bird. PR

I am thinking of breeding my best working jill ferret this spring, but I am worried about putting her through pregnancy as my friends haven’t had much luck in raising youngsters — the mothers seem to eat them. What tips do you have to give me the best chance of weaning a litter from her?

It is refreshing to hear that someone is so concerned about their ferret and its impending pregnancy. In this day and age too many people just breed of animals without much thought going into their breeding programme or, more importantly, what is going to happen to the surplus youngsters.

I have always found that my jill ferrets are the most natural and caring mothers. If you do decide to breed from your jill, after mating her with the hob of your choice, the pregnancy will last

42 to 44 days. Two weeks before the due date, I separate the jills if they are living together, get the nesting chamber right and leave them to it.

Resist the urge to have a peek once you can hear the squeals of hungry kits.

Regrettably, a lot of people cannot resist having a look or interfering with the ferrets when they are giving, or have just given, birth. This can and does lead to many incidences of the jill killing and eating her young.

There are a number of other factors that could lead to the jill doing this, such as extreme heat, lack of water (especially if on a dry-food diet) causing her milk to dry up, mastitis and having your neighbour’s cat jump and climb all over your hutch. Usually, if left to their own devices, the vast majority of ferrets take to motherhood like a duck to water. However, her temperament may change as she now has young to protect and may not be as forgiving to your handling or intrusion as before her litter was born. Good luck. SW

Resist the temptation to take a peek at the kits as this can lead to the jill ferret killing her young

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Expert tips and advice

Arethermal imagersethical?

Shotgun registration OPTICS

FIREARMSLAW

I have two homes, one in the north and one in the southeast of England, which I occupy equally in blocks of up to a month at a time. I use both as bases for my shooting and both have good gun security. Obviously, my gun certiicate is only registered to one address and I currently move my guns with me according to where I am staying. It would be much more convenient if I could split the guns between homes as I have matched pairs and most of my shooting is single gun.

How do I stand legally if I leave guns, secured, in a house that I own, but that is not my registered home? The house will be empty as there are no other occupants when I am not there. I have not yet put this question to a irearms oicer as I fear a negative answer.

As a shotgun certiicate holder you are required to take reasonably practicable precautions in order to prevent unauthorised access to your shotguns when they are not in use. How you do that is a matter for you. Your certiicate does not tie you to a particular house, though you are obliged by law to tell the police if you move from your permanent residence.

Consequently, it is legal to store your shotguns in another residence.

However, it is never a good idea to leave shotguns, no matter how well they are secured, in a house that is unoccupied for long periods of time. That is common sense. In any case, I cannot believe that it is too inconvenient to take one of a pair of guns with you when you pack for a trip to your other house, especially if you are travelling by car. BH

I keep reading about thermal imagers as being “the thing for shooters”, but are they worth the money and are they ethical to use?

There is no doubt that thermalimaging devices have changed the way we look, literally, at the game and landscape we shoot over. It is a gamechanger, because every living object gives of a thermal or heat signature, however small, and today’s thermal imagers are able to detect this at amazing ranges and in ine detail.

I have tested all the new thermalimaging devices on the market from Thomas Jacks, the main supplier of

Pulsar and Guide, though Flir is also a good make.

The price has dropped to a point where they are in reach of many shooters and are no more expensive than a good rile scope. You can choose from handheld or weapon sights and prices start at £1,250 for the Quantum Lite model or Helion for £3,669.95.

I use a Pulsar Trail sight, which is a weapon sight, but I use it as an observation device 90 per cent of the time to detect a heat source and then stalk in downwind and silent, as usual.

As regards ethical use, yes, it is cheating, as nothing can hide, but it saves a lot of time and is incredibly useful for detecting humans, dogs and livestock that may be unsighted to you.

People once thought of scopes and laser rangeinders as cheating, but now they are the norm. BP

Thermal imagers are now around the same price as a good rifle scope

Bird of the week Large numbers of hawfinches arrived in the autumn of 2016.

Though continental birds migrate here annually to join a breeding population of fewer than 1,000

by Graham Appleton

pairs, the 2016 influx was amazing, probably linked to food shortages in central Europe.

I cannot remember a better year to try to find this attractive finch, with its heavy bill

The hawfinch is the UK’s largest finch and has a powerful bill

HAWFINCH that can crack open cherry stones. Local bird clubs should be able to suggest spots to try to see birds, either feeding or gathering to roost. In dry weather, hawfinches will come down to pools to drink and some lucky garden birdwatchers might see them at their feeders as food runs out in the countryside.

The species is being studied by the RSPB and bird ringers, so if you do see a hawfinch, please check to see if it is wearing a coloured ring.

It is your responsibility to keep your guns secure

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SPORTING ANSWERS

Ospreys released in Dorset Gun for clay BIRDLIFE

I hear that ospreys are being introduced to Dorset, but know nothing else about the project. Do you have more information?

