I Shoot and Fish E-zine December 2012

MOST READ ONLINE SHOOTING AND FISHING MAGAZINE

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine A collection of stories from around the web

DECEMBER 2012

A Christmas Ramble Page 8

Page 30

Reasons For Actively Managing Mountjec Part 2 Page 14 Ballyward Shoot Review Page 10

Team Wild TV Page 20

Farmed Salmon Exposed Page 35 Country Pursuits TV Page 37

The Hares Dabbler Page 41 How To Release A Fish Page 22

Poaching & Illegal Trophy Hunting Page 45

Hywel Morgan Page 46 Ivory Knives In The Afghan Night Page 48 King Of The Burrow Page 29

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Stop The Supersized Farms Page 33

A Fly Fisher Lady’s Life Page 53

Davie Mc Phail Page 55 Carol And Alex Fishing Page 56

Fields Sports Channel TV Page 57 Novembers Day Page 64 The Rural Oscars Page 54

Airgun TV Page 60 Cookshill Fly Tying Partridge Skin –Review Page77

Catch of The Week Page 79

Have Guns Will Travel Part 3 & 4 Page 72

Hunter Vermin Page 83

Irish Red Grouse Association Page 85 The Shooting Show Page 87 Bird Hunting In Kenya Page 75

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I Shoot and Fish is a digital magazine from I Shoot and Fish.ie. All rights reserved. I Shoot and Fish its agents, officers and employees accept no responsibility for injuries or damages that may result from information, or interpretation of such, in articles or advertisements herein. Articles and advertisements may not specifically include all relevant and established safe practices, which always should be followed. Consult a particular gun’s owner’s manual or a qualified gunsmith before shooting any gun or ammunition.

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Editors Notes Well it’s that time of year again. Well almost anyway.

What’s on your wish list for Christmas? New rod/gun/ dog. Yap we are all the same, dreaming of all the things we want but either can’t have or can’t afford. For me it would be a 243 and to go fishing and shooting in some far off places. But alas this year I don’t think it will happen. Though I am still playing the lotto every week!

I really love Christmas more so now that I have a young son and Santa is once again delivering his presents. It also stirs up memories of old from my days living with my parents. Dad would be out hunting in the freezing cold with snow underfoot and mum would be at home cooking dinner with a roaring fire and enough heat to heat a small country. Dad would arrive home after dark maybe with some funny bird under his arm and the gun in the other cold, probably wet and always hungry. He would still and tell me about his days hunting and how some day when I was old enough I could come to. Talk about wishing your life away. I’d dream of what it must be like.

In those days there was no internet so you couldn’t just go onto you tube and watch a days hunting. Now it seems I am the father and it’s up to me to make the memories for my son about Christmas time and hunting I can only hope I make as good a job as my father did with me.

From all of us at I Shoot and Fish E-zine we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a very happy peaceful New Year. May 2013 bring everything you hope it would and more!

http://youtu.be/vc5dKqoFtKk

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A Christmas Ramble By Anthony Baggott

Christmas is a funny time of the year for me, I like and dislike it at the same time .I like the sense of joy I see in kids faces ,I hate the commercial shop fest and all the falseness I see all around me. My unvarying routine is to finish work early on Christmas Eve, and call around to visit my old home place and family. After cup of tea I will take the gun and go for a long walk ,my head full of memories of every field I traverse ,every ditch I cross ,every thicket I wander by. The river I follow brings memories of my first shot at a pair of mallard that rose by the big beech tree on its banks .I can still feel the chunky handguard of the Stephens single barrel with the stiff hammer and the powerful ejector spring. I can still see the curl in the tail of the drake before the pellets from the yellow Sun 7 hit him hard. The river has been drained and the fast riffling water has become a canal ,where trout don’t linger or find enough sustenance to grow now .I find this sad because my dad fished these waters when trout ,small but feisty ,hopped to his crude flies ,free lined down the fast current. I wryly smiled, remembering a phrase he used often “You can be a lucky angler, you can't be a lucky shooter”… …. The geography hasn’t changed much in this intensely rural area ,but some old houses I used to drop into to exchange Christmas greetings have closed ,their owners dead and gone .I wouldn’t count myself as at all religious but I say a prayer ,or remembrance ,or something ,for my friends who are gone.

I usually don’t load the gun on this ramble, and enjoy the look on Brackens face as he works hard to put up a wily cock within range, and I salute him with a dry fire.

Maybe it’s a practical consideration of having too much food to get through, over the holiday period ,but I think its probably that I'm getting soft in my old age. I walk by the piece of ground that once was the famous Closh, the scene of my most prolific duck flight many years ago. It has fallen foul of the big yellow machines, and the only sign of it ever having existed is the deep ruler straight drain that cuts across it. My walk takes me past a thicket of furs where I shot my first fox on the first outing with the Baikal over and under on a late August day .Having traded my single barrel I took possession of this weapon, which grew to be an extension of me, and this fox on my first outing, was the beginning of a long happy relationship with this excellent make .I shot well with it, sometimes even surprising myself .I shot game and clays, working it hard. I once put a 100 plus shells through it on a hot afternoon at a clay bird competition, coming home with a lighter pocket, third prize, a bruised shoulder and a baddish burn from a barrel that was very very hot. I couldn’t praise that Russian marquee enough.

I walk through a field of grass that once was a field of turnips .One Novembers day a wild Labrador burst ahead of myself and my brother to flush so many pheasants we stood paralysed, as they rose squawking out of range .I have never seen so many birds in the air since, suffice to say the said labs parentage was called into question severely.

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As the evening shadows lengthen I pass the old mill, now ivy covered ruins and remember the woodcock that flitted from the ivy this day one year ago. I reflect on the year past, the things good, the things bad, but at least I am still here to walk the same route. As I pass a copse of straggly pine trees I remember the bone chilling Christmas eve of three years ago when I walked in snow up to the top of my wellingtons and the temperature e on the car gauge hovered at minus 9 when I got back to its comfort .The pine trees were covered with snow drifts, which dislodged as a pigeon left their cover with an airburst of wings which sounded loud in the eerily still silent countryside of that wondrous Christmas eve.

I made my way up through some bog gardens ,along a pass by Patsy wood and the memories of a day when a young troubled ,horrendously hung over young man rested and mopped his brow, sitting on a big rock, with daddies Lancaster resting on my knees. The now middle-aged man sat on the same rock and reflected: life has taught me many lessons in between; not least that being hung-over is not a great idea! As I sat and reminisced a hare loped out of the wood ,froze on his hind legs and regarded me curiously for a second before Bracken was out of the traps .I whistled him to drop, which he did ,a look of agony in his eyes at having to abandon a chase on an other wise disappointing outing.

Darkness was now falling and I looked up at a cold grey sky, with a full moon beginning to rise and I turned and headed towards home, my head full of memories.

The hoarse cry of a fox caused a pheasant roosting to answer him, in fright. Patting the old dog ,faithful companion and loyal friend ,I looked down towards the valley floor where the lights were beginning to twinkle on .I shouldered the gun ,straightened my shoulders and headed towards where the lights twinkled the brightest.

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Shoot Review: Ballyward Lodge Shoot, Co. Down

by Brian Mc Mahon Many traditional shooters have great difficulty understanding the appeal of driven game shooting. They may have seen pheasants walking placidly around a shooting estate and imagine that all it involves is shooting tame birds or feel that they will entering an alien world where everyone wears tweed and plus fours, has a handlebar moustache and carries an old English sidelock. Those of us who have had the pleasure of experiencing it know it is a challenging sport that is truly addictive with only the cost preventing most of us from doing a lot more.

