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CANNABIS: HONESTLY, OFFICER, IT’S JUST A COVER CROP

6 NOVEMBER 2019

Since1882

Dawn vs Which is better for wildfowling?

WHAT GUNS WANT

Why small days are so popular

HE ATED KIT

A gimmick or an essential?

GREY SQUIRRELS

Are pine martens really the answer?

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DOG OF THE WEEK In association with Orvis For all things dog, Shooting Times recommends Orvis.co.uk Outdoor outfitters, instructors and apparel makers since 1856.

Jäger Fifteen-month-old Jäger will be picking-up this season. He loves anything to do with water and once ran at his owner Lucy, forcing her to fall back into a river, whereupon he showed off his best doggy paddle around her!

Owned and photographed by Lucy Hegan

06.11.19 Issue 6,165

£22.99 The season offers thrilling sport and challenging birds. Follow it in Shooting Times for less than the cost of a driven pheasant

Taste of triumph About a decade ago, I had something of a teenage tantrum — my parents were hatching plans to drain a boggy bit of field and I objected because it was a refuge for snipe.

In the end I won and over the years it’s been a joy to watch the little birds flit away over the rushes when I tramp through the mud after the first frost falls.

Last Friday, before breakfast, I wandered out with a gun over my shoulder and my Jack Russell running on ahead. She has reached an age when she is perfectly content to spend her days stretched out in front of the fire rather than going for a walk but as soon as she hears the keys in the cabinet lock, she becomes a young dog again.

Just as I noticed that my boots were leaking, a wisp of six snipe burst into the cold autumn air. Closing my gun, I brought one tumbling down in front of me and dropped another as it curled to the left.

That evening, in my game book, I noted: “My first right-and-left snipe” and then, in the margin, scribbled the words: “A conservation triumph.”

I’ve always liked lamb, and calf’s liver is good, but I strongly believe that meat tastes best when it comes from a creature whose habitat you have helped to protect.

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16

Solitary and wild Is dawn or dusk better for fowling?

20

What do Guns really want?

What makes a day worth the cost

24

The British Game Alliance Is the BGA achieving its aims?

28

Turning up the heat The latest kit to keep you warm

30

Saving red squirrels Will pine martens rid us of greys?

32

Endings and beginnings The countless blessings of autumn

34

A dog’s first shoot How much to expect on a debut day

46

Pheasant yuk sung Elevenses for the adventurous

Patrick Galbraith, Editor

Follow Patrick on Twitter @paddycgalbraith

Contents NEWS & OPINION

REGULARS

06 NEWS

12

COUNTRY DIARY

10

14

GAMEKEEPER

FEATURES

32

CATLOW

16

WILDFOWLING

42

VINTAGE TIMES

20

GAME SHOOTING 44 GUNDOGS

24

BGA

46

COOKERY

28

KIT REVIEW

48

30

CONSERVATION

SPORTING ANSWERS

34

GUNDOG TRAINING

54

PRODUCTS

58

SHARPSHOOTER

LETTERS

4 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

NEWS

Fears as RSPB launches review of shooting policy Countryside organisations sound alarm bells as RSPB announces it will be undertaking a major policy review on shooting game birds

K

for management practices associated with game bird shooting. We will use these to guide the RSPB’s conservation policy, practice and communications.”

The RSPB’s royal charter, which can only be amended by the Privy Council, prevents it from taking any stand on the

Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: “Disappointingly this seems to be the final step in the RSPB’s long journey to becoming an antishooting organisation. It displays the charity’s bizarrely warped priorities in the face of so many other pressing concerns that face the countryside.

Caroline Bedell, BASC’s executive director of conservation, said: “We have already made contact with the RSPB to ask how we can feed into this review.

“While there will be fears from some quarters within shooting that this review could lead to the RSPB creating a hard-line antishooting policy, BASC believes

“This seems the final step in the RSPB’s journey to becoming an anti-shooting organisation” ethics of shooting. However, the charity has increasingly been seen as moving towards an antishooting stance.

Its vice-president Chris Packham is an outspoken critic of shooting and several senior officers have used blogs and social media to criticise releasing and shooting game birds.

C. WARREN / A. HOOK / S BALMAIN / ALAMY

evin Cox, chairman of the RSPB council, has announced that the charity will begin a formal review of its policy on shooting game birds. This has sparked widespread speculation that the RSPB will formally adopt an anti-shooting stance.

Mr Cox said at the charity’s AGM: “In response to the evidence about the scale of the environmental impact and growing public concern, including from our membership, the council has agreed to review our policy on game bird shooting and associated land management.

“This is an emotive and sometimes controversial subject but we want to use our scientific rigour to develop a set of conservation tests

“The environmental, economic and social benefits of shooting have been repeatedly illustrated by research and reports. The Countryside Alliance will continue to robustly promote and defend properly conducted game shooting.”

BASC, however, has decided to tackle the RSPB head on.

the RSPB will, in fact, conduct the review in the manner expected of an evidence-based organisation.

“That evidence will point the review directly and clearly towards shooting as an activity that massively benefits the economic and environmental make-up of the countryside.”

Matt Cross

Shooters fear the rural way of life is under threat from the RSPB

6 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

Email your stories / STeditorials@ti-media.com

‘No deal’ and dog travel Defra has warned that the current EU pet passport will not be valid for travel to continental Europe if there is a no-deal Brexit.

Anyone wishing to take dogs, including working animals such as gundogs, to the EU is advised to contact their vet four months before travelling.

The most likely process for taking a dog to the EU after a no-deal Brexit was outlined

by Defra. Any dog being taken to an EU country will have to be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies. It will then have to have a blood sample taken within 30 days of its last rabies vaccination and the sample will have to be analysed in a laboratory approved by the EU. A three-month wait is required between the collection of the sample and any travel to the EU. The vet can then issue a copy of the results and an animal health

Weekend Twitter poll Would you be happy to pay a 50 pence levy on a pheasant or partridge on a shoot day that would go to the British Game Alliance to help them market game?

75% Yes 25% No follow us @shootingtimes

To do this week

Dogs travelling to EU countries would have to undergo blood tests

certificate. Defra warned: “You will not be able to travel with your pet if you have not completed these steps.”

If the blood test result is not

successful, owners will need a repeat vaccination and another blood test taken at least 30 days after the repeat vaccination.

Tick-borne disease hits UK Public Health England has confirmed that tick-borne encephalitis has reached the UK. Ticks carrying the virus have been found in Thetford Forest and on the DorsetHampshire border.

Earlier this year an unnamed European visitor

Respondents: 310

became ill after being bitten by a tick in the New Forest. While it has not been confirmed, this is believed to be the first and so far only case of the disease in the UK. Dr Nick Phin, deputy director of the National Infection Service, Public

Tick-borne encephalitis has been identified in southern England

Health England, said: “These are early research findings and indicate the need for further work. However, the risk to the general public is currently very low.”

The disease is well established in Europe and across large areas of the former Soviet Union. It has two forms — a generally more severe form found in Asia and a less severe European one.

The disease can cause a fatal inflammation of the brain, with between one per cent and five per cent of patients dying of the disease. However, most cases show no symptoms.

People involved in shooting and stalking are at higher risk of tick bites and tick-borne diseases than the general population. They are advised to take precautions to prevent bites and remove ticks from dogs with care.

With a general

P O L I T I C S election

coming there is a great chance to make the voice of shooting heard. Contact your candidates and ask where they stand on shooting and other countryside issues. Take the chance to put the case for shooting across and show them that backing fieldsports is a vote winner.

Astheweather turnscolder andtreesenterdormancy,nowisthe timetostartplantingnewones.Filling gapsinoldhedgerowscanhugely improvetheirvalueasahabitatfor gameandotherwildlifeandevenasingle nativetreecansupport thousands of other organisms.

GARDEN

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 7

NEWS EVENTS DIARY

The Prime Minister is said to be a fan of grouse shooting

7 NOVEMBER EDINBURGH & SOUTH EAST SCOTLAND HIP FLASK CHALLENGE Hampden & Co, Edinburgh 01738 554822 7 NOVEMBER GWCT ROADSHOW Barton’s Mill, Bartons Lane, Basingstoke gwct.org.uk/events

14 NOVEMBER SHOOTERS’ EVENING Garfield Hotel, Cumbernauld Road, Stepps, Glasgow basc.org.uk/events 16 NOVEMBER SHOTGUN AND CHELSEA BUN CLUB (LADIES) CLAY SHOOT Hereford & Worcester Shooting Ground shotgunand chelseabunclub. co.uk/events

P. WITCOMB / TAYLORMADE PHOTOGRAPHY / ALAMY / GWCT

20-21 NOV TWO-DAY WILDFOWLING INTRODUCTION Lindisfarne, Northumberland 07825 401126 basc.org.uk/events 4 DECEMBER NGO CHRISTMAS QUIZ NIGHT Skillington Village Hall, Lincs NG33 5HG 07765 402146

Election spotlight on country sports MPs will be quizzed on attitude to shooting and countryside as nation goes to polls in snap election The decision to call a general election on 12 December has turned attention to where the parties and candidates stand on shooting.

According to a story in the Evening Standard, Prime Minister and Conservative party leader Boris Johnson was a fan of grouse shooting, enjoying a day out on

Junior environment minister Zac Goldsmith recently made a number of announcements that have been interpreted as anti-shooting. These include a commitment to block imports of hunting trophies and a recent claim that the Government was introducing legislation to limit muirburn.

“There has been speculation over the influence of Carrie Symonds” the moors of Northumberland as recently as 2014.

There has been considerable speculation, thought, about the potential influence of his partner Carrie Symonds, an outspoken critic of trophy hunting who promoted claims that British Guns were travelling to Iceland to hunt puffins — claims debunked by Shooting Times (News, 7 August).

8 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has had little to say about shooting.

However, his environment spokesman Kerry McCarthy has roundly criticised shooting and is a previous vice-president of the League Against Cruel Sports. She told BASC that she is “against all shooting ‘sports’ where there’s a living creature on both ends of the gun”.

Some of shooting’s staunchest supporters can be found on the all-party Parliamentary group on shooting and conservation.

The group’s chairman is Sir Geoffrey Clifton Brown, a Conservative MP who has been a passionate and public supporter of shooting.

Gavin Shuker is co-vice chairman of the group. Mr Shuker recently left the Labour party, first joining Change UK then becoming an independent member.

The former chairman of the Countryside Alliance, Simon Hart, and current chairman Nick Herbert will be standing for re-election as MPs, but another former CA chairman, Labour MP Kate Hoey, is not planning to stand again.

You can investigate your own MP’s views on shooting via the BASC website, visit basc.org.uk/ election2019 Matt Cross

Email your stories / STeditorials@ti-media.com

Wildfowling course for beginners at Lindisfarne The BASC Lindisfarne wildfowling scheme is introducing a new course for beginners.

Lindisfarne, an island off the coast of Northumberland, is a Special Protection Area and home to internationally important populations of waders, geese and ducks.

The well-established scheme allows BASC members to buy permits to shoot ducks and geese on the island.

The new course is a two-day introduction to wildfowling for those who want to try it for the first time.

The course on 20-21 November consists of a day in a classroom, sessions looking at legal issues, quarry

identification and fieldcraft.

It will be followed by a lecture covering the equipment needed, including guns and ammunition.

The afternoon will be taken up with a guided tour of the wildfowling areas of the island. For most Shots the highlight is likely to be the guided evening and morning flights, where students

are accompanied by an experienced wildfowler.

The £200 price includes one night’s dinner, bed and breakfast, and lunch as required. Steel ammunition (12b or 20b) and a season’s permit are also included. For more information contact julia.birchall-mann@basc. org.uk. Applications close on 13 November.

BASC is offering a beginners’ wildfowling course on Lindisfarne

Cannabis cover for high birds A shoot in Somerset has found an interesting new cover crop, which might be strangely familiar to the birds.

George Thomas is cultivating Cannabis sativa, a plant from the pheasants’ original home in central Asia.

George told Shooting Times that the birds love the thick cover provided by the 8ft-tall plants and feast on the oil-rich seeds.

“The hemp is alongside a field of maize but all the pheasants are in the hemp,” said George.

As well as being the base for a pheasant shoot that George and his father have run for nearly 15 years, George’s 160-acre farm is the headquarters of Sativa Group, the UK’s first publicly listed CBD and medicinal cannabis company.

The company now has 40 staff, including 10 chemists, and three high street shops.

It is not only quality cover that the hemp fields provide for shooting. George’s company Goodbody Botanicals manufactures CBD products on site, which some of the Guns find helpful in alleviating the aches and pains acquired during a day in the field.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Pasties are fair game for Ginsters Game meat could soon be reaching places it has never been before. A well placed source has told Shooting Times that the British Game Alliance has struck a deal with pasty company Ginsters (see p.24) in which pheasant and partridge pasties will be sold in petrol station forecourts, motorway service stations and convenience stores across the country.

Gundog and owner reunited after crash A gundog lost after a serious car accident has been reunited with her owner after 14 days on the run near Maybole in Ayrshire. The box in which Holly (pictured below) was travelling was detached from the car by the force of the accident and burst open, allowing the terrified dog to run off. An enormous effort by the local shooting community followed. The search was finally successful, with gundog handler Richard Binkhorst returning Holly to her owner, who is unable to walk due to her injuries. Both dog and owner are expected to make a full recovery.

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @SHOOTINGTIMESUK Medicinal cannabis is proving to be a highly popular cover crop for pheasants on a shoot in Somerset

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 9

LETTERS LET TER OF THE WEEK ISSN: 0037-4164 Shooting Times, TI Media Ltd, Pinehurst 2, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF.