Last summer, eight young ospreys were brought from IYejbWdZ" m^[h[ j^[o ^WZ X[[d removed from nests under licence _iik[Z Xo IYejj_i^ DWjkhWb >[h_jW][" to Poole in Dorset. Here they were held in large holding pens for three weeks before being released, with ish being provided for them on artiicial nests. This is a technique that has been used successfully in previous introduction projects with ospreys.

The young birds become imprinted on their release location before heading south to Africa for two or three years.

When they return north to breed, there is a strong possibility that they will establish territories around Poole harbour, and it is hoped that the irst translocated birds will return in 2019.

Poole provides excellent habitat for ospreys, with an abundance of saltwater ish such as mullet. Wild ospreys are often seen around Poole in the autumn, but because they have no recent tradition of breeding around the harbour there have been no nesting attempts. It is planned to release 60 ospreys here over ive years. Judging by previous osprey introductions, the chances of success are high. DT

The osprey is a fish-eating bird of prey that is on the RSPB’s Amber List

Breeds in focus Aberdeen Angus / 11 April Scotland has a number of cattle breeds, but none has had such an impact worldwide as the Aberdeen Angus.

Many regard its beef as the best in the world, being lightly

marbled, succulent and flavourful. The history of the Angus dates back to the 16th century, when there were black hummel (polled, or hornless) cattle in

Aberdeen Angus cattle are docile in nature and easy to handle

+( I>EEJ?D= J?C;I 9EKDJHO C7=7P?D;

the Cutler district of Aberdeenshire.

However, it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that the breed became fixed as black and polled, with a herdbook established in 1862, and official recognition as the Aberdeen Angus in 1867.

Duringthe1870s thebreedwaswidely exported,anditwasthe firstforeignbreedtobe importedintoJapan.

Asoundtemperament andtheabilitytothrive onroughpasture havecontributed to its success.

and game SHOTGUNS

Having just taken up the pastime of clay shooting (the skeet discipline), and having more than a passing interest in game shooting, I ind I am bamboozled by the choice of shotguns that are available.

I would prefer to buy a 12-bore side-by-side rather than an over-and-under shotgun, but are side-by-sides suitable for steel shot? The chambering sizes also confuse me, as my past experience has been with riles (ex-army). Can you help me with my choice? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

The decision of whether to opt for a side-by-side or an over-and-under shotgun is entirely personal. Most active shooters today prefer the over-and-under, and you should not worry that an over-andunder might appear out of place on a game shoot. It certainly will not. Having said that, many experienced Guns still prefer their side-by-sides, myself included.

If you are intending to use your gun for clay shooting, with perhaps the occasional game or rough shooting trip, then you should ensure that it is chambered for 70mm (2¾in) cartridges. This will provide you with all the lexibility you will need.

Decide on your budget and then choose a gun with which you are comfortable and which its you.

Ask your dealer if he can ofer you the opportunity to try your gun at a shooting ground before you part with your money.

As regards steel shot, a modern gun that is in proof will be quite suitable to use with standard steel shot cartridges. However, I would not recommend using steel shot in old English shotguns, and if you are in any doubt I suggest you consult a competent gunsmith.

High-performance steel shot cartridges should only be used in shotguns that have been speciically proved for steel shot and which bear the “leur de lis” proof mark with the words “steel shot” next to it. GD

Expert tips and advice Dew ponds are also known as mist ponds, cloud ponds and fog ponds

Using turrets on a scope AIRGUNS

I am planning to buy a telescopic sight for my airgun and have heard that inger-adjustable turrets are a useful feature. What does this mean and how can I tell whether or not a scope has them?

The origin of dew ponds COUNTRYSIDE

Can you explain the origin of dew ponds? We have one or two of these round pools of water on the Downs close to my home.

They never seem to dry up, but have no obvious water source.

All dew ponds have one thing in common — the water is usually a minimum of 2ft 6in in the centre and the diameter of most ponds on j^[ Y^Wba :emdi _i *+\j#,&\j$ 7i Y^Wba is porous, the irst priority is to ensure the base of the pond is watertight.

Dew-pond craftsmen always used clay. Wet clay was put on layer by layer and consolidated with a puddling iron.

Lime or soot was also incorporated to prevent the intrusion of worms.

The inished clay loor, 6in thick, was inally polished with the steel face of the puddling iron.

However, the pond then has to be illed with water. Dew itself can be readily eliminated, along with mist and fog, so the only reliable source is rain.

Dew ponds are simply catchment ponds for rain. However, the tradition of dew as a source of their water will not easily be dispensed with. TJ

The turrets on a scope enable you to adjust the aim point so the cross-hairs correspond with where the pellet is striking. This up, down, left and right adjustment is essential for zeroing and can be used to compensate for the efect of wind and gravity.

Finger-adjustable turrets are extremely useful as they can be turned with your ingertips, rather than by means of a screwdriver, key or coin. Because they don’t require a tool, they make for fast and simple scope adjustment.