It was to County Down that my intrepid of roving guns travelled this year for our annual trip North of the Border. Nestled in the heart of the county is the little Hamlet of Ballyward home of Ballyward Lodge Shoot. With a relaxed atmosphere and genial hosts the shoot is a great introduction for anyone keen to experience this exciting side of game shooting. Like every new business establishing a shoot takes time and a certain amount of experimentation with drives and positioning of guns in essential to maximise the potential of the grounds. Ballyward has wisely decided to keep this year’s season a mixture of walked up and driven days catering for smaller groups of guns. They can offer a minimum bag of 30 birds for between 3 & 5 guns which gives everyone in the team a chance of good shooting that will not break the bank. The walked up option gives guns a chance to experience some driven birds mixed with more traditional rough shooting where birds are hunted from woods and cover with spaniels.

The shoot is the brainchild of Naoimh McConville and Gavin McAteer. Naoimh’s family have owned the estate for over a decade and whilst some pheasants were released, no significant shooting took place on the grounds until this year. Gavin is well known in trialling circles and they have come very formidable team. The estate comprises around 300 acres of wonderful land featuring areas of heavy cover, mature woodland, open pasture and a good size lake (containing pike) that is Ballyward Lough. http://www.facebook.com/BallywardShoot

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To the south east are the Mourne Mountains which gives a wonderful backdrop to your days shooting. Over the course of 2012 a huge effort was put in to prepare for this seasons shooting with pens constructed, fencing erected, rides cut through cover, drains bridged and a shoot room converted in the stone stable block.

One of the huge benefits we have seen from the Celtic tiger has been the great improvements to our road network. Our trip from deepest Clare to Down took just over 3 hours with us never having to leave motorway. Consequently Ballyward is very accessible from all parts of the country and with Banbridge and Castlewellan located close-by there is a good range of local Hotels and B&B’s to choose from We decided to stay in Banbridge and a 10 minutes drive took us the gate lodge that marks the entrance to the estate. A winding driveway through a canopy of trees opens to reveal the 18th Century Ballyward House. On arriving we were pleasantly surprised to see extensive construction work being undertaken on the outbuildings behind the main house. Being from the south we had almost forgotten what construction work looked like!! Naoimh's father, Brian (The well known local business man) plans to refurbish some of the existing estate houses and hopes in the near future to be able provide accommodation for visiting guns. This is a great advantage to have as one is never sure of the welcome you will receive when you roll up to your hotel with a 12 bore under your arm! Naoimh greeted us warmly and took us through to the shoot room for coffee and home made scones. After meeting Gavin we were treated to a very professional power point presentation on the plan for the day and the usual (and essential) safety talk. As they succinctly put it “if it flies it dies” Having opted for a combination walked up/driven day and a short stroll took us to our first walked up area. The weather leading up to our visit had been extremely wet but the ground was reasonably dry and relatively easy going. We began by walking through an area of thickish cover with a good showing of pheasants and my first barrel of the day brought down a fine hen. I always love to get my first bird in the bag and by doing so put those nagging doubts about your shooting ability to bed. All of the guns saw good action with birds both falling and flying on to fight another day. As we were only the third group through it gave our hosts an opportunity to try some new drives and we more than willing to participate in these experiments. A second section of woodland adjoining the lake was driven towards us with 3 guns positioned at the end of the drive and a walking gun taking care of any stragglers escaping to the land side. I was the end gun at the lake and took 3 great 40 yard+ birds with my first 3 shots before losing my way somewhat and missing a few howlers! Nothing like a few misses to bring one back down to Earth with a bang. Literally!

http://www.facebook.com/BallywardShoot

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A big part of enjoying any day’s shooting is watching dog’s working and Ballyward is fortunate in having superbly trained hunting and retrieving dogs available to them on shoot days. On our visit there was a great variety of both Cocker and Springer spaniels hunting the heavier cover with Retrievers and Labradors handling the picking up. Some superb retrieves were performed on pricked birds and ones that had fallen into heavy reed on the edge of the lake. A special word of thanks to the dog handlers who were to a man most courteous and who added to our enjoyment immensely.

The remainder of our day followed a similar path with a mixture of walking and driven birds and our day finished with us easily exceeding our bag. Amongst the plans for the coming season is the introduction of some duck drives which should be spectacular as the ground rises quite steeply away from the lake. We also encountered a single woodcock on the day but with given the suitability of the cover available I would envisage plenty more now that their annual migration is well under way.

One of the things that really impressed us was the concern shown by our hosts to ensure we were having an enjoyable day. We were in no doubt, that they had our interests at heart and they were keen to get our honest opinion on how the day went and on their performance. Many other shoots and indeed businesses of all sorts could learn a lot from this attitude.

Our day ended with post shoot drinks in front of a roaring log fire and what better way to unwind than with a wee dram of good Scotch after an enjoyable day’s shooting. Ballyward has a very bright future and given the commitment shown by all involved in the organising and running of the day we would have no hesitation in recommending it as a sporting destination. For all you die hard rough shooters, go on give it a go, you might just enjoy it!!!

For further details contact Naoimh or Gavin on 07749119973 or 07894569549 or by email on ballywardshoot@hotmail.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/BallywardShoot

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Reasons For Actively Managing Muntjac Deer part 2 by IanB DEER CONTROL OPTIONS Reintroduction of European Predators – Nationally it has been suggested that the reintroduction of natural predators such as Wolves, Bears and Lynx could manage deer numbers. Unfortunately these predatory animals would find it easier to kill domestic livestock, pets or just go through our bins, they are also very dangerous to humans who encounter them!” (Peter Carney, Wildlife writer and former British Deer Society Chairman, from his book Roe Deer Management).

Immuno-Contraception – Environmental groups that oppose deer culling have lobbied governments in both the USA and Europe to come up with a more humane manner of deer population control. Scientists have therefore experimented with a wide range of deer contraception methods. The ethical criteria for their various techniques are:• All methods must be reversible • Ideally administered in a single application • Administered remotely with minimum trauma to the animal • Should have a controllable period of effectiveness extending up to the life expectancy of individuals of that species.

• Should either not interfere with pregnancy and lactation or be an effective pregnancy termination agent • Should not adversely affect social behaviour • Should have an acceptable incidence of morbidity Unfortunately for the scientist these criteria have made their work difficult and expensive. Experiments on herds of park deer that are contained within a small range and have no contact with wild deer, are promising. However with wild deer such as Muntjac the chances of the 80% success rate that is required to achieve population control is all but impossible. The reasons for this are:• Male contraception has the effect that the subjects loose territory to fertile males that are actively sought out by female Muntjac and brought into their territories.

• This situation causes greater aggression from the male deer and leads to more injuries sustained in fights.

• Female deer that have to go looking for fertile males will have delayed pregnancies and are liable to miss the window of opportunity to raise healthy fawns. Delayed fawns may be born in winter and are more likely to die of cold and starvation.

• Administering the correct single dosage to the correct number of deer (male or female) without accidental double dosing or missing deer out completely would be all but impossible. This would require the rounding up and containing of wild animals that are quite able to under these stressful conditions inflict serious injuries on each other or personnel involved in the round up and contraception administration.

• The time and the amount of personnel required the price of the drugs and the general logistics required would make this a very expensive gamble that would contravene many of the ethical guidelines.

http://www.thehuntinglife.com

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• Immuno-Contraception will not address the problems of deaths and injuries of deer victims in road traffic accidents, natural disease and birth defects, injuries from poaching i.e.-gun shot, crossbow bolt or snare wounds, dog attacks or injuries sustained by males during territorial fights.

Chemical Repellents There are two methods of applying chemical repellents in order to reduce deer damage: • Scent barriers The use of repellents to form a barrier that deer will not willingly cross. The repellent is sprayed around the perimeter of an area that you wish to protect, i.e. a coppice or stand of Blue Bells.

• Browsing deterrents The repellent is sprayed liberally onto a coppiced stump or around the base and branches of a sapling, to form a noxious taste in the mouth of the browsing deer.

All well and good! Unfortunately there is only one chemical repellent approved for use with the UK under the Control of Pesticides Regulations (1986). The Repellent is known as Renradine and in tests; it appeared to be ineffective against deer.