For editorial enquiries: STeditorials@ti-media.com 01252 555220 For picture enquiries: max.tremlett@ti-media.com Subscription hotline: 0330 333 1113 help@magazinesdirect.com Editor Patrick Galbraith Deputy editor Ed Wills edward.wills@ti-media.com Brand assistant Sarah Pratley 01252 555220 Group art director Kevin Eason Art editor Rob Farmer Picture editor Max Tremlett Chief sub-editor Sarah Potts Deputy chief sub-editor Nicola Jane Swinney nicola.swinney@ti-media.com Sub-editor Richard Reed richard.reed@ti-media.com Digital editor Charlotte Peters charlotte.peters@ti-media.com www.shootinguk.co.uk Managing director Kirsty Setchell Group managing director Adrian Hughes Classified advertising Will McMillan 01252 555305 will.mcmillan@ti-media.com Display advertising Rebecca Norris 07929 369204 rebecca.norris@ti-media.com Charlene Homewood 07815 712678 charlene.homewood@ti-media.com Laurence Pierce 07971 605143 laurence.pierce@ti-media.com Group advertisement manager Stuart Duncan stuart.duncan@ti-media.com Advertisement production Tony Freeman tony.freeman@ti-media.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.Letterswillnotbeusedunlesstheauthorisprepared tohavetheirnameandcountyofresidencepublished.

Lettersshouldbeaddressedto:TheEditor,Pinehurst2, FarnboroughBusinessPark,HantsGU147BF,oremail STletters@ti media.com.Pleaseincludeadaytimetelephone number and postal address.

This week’s cover image was captured by Sarah Farnsworth

GPs, licences and mental health I am concerned about the recent addition to firearms applications/renewals that stipulates a letter from the applicant’s doctor is required, advising on their mental health (News, 3 and 31 July).

In theory, this sounds incredibly sensible; in practice, it may be a very bad move for both the authorities and the applicant.

If any treatment, consultation or medication for stress, anxiety, depression and so on is going to be instrumental in refusal of a firearms certificate, no one is going to approach their GP about these

conditions. This will lead to patients not seeking treatment for issues that could easily be resolved if nipped in the bud, ultimately leading to worsened mental health. The only people it will pick up are the older applicants with medical history prior to this inclusion.

You have to consider it also from the doctor’s point of view — fearing some backlash of responsibility, they are going to flag up the slightest of issues.

At a time when the importance of good mental health is increasingly coming to the fore and people —

especially men — are being encouraged to share their feelings and problems more easily, this licensing change could work against it. It must also be remembered that a huge proportion of those applying for licences will be farmers, an industry in which suicide rates are already alarmingly high.

The licensing authorities may see these changes as a way of picking up on potential risks, but they could have the opposite effect.

P. Smith, by email

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Colour dependent on availability.

THE RSPB We note, with considerable disappointment, the recent article by Jamie Blackett (Country Diary, 9 October), which contains many false and totally unsubstantiated allegations about the RSPB. It appears that this article seeks solely to damage the RSPB’s reputation and create suspicion and distrust in the minds of your readers. Its publication does nothing to encourage constructive discussion between the shooting industry and nature conservation NGOs, and is all the more disappointing in the light of recent discussions and meetings between RSPB staff and Shooting Times,wherewearetryingtobuild bridges between our sectors.

There is no evidence whatsoever to support the apparent source of this story’s assertion that the two individuals he claimed to encounter were from the RSPB, other than his claim that they told him this.

The falsities are compounded

10 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

by the fact that no attempt was made either by the author or your editorial team to put them to us for comment.

RSPB staff have no powers or right to ‘inspect vehicles’ — the only time we would be involved in carrying out any search would be when we are specifically requested by the police to assist them under their instruction and immediate close supervision. Similarly, the further accusations that RSPB staff were ‘trespassing’ or are vigilantes do not stand up to scrutiny.

The final paragraph of the article suggests that the RSPB may have brought the law into disrepute by acting dishonestly.

Again, we repudiate this baseless accusation.

This article is constructed entirely on false accusation and allegation and on unevidenced opinion. For clarity, we refute the allegations completely and request that you publish this letter and provide us with an apology.

Allie McGregor, communications officer, RSPB

TheEditorresponds:“Ithasbeen apleasuretomeetvariousRSPB employeesoverthepastfew months.Youhavesomegreat peoplewhoareworkinghardto achievereallygreatthingsinterms ofconservation.However,the storytheoldkeepertoldJamieis notauniqueoneandagreatmany ofourreadersareworriedabout theRSPB’srelationshipwiththe likesoftheLeagueAgainstCruel SportsandChrisPackham— yourvice-president—whohas beenguiltyofpeddlingmistruths aboutBritishfieldsports.Iwould dearlylovetheretobeabetter relationshipbetweenshooting andyourorganisation.Ifyou werealittlemorevocalaboutthe manybenefitstobiodiversitythat shootingbrings, it would go a very long way.

PERCEPTION IS ALL I read with interest the points raised by J. M. Osborne and the response from Patrick Galbraith on big bags (Letters, 23 October).

One word: perception. We have to remember the vast majority of the

Email your letters / STletters@ti-media.com NEXT WEEK IN

NO FOOTPRINT My daughter, Poppy (right), has been coming shooting with me for the past five years.

She is now 10 and working one of our two Labradors. She has come to appreciate the countryside, its beauty and its fauna and flora. Recently she and her friends were debating ethics of shooting and why she did it, and carbon footprints left by many things.

She asked her friends what they liked to eat. Varied answers came back — you can probably imagine what 10-year-olds might like. She pointed out that all those things had a considerable carbon footprint.

She then told them that the spoils of our day were

public has little understanding of the intrinsic biodiversity benefits of well-conducted game shooting. Sadly, a good-news story of the successful reestablishment of a grey partridge population through sensitive land management and focused predator control is unlikely to find an audience outside those who are members of the GWCT. However, an isolated case of bag dumping or, perhaps, a case of persecution of a protected species in the name of gamekeeping, will gain several thousand posts on social media and an opinion will be formed that will be nigh on impossible to change. The extent of the issue is illustrated by the level of comments from within shooting with regard to big bags.

Those with little or no understanding of the wider dynamics are likely to draw far more damning opinions from seeing double-gunning and shooting 500-plus birds in a day.

I get the economics, I get the basis of scale and the good that comes from injections of cash at this level. But it will be pointless

FIRE IN ICE Hunting ptarmigan in Norway.

taken home in the back of our Defender, to be prepared by her father and enjoyed during in the week with some home-grown vegetables.

This was met with a slightly embarrassed silence.

It was a refreshing reply and literally food for thought.

R. Gee, Derbyshire

if this is the type of shooting that brings it all to an end.

I welcome the introduction of Habitat Regulations Assessments where birds are to be released within sensitive habitats, or where the resultant stocking density exceeds a certain level. I look forward to the switch to non-lead alternatives.

I embrace the imposition of higher penalties for those who commit wildlife crime in the name of shooting. And the end product must be utilised — no excuses.

Therefore responsible and sustainable marketing of the shot game should be at the forefront of every shoot. These changes are fundamental. Sadly, there are a number of shoots, together with landowners and sporting agents, with far too much “skin in the game” to support a drive for self-regulation. These are the exception. Let’s not let the exception become the rule.

R. J. Kerr-Bonner, Gloucestershire

See What do Guns really want? on p.20 and A bigger piece of the pie on p.24.

WATCH LIKE A HAWK Stalking partridges with peregrine falcons.

WELSH WIGEON Flighting wigeon in west Wales.

SIMPLY MAGIC Walked-up woodcock in Ireland.

WILD SPORT SPECIAL HIGH ON THE HOG Seeking wild boar in Galloway.

SAVING GREYS What does the future hold for wild grey partridges?

GONE TO GROUND Cooking venison faggots in an earth oven.

A GOOD START Creating a woodcock and snipe shoot.

... AND MUCH MORE!

‘‘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 SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 11

Jamie Blackett

Country Diary

Extinction Rebellion has been more than a little economical with the truth, serving up double whoppers with fries to anyone who will listen

L

Revolution While there, I briefly considered going to observe proceedings in the House of Commons, but decided my blood pressure couldn’t take it so went to check out Extinction Rebellion instead. Having what socialists call a vested interest in the survival of British livestock farming, I was anxious to see the vegan revolution at first hand.

George Monbiot, the Citizen Smith of our time, had just blockaded Smithfield Market and announced that British farmers were all going to give up producing meat and have a wonderful future growing vegetables.

I don’t suppose George ever ventures out of his ivory tower but if he did he would discover there are even parts of the Cotswolds where that isn’t possible.

I found them in Trafalgar Square.

It brought back happy memories of the Countryside March when our rumbustious throng of rustic dissidents entered the square, a blue-grey flock lifted off Nelson’s Column and some wag shouted ‘Pigeon!’

And we all looked skyward and shared a cultural moment. I don’t know what Nelson would have made of the dreary

According to Extinction Rebellion, it takes some 16,000 litres of water to produce a kilo of beef

bunch of hippies sitting on the steps outside the National Gallery with their placards, all 70 of them, watched by 72 bored-looking policemen, who had been bussed in from Kent at our expense.

They all looked very anaemic — the protesters, not the policemen — as might be expected of vegans. Apart from an eccentric fellow with a banner proclaiming: “When they circumcised Trump they threw away the good bit.” Obviously a Democrat then. A sad-looking woman cowered behind a large placard that read ‘This feels like a dictatorship’.

“The protesters looked very anaemic, as might be expected from a vegan diet” I looked around the square at happy tourists of every creed and colour, at children climbing on the lions and at the random collection of ‘environmentalists’ being humoured by the avuncular arm of the law and asked: “Really? Do you really think so?”

It’s always a mistake to get into conversation with single-issue fanatics.

Soon I was being proselytized by a

12 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

woman who assaulted me with falsehoods: “Do you know, eating four beefburgers is the same as flying to New York and back?

Four burgers!”

Another one pitched in with the interesting but entirely erroneous factoid that it takes 16,000 litres of water to produce a kilo of beef. If that were true we would all be investing in cattle in Britain to soak up the flood waters. But it was what you might call a double whopper with fries.

I headed back to Galloway a sadder but not much wiser man. Our world is under threat. If rising sea levels don’t get us, the vegan thought police will. Happily, if Extinction Rebellion has achieved anything, it has galvanised the scientific community into looking more closely at the myths surrounding methane from cows and exposing the fake science.

I urge readers to go on YouTube and look at a series of seven short Cows and climate videos produced by GHGGuru, aka Dr Frank Mitloehner of California. Then when some moron tells you that being an omnivore threatens the planet, you can put them right with all the facts at your disposal. I wish I had.

Jamie Blackett farms in Galloway.

He runs a small private shoot and was one of the founders of the Dumfriesshire & Stewartry Foxhounds.

VAL CORBETT/COUNTRY LIFE PICTURE LIBRARY

ondon is now culturally another planet as far as this backwoodsman is concerned.

Two lots of space cadets were there doing their level best to end life on planet Galloway: our elected representatives in the House of Commons and a bunch of misanthropes calling themselves Extinction Rebellion.

I should have thought if anyone had the right to rebel about extinctions it would be farmers driven out of business by badgerborne tuberculosis, keepers and shepherds being laid off in the hills as estates bow to market pressure and plant forestry, and keen young huntsmen robbed of their futures by the Axis of Spite.

We were there as finalists in the Hidden Gem category of the eviivo B&B awards.

I say ‘we’ but really my wife does all the hard graft, though I was happy to share in the glory. We didn’t win but it was a great night swapping anecdotes with other breakfast chefs from across the UK.

Lindsay Waddell is a former chairman of the NGO and a retired gamekeeper

Upland keeper Fenn traps will soon become illegal and the new traps will not stop as many predators — but that is what our masters see fit to impose From left: the DoC 150 trap, the new Tully and the old Fenn trap

not strike fast enough to catch the target animal during testing. That may well have been due to the animal being moved around to get it to cross the trap.

I was responsible for the control of those animals on perhaps one of the most prolific areas for them in Britain. Our annual cull was in the region of 600 per year and up to 800 one season. Thousands of acres of marginal grazing with a high density of rush cover and lots of voles and rabbits meant high numbers of stoats. We also played host to the highest density of wading birds outside the Orkneys, so control was vital.

During the course of those years I observed hundreds of stoats and the one noticeable characteristic is that, with few exceptions, they are seldom in a hurry. They are, if anything, very careful going about their daily rounds, taking in everything

A slightly heavier plate pressure allows the animal to get properly on to it before the trap strikes, which ensures a humane kill.

The manufacturers of the Tully trap have listened to feedback from gamekeepers and modified their trap accordingly.

The DOC plate pressure is easily altered by tweaking the stamped-out catch upwards on the plate to give it more bite with the swinging arm. This is important if you do not want to catch mice and other by-catches and will keep your trap set ready for the animals you do want to kill. You can, if you wish, simply use a set weight, 100g, lowered on the plate to check at what pressure your trap will fire.

Simply use a good hook as a safety catch to stop your trap smashing your weight, or vice versa. It is an exercise worth doing to ensure that your new traps work

“Keepers are far from happy with the process for approving new traps” around them, pausing to smell things and constantly watching where they are going.

They only go up through the gears when being chased, chasing something else or crossing open ground.

A stoat being pursued is very fast, as any observant keeper will tell you.

Many keepers like a very light-pressure striking trap, but these have their drawbacks. There are reports of even the new generation of traps missing animals that seem not to have been far enough on to the plate. This, I believe, is because they are too light regarding pressure.

14 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

as efficiently as possible. That, after all, has been the whole point of this process.

A word of caution on the size of the restrictors around the traps if you’re making your own. Make sure you get imperial mesh because metric mash will be just that tiny bit too big for the legal requirements.