It is easy to check for this feature, as the seller should be able to tell you, but it is usually stated on the packaging or listed among the scope’s features if you are intending to buy one online. MM

Crossword / Compiled by Eric Linden / 1348

Solution 1346 / 28 March Across: 6. Special 7. Bosis 9. Quad 10. Blacking 11. Geese 13. Leg-hold 15. Squires 17. Spurs 20. Falconer 21. Code 22. Trees 23. Antique Down: 1. Spruce 2. Acid 3. WAGBI 4. Workshop 5. Signal 8. Raven 12. Switches 14. Ferns 16. Quarry 18. Radius 19. Brent 21. Clip WINNER: K. WALKER, HERTS PRIZE WORD: CANINE

Across

Down

1 It goes up when rain comes down (8) 6 Sorghum crops up during ground warfare (5) 9 The masseur transforms German rifles (7) 10 Acts confused with often feral creatures (4) 11 Preparing game meat shows there’s room to change (8) 13 Native muntjac country could contain diamonds (5) 14 A sea duck returns to die in front of the Queen (5) 17 The goat herd is unsettled by a terrier (5,3) 19 A bottle opener for beer found in a hay hide (4) 20 Scope operators emblematic of hunt attire (7) 22 Wild trout for a CPSA instructor (5) 23 It’s an out-and-out gun function (8)

2 Brought a gun up to fire with scope attached? (7) 3 Fishy product connected to deer? (3) 4 State-of-the-art gun engravers perhaps in our sights (6) 5 Fiddled with windage or elevation settings once acclimatized (8) 7 Clearly not a hunting pro (4) 8 The substitute ref singles out shooting gloves lacking complete coverage (10) 9 Device requiring a cry from the film director to produce gun chequering (7-3) 12 Coins and notes are additional according to gunmaker William (8) 15 Is the airgun pellet a new bio-load? (7) 16 The trigger type is twice as great! (6) 18 The air force team leader provides a platform for mink tracking (4) 21 Little bird with a bit of an attitude! (3)

Howtoenter To enter our crossword competition, identify the word in the shaded squares and you could win a Hoppe’s Boresnake bore cleaner from Edgar Brothers.

Cut out this coupon and send to: Shooting Times Crossword No 1348, Shooting Times, Pinehurst 2, Farnborough Business Park, Hants GU14 7BF Mystery word: Name: Address:

Postcode: Tel no: Rules: Entries must be received by 18 April 2018.All usual conditions apply. Solution and winner will appear in the 25 April 2018 issue.

Photocopies accepted.

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Alasdair Mitchell

Sharpshooter The illegal killing of raptors should be decried, but that doesn’t mean organisations can give themselves legal powers so they are above the law

T

he vehemence of the reaction to a story that ran in The Times last month under the headline “RSPB told by police to stop undermining investigations” suggests that the allegations struck a nerve. The piece was based on documents released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council under the Freedom of Information Act. They show that in 2013, the then head of the police National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) expressed serious concerns about the behaviour of the RSPB in raptor crime investigations.

The RSPB was accused of disclosing evidence to the media before the police and insisting on being effectively “embedded” in both the investigation and prosecution processes.

These documented concerns about the charity’s alleged interference with investigations have been spun by one raptorphile website as no more than a “former police chief’s toxic vendetta against the RSPB”. The same website went on to deride “a nasty little campaign… aimed directly at discrediting the work of the RSPB investigations team and marginalising their assistance with raptor-persecution investigations”.

Now, I shed no tears for anybody engaged in the illegal killing of raptors. But this isn’t really about raptors; it is about the way

a non-statutory body, the RSPB, has allegedly attempted to give itself legal powers that it does not, and should not, have.

I have read the 43-page document in question, and it lists the concerns of police officers and other officials. At one point, the former head of the NWCU states of the RSPB: “…It was clear their view was that the ends were justified by the means in almost all cases and they even admitted this.”

“Allegations of the RSPB behaving in a high-handed manner are still commonplace” The former head of the NWCU was trying to put together a standard operating procedure to clarify how raptor crime cases would be handled in future. Has anything changed since the events detailed in the document? Allegations of the RSPB behaving in a high-handed manner are still commonplace.

The RSPB’s official response to the story brushes aside criticism of its investigations team. Yet many of the problems detailed

could, in the hands of a defence barrister, be used to undermine a prosecution. What is the RSPB’s real priority?

The former head of the NWCU alleged of the RSPB: “They will present ‘intelligence’ gathered from informants, undertake surveillance (such as trespassing and using cameras and direct surveillance on shooting estates), covertly seize evidence (such as suspected poisoned birds of prey dead on shooting estates), present intelligence and any evidence (for example, filming obtained) and then expect to be part of enforcement activity such as being involved using the same staff involved so far on police warrants, searches, interviews and file preparation.”

The RSPB’s use of informants raises questions: are these informants being paid, and how does the RSPB’s use of covert surveillance fit within the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000? There is a long list of statutory bodies that can, with authorisation, operate covert surveillance.

The RSPB is not on the list. So, should evidence from a covert surveillance device placed on private property by the RSPB be admissible in a criminal prosecution?

Raptor crime is hard to prove. The frustration of those determined to stop it is understandable. But nobody should be above the law.

DOG BY KEITH REYNOLDS

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