Other direct feeding repellents such as Aaprotect, Scuttle and Curb, all worked well in tests; but required regular application due to rainwater diluting or washing it off completely. The cost of these chemicals is prohibitive. For commercial forestry it was deemed cheaper to use individual tree protection.

Other methods that have been tried include: – Lion dung, human hair, commercial bird scarers, and Jeyes Fluid all to no avail.

http://www.thehuntinglife.com

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In conclusion there are no chemical repellents licensed in the UK that will effectively reduce deer damage in agriculture, forestry or conservation. Chemical barriers, as with all the stated controls, have no effect on the excessive deer population nor address deer welfare issues.

Permanent Fencing The exclusion of deer entirely would seem a rather draconian measure, but its advantages and disadvantages should be explored:The Advantages • Removing the deer population completely from the site would allow the rapid natural regeneration of coppice and plant life.

• If a sound maintenance regime for fence repairs is implemented, the normal life expectancy of the fence would be in the region of ten years.

The Disadvantages • To effectively exclude deer from Wood A this would require the perimeter of the 210 acre site to be fenced off with a 1.8 metre high fence constructed of heavy duty wire stock fencing, doubled up to create the appropriate height. The fence would be supported with high tensile spring steel wire and linked together with spiral lashing rods.

The lower fence should be of 75mm hexagonal mesh, the upper fence of 150mm mesh. Deer fencing should be able to withstand the largest deer found in the area.

Fallow and Roe deer are found in and around Wood A and therefore I have specified the fence height for the exclusion of Fallow and added the 75mm lower fence for the purpose of excluding Muntjac Deer. The fence would be suspended between 2.5 metre high wooden or steel posts/poles at approximately 2 metre intervals with extra bracing posts and gates required at designated areas. (As recommended by the Forestry Commission Bulletin 102 Forest Fencing).

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• The erecting of the fence is cost prohibitive and inappropriate on aesthetic grounds. (£8 to £10 per metre, deer gate £330, not including labour).

• Conservation groups have carried several surveys on the effects of deer proof fencing on woodland bird life. Thousands of birds die each year from collisions with this fencing. The species that would be most at risk in Wood A would be the Tawny, Barn and Little owls, Green Wood Pecker and the Woodcock.

• The total exclusion of deer would be detrimental to the natural balance of the woodland flora and fauna. Deer are, after all, an essential part of the make up of ancient woodland.

• Deer would be excluded from the food, shelter and the safety that the wood provides. The deer would eventually breach the fence and in doing so injure or kill themselves in the process.

• The expensive materials required to form the fence would be tempting to thieves and vandals.

• The deer population would have to be removed from the wood once the fence was erected, to be of any effect. This would require considerable manpower and raise a great number of health and safety and deer welfare issues. A cornered Muntjac Buck is a dangerous animal!

• The removal of all the resident Muntjac population would be physically impossible.

• Other large mammals i.e. Badgers and Foxes would also, to some extent, are excluded.

• Removing the deer from the wood only serves to move the problem on to the neighbouring properties and roads.

• Poachers operating outside the wood could utilise the fence to drive deer against it with dogs in order to achieve a greater number of kills.

Temporary Fencing This is an expensive option that has only limited effectiveness. All too often fences are erected to protect sensitive areas, only for the Ranger to find that the deer has managed to clear the fence and graze quite freely. Most of the disadvantages associated with permanent fencing are true of its temporary counterpart. A bewildering array of fencing is available for this purpose, from chestnut pailing to high tensile stock fencing. For Wood A I personally feel that temporary fencing would be expensive in both financial cost and manpower to maintain.

Natural Barriers and Fencing Brashing up and dead hedges has been used for centuries in this country and would have been used in Wood A in association with the coppice ditches that are still seen throughout the wood. Both methods are made from waste materials associated with hazel coppicing and are bio degradable. However natural barriers are often of little use in woodland with a high deer population.

It also requires rangers and volunteers to think like a deer to be of any use. Deer can easily clear high fences, however deep thick barriers that are difficult to escape from will deter deer.

Natural barriers are cheap! And if used alongside a cull plan and behavioural manipulation methods will be a cost effective, bio friendly way in reducing deer damage on the Wood A site. I am presently using these control methods in ‘Wood B’.

Behavioural Manipulation, Diversionary Feeding, Sympathetic Woodland Management http://www.thehuntinglife.com

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I have rounded up all these methods into one heading, because I believe that they are all inter woven and form a truly a holistic approach to deer management: • Sacrificial lambs – Really not as bad as it may seem. All that is required is for forage to be made available to the deer naturally in a controlled environment. Fore instance the planting or sowing of naturally occurring plants and trees. Crab Apple, Wild Pear, Bramble, Guilder Rose.

The coppicing of trees not associated with any commercial value in this instance is also very good for deer browse. These include: – Sallow, Willow, Oak, Birch, Hawthorn and Blackthorn.

• Diversionary feeding – A short term method employed to pull deer away from sensitive areas. The use of ‘sweet meats’ such as barley, apples, mineral blocks, molasses, root vegetables are effective, but may be costly to maintain. Muntjac enjoy upsetting the contents of pheasant feeders on shooting estates. A couple of these feeders in woodland would be very useful, as deer can be observed for management purposes from unseen high seats whilst the deer are feeding.

• Deer Launds – Where deer activity has damaged coppiced areas to the extent that the vegetation will not recover, give it over to the deer! The deer will keep this area tightly trimmed and in turn provide another habitat form. Deer launds are ideal for growing ‘sacrificial’ browse and also to deploy diversionary feeds. These areas can be located away from the public eye and give the deer a stress free area to feed and ruminate.

For the deer manager it provides an area in which to count deer numbers, assess their health and if needed to cull deer safely.

• Sympathetic Woodland Management – Many of the areas of Wood A are becoming tired from use by the public enjoying a walk through the woods whilst visiting the adjoining country park. Amongst these visitors are the mountain bikers and the dog walkers, although mountain bikers are not allowed on site and dog walkers are asked to keep dogs under control, both are frequent visitors and understand/or care little for the SSSI and its very specific needs.

What can be done to accommodate our ‘Green heritage’ and our visitors? I would suggest the use of dead hedges across some of the rides as a temporary method of allowing natural regeneration. This would also give any ‘hopeful future’ deer manager the opportunity to carry out deer management, culls, and deer counts and surveys safely and away from public eyes.

There are many ways in which the Ranger and a Deer Manager can work together to achieve a natural balance for woodland and its various uses. The use of modern recording methods and tools and the traditional methods used for woodland and deer husbandry that are imprinted in the history of Wood A make this task very achievable.

Population Control The answer, I believe, is already being used and has been for the last fifty years in and around the British Isles. Unfortunately it is unpopular with people who have preconceptions of animal cruelty by hunters in general and are prone to have their judgment clouded by the obligatory ‘Bambi factor’ .

http://www.thehuntinglife.com

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The answer is deer management through selective culling. I say it is working; in fact it works where it is implemented. The problem is that if one land owner culls deer to a reasonable population level, the deer from neighbouring land will soon move on to the managed land to take advantage of the better and uninterrupted grazing and browsing. So the responsible land owner spends both considerable amounts of time and money restoring the natural balance. I am presently managing a fifty acre parcel of land adjacent to Wood A. This area consists of two areas of ancient SSSI woodland and a number of set aside fields. My efforts to control the deer population on this land have been frustrated by the presence of Muntjac deer from Wood A. In Scotland land owners who fail to control deer numbers on their land are visited by The Scottish Deer Commission’s own ‘in house’ deer managers who systematically and severely reduce the deer population and then charge the land owner for the service they provide. If the land owner fails to pay up or allows the deer population to get out of control for a second time, then they are summoned to court and heavily fined. This may be an option for the Government of this country in the not too distant future.