In the end, within reason, the more restricted the access to the trap, the fewer animals will be caught and the more ground-nesting birds predated. But sadly that doesn’t seem to be something that worries our masters unduly.

D. MOORE

A

s the last knockings of the grouse season are upon us, keepers who have not already started changing are now giving serious consideration as to what trap they are to use next year when the Fenn is no longer legal.

It is fair to say they are far from happy with the process that to date has left them with the choice of two traps, one of which has been around for some time already.

Given that the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) trap was already legal, only one new trap has made it on to the approved list, the Tully. The original specification bandied around was that any trap which was to be seriously considered had to be the same size as the Fenn, and as economic as possible.

It is still possible that one will come on to the market but time is against us.

It’s easy to understand the frustration that many keepers feel now they find themselves with one new trap, which is about 50 per cent larger than the Fenn, and as expensive, or pricier than the DOC, depending on how many you buy at a time.

With individual units coming in at more than £30 each, that is hardly similar to the cost of one Fenn trap. For the deeppocketed large moor owners, cost is not the issue but, contrary to what many seem to think, there are scores of small grouse shoots for whom that sort of money is not an insignificant outlay.

Part of the reason for the cost, the size, and the restrictions on entrance size placed on the new traps seems to be that many traps were discarded because they did

Wildfowling

A world light years away Simon Garnham enjoys a morning on a hallowed marsh and goes home wondering if dawn or dusk is better for wildfowling

D. ROGERS / S. FARNSWORTH

G

raphite grey skies loured darkly at dawn as I crouched on the edge of Moze Creek. The sucking mud gurgled and belched beneath me. In the distance a skein of two dozen greylags beat their ragged way into a head wind.

John English, old friend and chairman of Tendring Hundred Wildfowlers, hunkered down to my left some 80 yards further up the creek. The geese were heading his way out, necks bent into the wind to defy the elements and find safe passage across the marsh. We held our breath and hoped for good fortune, hissing the dogs to restrain their instincts and keep still.

John and I have shot together for many years but this was the first time for me on his home territory.

He also chairs the Hamford Water Wildfowlers’ Association so has access to some of the finest and wildest hunting grounds on the east coast.

Creek-crawling We were at school together though John was rarely to be found, preferring to be creek-crawling with his father or cousin who together formed the club he now chairs. As a family they led the way in Tendring’s land purchases and now head up a little gem of an east coast club.

Tendring limits itself to 30 members

and has a waiting list measured in terms of light years.

Access to its marshes is a privilege restricted to a lucky few and I was keen to see what makes the club so special. So when John invited me to join him for a morning flight, I jumped at the chance.

With an early start we wound our way along the coast road through scudding autumn leaves and blackthorn bushes groaning in the gale. A long track took us through an old-fashioned farmyard and to the edge of the seawall, where we parked in a gateway and pulled on waders and waterproofs. Going through the gateway and across a tufted, uncut grazing meadow, over a stile and across a sluice, we came to the seawall.

Vastness It was clear that birds love the borrow dykes — or ronds as they are still known — the club has been digging out and clearing. Teal whistled and mallard burbled contentedly from inside the reed beds. Automatic feeders flickered on the edges of the dykes but our destination was to be way out on the marsh. We left them far behind us as we crested the seawall and set out across the vastness of the backwaters.

Tendring fowlers are spartan in their approach. Younger members are expected to shoot well out on the saltings and exercise restraint nearer

Tendring wildfowlers are investing in an impressive freshwater sanctuary that will not be shot

16 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

Wildfowling

The greylags pass wide but the nearest bird falls to John’s shot

to the heavy clay farmland adjoining their holding. A no-shooting zone is clearly marked parallel to the seawall. I wondered if this was so that the public could not see members’ exploits but no — footpaths run far away from here.

The club is fortunate to border land owned by an explosives factory and is therefore exempt from coastal access rules now being imposed in so many other parts of the country.

One for the pot “We can shoot where we want,” says John. “But who wants to shoot where it’s easy? The only members who can shoot over the borrow dykes are now too old to get out on to the marshes.

They tend to come down, take one for the pot and then just enjoy what we’ve got here. Most of us would rather be out in the creeks.”

So it was we found ourselves on the edge of a gutter that was turning from leaden grey to silver, hoping against hope that the geese would hold their line. A redshank jumped and flickered past with a mournful shriek, and out on the estuary lines of curlew moved on scything wings.

But the geese seemed to be taking an age, hoving closer, occasionally lost against the dark silhouettes of distant poplars. Good things come to those who wait, I thought with growing excitement.

In a ragged V, they came in on silent wings, too far from me to address them. But away to my left

Simon with Tess and John with Blaze take a break for coffee

“The club borders land owned by an explosives factory and is therefore exempt from coastal access rules” a shot rang out. The nearest of the birds lurched and dipped while the others chorused their alarm, disappearing like phantoms in the half light. John had connected and his lightning-quick five-year-old black Labrador Blaze was off, exploding out of the creek. She raced across

the tussocks, through the autumn flotsam and down into the main Moze to heave back the prize, grunting and snorting with the exertion.

Now other birds were on the move. From a distant reservoir a flight of four fine high mallard headed in our direction but crossed

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 17

Wildfowling DAWN VS D USK Tweed or Gore-Tex? Springer or Labrador?

Driven or walked-up? There are some debates in shooting which will never be fully resolved, such as the question of when to go fowling — dawn or dusk?

A morning flight takes some beating and is probably the preference of the majority of experienced fowlers. Walking through tens of thousands of roosting pinkfeet in the darkness of a Montrose dawn and lying among them waiting for them to lift is a sporting experience to rank alongside a century at Lords or a hat-trick at Wembley. At dawn, a fowler is not limited by light; birds can continue to move well after the gloom has lifted. Big bags are possible as ducks return to the marshes in small parties to roost.

There is something unparalleled about setting up in the darkness and becoming part of the foreshore at dawn. The silence, the solitude, the romance of the foreshore seems never greater than at dawn after a sleepless night waiting for the off.

As the day goes on, however, it’s hard to better a really good tide flight. The skills required to pick a spot, negotiate the weather and create a realistic pattern

Waiting in the gloom for the geese to flight in

right on the edge of range. My judgement failed me and I fired a single barrel, cursing myself almost as soon as I had done so. Goose fever had got the better of me and the birds swung away unharmed.

A huge pack of teal lifted off the dark pan half a mile to our front. They wheeled and turned like starlings. But we were not going to intercept them.

Many clubs round here have noshooting zones and they opted for one such area, settling again after perhaps

of decoys are similar to those of an expert pigeon Shot — but with the added complication of millions of litres of hostile saltwater to negotiate.

When the weather is cold and birds are keen to settle, a dozen decoys, a shallow in the mud and a really good dog can create a sporting experience to rank alongside any the world over. Cut off from civilisation with nothing but a boat and some oars between you and terra firma, you can be truly alone in pursuit of the wildest of quarry.

Then as the sun sets, if you can find a flightline off the marsh to a well-loved pond or reservoir, you may enjoy 20 to 30

a minute of flight. Then nothing. The day grew lighter. The wind continued to send scudding ripples across the snaking creek to our front, now beginning a flood tide.

A cormorant beat his way across the marsh and a pair of shelduck curled in the wind. A seal looked on quizzically from the oily waters. But no quarry seemed to be moving so we broke cover to admire the huge gander that John and Blaze between them had accounted for. A thermos of sugary coffee and some cake took the chill off the dawn.

John pointed out the extent of Tendring’s fowling rights, the creeks and gulleys he knows so well. The stunted trees of Skipper’s Island stood skeletal in the rising dawn. Garnham’s Island — named perhaps after a distant forebear — divides Tendring’s land from my own club’s, Little Oakley & District.

A solitary egret broke the skyline as the tide rose and John offered to show me his club’s latest investment, a £20,000 excavation project to create a freshwater refuge. We lugged our gear back across gulleys and mud to an ancient track across the marsh

18 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

minutes of exceptional shooting, not unlike pigeon roosting. Add a full moon and there is the pinnacle of sport.

I’ve been fortunate to shoot wildfowl from the north-west of Scotland to the south-east of England. But I can’t imagine anything will ever beat a moon flight at Lindisfarne. As the tide lapped over the island’s causeway and the moon rose over an icy sea, wigeon and pinkfeet came in packs numbering many hundreds. After we had shot a modest bag we enjoyed one of nature’s most spectacular migrations.

So given a choice, I’d head out before dawn with the dog and a bag full of decoys,

and back to the seawall, where I was impressed to find a huge area of ponds and lagoons being created.

“We won’t shoot this — ever,” said John. “The birds love this place. I’ve seen it black with wigeon but we’ll leave it as a refuge.” And right on cue flights of mallard, teal and geese all swung over within range. I admired his restraint but couldn’t resist another hour on the marsh now that the rising tide was encouraging birds off their roosts and on to the wing.

Solitary We lay back on the saltings in the rain enjoying our good fortune to have such a solitary and wild place entirely to ourselves. A dozen teal flicked overhead and burst like fireworks as we sat up. Others were forming a flightline that promised an exciting evening flight at a later date.

It was fully light and the dogs were soaked. Domestic duties called, so reluctantly we called it a day and left the marsh behind us, tramping contentedly back to the trucks.

One greylag is not a lot to show for a morning’s adventure. But fowling is not about bag sizes. In the words

“Cut off from civilisation, you can be truly alone in pursuit of the wildest of quarry”

The pinnacle of foreshore sport — picking off a duck or goose as the sun sets

version_3_2018/9

Image © Richard Faulks

plenty of warm kit and some food and drink. I’d watch the geese lift and take a duck or two as the sun rose.

Then I’d set out decoys as the tide moved the birds off their roosts during the day, before finishing with an evening flight under a rising moon.

But if I had to choose just one element of that magical day, it would be the last. A full moon and a mass migration happen so infrequently that my pinnacle of foreshore sport would be as darkness fell.

The thermometer would plummet, a north-easterly would cut like a knife and above, under a cloud-shrouded moon, would be the wild music of geese and wigeon. That would be truly a night to remember.

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of local legend James Wentworth Day, it is about those who “live precariously by ancient arts… in long grass with long guns in ghostly dawns”. John is helping this precious arrangement survive and flourish for the next generation. Through careful and respectful management of a wonderful piece of coastline, Tendring Wildfowlers are setting a standard for other clubs to follow.

I wish them well and hope that their waiting list might not be too long; I’m its latest addition. Good things come to those who wait.

The day’s single goose is delivered to hand

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Game shooting

What do Guns really Beautiful scenery, wild birds, a good lunch — so many things make up the shoot day but what matters most? Patrick Galbraith finds out

H. MITCHELL

I

n a West Country inn on a crisp autumnal evening, Tim Maddams, whom regular readers will recognise from our cookery pages, tells me that he thinks we need to kick the habit.

“One thing I’m really trying hard with is to sell my days on an experience, rather than on how many birds we’ll shoot,” he explains.

Tim feels that for years we’ve been stuck in a rut of marketing our sport based on bag size rather than the things that make a shoot unique and special.

A while ago, I went to the Isle of Luing to meet a reader who has just launched a shoot in the Hebrides (Unlikely oasis for the French, 16 October). In an attempt to confirm

It was a question I couldn’t honestly answer and I’ve been thinking hard about it ever since.

Tim continues: “Clearly, we do need to give some kind of indication,

“We even have a spare gun because mechanical failure happens” whether his plan of hosting guests for a long weekend — in which they might shoot a rough day followed by a driven day — was a good one, he asked: “What do paying Guns really want?”

James Fenner takes a shot at Cricket St Thomas shoot

20 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

because I would be horrified if people thought I was ripping them off.” His model at the Cricket St Thomas shoot, however, is that six Guns pay £325 for their ‘ticket’.

Game shooting

want?

“Sometimes you have a team who can shoot quite well and we don’t want to stop them shooting, and other times you have people who have had ample opportunity and can’t get pass 30, but they’re still having a great day,” he explains.

Spectacular Unsurprisingly, one of the crucial points for Tim is the food he provides.

The following day, after two drives showing some very high birds, we head back to the yard we met at for elevenses. On the way, I get chatting to Sue Booth, who shot a spectacular right-and-left on the second drive.

She tells me that she only started shooting a couple of seasons ago and enjoys the friendliness of the days at Cricket St Thomas.

Elevenses is a real show-stopper with Tim cooking partridge teriyaki skewers on a wood-burning stove and handing round pheasant salami,

made out of birds from the shoot. He says they make ‘a big thing’ of serving their own game, which always goes down well with the Guns.

After everyone is refreshed we head off to start shooting again.

It is obvious that we had a rather bountiful opening to the day, with Tanya Jones telling me that she shot as well as she ever has. But, interestingly, we still have quite a number of drives to go. Skilfully, keeper James Mouland manages to combine two small drives with a very large one to make everyone feel that they’ve had plenty of sport.

While preparing lunch, Tim says he has a superb keepering team who never let him down, meaning that he can get on with hosting. As he grates some truffle over a pasta dish, which is to be the starter, he believes what Guns really want is attention to detail.

“We have spare socks in the wagon in case someone gets their feet wet, we have cartridges in case

Show-stopper: Tim Maddams prepares the partridge teriyaki

Elevenses proves a cut above the average, with partridge teriyaki and interesting tipples

people run out and I’ve even got a gun because mechanical failure happens.”

Over lunch, a number of the Guns reveal that the reason they keep coming back is because Cricket St Thomas feels like a gem of a farm shoot with very fine food.

Ptarmigan At the other end of the country, Rob Rattray — who works for Ossian, a forward-looking sporting agent — feels “there’s growth in the smaller stuff ”.

The hardest thing, he reflects, is being able to find the Macnabs or “even the usual walked-up grouse shooting” clients are looking for. He says there’s even an uplift in the number of people “who want to shoot a ptarmigan”.

I ask whether the bigger days are still selling well north of the Border.

“Scotland has never been that sort of venue,” says Rob, adding that he feels irked as a sportsman when “someone promotes something that reflects poorly on all of us”.

The morning after I spoke to Rob, GunsOnPegs, the country’s leading digital marketplace for buying shooting, released its annual census.

The survey, which polled 8,900 people, hints at a changing attitude towards bag size, with 17 per cent of shooters saying that they intend to shoot smaller days in 2019. Chris Horne, managing director of the business — and a very competent pigeon shooter — says: “No matter how we phrase the question, the long and short of it is that Guns just want to have a fun day out and bag size is not the most important factor.

“Seventy-five per cent of Guns said that if a shoot had a conservation policy, it would influence their decision to purchase a day there.”

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 21

Game shooting In God’s own country — according to Yorkshiremen, anyway — Frank Boddy runs one of the nation’s most successful shoots, frequently selling single guns. During his days, the Guns usually shoot a bag of around 250 and most of the pegs are booked up well in advance. The message he gets is that, to make a commercial shoot successful, you really need to make it feel like a homely syndicate.

Quintessential But what about international clients?

Nick Mason, who is a director of sporting agency Davis & Bowring, muses that what those coming from abroad really want is a quintessential experience.

In short, if they’re heading to Speyside they want to chase grouse over pointers and if they’re in Norfolk they want to be pitting their wits against grey partridges starbursting over a hedge. Essentially, they want to shoot like the locals do. The irony, of course, is that it seems many of the locals want to head to the Highlands to shoot French partridges.

Guns are keen to buy walked-up grouse days (above) or shoot a ptarmigan (left)

It would be easy to suggest that the answer to the original question of what paying Guns really want is that it’s simply horses for courses, and to some extent that’s probably right. But 41 per cent of the Shooting Times readers we polled said that when buying shooting, the scenery is what matters most.

And 31 per cent said they would be swayed to hand over hard-earned cash if there was an opportunity to shoot wild birds.

Thinking back across my sporting career, I can remember almost every

Forty-one per cent of Shooting Times readers say stunning scenery is vital

22 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

time I’ve been out chasing game with a gun. I can remember snipe zigzagging away across frosty reeds; I can remember coveys of grouse breaking ahead of vizslas; and I can remember starting to shoot well again after lunch following a poor morning.

There have been great landscapes, too, of course, and memorable pints enjoyed in front of pub fires while my socks dry out.

It seems that it is these things, the things that stay with you, that Guns really want. While an estimated bag might be part of why people buy a day first time round, it’s the experience that keeps them coming back.

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British Game Alliance

A bigger slice of the pie The British Game Alliance can bring much-needed unity to our sport — if only more shoots and game dealers get on board, says Matt Cross

P. QUAGLIANA / A. HOOK

T

he world of shooting moves slowly. Around the country, there are still people who call the GWCT the Game Conservancy and last season I met an old wildfowler who told me he’s “considering leaving WAGBI” — the Wildfowlers’ Association of Great Britain and Ireland, now BASC. But there is a new kid on the block, which, since being launched in May 2018, has become a big talking point.

The British Game Alliance — run by 31-year-old Tom Adams, formerly director of shooting at GunsOnPegs — operates a certification scheme.

It allows shoots and game dealers, which have been through an audit process, to market their products as ‘BGA assured’. The membership fee ranges from £100 for shoots that bag up to a 1,000 birds a season to £1,000 for operations shooting more than 10,000 birds. The audit process looks at rearing facilities, release pens, the handling of game and so on.

It is no secret that prices paid for game have been declining in recent years, with many shoots receiving no payment last season and some even having to pay for birds to be taken away. The BGA’s mission is to address that problem.

The alliance has won the support of a number of food industry figures, including celebrity chef Nigel Haworth, who is its official chef ambassador. Nigel’s view is that “th game sector has been crying out for a quality assurance standard” and believes the BGA is finally delivering it by reassuring chefs, retailers and

The BGA’s mission is to ensure that all shot game is consumed and shoots are paid for their birds

consumers about the source of this fantastically healthy product.

Dynamic For Tom the alliance is a dynamic organisation challenging old ideas and moving the market in a new direction. It has grown rapidly, with more than 600 shoots on its books and 30 new members joining every month, including 18 processors.

Ninety per cent of those who joined in the first year have renewed their membership. Dylan Williams, who founded the Royal Berkshire Shooting School and sits on the BGA’s advisory committee, says by next year they hope to have 1 200 shoots on board.

24 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

However, in a big blow early this year, the National Game Dealers Association voted not to endorse the alliance. The reason for this centred around the fact they felt they had been ignored and their experiences as successful business operators in the game sector had been overlooked.

Tom is honest about the alliance’s struggles and says “there should have been more consultation”. He added: “The pace others wanted to move at and the pace I wanted to move at weren’t aligned. The alliance has built a bridge to allow us to move forward, which most people have taken.”

The rebuff, he says, was a bump in the road and he hopes the BGA

BGA has more than 600 ts on its books and 30 new bers join every month”

is back on co chieve goal of shoot aid for their game th 2020-2021 se But he ins not time to rest on a laurels. “I don’t beli we will have five to 10 yea if we don’t e self-regulatio BGA is the on town in term to achieve that.”

Inevitably, however, this is not a view shared by everyone.

Chris Jordan, a game dealer in Bedfordshire, says he’s had enough of heroes. “Instead of people going off on a tangent we need BASC, the Countryside Alliance and people like the GWCT to work together — there are too many splinter groups.”

For many people, the litmus test was always going to come when a member shoot did something that breached the BGA’s code of practice.

That moment came in January when Jerome Starkey, the then countryside correspondent of The Times, broke a story about footage he’d received of a shoot that was dumping breasted pheasant carcases.

Respect According to one of Tom’s old colleagues at GunsOnPegs, Frank Stephenson — who is a wildfowler at heart — the BGA “swiftly removed the shoot’s accreditation” and won a lot of respect in doing so.

More recently, it made national headlines after brokering its first major international deal. Following a visit by Tom and commercial director Matt Tough, a specialist meat wholesaler in Hong Kong and Macau agreed to take 250,000 British birds. While this sounds impressive, Nick James, who runs Willo Game in Shropshire, cautioned that the BGA has been guilty of “making claims about opening up new markets when processors were already suppyling them”. Furthermore, a dealer told us anonymously that the kind of highgrade birds required for export

Game is a fantastically healthy product but needs to be marketed properly

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already found enthusiastic buyers and were profitable to process.

Tom insists the criticism was unjust. “I never made out I’m the first man to get a partridge into Hong Kong,” he said. “There was a small market there that we made much bigger.” He thinks the confusion stems from the specific import business the BGA is supplying never having bought British game before.

Less contentiously, Nick believes the BGA is playing a vital role when it comes to the issue of bird quality by insisting member shoots treat game as carefully as possible. It also educates them about how to do this, which means better birds are being received by dealers from member shoots that are now processed with ‘less wastage’.

But he added he would like to see the alliance keeping away from “interfering in the supply chain” where successful relationships between dealers and retailers already exist.

Tom conceded: “There have been a couple of examples of that but with anything like what we are trying to achieve, there are going to be those kind of scenarios and every time it’s happened we’ve been totally handsup and apologised.”

Nick Levett-Scrivener, who imports RC cartridges, was apoplectic when asked his view on the BGA. He explained it had proposed an idea whereby cartridge companies would add £10 for 1,000 cartridges on to the bill when they supplied shops. This would be passed on to customers

“If people don’t support the BGA our sport will end up getting policed

by Defra” and manufacturers would have to pay the BGA the £10 after only 14 days. The trade-off was that cartridge companies could use the BGA logo.

Nick felt railroaded by the proposal and revealed that a barrister advised him such a move would constitute a cartel. When we put this grievance to Tom, he admitted that the idea ran aground but insisted it was a wellintentioned way of enabling shooters to support the alliance.

In an alternative attempt to facilitate Guns supporting the BGA, Dylan Williams said it has rolled out a scheme whereby people can pay a voluntary 50p levy on each bird

26 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

in the bag that will go to the alliance. We polled 310 readers and, impressively, 75 per cent said they would be happy to participate.

Frank Boddy, captain of the Ripley Castle shoot, which has been a member of the alliance since it started, believes the levy is a great thing. He dislikes big bag shoots but says: “We are where we are and we have to get rid of the game.”

Running almost 145 shoot days with average bags, Frank says it’s all about the audit process, which could be even more stringent to make commercial shooting get its house in order. He admitted he had given Tom ‘a hard time’ but says if people don’t support his efforts our sport will end up “getting policed by Defra”.

Tom says many shoots are already benefiting and most members will see the real impact next year when he believes “there will be a premium for BGA-assured game”. In the longer-term, he hopes the BGA will be recognised for spearheading a successful effort to ensure shooting continues ‘on our terms’ without further restrictions.

Tom recognises that those who are still outside the tent need to get on board and admits the next 12 months will be a crucial period of relationship building, and it’s hard not to admire his ambition. Just before Shooting Times went to press, I got the exclusive news that the BGA has struck a deal with Samworth Brothers, which manufactures the Ginsters range — so keep a lookout for partridge pasties.

Coming to a supermarket near you — shot game will have great prominence in future

Kit review

The heat is on

No matter how tough you are, Richard Negus believes Härkila’s new electric jacket should be part of every sporting wardrobe

S. FARNSWORTH

J

ust down the road from me lies the pretty little village of Mendlesham. It has a pub, a school and a few streets of ancient timber-framed houses, so commonplace in my part of Suffolk.

Not a lot goes on in Mendlesham.

However in 1943, the peaceful idyll was transformed into a vibrant hotbed of gum-chewing and jiving, ‘oversexed and over here’ young

American warriors. The pilots and aircrew of the USAAF’s 34th Bombardment group flew hundreds of sorties out of RAF Mendlesham.

Each crew of 10 brave young men, flying in their thunderous B17 bombers, facing fearsome antiaircraft fire and the ever-present threat of Luftwaffe attack.

Freezing limits To alleviate the dangers on the way to their target, pilots would fly their machines at the freezing limits of their planes’ altitude capabilities.

Thus if the Nazi flak or pilots didn’t get them, frostbite was an ever-present threat. To remedy this the Americans developed an enormously bulky electric flying suit that the crew plugged into their aircraft’s power supply.

For any Gun who thinks themselves a good shot, I would like to challenge them to bag an angry Focke-Wulf travelling at 400mph, armed only with an unwieldy open-sighted .50 calibre machine gun. Then try this wearing a hybrid between a Michelin-man suit and an electric blanket.

The gilet can be controlled via a button or by using an app on your smartphone

28 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

Remarkably they did; we won the war and Mendlesham has gone back to its peace and quiet.

While electrically heated clothing is not a new thing, I am trialling the latest in such gear. Härkila Heat uses some very clever modern fabric technology. The V-necked waistcoat version appears at first glance to be nothing more than a sage green-andblack polyester gilet.

However, look at the lining and it shines silver — this is Thermo Poly Shield, which is lightweight and quick drying. In the back and lumbar region of the waistcoat lie some pads that produce heat and the Thermo Poly Shield reflects this around your torso.

The pads themselves are invisible to touch and sight.

The waistcoat can be folded up and treated like any other item of clothing, including being put in a machine washing. It runs off a 10,000mAh power pack (not included) which, once charged, plugs into a little cable in the left-hand pocket. You obviously do have to remove the power pack before you pop the waistcoat into the washing machine.

To activate the system there are two options. First, you can simply press the button on the front left of the jacket. Press once and the button

Kit review

The jacket connects to a power pack via a USB connection and has a range of temperature settings

The high-tech Härkila Heat gilet can be washed like any other item of clothing

“This is one of those rarities that truly will help you to shoot better”

turns blue, warming the jacket up to 38ºC, press twice and the amber light indicates a 46ºC. Pressed three times and red light has you basking in 52ºC, which will keep you toasty inside. You can watch your fellow Guns as they turn blue at the nose and green at the gills in envy. The jacket can maintain that temperature for about seven hours at an outdoor temperature of 0ºC. To save energy, the heat membranes automatically go into standby mode once the jacket has reached the set temperature.

are fully waterproofed and the power pack that I used is rubberised. It even had a little torch fitted as an extra bonus, not to mention a compass that was I felt more of a gimmick than anything else.

Not including a power pack as standard could be seen as less than generous, but many of us in the countryside now carry one to recharge phones and other electrical gadgets out in the field, and the Härkila Heat is compatible with any such power source.

App controller There is also an app for your mobile, which connects with the waistcoat via Bluetooth, enabling you to use your phone as a thermostat to set the jacket to the temperature you require.

Härkila makes a range of clothing for the field — indeed, the Danish company’s strapline ‘By hunters, for hunters’ is unambiguous. Its clothing is designed for those of us who rub our hands gleefully when Tomasz Schafernaker puts on that apologetic expression he favours when his forecast turns frosty.

Participating in British fieldsports guarantees that you will be both cold and wet more often than not.

It is the moist element of our weather, when combined with electricity, that immediately set alarm bells ringing in my head. However, my fears were unfounded. This gilet’s working parts

The Härkila Heat is slim enough to wear under a jacket

I have worn this waistcoat on the foreshore and I can truly see its benefit. It essentially replaces the usual mid-layer of warm clothing. I switched it off as I tramped the sweatinducing miles along Aldeburgh beach and across the marsh to get to The Lantern. Once I had set up my hide and hunkered down in my preferred spot, the wind and rain started to bite. I switched it on and in moments I was pleasantly warm.