There are over ten thousand people in this country who hold a recognised deer management certificate. Most of them are ordinary people, not employed professionally on great estates or deer parks, they are just hobby stalkers who pay for the privilege to help manage an animal that they have a great deal of respect for. These people are responsible and professional, when did you last hear of a deer stalker going on a murderous rampage, or killed or injured whilst out stalking? It is these people, along with full time deer managers, that the Government have put their faith in to sort out the problem of over population of deer in the British Isles. Selective deer management works, a single fatal shot to the heart of a deer that is blissfully unaware of its fate, delivered by a professional deer manager is the most humane and respectful method available at this present time.

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http://www.thehuntinglife.com

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Combining deer management methods By using the following methods of deer and habitat control we will have the balance required in Wood A and transform it into a working well managed habitat similar in many respects to that created by its former Celtic-Romano, Anglo-Saxon, and Hospitalier Knight communities that have historically all lived and worked in this area.

These methods are: Natural Barriers and Fencing Behavioural Manipulation Sacrificial and Diversionary Feeding Established Deer Launds Regular Deer Culls of a pre-agreed number of individual deer, by a ‘co-operative’ group of experienced and qualified deer stalkers.

THE BENEFITS OF A MANAGED MUNTJAC POPULATION Deer are one of the reasons that the ancient woodland has so many diverse species of native plants. As they visit their favourite food sources they leave droppings along the various rides and deer paths resulting in natural seed propagation. Deer also ‘prune’ back vegetation producing greater environmental diversity.

Muntjac are beautiful wild creatures, and one of the highlights of a visit to woodland is to catch a glimpse of these elusive, shy creatures. With good management, it is thus possible to achieve that necessary balance between healthy deer and healthy habitats, enabling people to see them in their natural state.

Ancient woodland is not ancient woodland without deer. Although relatively new to this country the Muntjac are doing the same job that our larger native species have done for thousands of years. With the correct management not only could the deer population be kept in balance with the woodland habitat but the deer themselves can be selectively harvested as a woodland crop. Deer meat is known as venison and is a tasty low fat; high protein locally produced organic meat that fits in ideally with the Government’s initiative for healthy living and traceability of food. Certified deer managers have all the necessary knowledge and equipment to supply ‘field dressed’ carcasses to registered game dealers, in line with Government guidelines for food hygiene.

IN CONCLUSION We have the ability, at both a national and local level, to improve our natural environment and provide our national deer population with the care they most desperately need.

The pressures on deer to find territory are bringing these creatures ever more into conflict with man. Many are struggling to survive in urban areas right under our very noses. This may be seen by some as a natural progression for the species; it is in fact another damning indictment to mankind’s mismanagement of the planet. Can we afford to allow the wild deer that for centuries have in many ways shaped our lives, language and environment to become nothing more than a vermin species?

http://www.thehuntinglife.com

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Presently the Government are revising the 1991 Deer Act, it is their intention to shorten the closed seasons of all species of deer by two weeks, allow deer to be shot at night, legalise the use of smaller calibre rifles to cull deer, and in some cases to allow deer to be shot out of season. These are the actions of a Government facing a looming deer population crisis. Fortunately professional bodies, such as the British Deer Society and the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, feel that these measures are unwarranted and would lead to animal welfare and cruelty issues that are not acceptable in modern deer management. It is their belief that it is down to individual land owners to control their deer populations or to seek assistance from recognised legitimate deer managers who can operate within the relevant legislation for gun safety, public rights of way, animal welfare and food hygiene regulations that are already in place.

Environmental conservation minded deer stalkers and deer managers are readily available and willing to help out and even give up their time as well as pay for the privilege of employing their skills. So what has a land owner got to lose by employing a deer manager?

BIBLIOGRAPHY Arnold Cooke, MONITORING MUNTJAC DEER Muntiacus Reevesi AND THEIR IMPACTS IN MONKS WOOD NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE. Arnold Cooke, DEER AND DAMAGE SCORES FOR WOODLAND MONITORING (WILDLIFE TRUST WOODLANDS), Deer Journal, British Deer Society publication, Autumn 2007.

Ewan Calcott, WARWICKSHIRE, COVENTRY AND SOLIHULL LOCAL BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN. (Local government publication, 2005) A.J.De Nahlik, MANAGEMENT OF DEER AND THEIR HABITAT, Principles and methods.

Graham Downing, THE DEER STALKING HANDBOOK. Roger McKinley, THE FUTURE FOR WOODLAND DEER, MANAGEMENT OR SPORT. McShea, Underwood and Rappole, THE SCIENCE OF OVERABUNDANCE, Deer ecology and population management. (Smithsonian Institute).

Charlie Parkes and John Thornley, DEER LAW AND LIABILITIES Peter Green, THOUGHTS ON THE ETHICS OF DEER MANAGEMENT, British Deer Society’s journal ‘Deer’.

Dr Rory Putman and Dr Jochen Langbein, THE DEER MANAGER’S COMPANION, A guide to the management of deer in the wild and in parks.

Richard Prior, TREES AND DEER. Dr Rory Putman, THE NATURAL HISTORY OF DEER. Dr Rory Putman, DEER MANAGEMENT ON NATIONAL NATURE RESERVES. (English Nature).

Oliver Rackham, THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTRYSIDE, the classic history of Britain’s landscape, flora and fauna.

Ronnie Rose, MBE, WORKING WITH NATURE. Major Charles Smith-Jones, MUNTJAC, MANAGING AN ALIEN SPECIES. Dr Piran White, ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF WILD DEER IN EAST ENGLAND, (research document produced by of the University of York).

The National Forest Company publications, DEER MANAGEMENT. Ray Tabor, PLANTS AS INDICATORS FOR ASSESSING DEER ACTIVITY AND DAMAGE, Deer Journal, British Deer Society publication, Autumn 2007.

English Nature Publications, MONKS WOOD NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE

http://www.thehuntinglife.com

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HOW TO RELEASE FISH WITH THE BEST CHANCE OF SURVIVAL

5 Rules (plus bonus rule) for safely releasing fish with the maximum chance of survival Rule 1: Speed Does Not Kill The faster you can get a fish to the boat or shore the better its chances of survival.

The longer the fight the less chance the fish has of surviving.

It is likely that the survival rates decrease exponentially as fight time increases. That is as fight-time goes up, survival chances decrease at an ever increasing rate.

If you fish on a catch-and-release basis you should use gear that will minimise the fight time.

Rule 2: Get Wet Lifting a fish out of the water, dramatically decreases its survival chances. The longer a fish is out of the water its chances of survival decrease exponentially. Try and remove the hook while the fish is in the water.

If it is not possible to remove the hook while the fish is still in the water use a landing -net with a wide mesh, and a mesh made out of soft material.

Rough, hard netting will remove slime and scales from the fish, which is its natural protection against parasites and infection.

On bigger saltwater fish, it may be necessary to use a gaff. If so, try and gaff the fish from inside the mouth and out the lower jaw.

Lay the fish on a wet towel or cloth while the hook is removed - covering the fish's eyes often helps to calm it down.

The Death Grip - almost guaranteed to injure or kill the fish.

http://www.bishfish.co.nz

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If you must touch the fish make sure your hands are wet or use a wet cloth or wet gloves between you and the fish.

Never touch a fish's gills, they are extremely delicate and just touching them can damage them.

If you must lift a fish in your hands, hold the fish under the gill latch in one hand, and just in front of the tail with the other.

Never, ever, not even once, lift a fish out of the water by holding the belly area. You will almost certainly damage internal organs. It reduces survival chances dramatically.

Rule 3: Unhook Quickly The longer you take over hook removal, the less the chances of the fishes survival.

The less care you take over removing the hook, the less chance of the fish surviving.

Use a pair of forceps, long-nosed pliers, or a purpose made hook-out to quickly and efficiently remove the hook. If the fish is deeply hooked back in the throat or stomach cut the line as close to the hook as possible and leave the hook in the fish - it will probably do more damage trying to remove a deep hook than leaving it where it is.

Never, ever, not even once try to remove a hook through the gills.

Barbless hooks are also much easier to remove and do far less damage. You can flatten a barb with parallel jawed pliers.

Do not use treble or double hooks - these can really damage a fish, and can be very hard to remove.