Not bulky Costing £199.99 for the model I tried it may not be a cheap option, but its uses are innumerable — on the peg, on the foreshore, watching my son play rugby or simply getting rid of the aching pains in my back. This is one of those rarities that truly will help you to shoot better, because at the touch of a button you are comfortably warm yet unrestricted by bulky layers of clothing.

It is the lack of bulk that I admire most in this piece of technology.

While game Shots will doubtless buy the Härkila Heat, I believe the Danes may have landed on an idea that will also find favour with the more adventurous sportsman or woman.

Wildfowlers, stalkers and rough shooters also like to be warm, yet the active nature of our sport means we cannot work effectively when encumbered by multiple layers.

This clever kit solves that issue with aplomb. If only a Härkila Heat had been available to the bomber boys of Mendlesham in 1943 the war may well have been over by Christmas.

For more information, visit harkila.com

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 29

Conservation

Pining for a solution Reports suggest that grey squirrel numbers can be greatly reduced by pine martens but where is the hard evidence, asks Richard Hardy

GETTY IMAGES

J

ust after dawn on a cool crisp September morning I slipped away from our Highland bolthole and drove towards the tiny ribbon of river that fills the tear between rock and heather, rushing to snatch a few extra hours on water with rod before the long journey south.

That morning was memorable not because of monster salmon nor the fleeting sea trout but for a snatched glimpse of chocolate-coloured fur, the meeting of eye with a most secretive wild form — our worlds colliding for a handful of seconds that even 10 years hence seems like an hour. I headed back to raid the bookshelves of our

cottage but I was already certain that the answer would be pine marten.

Pine martens didn’t impinge on my busy life from that day until Christmas 2016 when I shared an evening duck flight with a splendidly garrulous Irish aristocrat. He excitedly reported that pine martens in his part of the world were fighting a war of attrition on the local grey squirrel population with murderous efficacy. He had become a very vocal supporter of this novel biological control method.

Pine martens are strictly protected under the Wildlife and Countryside

agree would be a very good thing.

But where does the evidence for these claims come from and are they sufficiently rugged for us to completely buy into?

Some further digging found that these claims are based on studies performed in and around large tracts of commercial softwood forestry in central Ireland and followed up with additional research in Scotland.

These studies all showed that grey squirrel numbers reduced as the pine marten population grew but seem to demonstrate that red squirrel

“It was a meeting of eye with a secretive form — our worlds colliding for seconds” Act 1981 with an offence committed even by disturbing their dens, in addition to any act of intentional killing or injuring.

Widespread hunting reduced their nationwide spread into strongholds in central Ireland, the northwest of Scotland with additional populations though the Borders, Northumberland and Cumbria.

Mysteriously, there are isolated populations in Wales, Shropshire and the New Forest. Recently, a licensed release programme had been started in the Forest of Dean with an aim to establish a self-sustaining population that can increase in range and number across suitable habitat.

The release into the Forest of Dean was surrounded with a blizzard of publicity, all entirely positive and seemingly scripted by the rewilding cheerleaders, with little questioning by any of the journalists involved.

Front and centre in many of these reports was the now well-worn line that pine martens will significantly reduce grey squirrel numbers, something that we can all The pine marten is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

numbers are not so closely affected by the martens’ presence.

However, the studies do note that not much other suitable prey was present as an alternative diet for the pine martens. They suggest that more work would be required to fully understand these effects in areas where richer and more varied food sources were available.

Capercaillie concern The Scottish study also cautions the as yet unknown effects on ground-nesting birds in general with particular concern expressed for the capercaillie.

So much for the dry statistics and rather unworldly phraseology of the academic papers, what I needed next was some ‘ground truth’. I hastened to work my contacts and find somebody living and working around pine martens to gain some practical insight. Then a trail camera image of a pine marten appeared on my social media timeline — bingo.

A farming acquaintance in Aberdeenshire told me all. The pine martens had first appeared on her farm around 2016, with their progress apparently coinciding with either railway line or river corridor. There were now enough around to find half a dozen every year as local roadkill.

Conservation

PINE MARTEN FACTS At this point we really must become equipped with some facts. The European pine marten, Martes martes, is a member of the mustelid family along with mink, otter, badger, stoat and badger.

A large adult can reach 70cm (a little over 2ft) in overall length and weigh 2.2kg (almost 5lb), they can live for up-to eight years, and have a litter of up-to five kits every year from maturity. Martens are omnivores with a preference for small mammals, birds, eggs, carrion and seasonal fruits and various berries.

The population is established enough for them to be seen occasionally by eye and even more frequently by the unsleeping trail camera.

Here, the pine martens stick to the lower ground of the farm and, together with badgers, have an effect on the ground-nesting birds that the farm is working hard to encourage. The martens have made repeated forays to the farm ponds, with waterfowl a regular part of their diet. Additionally, they are suspected of one raid on a chicken-

keeping neighbour who was left with six headless hens. This is the unsurprising result of an efficient and brilliantly evolved generalist predator meeting domesticated animals in a confined space.

Sadly, here we do not have an opportunity to test the scientific theories, as there haven’t been squirrels, red or grey, seen on this farm in living memory.

Moving my quest to more southern Scotland, I called a deer manager friend and found that pine martens are around but not in significant numbers, as there simply isn’t much food for them in his part of the country.

With capercaillie long gone and ground-nesters including curlew and grouse only barely holding on in the vast unkeepered spaces, with characteristic dryness he reported that “it’s only red deer and wind turbines up here since the keepers have gone”. Therein lies the truth about the ecosystems in these busy and populous islands.

The Wildlife Trusts’ and assorted rewilding enthusiasts’ constantly repeated trope of “fully functioning ecosystems” is a marvellous soundbite, but we seem very short on any detail of how and when this could be achieved without massive changes in our countryside. Those wholesale

changes would require far more than the fashionable and easy-tosell limited reintroductions of these various charismatic species.

When Shooting Times asked me to investigate beaver reintroductions a while back, I became gradually more enthusiastic as my research continued — but with pine martens the exact opposite has happened.

Meddling So many of our genuine conservation problems in the 21st century are the result of previous, sometimes wellmeaning, meddling. Ash dieback disease, American signal crayfish, mink, feral boar and even muntjac are serious issues that are capable of upsetting the balance in our already very degraded ecosystems.

In virtually all parts of our nation well away from Guardian columnists, we are so distant from the pipe dream of “fully functioning ecosystems” that even minor changes such as the introduction of yet another splendidly evolved generalist predator could have devastating effects on our most precarious wild populations.

After all, if pine martens do actually expand in range and number enough to finally achieve the laudable goal of significantly suppressing the exploding grey squirrel population, what will they eat next?

Pine martens certainly eat grey squirrels — but what happens when that food supply runs out?

“It’s only red deer and wind turbines up here since the keepers have gone” SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 31

Catlow’s notebook

WITH LAURENCE CATLOW

Laurence enjoyed a beautiful last day on the river Wharfe LAURENCE CATLOW,A PASSIONATE SHOOTERAND ANGLERFOR MORETHAN 40YEARS, HASWRITTEN FIVEBOOKS ABOUTSPORT WITHROD ANDGUN.HIS NOTEBOOK RUNSINTHE FIRSTISSUEOF EVERY MONTH.

Odds and endings The final day of the fishing season is a success and a young gundog shows promise, but Laurence’s shooting skills seem to have vanished

P. QUAGLIANA / D. MOORE / GETTY IMAGES / ALAMY

I

t has been a time of endings and beginnings; both have had their distinctive flavour and both have given great pleasure.

Of the endings, one matters a lot to me, for September’s end is also the end of the trout season.

The afternoon of September’s last day found me way up the Wharfe, not far from the river’s first pool, feeling surprised that I was there at all and highly delighted because the preceding days had seen so much rain that I had thought any more fishing would be out of the question. Only that morning the internet had told me that the Wharfe was still too big for sport, but it was at least falling.

All morning I helped High Park headkeeper Tony Smith with the pheasants, telling myself how well they were doing and how well they were holding. Then I drove to Wharfedale in the improbable hope that the river would have fallen back enough to make fishing possible.

One of the virtues of headwaters is that they run off much more quickly than the middle and lower reaches of rivers. The Wharfe up near the source had fallen back further than I had dared hope. It was pleasing for a fisherman to search its pools and runs with a team of wet flies and catch himself a few last trout.

“The odd bang caused Zac no distress and I began to believe I have a new gundog at last” I drank a couple of glasses of red wine to mark the solemnity of the occasion, then I fished through the soft and windless afternoon, thinking how quiet and beautiful it all was.

I caught six or seven trout, of which two were big enough to go in my bag.

32 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

In its own way it was wonderful and, when it was over, I sat by the water for five minutes, feeling sad and grateful, thanking my favourite river for giving me such marvellous fishing this year. Soon it was time to climb into the Land Rover and drive home over the grey-brown hills, conscious that there would be no more trout for me until another spring brings me back to the Wharfe.

No expectations That was the end; a beginning came five days later in the form of a boundary day at Wyegill, the syndicate I joined last year and enjoyed enormously. There were no expectations of a substantial bag, which so early in the season would, of course, have been a big mistake.

The birds were still holding in the main woods; it was hoped that the boundaries might put a few old birds and a wanderer or two over the Guns.

In the event the bag at the end of the

Catlow’s notebook day was four pheasants, and the sun had shone and the changing leaves had glowed different colours and I think we had all enjoyed ourselves.

It felt to me more like a get-together than a shoot day, which was a thoroughly good reason for being there. It also felt like a sort of prelude: a prelude and a kind of appetiser for more serious business in the weeks ahead. And perhaps I enjoyed it more than anyone, p because I am e pleased but mu because I left m home and work Zac. It was the fi time I have wor the dog in woo he behaved him the odd bang c him no distres nor anxiety and I began to believ have a new gun

Stragglers There was an boundary da following Sa and again i more of a s a shoot. The weath was warm and bright again and lunchtime there were swallows and martins in the sky. I wondered if they were doomed stragglers, destined never to reach Africa, hoping that I was wrong. The bag was again four birds — a pigeon and three pheasants — and again I was there with a dog but without a gun.

Zac pleased me even more because he was often working in really thick cover where I could not see him and

All the omens point to a good season at High Park

e martins on the in the bright sky

at he was told. his own thing utside days tart to the em was a second day at Forest Hall, al where ex-layers get at them more the season starts. rst day was about shot a decent bird and missed a m better one and had a good time. You don’t need a lot of shooting to enjoy yourself; you don’t need any shooting at all, as I found on those two Wyegill days.

The first High Park shoot was to be held on 5 November — the day before this article is published — which will show us whether all the hard work of summer and autumn has been

Laurence’s youngster Zac is shaping up nicely as a gundog

worthwhile. At the time of writing the omens look promising, particularly because wild birds seem to have bred well this year and I fancy we are drawing some of them in.

Inglorious end There has, however, been a minor tragedy because Blind Pugh, the visually challenged piebald pheasant of High Park, has disappeared.

No corpse has been found but his remains might be lying hidden in the gorse or the rushes, or he may have been abducted and murdered by some prowling creature of the night.

I suppose he was always destined to meet an inglorious end because, even if he had survived into November and been declared untouchable to the Guns, he was almost certain to have been pegged by one of our dogs.

I was sad, anyway, when he was no longer waiting for me on his ride; I enjoyed helping him to find his food and fill his crop.

I am going to end this piece on another low note. The other Saturday I went to Wyegill, where I shot consistently well last season, for our first driven shoot. I shot so abominably that I can scarcely bear to tell you the details. I will tell you that I shot only one bird; I refuse to tell you how many cartridges this single pheasant cost me.

I hope, by the way, that this is not another very unwelcome beginning — the beginning of one of those periods that occur from time to time, when the idea of pulling a pheasant out of the sky turns into something like a ridiculous fantasy or an impossible dream. It may be a long season.

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 33

Gundog training

First days in the field

Taking a young dog on its first shoot is a big step and if it’s not handled correctly you could end up with a gun-shy wreck, warns Ellena Swift

S. MAGENNIS

F

irst days out in the field are vitally important for a dog and its handler. It is a big step and can be make or break for a dog.

For Sika, this is her first season after her training over the summer. She has proven she is steady around shot using a starting pistol and dummy launcher. Her heel and recall are solid and she has picked cold game.

I decided to take her out for one drive on a local shoot that I pick-up on every week. Being so early in the season they were only shooting partridges, which are a good size for her. Obviously, she will eventually pick pheasants and ducks but as she is smaller and a novice dog, partridge are the perfect-size quarry.

A shoot environment is a big deal for a dog and it is important to set the animal up to achieve. The excitement from my older dogs is palpable and Sika could tell something was happening. I took two older dogs out with her as they set a good example.

Also I do not have to watch them and can focus entirely on Sika.

Walking from the car to the drive she was excited to see all the other people and dogs. It is important that

she understands a shoot is not a place to play, socialise or go jumping up at people. Cockers are notoriously friendly, social little dogs and enjoy attention and fuss. A Gun in his freshly cleaned breeks would be less than impressed if I allowed a loveable but muddy puppy to jump up at him.

Training began as soon as she left the car. I took a lead with me just in case I needed to reinforce my instructions. She was a little overwhelmed but walked calmly with the other two dogs to the first drive.

‘Nanny’ dog We were standing quite close to the Guns because there was a lot of live game around and the keeper didn’t want to disturb it. I sat Sika down on my left with a ‘nanny’ dog each side of her. They are invaluable not only to help her learn but also to give her confidence.

An experienced older dog can help or hinder. When taking your young dog out, ensure you select a suitable dog as a companion. If the older dog whines and gets overexcited it will almost certainly influence the youngster in a negative way. If the older dog is calm, quiet and steady

Sika walking on during training with two ‘nanny’ Labradors

Sika loses her focus — unlike her ‘minders’

you have a much greater chance that the young dog will copy.