If you are saltwater fishing try using circle hooks, which hook up most often in the corner of the jaw, and are much easier to remove.

Rule 4: No Throwing Throwing a fish back into the water is likely to greatly decrease the fish's chances of survival.

The major problem with tossing a fish back into the water is that the fish can go into shock, and float belly-up. In the sea this is an open invitation to predators to attack.

In a river the current will take the fish downstream and away from any chance of recatching it and of reviving it.

http://www.bishfish.co.nz

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It is always better to gently cradle the fish in the water, until it moves off of its own accord.

In a boat have the boat move slowly ahead while the fish is held, in a river hold the fish into the current.

In both situations the fish will indicate it is OK by swimming out of your hands.

Rule 5: Avoid Photo Folly If you must take a photo do it very quickly - remember every second the fish is out of water is reducing the chances of its survival.

Make sure the 'happy angler' has wet hands and holds the fish just in front of the tail and under the gill latch - never, ever, not even once, put a hand under the gill covers. Do not hold a hand under the stomach area, this will damage internal organs.

Don't pose and shoot - taking one shot, then reposing the shot and taking another, and so on will add to the time the fish is out of the water. Instead, just get the photographer to fire off a rapid series of ten or twelve shots in very quick succession - this is what the professionals do, and it is the reason they get better shots.

In these days of digital cameras there really is no excuse for taking one shot, reposing...etc. Do the fish a favour and run off a 'bracket' of shots.

Bonus Rule: How long should you hold a fish out of the water?

Hold your breath when you lift the fish out of the water when you have to take a breathe put the fish back in the water.

http://www.bishfish.co.nz

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BUILD YOUR BOW: PART 5 - FITTING THE PEEP SIGHT In Part Five of our 'Build Your Bow' series, Merlin Archery's Ben Jones shows us how to correctly fit a peep sight to the string of my new Bear Anarchy Bow. Correct fitment and alignment is essential to ensure consistent performance in the field.

http://youtu.be/vK_2lYjAD28

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BUILD YOUR BOW: PART 6 - FITTING A STABILISER & SLING In Part 6 of of our 'Build Your Bow' series, Merlin Archery's Ben Jones shows us how to correctly fit a Trophy Ridge Stabiliser and sling to my new Bear Anarchy Bow. The stabiliser has a number of functions including improving balance and stability when the bow is fired. The sling prevents unfortunate accidents just in case your grip slips!

http://youtu.be/k5C-ch6Q4XY

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AIRGUN HUNTING: NIGHT VISION FERAL PIGEONS Team WIld's intrepid vermin controllers - Steve Wild and Keith Anderson, venture out into the darkness to get to grips with a feral pigeon infestation on a local building site. Armed with their Daystate Huntsman air rifles, NiteSite NS200 units and a steely resolve, they cast their fears aside and march boldly into the fray... just be sure to 'duck'!

http://youtu.be/_h-JBbQCIHo

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INTRODUCTION TO RELOADING WITH HORNADY How do you achieve better accuracy and performance than the very best factory ammo? Team Wild's Simon Barr learns about the benefits of reloading his own ammunition using Hornady reloading equipment and components. Despite the daunting prospect of charts, data and handling explosives, Simon discovers that reloading not only delivers superb results, but it's incredibly rewarding. A full series of 'how to' reloading videos is coming soon to Team Wild TV

http://youtu.be/uumuh1ZN8no

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Waterways Ireland King of the Barrow Festival.

The river Barrow in Carlow Town has indeed been placed on the map as regards Coarse Angling within the Country and Province of Leinster over the past few years courtesy of the up and coming Carlow Coarse Angling Club reportable the most active coarse angling club in the country. Under the Chairmanship of Mr Gerry McStraw the club host yearly angling events for match anglers, junior anglers and also run six week programmes for Rehab Carlow and the Irish wheelchair Association amongst other groups and organisations within Co. Carlow, Co. Laois, Co.Wexford and Waterford. The club work very closely with Waterways Ireland, Inland Fisheries Ireland, Carlow Sports Partnership, Carlow Town and County Council's and also run a river patrol sponsored by the Talbot Hotel in Carlow and the Lazy River Cafe on Graiguecullen Bridge.

Previously this year the local club hosted the first of a series of World Cup qualifiers which will determine which anglers will fish for Ireland in South Africa next year, and Leinster League matches organised by the Leinster Federation, Carlow C.A.C. and the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland (N.C.F.F.I.) the National Governing body for coarse anglers in the country were all held on the river Barrow in Carlow. As if the wee club from Carlow didn't have enough to boast about they also held the first ever Peace Cup Cross Border angling match with the Tagit Club from East Belfast which turned out to be a complete success which added extra income to the Graiguecullen area via Holiday Homes etc.

The King of the Barrow event has been a complete success from day one several years ago with anglers travelling from all over the Country, Northern Ireland, Overseas and even Eastern Europe. The momentum has been gathering over the years and this year we had a Leinster angler as the winner in the form of a certain Mr Jimmy Kelly. Mr Kelly ended up winning the King of the Barrow with a staggering bag of Roach to 23Lb over the four hour match; Jimmy favoured the Stick Float method from the start and used the stick to have devastating results. Second overall went Mr Colin Oliver and 3rd overall went to another popular Leinster angler Mr Leo Auinger. World Cup and Leinster angler Danny Quinn from Athy won his section with a good bag of Roach. All caught on the long pole method.

Well over One Hundred pound of fish was caught and released (as is club policy) safely back to the river Barrow during the King of the Barrow festival, all of which will have another day on the river. Mr McStraw went on to compliment his very active and dedicated committee for helping organise the day thus missing out on the fishing. If you have any queries as regards fishing the river Barrow or joining the Carlow Coarse Angling Club please do not hesitate to contact Gerry on 085 2844566 or visit the very popular Carlow cac page on Facebook.

King of the Barrow winner Jimmy Kelly being presented his Cup and winnings by Carlow C.A.C. chairman and National Federation (N.C.F.F.I.) Exec comm. member Gerry McStraw.

Colin Oliver being presented his winnings for runner up in the Waterways Ireland King of the Barrow festival by Carlow C.A.C. chairman and National Federation (N.C.F.F.I.) Exec comm. member Gerry McStraw I Shoot and Fish E-Zine December 2012

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http://www.nosalmonfarmsatsea.com/howyou-can-help/petition/

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No Salmon Nets At Sea (NSFAS) The Wild Atlantic Salmon is widely recognised as the King of game angling species.

Salmon anglers and conservationists are passionate about these fish and have given freely of their time and money to conserve and protect them. The Atlantic Salmon and sea trout are now under serious threat and in recent years stocks have been steadily declining to a point where all conservation groups have become alarmed and all government agencies have been tasked with bringing in legislation to protect the small numbers of fish we now have. Anglers and conservationists have also fought hard to eradicate commercial netting for this species in our coastal waters thereby attempting to enhance numbers. Anglers of Ireland have also been conserving stocks on a voluntary basis along with some Irish rivers been closed to all angling as a result of the declining numbers of wild salmon and sea trout.