Despite being accustomed to bangs, this was the first time Sika had heard proper guns in a shooting situation, so my first issue was to make sure she was totally happy.

Body language As the shooting started, I watched her body language to see if she showed any negative signs. This can be subtle — constantly looking away, a lowered head or excessive panting. It’s important to recognise the difference between being anxious and excited; one can lead to a keen, driven gundog, the other a gun-shy wreck.

She mostly looked at me, occasionally sniffing the ground where there was a lot of game scent. As birds started to fall she began watching in front rather than watching me. This was a good sign — it’s important that the first association of a shooting scene is positive.

For her, the best thing in the world is picking-up. Until now, items that she’s picked have all been thrown or come from a dummy launcher, so she understands that something falling from the sky is most likely to be something for her to retrieve. I picked one runner with my eight-year-old bitch as the drive continued, which Sika watched with great interest.

Again, all good signs.

In association with Chudleys: over forty years of highly nutritious food for working dogs 34 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

www.chudleys.com IN DETAIL

SIKA

Ellena sends Sika on a retrieve on her first shoot

ONCE THE DRIVE HAD FINISHED I had decided to allow Sika to have her first retrieve of warm game. I had marked a bird down that wasn’t in heavy cover and not too far. There wasn’t a lot of game surrounding it so I wasn’t running the risk of her swapping or getting distracted.

Before I lined her up to send her, I asked her to walk a few steps to heel.

One of the most frustrating things I see in picking-up dogs is when the drive is finished, the handler simply ‘unleashes’ the pack. The second the horn goes to signal the end of the drive, the dogs know they no longer have to listen to the handler. They simply run feral, hunting for themselves and taking no notice of the handler.

These are the dogs that tend to peg a lot of tired birds early in the season.

Getting her focused Sika, by this point, was really excited and knew there were retrieves out there for her. So to get her focused a little, I asked her to walk to heel just a few steps. That way she won’t assume that, as soon as the horn goes, it means she can run like a lunatic.

I cast her out and at first she ran over the bird. This is very common for a novice dog. They tend to hunt too much with their eyes rather than with their nose.

Sometimes you will even see them wind the bird and, despite their nose telling them the bird is there, they don’t believe it. All of this improves with time and experience.

Sika put her nose down and found the bird. Each time she did something towards retrieving it I calmly praised her, simply so she knew that she was doing the right thing.

She picked the partridge and happily came running back at full pace with it.

I allowed her to hold the bird for a few seconds, fussing her before taking it from

bring it back and share her trophy with me. I allowed her to pick one more bird, then picked the rest with the other older dogs while she sat and watched.

Again, another important part of her education is watching other dogs work.

I walked her back to the car afterwards as that was enough for her first day out. It’s easy to end up with an overwhelmed,

“Novice dogs tend to hunt too much with their eyes rather than with their nose” her. It is important to remember that, in all of this, the bird is the ultimate reward for the dog. To rip it out of her mouth quickly at this stage in her career could be damaging. She has to really want to

overtired young dog on its first few outings, so little and often is better. She will continue her education over the next few weeks, taking it steady and learning the whole time with her nanny dogs.

Sika receives praise for her first retrieve of a pheasant

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 35

Gundog training

www.chudleys.com

IN DETAIL

KEEPA KEEPA HAS NOW done his first few days picking up and is working well.

I am hoping to get a run in a novice trial with him this season so it’s important I don’t let his standards slip after such a successful summer.

Despite him being older, I still run him with my more experienced dogs as he has been slow to mature and has a lot to learn.

I noticed on his first few retrieves that his lines weren’t quite as straight or as direct as I would like. Early in the season this isn’t uncommon. He is so excited with all the game that is being dropped that he is not quite focusing.

Memory retrieves I have a few days before his next outing so I want to do a few exercises to make sure he is running out with gusto, but also on the line that I have sent him.

I do a lot of memory retrieves, which are massively beneficial. However, I am

Keepa returns with the dummy from a blind retrieve, which is mixed in with memory retrieves

going to alter it slightly this time. Instead, I put out three retrieves all in a straight line from one another, around 50 yards to 80 yards apart. He knows there are three retrieves out. Once out, I walk him away,

exercise, putting three dummies out again, but one of them is a blind and only two are memories. Again, I need to ensure that his confidence is kept intact without letting him become too ‘self-employed’.

“I need to ensure that his confidence is kept intact without letting him become too ‘self-employed’”

Keepa has not been running straight, so Ellena puts out three retrieves in a line

stand directly in line with the first one and send him for that. If he tries to veer to one of the others, I call him back and re-cast.

It is important that his straight line is rewarded with a retrieve. Each time he picks, I walk to stand in front of the next dummy and send him again. I repeat this

For my next step with Keepa I would like to do a training day and get an experienced trainer to watch us both in action together. They will be able to see things from an outside and neutral perspective that I am unable to do. Watch this space.

In association with Chudleys: over forty years of highly nutritious food for working dogs 36 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

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wi

C

ATING OUR BEST WRITE R B E RS EL

A goose-crazy gunner Wealthy Shots who come to the country from the town simply to see how many geese they can kill are selfish to their core, says Pat Cringle

P. QUAGLIANA / GETTY IMAGES / ALAMY

J

ust before World War I a gentleman wildfowler was living with me on the houseboat. He had come from London for a fortnight’s goose shooting and for the first week we were out night and morning and walked many miles for very little. He returned to London at the weekend but was back again by the first train on Monday morning and he had some interesting news to tell me.

He had met a friend during the weekend who was a member of a syndicate that rented a large shoot about five miles along the coast.

Included in the shoot were several fresh marshes where, during the month of January, small parties of pinkfeet dropped in to feed during the daytime. If he cared to try his luck there he would be given the necessary written permission.

He asked me if I considered it worth trying but I could not help much. All I could tell him was I had heard of geese visiting the syndicate’s marshes in late January when food was getting short in their sanctuary but had no idea what their movements were like in early November. The only way to find out was to go and see for himself.

Late that evening, when lying on our bunks after the evening meal, we again discussed the matter and we decided to go one morning at daybreak toward the end of the week.

When he mentioned getting into

position at daybreak I reminded him that we must get properly organised, otherwise we would be lucky to arrive at our destination by midday.

Crossed by boat The houseboat was moored about a mile from the coast road but before we could get to the bank leading to it, the harbour had to be crossed by boat.

After walking the mile to the coast road we would still have to travel five miles to a cartway leading down to the syndicate’s marshes where there were several dykes to cross.

“Avoid gates and posts as when geese came in they would give such places a wide berth”

42 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

When asked if I could suggest any means of transport I replied we had the choice of two — Shanks’s pony or hire a pony and cart with a driver.

He agreed that walking was out of the question and asked if I would make inquiries regarding the hiring of a pony and cart.

By the end of the week everything had been arranged. On the day of the shoot we crossed the harbour at 5am and found the driver and conveyance waiting for us. We arrived at the gateway leading to the marshes well before any geese were expected to flight in, giving us plenty of time to choose our position.

My companion favoured a gateway where he could stand against a post, but I advised him to avoid gates and posts because if a bunch of geese did happen to come along they would most likely give such places a wide berth. A small patch of reeds growing in a dried-out dyke was chosen and I helped to fix a hide.

I was not carrying a gun as the written permission stated one gun only and I suggested it would be a good idea if I hid in a dyke about 100 yards to his right so if any geese passing between us were too far from his hide to kill I would jump up and drive them his way. A few minutes later we had both settled down, waiting for something to happen.

When crossing the marsh I had kept a sharp lookout for any goose

Vintage Times droppings or feathers lying about but I saw no signs of geese having fed there. I hoped that perhaps a small party would leave their sanctuary and fly around to give my companion a chance to kill one, as he had promised one to his friend in London.

We soon heard the report of guns well to the east and I knew that the morning flight had begun. I kept my eyes trained on the position where I expected to see geese. I had not long to wait before I saw the first lot of about a dozen show up above some stunted trees. To my surprise, instead of swinging round to settle in their sanctuary they came straight on and, just before they were within shot of the reed hide, opened their wings.

As they glided down to settle, the 8-bore roared and two geese hit the marsh as dead as mutton.

Sanctuary For the next hour or two we neither saw a goose nor heard one and I was getting rather fed up with staring into the sun. I was on my feet when I saw about 100 geese in the air half a mile to the east. I flopped down again to watch them. They came on towards us but suddenly swung round and settled well within the sanctuary.

However, they had only been feeding for a few minutes when a man — who I later learned was a dyke cleaner — ambled down to the marsh and put them on the wing again.

They came towards us in exactly the same track as the first lot and as they reached the bunch of reeds they were only about 20 yards up. As they opened their wings to glide down to settle, a double from the 8-bore again brought two down. As I walked up to the hide I was greeted with: “What

“About 100 geese in the air suddenly swung round and settled in the sanctuary”

did you think of that lot, old chap!”

“Jolly good shooting,” I replied.

But I was sorry for the geese, for it was like shooting chickens coming to feed in the farmyard. He was too pleased and excited to take any further notice and I had little chance to say much during the drive home.

He kept both the driver and myself

it ever occurred to him that to shoot them there would in time banish them from this part of the coast altogether.

He did not agree with me and I let the matter drop.

He was one of the most goose-crazy gentlemen gunners ever to visit these parts and one of the most selfish. He was in more than one spot of bother

“He was in a spot of bother with other Guns, rushing about and spoiling their shooting” amused the whole time going over and over again all the details of the morning’s flight.

That evening, after supper, I had a chance to air my views and I said it was very good fun for him to pop down from London and shoot four geese coming in to feed in what should be their sanctuary, but I wondered if

“There were two choices of transport — Shanks’s pony or a pony and cart”

with other Guns when rushing from one spot to another, spoiling their shooting. The story is told of a big row with other goose shooters in a hotel one night when he said the one thing he wished to do was to creep along a dyke one moonlit night in the sanctuary, when thousands of geese were feeding, and fire a quick double with the 8-bore to see how many he could kill.

Knowing him as I did I would never have been surprised to hear that he had tried it. He never had the chance to shoot geese on the syndicate marshes again. The following year they were bought by the Holkham estate and the shooting of geese and wildfowl was stopped. Today they are watched over by the Nature Conservancy and the few pinkfeet and whitefronts that visit them in winter are left in peace.

This article was first published in the 7 November 1970 issue of Shooting Times.

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 43

Gundogs German shorthaired pointers are the breed to beat in the HPR Championships

It’s time to go on trial

D. TOMLINSON / ALAMY

November brings the prestigious championships for gundogs, with HPRs competing next week, then retrievers, says David Tomlinson NEXT WEEK THE HPR Championship returns to the Swinton estate at Masham in Yorkshire, where it will be held over the 13th and 14th. Last year’s contest was held at the same location and was won by Darryl Elliot’s German shorthaired pointer, FTCh Aytee Jumbo Jet of Islasbraw (Lewis).

Finding details of this year’s Championship was far from easy.

The Kennel Club usually issues a press release some months before to announce the venue, but did not do so this year. In mid-October there was not a mention of the event on the club’s website, while its press office failed to find the answer for me. Eventually, I asked Rory Major, who has been campaigning dogs in the HPR Championship longer than anyone else, and he confirmed that it was returning to Swinton, with Peter O’Driscoll and John Naylor judging.

Finding suitable ground for this Championship is a major challenge.

Two years ago the event was held on the Elveden estate in Suffolk, but a shortage of game made it exceedingly difficult for the dogs to impress the judges. Swinton is ideal, as it has a rich variety of terrain, including heather moorland. It is also easy to get to from either north or south, as it is close to Harrogate and the A1.

“FTCh Breeze of Drakeshead took the title in 1985, winning again in 1986 and 1987” What is intriguing is why the Kennel Club’s Emblehope and Burngrange estate has yet to be chosen as the venue for this event.

Bought by the club in March 2016, the 7,500-acre estate would seem to be the perfect location because like Swinton it has everything from

moorland to woodlands. The club describes the ‘stretching moorland’ as being “ideal for the pointing breeds to show off their hunting abilities to the full”.

Remote However, the estate has one major drawback: it is as remote a place to get to as anywhere in England, with the nearest town of any size, Hexham, 33 miles away. Accommodating locally the number of people who come to the Championship would be impossible. Had the club considered this when it bought the ground?

GSPs have often been the dogs to beat in the HPR Championship, though in both 2016 and 2017 the competition was won by a Hungarian wirehaired vizsla, and in 2014 a German longhaired pointer. This year’s has potentially seven different breeds taking part. Rory has qualified four dogs of four different breeds — a German wirehaired pointer, a wirehaired vizsla, a large

In association with Chudleys: over forty years of highly nutritious food for working dogs 44 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

www.chudleys.com DAVID’S VIEWPOINT

THE STRIPED MENACE Autumn’s sluggish wasps are more likely to sting

I

t’s a curious fact that more people — and no doubt more dogs — get stung by wasps in the months of October, November and December than they do in the summer. Autumn wasps are more sluggish, less likely to fly away if you disturb them and more prone to sting.

I was reminded of this when I received an email from reader Geoffrey Roy last month. He had been exercising his two springers in Thetford Forest when one of them disturbed a wasps’ nest. The wasps emerged in attack mode, with the result that one of his dogs was badly stung. The other escaped more lightly, though it was also stung, as was Geoff.

A wasp that feels threatened emits a pheromone that alerts others to its

stress, with the result that if you disturb a nest, scores or even hundreds might emerge to help. Unlike bees, wasps can sting repeatedly and, as we all know, the stings are extremely painful.

A mass attack by wasps can be very serious, in rare cases bringing on anaphylactic shock that, unless treated quickly, can result in death. A few years ago a friend died after disturbing a wasps’ nest while he was hedge trimming.

Though the air ambulance arrived quickly, it was too late to save him.

Dogs can also die from anaphylactic shock. Fortunately, Geoff’s spaniel didn’t do so, but the poor dog felt very sorry for himself for some time afterwards. Geoff did take him to the vet, though he reported that the latter wasn’t particularly helpful. If you or your dog are stung, wash around the sting or stings with soap and water and apply a cold compress. The sleeves used for cooling wine, and kept in the freezer, are ideal for this.

Spectators and handlers at the Retriever Championship; this year it is being held in Perthshire

Münsterlander and a Brittany.

Spectators are welcome at Swinton, with no need to preregister. Viewing is generally good, though go prepared for a long day on the hill and take your lunch with you.

Last year the threat of disruption by saboteurs forced the International Gundog League (IGL), organiser of the Retriever Championship, to insist that spectators registered in advance.

The event passed without disruption.

There’s a similar registration system for this year, from 25 to 27 November on the Glenalmond estate, Perthshire.

Instead of individuals having to register, spectators must log their cars: only registered vehicles will

be given entry to the ground. To qualify for a pass you either have to be a member of the IGL, or have your application supported by two IGL members, or an IGL member and KC panel judge, or two KC judges, or be a member of three or more affiliated societies.

Complicated It’s nearly as complicated as qualifying a dog for the championship itself. If you’re planning to hire a car, its registration must be emailed to the IGL as soon as possible.

Viewing for spectators at the championship is usually good and the event invariably attracts a large and

Unlike bees, wasps can sting repeatedly

In my early teens I discovered that the layers’ pellets I fed my ducks fitted perfectly into my .177 air rifle and when fired were accurate for up to about 8ft, so perfect for wasp shooting. I used to enjoy great sport shooting them, using windfall apples as bait. My best ever bag was 60 in an hour. I was rarely stung: shooting a wasp is much safer than swatting it.

Email: dhtomlinson@btinternet.com

international gallery — at the last one I went to, three years ago, I reckoned that at least 30 per cent of the people watching were from overseas. The Glenalmond estate should provide a wonderfully scenic and game-rich location for this year’s contest.

Last year’s winner was Billy Steel Jnr with his dog FTCh Harperrig Breac. The previous year’s champion automatically qualifies for the next event but successful defence of the title is exceedingly rare. The last dog to do so was John Halstead’s FTCh Breeze of Drakeshead, who won first in 1985, then successfully defended his title in 1986 and 1987.

Unlike the HPR Championship, which is organised and run by the Kennel Club, the Retriever Championship is the IGL’s responsibility. On the IGL’s website you will discover all the information you need if you plan to go, and you can also download a vehicle pass application form. This year’s judges are Keith Bedford, Lynn Mitchell, Damien Newman and Phil Parkins.

Next year the championship moves south when it returns to Ampton in Suffolk, where it was last held in 2016.

Make a note in your diary for the most prestigious event in the retriever trialling calendar.

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 45

46 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

Pheasant

Game Cookery

The flavoursome Chinese dish yuk sung is traditionally made with pork but works equally well with duck, pheasant or goose, says Tim Maddams Recipe kindly donated by Luke Tipping, winner of the first ever Midlands Chef of the Year award. He set up Simpsons restaurant in Edgbaston, Birmingham with fellow chef Andreas Antona in 2004. Within a year of opening, Simpsons had won a coveted Michelin star, which it maintains to this day.

Ingredients 500G MINCED PHEASANT 3 SPRING ONIONS CHOPPED 1 MEDIUM CARROT, PEELED AND FINELY DICED 12 WATER CHESTNUTS, CHOPPED 200G FINE FRENCH BEANS, CHOPPED 1 TSP FRESH GINGER, CHOPPED 3 CLOVES GARLIC, FINELY CHOPPED 200G CHOPPED BEANSPROUTS 100G SLICED SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS CHINESE RICE NOODLES OR PRAWN CRACKERS FOR THE SAUCE 4 TSP LIGHT SOY SAUCE 2 TSP OYSTER SAUCE 2 TSP HONEY 2 TSP SESAME OIL 2 TSP SHERRY

O

ne of the reasons I love what I do is that other chefs never fail to amaze me with their creativity. This, in turn, drives ny own. This recipe from top chef Luke Tipping is one of those.

I have cooked with pheasant and partridge in so many different ways that I thought I had pretty much seen it all, been there and eaten that. Then something like this comes along and blows you away with its simplicity, elegance and massive flavours. This is my kind of salad — lettuce on the outside, free-range spicy meat on the inside, it’s a win-win.

This super-traditional Chinese dish is usually made with pork, but it will work wonderfully with pheasant, partridge or even wild duck or goose, served as a lettuce wrap. You could shred some crunchy Chinese leaf and make this into rolls using soaked rice flour wrappers, commonly

“You could shred some Chinese leaf and put this in rolls using rice flour wrappers” available now at the larger supermarkets.

Any leftovers will work brilliantly in a lunch box and would certainly be a cut above your average sandwich.

I have used this recipe from Luke as a very different elevenses dish and it worked a treat. I simply fried the meat and kept it in an insulated tub – then whipped out a bag of washed lettuce leaves and away we went. A proper job.

For more about Luke Tipping visit simpsonsrestaurant.co.uk

PHEASANT YUK SUNG

THE METHOD Serves 4 as a starter or main Place minced pheasant in a bowl.

Add all the sauce ingredients and leave to marinate for an hour.

1

spring onions, carrots, garlic, ginger, the French beans, shiitake mushrooms and water chestnuts.

2

4

3

5

To prepare the lettuce, cut off the stalks and gently tease the leaves apart, wash in iced water and dry on kitchen paper.

Place a wok or frying pan on a high heat. When it is smoking, add the marinated pheasant, keeping it moving so it doesn’t burn. Add the

Fry for 2 minutes, add a splash of water and remove from the heat.

Spoon into serving dish and sprinkle with crushed prawn crackers or fried rice noodles.

Serve with flat bread, poppadoms, or keep some frozen puris to hand, so you can cook them as you need them.

PHOTO KINDLY DONATED BY JAMES MURPHY STUDIO

4 TSP CORNFLOUR The Country Food Trust has provided food to more than 250,000 people in need. It delivered in excess of 10,000 tonnes of game meat — pheasant and partridge — to charities between November 2018 and the end of January 2019, providing food for people in need.

DONATE NOW

USE THE DONATE BUTTON ON OUR WEBSITE WWW.THECOUNTRYFOODTRUST.ORG — DON’T FORGET TO GIFT AID IT TOO!

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SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 47

SPORTING ANSWERS The experts

Weather can affect accuracy in rifles but conditions don’t generally get cold enough here

THE ULTIMATE SHOOTING QUIZ TEAM BILL HARRIMAN BASC’s head of firearms and global authority on guns MAT MANNING Airgunner and journalist from the West Country 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 TONY BUCKWELL Veterinary surgeon with a special interest in gundogs TONY JACKSON A game Shot, keen stalker and former editor of Shooting Times TOM PAYNE Professional shooting instructor and avid pigeon shooter JEREMYHUNT

C. WARREN / S. ALLAN / A. HOOK / M. MANNING / H. MITCHELL / P. QUAGLIANA / ALAMY / GETTY IMAGES

Runs Fenway Labradors and a professional gundog trainer TIMMADDAMS Former head chef at River Cottage and runs a shoot in Devon SIMON WHITEHEAD Author, professional ferreter and rabbit controller IAIN WATSON Keen stalker and senior CIC international trophy judge

Contact the team Email: stanswers@ti-media.com By post: Shooting Times, Pinehurst 2, Farnborough Business Park, Hants GU14 7BF

Velocity change for winter RIFLES

Will cold weather affect the velocity of my .243 stalking rifle, and do I have to change zero during the winter months?

Here in Britain it is unlikely that winter temperatures will make any real difference to zero.

In terms of changes to velocity, in hot weather, the cartridges can get very hot and the pressure on firing can rise and therefore impact velocity.

In winter the same cartridge will be slower but dependent on other factors — such as altitude and air pressure/ density — which will all make a small degree of velocity change and therefore

48 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

trajectory shift. For example, I tested some .223, .243 and .308 bullets packed in snow to see the change.

At normal ranges up to 200 yards, I only had variations of 50fps to 100fps, resulting in no more than 0.5in to 1in variation maximum dependent on bullet weight. At greater distances yes, a bigger correction would be needed.

Try it yourself with a cooler bag or snow and shoot your rifle and ammunition combination at your normal ranges so that you can see the difference. The real trouble comes if you reload in winter and the cartridge pressure is OK — if you then shoot the same ammunition on a hot summer day you will find that the pressure will increase excessively. BP

Expert tips and advice

No licence required FIREARMSLAW

Am I correct in thinking that an old Webley & Scott 12-bore to .410 adapter still does not need to be held on a licence of any sort?

Chamber reducers are not covered by the certification regime because they are not “relevant component parts” of a firearm. As the gun will still function without them, they are merely

accessories. The only accessories that need to go on a certificate are sound moderators or flash hiders.

The Webley & Scott 12-bore to .410 adapter was specially made for use with the Webley Model 100 singlebarrel shotgun. However, these adaptors can be used in any other model of 12-bore shotgun providing it is neither a semi-automatic nor a pump-action.

Parker-Hale and Turner Richards have offered similar adapters. BH

Native Britain

Plants, flowers and fungi of Great Britain at a glance Latin name: Lonicera periclymenum Common name: Honeysuckle Other names: Woodbine, eglantine, bearbind

Wild boar beginnings WILDLIFE

When did wild boar first re-colonise the UK? Between the early 1980s and 1990s more than 60 wild boar farms existed throughout the country and escapees were frequently reported. It was not until 1987 — the year of the Great Storm — that a major escape from a boar farm in Tenterden, Kent, led to the establishment of a viable, breeding population of boar living in the wild.

Nocturnal and secretive, these animals were seldom seen, but increasing reports of agricultural damage, vehicle accidents and wild boar being shot confirmed the presence of a viable and expanding population.

Releases from wild boar farms by animal rights activists fanned the flames so that today wild boar are once again firmly established countrywide. A successful species worldwide, wild boar can adapt to most conditions, have multiple births and are prolific breeders. TJ

The Great Storm of 1987 allowed boar to escape from a farm in Kent

How to spot it and where to find it: Weaving through shrubs and trees in woodland and along hedgerows, honeysuckle is easily identified in the summer months by its sweet-scented tubular flowers, which are followed by red berries.

Interesting facts: Though it is deciduous, some varieties of honeysuckle keep their old leaves over winter. The glossy berries provide food for birds, including thrushes, warblers and bullfinches.

Dormice rely on honeysuckle for shelter and food, building their nests from the bark and feasting on the nectar-rich flowers.

It was once believed that if honeysuckle grew round your door, it would bring you good luck and prevent evil spirits from entering your home. It has also long been a symbol of fertility, to the extent that in Victorian times young girls were banned from bringing honeysuckle indoors. It was feared that the strong scent of the flowers might give them suggestive dreams.

It has expectorant and laxative properties; a syrup made from the flowers has been used in the treatment of respiratory diseases.

Herbalist Nicholas Culpeper wrote: “It is a herb of Mercury, and appropriated to the lungs… if the lungs be afflicted by Jupiter, this is your cure. I know no better cure for the asthma than this.”

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 49

SPORTING ANSWERS

Try tempting Don’t give dogs ibuprofen treats for rats VETERINARYCARE

AIRGUNS

I have been shooting a few rats during night sessions with my airgun, but I find it hard to keep them still. I have read about shooters using baits to stops rats from fidgeting around and thought I would give it a try.

What are the best things to use?

Laying a pile of bait on a busy rat-run is a great way to keep these skittish rodents still while you line up for a shot. The important thing is to use either liquid bait or very fine particles so the rats have to stop and lap them up. Offer rats large chunks of food and they will simply grab them and dart back into cover.

My favourite offering is liquidised cat food but it is messy to prepare and makes the kitchen stink.

If you want a sweeter-smelling option, try blending peanut butter, cocoa powder or sweetcorn — or a combination — with sunflower oil to make a runny bait. Coffee granules, small fishing pellets and chocolate spread can also be effective and a friend of mine swears by barbecue sauce. It pays to experiment because what works on one farm doesn’t always work on another. MM

I notice that our Labrador, as he gets older, is starting to have difficulty getting up on his legs first thing in the morning. This was especially noticeable after he had been for a long walk the previous day and we are now limiting his exercise. I was wondering if there is anything I could give him to help relieve his discomfort, such as the ibuprofen tablets that I take myself for this purpose?

I would not recommend giving your dog ibuprofen.

Unfortunately, people tend to assume that a safe, over-the-counter medicine for humans will also be safe to use for their pets and as a consequence a number of animals are poisoned when their owner attempts treatment.

Ibuprofen, while safe for human consumption, can be toxic to dogs and cats.

Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID). These drugs inhibit an enzyme called

non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor, which means it inhibits all types of cyclooxygenase, including enzymes involved in producing substances required in normal body functions.

In this respect, ibuprofen interferes with the production of chemicals necessary to maintain the blood supply to the stomach and kidneys.

Dogs — and particularly cats — are much more sensitive to these issues than people and as a consequence ibuprofen has a very narrow safety margin in dogs and is far too toxic to be used to relieve pain in cats.

Ibuprofen toxicity causes ulceration of the stomach, which leads to vomiting, with or without blood, appetite loss and/or stools that are black from digested blood. It also reduces the blood flow to the kidneys, which can result in damage to kidney cells and, ultimately, kidney failure.

Kidney damage may be temporary or permanent depending on how much ibuprofen was ingested and how healthy the animal’s kidneys were before poisoning.