Interest in this by NSFAS (No Salmon Farms At Sea), was initially sparked by the announcement of a major development in Bantry Bay and then Galway Bay, and we have now learned that one is also planned for the Tory Island area of Donegal which would impact on rivers in Northern Ireland. The picture seems to have developed even more with the announcement that the governments both north and south have applied to the EU for PGI status for “Irish” salmon. They seem to have neglected to add that this application refers to “farmed” fish . This was a joint application and since then it would seem that, with the recent announcement regarding the Glenarm Salmon Farm signing a contract to supply farmed fish to Hong Kong, that both governments are hell bent on promoting an industry which will have the potential to decimate our already endangered wild stocks. Couple that with the information that has come from the Inland Fisheries Ireland Study in the Republic, which clearly states that 39% of our salmon smolts heading to sea are dying due to sea lice infestation. These smolts are the main life blood of all future stocks. It is imperative we do all we can to protect them.

http://www.nosalmonfarmsatsea.com/howyou-can-help/petition/ I Shoot and Fish E-Zine December 2012

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NSFAS have set up an all-Ireland Group and will be voicing our concerns at every possible opportunity. We have been looking at this issue for some time and we believe the time is right to bring this to the attention of the public, the Irish Government and the Stormont Executive. Ministers in Stormont recently agreed, unanimously, in the executive debate on Wild Salmon Decline that the situation needs to be addressed. To allow any growth of the farmed salmon industry at this time would be a massive error in judgement. NSFAS recognise the issues with the number of salmon farms already in place on our coastline and are realistic enough to expect that they are not going away. We would like to mirror the policy of other groups who would like to see them brought inland where possible. We would also like to see them regulated more stringently to deal with sea lice control and commensurate penalties imposed for any and all breaches.One might think that farmed Salmon would take the pressure off the wild salmon but unfortunately the opposite is true.

NSFAS agrees with the recent statement by Minister Fergus O’ Dowd on offshore salmon farming and welcomes the development of Ireland’s aquaculture sector, provided any development complies with Ireland’s obligations under relevant EU environmental legislation, particularly the Habitats Directive, and does not adversely affect salmon and sea trout stocks.

The Irish Government has recently decided to expand the salmon farming industry in Ireland and one of the first additions will be a ‘Mega’ salmon farm in Galway Bay that will produce 15,000 tonnes of farmed salmon and will have the capability of producing 30,000 tonnes of farmed salmon making this the biggest salmon farm in the world.

This proposal has been put to the public with a lot of misleading information and concerns which we have listed below.

These concerns are based on scientific reports by respected authors and scientists of the IFI. http://www.nosalmonfarmsatsea.com/

http://www.nosalmonfarmsatsea.com/ how-you-can-help/petition/

http://thejodea.com/

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OPPOSITION MOUNTS TO SUPER-SIZED FISH FARM IN GALWAY BAY BY DEREK EVANS THE Irish ballad The West’s Awake, by Thomas Davis came to mind of late following the devastating news that Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) had lodged a proposal for a supersized salmon fish farm off Inis Oirr in Galway Bay. Angling organisations, anglers, stakeholders, hoteliers, restaurateurs, islanders and west coast citizens are “up in arms” and rallying in large numbers in opposition to this outrageous proposal.

Take, for example, my report of Oct 29th in which I said the off-shore location for the proposed farm was a “step in the right direction”.

I was immediately contacted by an islander who, quite rightly, takes issue with this assumption.

Living on Inis Oirr, he said the location is just “one land mile” opposite the beach, “which is one of our greatest tourism assets”. Any visible (or otherwise) pollution from the farm would have a devast-ating effect on the livelihood of many islanders.

He is also surprised that one of the biggest flaws in the Environment Impact Study (EIS) was overlooked, in which the proposed project is regarded as a “deep sea” initiative. “There is no area in Galway Bay that could, in maritime and fisherman’s terms, be considered as deep sea,” he said.

“This may seem a small issue but given the size and potential impact on the surrounding area, such details are of paramount importance. Neither I nor any self-respecting fisherman would consider the waters a mile off our shores as anything but shallow,” he said.

In Galway anglers have united to fight the salmon farm proposed by BIM for Galway Bay. The proposed facility, reputed to be one of the largest open-pen salmon farms in the world containing 3.6 million salmon, has the potential to cause massive pollution to the bay, and to wipe out salmon and sea trout stocks in local rivers.

http://www.irishtimes.com

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Sea-liced pink salmon smolt from Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, Canada.

Galway Against Fish Farms (Gaff) condemned the way in which this project is being promoted by BIM. The State agency is trying to push through this application which could double the country’s production of farmed salmon. This would then be franchised to a private operator and the profits diverted abroad, Gaff said.

The agency is playing the jobs card by claiming the project would create 500 jobs.

Given the increasing automation in the fish farming industry, most observers believe the project will create only a fraction of this number, while destroying local salmon and sea trout fisheries that support many tourism-related jobs, Gaff said.

According to Gaff, the EIS assessment contains many claims not backed up by fact, as well as omissions, and is clearly an unsound document. Gaff calls on Minister Coveney to turn down the application when it comes before him following the public consult-ation process.

World champion salmon fly tyer Declan Tuffy from Galway, said BIM’s plans to increase its salmon fish farming production by a staggering 100 per cent will be nothing short of an environmental disaster. “We have a duty as Irish citizens to protect our rare natural resource,” he said.

“BIM gave us a ‘golden egg story’ of how salmon farms will provide hundreds of jobs to coastal communities. The impact of fish farms on local economies is far more damaging to communities, the environment and busi-nesses dependant on angling tourism with job losses way out-stripping job creation,” Tuffy said.

However, there is a glimmer of hope. In a survey carried out by Gardner Pinfold Consulting Inc. in conjunction with the Atlantic Salmon Federation, the case of wild salmon versus farmed salmon has finally been thrashed out. “The results are staggering,” he said. The full report can be viewed at 0304.nccdn.net/1_5/000/001/2c5/7cc/ standingcommcclosedcont.pdf In the words of Orri Vigfusson from Iceland who has done more for salmon conservation than anyone else on this planet: “An Ireland, Norway, Scotland or Canada without wild Atlantic salmon in their famous rivers is a future too empty to contemplate. They would be rivers and countries that would have lost their souls.”

http://www.irishtimes.com

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FARMED SALMON EXPOSED (PART 1)

http://youtu.be/4ZBbYzyuwF0

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FARMED SALMON EXPOSED (PART 2)

http://youtu.be/5dJoGvHBaS8

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HOW TO FIT A RIFLE SLING AND QD STUD ON AN AIRGUN In this episode I talk those of you that have never fitted a rifle sling and QD studs before through this relatively simple task. I remember the first time I did this I made a real hash of it. After that I took the next rifle to a gunsmith and watched him do it. I follow his method to the word these days and have fitted many since with no problems at all. Having a rifle sling on your rifle will reduce hand and arm fatigue and can also be used to help steady your shot when standing. The sling I purchased has a neoprene shoulder pad making it incredibly comfortable and very grippy. The QD studs are of good quality and will make sure my rifle is safe from hitting the ground.

http://youtu.be/eT7IxJ2nsQg

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DAYSTATE WOLVERINE 100FT LBS AIR GUN VS PIGEON

This is the 2nd in the series of videos sent to me by Red squirrel ranger Jerry Moss. In these three short clips from Jerry not only can you see just how powerful this awesome air rifle is but you can also see a strange cloud of smoke or steam coming from the Pigeon when they are shot. Does anyone know what this is? I do have theories but that is all they are. Do you know what the mysterious cloud is? One thing is for sure if you are a pigeon and there is a Daystate Wolverine .303 100ft lbs air rifle about you better bloody hide..... QUICKLY!

http://youtu.be/zKq2ghjd9gI

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DAYSTATE AIR RANGER - ON TEST (REVIEW)

The air rifle range at The shooting ground is not availble for FAC air rifle and strictly for air rifle under 12 ft pounds the tests we undertake at the shooting grounds are strictly for gun testing purposes with Marshall's and additional safe guarding meeting all legal requirements.

http://youtu.be/wqXpJLiJKqE

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The Hares ear Dabbler??

by Lawerence Finnery Now the season is over it is back to the vice I earnest to re stock on patterns for next year.

I must admit this year flew by and some of the Loughs I ear marked to fish never got visited and will now be on my agenda for next year. Lough Arrow was one lough I truly regret missing this year as some of my friends informed be that they had a good few trips to this little gem of a lough.

I did manage to fish the boat competition on Sheelin without much success, but hey it just makes you realise that you have to work for your fish and if you got your bag limit each time you went out it would take that fire out of your belly. In the last 2 weeks I did manage to get out and fish the river Lagan around the Magheralin area and boy was I glad I did!