The message is never give

Do not be tempted to give your dog iboprufen, as it can result in kidney failure

Liquid baits are best as they will keep the rats in one place, allowing you to take a shot

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50 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

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Expert tips and advice

Three cheers — or not

Woodpigeons have little reason to migrate, as there is plenty of food available

GAMECOOKING

I have shot a pheasant, a mallard and a teal and would like to make a three-bird roast. I’m quite new to game cookery and don’t want to waste my hard-won birds. Can you give me some advice?

It is always great to hear about how people are planning on using what they have shot to best effect. The three-bird roast is a timeless classic — the birds all boned out completely and stuffed, like Russian dolls, one inside the other, tied up and then roasted.

It is a massive faff and all the hard work invested doesn’t really pay you back.

First, the flavours get a bit confused and that seems a shame.

Secondly, the cooking time required to make sure the middle bird is safely cooked and tasty often means that the outer bird gets overcooked and dry. Thirdly, the result depends on the slice you get — if you are unlucky you can end up with a plate full of connective tissues, skin and sinew — not so much of a treat.

But if that hasn’t put you off and you are still determined to cook a three-bird roast, my advice is to slow cook the whole birds and then brown and crisp the outside a little once everything is moist and tender inside. Ultimately, though, my advice is to roast each bird separately on the bone and serve them like that. TM

Tim Maddams has made a three-bird roast, but says the birds are best cooked separately

Woodies on the move PIGEON

This year I have seen several thousands of woodpigeons flying south, very high, in one day.

Where are they likely to have come from, and where are they going?

It has long been thought that the UK’s woodpigeon population is largely sedentary, with individual birds rarely moving far from where they were hatched. This theory is based on ringing recoveries, where the average distance between the site where ringed and recovery is only just 5km. However, there’s a lot still to be learned about the humble woodie. The movements you describe are a regular feature on the east coast of Britain in late autumn,

Bird of the week It looks as if this has been a good breeding season for knot; my September Twitter feed was filled with plenty of pictures of confiding youngsters, newly arrived from Canada and Greenland.

but their origins and destination remain a mystery.

The most plausible theory is that these migrating flocks are of FennoScandinavian origin, migrating south to France and Spain for the winter. As they are such strong fliers, they head straight over the UK, with no reason to pause nor rest. There are few recoveries of birds ringed in Europe, but this may also reflect that only small numbers have been ringed.

I have seen big flocks of woodpigeon feeding on acorns in the dehesas of Extremadura in Spain. Though Spain does have a small resident population, most of these birds will be migrants from northern Europe. Our own birds have no reason to migrate as food is plentiful throughout the winter. DT

by Graham Appleton

A knot is a mediumsized wader, weighing about 140g; the same as three dunlin. By now, juvenile knot will have joined up with the adults to create swirling high-tide flocks over our estuaries.

A knot (left) in winter plumage with sanderling, which are similar

KNOT Wintering numbers in Britain and Ireland have dropped rapidly over the past decade but one really good breeding season can boost numbers.

Hopefully, Wetland Bird Survey volunteers will report a positive difference when they submit their monthly counts to the British Trust for Ornithology.

Soon knot will shed their grey winter plumage and take on summer russet hues, as they fatten up for the return journey across the Atlantic.

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 51

SPORTIN

RS When starting a young dog ferreting, let the dog see the rabbit to honour its mark

Breeding dilemma GUNDOGS

I want to breed from my bitch by a field trial champion. I bred her myself but her dam was hard to handle and this bitch is even hotter.

She has loads of drive and ability but I’m struggling to find an oldfashioned type of dog that is good at his job and easily handled, and has all the required health tests.

What do you recommend?

Training a puppy for ferreting FERRETING

My puppy is now 10 months old and I am keen to get her out ferreting — but I do not want to spoil her. What is the safest way to start her ferreting, and is she too young?

You are right in questioning the age at which you start your dog ferreting. Each dog is individual but when starting your dog off, try to make it as relaxing and stress free for her as possible. To be realistic, the training starts the day you pick up your puppy; you simply have to carefully let the dog physically and mentally grow up.

Every time I start off a dog, I learn something new from my mistakes. Not only do you need to be patient, but you must also maintain a good attitude

while doing so. Your youngster will, like any dog, notice a change in your demeanour. You want her to be able to pick up good habits quickly without picking up bad ones.

After getting your dog used to seeing, smelling and being around your ferrets, it will be time to put all of your obedience training to the test. Always start in short periods on warrens where you are going to show your dog a rabbit or two. In an ideal world, you want your youngster to see or chase a rabbit down a warren to kick-start its marking.

You must then honour this mark by introducing the ferrets and producing a rabbit for the dog to see, and let the cycle cement itself inside the dog’s head. But you must be careful not to overtax a young dog’s body and brain.

Keep the lessons short and always finish on a positive note. SW

Anyone looking for proven working bloodlines that combine health testing is almost forced to turn to sires bred for and competing in field trials. However, it’s obvious to anyone watching today’s field trials that these dogs are in the hands of those who train them to meet a set of judging criteria.

It’s up to the individual to decide if what they see on the trial field is what they want in a dog of their own.

There are well-bred working Labradors standing at stud in the UK that are not field trial dogs but are health-tested, but you will need to do your research to locate and assess them in terms of using them on your own bitch.

We all see good dogs working on shoots but they may not bring much to the table in terms of their pedigree and are even less likely to be health tested. However, if a good dog does come to your notice and his pedigree is acceptable to you, there is always the option of approaching the owner to discuss the possibility of undertaking hip and elbow X-rays and an eye test. JH

Do cock birds take poults?

GAMEKEEPING

I know people who swear that old cock pheasants take off poults. Having seen old birds with poults with them a lot this year, I wondered if there was any truth in it. What is your opinion?

Personally, I doubt it. People like to have something to blame when poults wander, and cock

pheasants make useful scapegoats.

A cock bird that has lived in the same wood and roosted in the same tree for at least the past 12 months isn’t going to suddenly decide to wander off his patch with a load of poults.

A more likely scenario is that the poults follow him going about his daily business, then get distracted by something and forget their way home while he has safely headed back to his tree. LB

52 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

It can be difficult to find a working dog that has been been health-tested — don’t be afraid to ask

Expert tips and advice

These ticks were found in the groin area of a sika stag

Deer and ticks STALKING

With all the current media interest in the risk that ticks pose to us through Lyme disease and other nasties they carry, I wonder if they cause similar problems to their animal hosts, particularly deer?

I have seen a fair number of ticks on deer but never any signs of problems.

While I’m not sure about Lyme disease in deer, I can confirm that deer do react to some bites from ticks and that this can lead to noticeable infection sites around the bites. Last month, when culling muntjac in southern England, I saw a number of animals with

significant areas of redness and swelling around attached ticks, some of which appeared to still be feeding but also around some that looked to have expired.

A young male muntjac had a visible tick burden — there were more than 50, so goodness knows how many at the nymph stage were present.

Anecdotally, the incidence of ticks in the south seems to be on the increase, so it’s best to take necessary precautions before and after outings, thoroughly checking both yourself and canine companions.

It is a also a good idea to make sure your family and loved ones are aware of the risk to them and that they also check for unwanted visitors. IW

TO CATCH A FISH

Crossword / Compiled by Eric Linden / 1429 Across 4 Competition decider in which Guns make a hasty exit? (5-3) 7 Fruity-sounding set of clay targets! (4) 9 An act of avoidance allows penned animals to get out (6) 10 The sporting operator is a mannerly man, in short (5) 11 Some fish give a certain quality to gun-cleaning rags (4) 12 Crouching down around a large young wildfowl (8) 13 The horse race ensures more of a level playing field in clay shooting (8) 15 One of the hunt staff might lash out! (4) 16 I make a killing in the Inner Hebrides! (5)

17 The mountain feature is an informal must-see for many TV soap lovers (6) 18 Catty about a Finnish rifle? (4) 19 The market leader in barrels is wrong about country rovers (8)

Down 1 The decoy machine is revolutionary! (6) 2 Spy a burrower (4) 3 Charm is required to request a review of shotgun certificate revocation (6) 5 Catering for shoot guests at an NHS facility — pity there’s no parking (11) 6 From the apartment ceiling, it goes to some shooters’ heads (4,3)

Solution 1427 / 23 October 2019 Across: 7. November 8. Lyme 9. Safety 10. Let-off 12. Scope 14. Unloads 16. Stirrup 17. Small 19. Master 20. Trilby 22. Team 23. Woodcock Down: 1. Nova Scotia 2. Cere

8 Something bringing more fervour to one’s image (11) 12 Sika gather around a shy pigeon shooter (7) 14 A quality gun specification we sort of exclude without the city chief (6) 15 The bawler is disturbed by bird song (6) 17 The gun component might get in our hair (4)

3. Obeys 4. Ireland 5. Platform 6. Leaf 11. Fiddleback 13. Part-time 15. Burrows 18. Stool 19. Matt 21. Inch MYSTERY WORD: LAYOUT WINNER: A. COGGON, LINCOLNSHIRE

Wobbler lure The wobbler bait is attributed to James Heddon, a beekeeper from Michigan, in the late 19th century.

The story goes he was whittling a piece of wood and chucked

it into a pond where a bass struck it due to its wobbling motion. Since then it has been developed and is one of the most used lures in the US today.

How to enter To enter our crossword competition, identify the word in the shaded squares and you could win a Fur Feather & Fin Anti-Corrosive gun sleeve (suitable for barrels up to 32in).

Cut out this coupon and send to: Shooting Times Crossword No 1429, Shooting Times, Pinehurst 2, Farnborough Business Park, Hants GU14 7BF Name: Address:

Postcode: Tel no: Mystery word: Rules: Entries must be received by 13 November 2019. All usual conditions apply.

Solution and winner will appear in the 20 November 2019 issue. Photocopies accepted.

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 53

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56 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

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when replying to adverts SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 57

Alasdair Mitchell

Sharpshooter

People are feeding animals in Zimbabwe and a park is culling hippos, so how much land would be needed for rewilding in the crowded UK?

H

ow much land do you need for a proper rewilding scheme?

Unlike carefully managed private game reserves of the sort I examined recently (Sharpshooter, 23 October), Africa’s national parks cover huge swathes of territory. Big enough to hold a truly self-sustaining ecosystem.

Yet supplementary feeding isn’t restricted to fenced game reserves. My eye was caught by a small story in the Daily Telegraph: “Hay trucked in to save Zimbabwe’s elephants.” Written by a journalist with the wonderfully apt name of Roland Oliphant, it described how an organisation called Vets for Animal Welfare Zimbabwe (VAWZ) had trucked in 9,000 bales of hay to Mana Pools, a national park in the north of the country, to prevent elephants from dying of starvation during the current drought.

About 20 elephants have already died in the locality during the past month. Carole Deschuymere, who works closely with VAWZ, said: “A lot of baby elephants are being born prematurely, and the mothers don’t have enough milk to feed them.

The zebra foals also are being born now.

Without the hay they would all just die.”

In other words, let’s not just leave it to nature. That would be beastly.

Tinashe Farawo, a spokesman for Zimparks, Zimbabwe’s national wildlife authority, has said that country’s current elephant population, about 85,000, is more than double the ecological carrying capacity. The drought conditions currently affecting northern Zimbabwe have exacerbated the underlying problem.

You can understand why well-meaning activists are desperately trying to feed the animals. But I wonder how many of these

“Local people are dying during the drought but you don’t seem to hear so much about them” same people are exponents of rewilding.

How do they imagine elephant numbers are controlled naturally during droughts that periodically sweep through parts of Africa?

When faced with poor food supplies, female animals begin to show reduced fertility. But long before that mechanism kicks in, individual animals will die of starvation. That’s nature in action. Yet can you imagine the outcry if western

ecotourists found themselves watching starving big game from the comfort of their luxury safari lodges?

Local people are also dying during the drought but you don’t seem to hear so much about them. Thirsty elephants raid water tanks built by subsistence farmers, so conflict is inevitable. At least 22 people have been killed by elephants in Zimbabwe so far this year.

Even the biggest parks are not big enough. In 2016, rangers in South Africa’s Kruger National Park — which is about the size of Wales — resorted to culling hippos and buffalo to curb overgrazing. If nowhere in Africa is big enough to allow a ‘balance of nature’ to prevail without human intervention, what is the reality of rewilding portions of the overcrowded UK?

Political football The day after MPs voted to hold an election on 12 December, political analyst James Kirkup wrote in The Times: “A significant drag on the Conservative vote in 2017 was a group of viral issues… which persuaded many voters not to back the Tories. Fox hunting was chief among them.”

Will fieldports be used as a political football this time round? We can only hope not.

DOG BY KEITH REYNOLDS

SHOOTINGTIMES & COUNTRYMAGAZINE,ISSN 0037-4164,is published weekly,incorporating Shooting Magazine,Shooting Life,British Sportsman,TheAngler’s News & Sea Fisher’sJournal and Field Sport,byTI Media Ltd, 3rd floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London, England E14 9AP, United Kingdom. © 2019 TI Media Ltd. Contributions are welcome but must be accompanied by a suitable stamped addressed envelope. Publication of accepted articles is not guaranteed, and the publishers will not be held liable for any manuscripts, photographs or other materials lost or damaged while in their possession, though every care will be taken.The Editor reserves the right to amend any such articles as necessary. Shooting Times & Country Magazine, as part of TI Media Ltd, is committed to supporting the editorial standards of Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Distributed by Marketforce (UK) Ltd, a TI Media Ltd company, 2nd Floor, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU Tel: +44 (0)20 378 79001. Printed by Walstead UK Ltd. Registered as a newspaper for transmission in the United Kingdom. Subscription rates for 52 issues: UK — £143.

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