A certain stretch between Magheralin and Moira is lovely lime stone water and an absolute pleasure to fish. The day started off with very little breeze and good cloud cover and as I made my way down stream you could see the odd fish moving close to the banks edge A hares ear m sparkle nymph was cast across the river and swung gently down past the fish and each cast saw fish coming up and taking the nymph. The nymph itself was tied with deer hair wing case and elk hair incorporated in the thorax so the pattern would fish just under the surface and boy did it work, in a 50 meter section over 7 fish between half and three quarters of a pound were connected with and all safely released.

At mid day the weather deteriorated and a fairly gusty wind blew up and being an upstream wind it made it difficult to get a good cast to cover the odd fish that was moving, so it was decided to head up river to see if there was any quarry moving in a more sheltered spot. At Donachloney I parked at the Banogue Bridge and made my way down stream to what I call the wall a section that was built many years ago to incorporate a mill race.

The wind had now changed to down stream and it was hard to identify if any fish were rising, looking through my fly box I picked out a size 14 Hares ear dabbler, or should I say a squirrel hair dabbler.

I have found that replacing the hare's ear with squirrel has made a great difference to my patterns.

The material is very hard to distinguish between each other but the results of using squirrel in my opinion create a far better fly.

Once you star to dub the guard hair on it flares out incredibly well as there is far more guard hair on a squirrel compared to a hares mask, and a mixture from the flank and the back of a skin creates a brilliant colour.

www.finneysflies.com

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Well back to the river, I put the fly on the point and a squirrel nymph on dropper and made a cast across the river to place the fly around 2 inches from the bank, an up stream mend and hey presto a lovely fish of around a pound took the fly .

This happened all the way down to where the mill race exited where under the bushes a fish was eagerly coming up to feed on anything passing.

This section of the river had been hit annually with pollution accounting for hundreds of good size fish to be wiped out, but some how this section always seems to come back each year.

Kneeling in the water trying to make sure I did not spook this fish I decided to grease up the dabbler so it would just sit in the surface as it passed the fish. Several casts under the bush and no success, but amazingly the fish was not spooked and continued on his banquet.

Exasperated I decided to go downstream to the Island where another three fish were caught and released. By this time it was getting well into late afternoon and I knew that it would be time for me to return home to get ready for the fly tying class.

As I walked back upstream I saw the fish again rising to the surface, this time I decided to go just upstream and sink the fly past him.

Well it worked three foot above him I put the fly in an upstream mend and hey presto a lovely fish around the 3/4lb mark took the fly, he just came from under the bush and hung in the fast current not even making an attempt to go anywhere and being I was using a 6ft 3 weight rod I did not want to take the chance of horsing him around and losing him.

What seemed like ages I managed to below him and put a heavy strain on the line trying to bring his head to the surface. After around 5 minutes he did eventually come to the top of the water, a beautiful cock fish with a belly like buttermilk, a drop of the rod and a wiggle of the line was sufficient for him to throw the barbless hook and dart off back to the cover of the bush.

This was the moment of the day for me catching a decent fish and being able to release him without touching him , something I try to do whenever I can.

Back to the pattern I used, the dabbler did not have the conventional bronze mallard it was dyed fiery brown and I still wonder if the colour had a major part to play.

Now back with the rods cleaned and stored away I will be going back into the studio to get a few more of these tied up in various sizes to try out on the loughs next year.

Here is the recipe for this pattern HOOK-kamasan B175 size 12 THREAD- Veevus 16/0 brown TAIL - cock pheasant tail BODYsquirrel dubbing "guard hairs" RIB- gold utc wire BODY HACKLE- furnace cape WING AND CLOAK- dyed fiery brown bronze mallard

www.finneysflies.com

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http://youtu.be/TmsxtuoY0zI

Save Save Save Mortgage Protection-Life Cover– Serious Illness Cover Simply log onto www.lowcostlifecover.ie and get a quote today.

Curragrove Financial Services T/A Low Cost Life Cover is regulated by the Central Bank.

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www.finneysflies.com I Shoot and Fish E-Zine December 2012

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Poaching & Illegal Trophy Hunting force the closure of the open season for Red Hinds in Co Kerry

In recent years there has been growing concerns from our members who manage deer in Co Kerry that red deer numbers are now at dangerously low levels throughout the county due to poaching and illegal trophy hunting. These concerns were mirrored by additional stakeholders who work with deer in Co. Kerry.

Following representations to the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan T.D., by the Wild Deer Association of Ireland, we can confirm that female red deer in Co. Kerry have been removed from the Open Seasons Order for 2012/13. This means that the hunting of both male and female Kerry red deer is now prohibited.

The removal of red deer from the Open Seasons Order will not alone protect their future as those who engage in such criminal activities as poaching and illegal trophy hunting do not adhere to Open Season Orders or our wildlife laws. Until such time as meaningful data on current red deer numbers in Co. Kerry is available and an appropriate management plan is put in place to combat poaching and illegal trophy hunting, can we ensure the survival of these unique deer and maintain a balance between deer and local land uses.

Members of the Wild Deer Association of Ireland, who are licensed deer hunters, play an important role in the management of a sustainable deer herd in Co. Kerry. One of their, and our, objectives is to “promote and encourage efforts to improve the management and conservation of our deer population and its habitat” for future generations.

Whilst we welcome the Minister’s announcement, we are concerned by his lack of acknowledgement of the factors that have caused their “significant decline”, and furthermore, what actions are required to ensure their future survival.

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HYWEL MORGAN INTERVIEWS FULLING MILL AT GLASGOW ANGLING CENTRE OPEN WEEKEND Hywel Morgan attended the G.A.C. open weekend and interviewed some of the producers and stars that come along to meet the public.

Be sure to check out the Glasgow Angling centre's website for details of the next opening day so you can join in.

http://youtu.be/uBmP8Tir0Zg

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Ballyhass Lakes is located near Mallow, County Cork. It is Ireland's best known still spring water trout fishery, with 11 four star holiday homes and an activity centre for groups, schools and corporate team building.

Fish: The fishery has two separate lakes. The main lake is 12 acres of spring water some 35 feet deep and is reserved for fly fishing only. It can be fished by boat or from prepared fishing stands on the bank. On lower lake, worm spinning and bubble and fly methods are permitted and extensive safe fishing stands surround the lake. In general we strongly support a catch and release policy. On a Day ticket an angler can keep two fish up to 3lbs weight. All adult fish and all brown Trout are on a catch and release basis only. Once the bag limit has been taken the angler can continue to fish on a catch and release basis for the remainder of the period. The fishing lodge has an extensive tackle shop for fly and bait, and rod hire. The fishery is open 09.00 to dusk 364 day per year. Tuition on fly fishing is available.

Salmon Beats: The Cork Blackwater runs just four miles from Ballyhass Lakes. We have available beats on a private stretch of double and single bank in the upper reaches of the river. Many of the beats are set well back from any roads and give a variety of good fly and spinning waters. State Licence can be purchased at the Pavilion. We stock a supply for Salmon flies and baits. A ghillie can be provided with prior notice.

Rest: There are 11 Holiday homes on the 36 acres site at Ballyhass. The houses have either 3 or four bedrooms and are exceptionally well appointed with wooden floors throughout and natural fireplaces and natural wood furniture. All houses have a decking area leading on to landscaped lawns. They are available for rent for periods of 2 days or more.

Play: The activity centre at Ballyhass makes full use of the natural environs with kayaking, raft building and trout fishing on the spring clean water, rock climbing and abseiling on the limestone rock faces, and specially constructed low ropes courses, archery and team building games on the lawns. Our resident instructors plan the activities to suit each group be they family outings, school groups, or corporate team building.

Cecilstown, Mallow, Co. Cork, Ireland Tel:+353 (0)22 27773 Email: info@ballyhasslakes.ie

Ivory Knives in the Afghan Night

By Dale R. Shantz David Ashley eased the battered little truck to a halt as the narrow track came up to the wall of grass. Dust from his passage rolled by in the fading light, passing into the gently waving stalks like a patrol of ghostly soldiers. Three full days he had travelled to come to this hunt, fully ten thousand miles and ten time zones from his home, and it felt good for a moment to just sit, and not feel movement.

Turning off the engine, he rested a moment, shifting his position to let the light breeze touch where the sweat had collected on his shirt. Peering through the cracked and dust-glazed windshield at the countryside of southern Afghanistan, it seemed to him as if he were at the very edge of where the efforts of men could be distinguished from the effects of nature. Ahead the grass reared higher than a man could reach, like a breaking wave about to wash on and over the meagre farmland behind him.

The land appeared as if drawn in long narrow stripes of dusty red, brown and pale green against the setting sun, the differing patterns outlining the presence of water.

Close to the rugged hills where the occasional rains would fall, and along the few streams flowing out of those hills, men had scratched out small irrigated fields. Beyond the fields, forming a buffer between desert and cropland, were alkali marshes, where the flow of water was in too little quantity to leach the salt from the thin rocky soil. Food crops would not grow there, but tall grass flourished and provided shelter for creatures which sought also to feed where the farmers had placed their crops. A few miles beyond the tall grass lay what even the toughened natives called the Dash-e-Margo, the "Desert of Death."

He held his watch to catch the remaining light, then carefully eased a Merkel 9.3x74R calibre double-barrelled rifle from its case. Shouldering open the door he slipped out and eased the door shut behind him. Watching the grass for movement that was not from the breeze, he slipped two cartridges into the breech of the gun. A row of 5 more of the long cartridges nestled in loops sewn across the left breast of his safari shirt. The rifle's action closed with a soft metallic click over a pair of ASquare 286 grain Dead-Tough bullets.

Still watchful, he walked the few steps to the edge of the trail, and stopped, waiting patiently in the evening twilight, listening. Over the soft ticking of the cooling engine, he heard the whisper of the tall grass, deceptively gentle as it arched above him, moving slowly in the light evening air. His ear, from long experience, began to train itself in the sounds of the world he was about to enter. Without conscious thought, he sorted and noted the rustle of the plants, the hum and chirp of insects, and the quick little shuffles of the birds and other small creatures that would be his company in the coming night.

As his eyes adjusted to the spreading darkness and the climbing moon etched his surroundings in soft black and pale shadows, he watched the clumps of underbrush, noting how the patterns of light and dark played beneath the soaring stems of the grass. His gun, an old companion, rested comfortably in the crook of his arm. The carefully oiled barrels gleamed like brushed satin where the rising moon shown full

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upon them. He was in no hurry; it was not yet time, for the moon needed to be near its peak in the sky to direct its pale light into the pathways of the grass. So he stood, relaxed, enjoying the growing coolness after the heat and dust of the day, but still listening and watching. Upon these senses lay success or failure, perhaps even survival, if the tall grass held what he had come to find.

The pattern of sound changed gradually as the last of the sun's glow faded from the western sky. The creatures of the marsh stirred into their nightly business and the daytime noises of human activity retreated from the farmlands behind him. Patiently he listened and when the sound he sought first came, faint on the evening breeze, he smiled. Like a nail on steel, cutting across the peaceful evening chorus of insects and frogs, the angry squeal of an indignant hog sounded just the same in these distant marshes, as across the ordered fields and wood lots of his own country. Here, however, was different, for the pigs in this place were not confined to concrete pens, passively gorging themselves to later become food for their masters. The pigs were now the masters here, and it was man that lived behind thick walls when night came and the pigs awoke.

The herds had fed well on the villagers' fields and sometimes on the villagers themselves. The great boars grew to a quarter ton of bone and muscle, with bulging muscular humps for shoulders and lean hindquarters hardly seeming to balance their oversized heads. Small eyes protruded from those massive hairy heads, behind gleaming ivory tusks that could gut a rival, or a foolish human, with an agility and speed so much at odds with their clumsy appearance. Here a careless human was as much a meal to a boar as pigs were food to humans in lands where man held the upper hand.

He heard the sound again, closer. The dark expanse of grass grew quiet as the smaller creatures stilled, themselves assessing the distance and direction of the lords of the marsh. David hoped the pigs would come close, as he faced the problem of retrieving the meat. There was really no need to drag a carcass back to the truck, as the Muslim villagers had no interest in the pork and he, of course, did not really need it.

He simply did not wish the meat to waste, and found satisfaction in procuring his own, without the agency of processor and market. He liked knowing his food was free of chemicals, had not been tightly confined, and had been humanely slaughtered. This was a part of why he hunted. Like most hunters, he prided himself on the clean, single shot, the animal no more aware of the change in its existence than a stalk of wheat, falling before the sickle of the harvester.

Growing up on a farm had attuned him to the cycle of life and death, and he had learned during his prior stay, in this land where one observed their food from planting to plate, that everything necessary to the sustenance of life required the sacrifice of a living thing. Someday worms and bacteria would make a meal of him, if the pigs didn't get him tonight, he thought wryly.

He clicked the safety mechanism of his gun, making sure it functioned smoothly. He did not normally hunt dangerous game alone and when coming here he had assumed that someone would be with him in the hunt. When he had learned the peasants were now forbidden guns, he had no wish to put any at risk, either armed and at risk of the law, or unarmed and at risk of the pigs. http://www.chuckhawks.com

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The Director of Police had offered the assistance of an officer, for a substantial fee "to compensate for expenses." Not inclined to contribute to the official's already substantial wealth and girth, he had turned down the offer, although the troopers he had seen appeared to be tough, capable men. He found himself having some serious second thoughts about that decision, as the deep, rumbling grunt of a very large hog sounded just a short way off in the darkened mass of the marsh.

Still without hurry, and almost without considering his movements, David checked his pockets to insure that nothing could rattle, touched the compass secured to his wrist and brushed his fingers past the knife on his belt. Quietly, he lifted his gun, his thumb confirming the safety was set, and he lay his finger alongside the guard, ready to access the trigger should his target appear. This, then, was for what he had come, and he glanced at the moon, again forcing himself to calmness against the sudden trembling eagerness of his body.

He did not know just why he enjoyed the hunt, though the course of adrenaline through his blood was so very much like he felt when deep-water sailing and the power of the wind would lean his speeding, fragile craft far over in the blue waters.

Few of his friends understood why anyone would hunt. They enjoyed the water in powered craft and preferred the ordered tumble of basketball and tennis court. Why not just take a camera, he was asked, often by someone enjoying a filet that he had brought back from a hunt.

Sometimes he did take pictures, much as there were times a rowboat on a quiet evening better suited his mood than raising a sail into a strong breeze. Sometimes order and structure were fine, and his professional life was built on laws and regulation. Still, life was not all order and structure and sailing and hunting gave challenge and experiences simply not matched by the orderly sports.

Tonight no rules would apply but those of nature. If his hand was not steady or his mind not focused, no referee would stop the action and no appeal to a rulebook would affect the result. He watched the shadows and listened, and judged it almost time to move.

He held himself just a few more minutes, as the moon reached farther into the clear night sky, probing its pale light into the runways of the grass. Still without hurry he began to walk along the edge of the tall grass, looking for a path that would angle in the same direction as the sounds of his quarry had moved. He had too little time to relearn the pig's habits and wait for them to come to him, so he looked for a trail to take him to them.

Finding what he sought, he slipped quietly into the narrow path, the weeds brushing softly against his legs and shoulders as he made his way into the world of the marsh. Within a few feet the light filtering in from overhead had faded to rippling shadows and pale glimmers in the night. The towering walls of grass blocked the breeze and the heat of the marsh overpowered the coolness of the night, quickly bringing a tickling trickle of sweat down the side of his cheek.

He moved slowly, looking for an interior passageway that looked well frequented by the pigs, with an open area to give a clear shot. He expected they would gain his

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scent, but reasoned that here, in their territory, if he used no artificial light and made no other unusual act, the larger boars would be more aggressive than alarmed. He was confident in his ability to aim straight should the moment come, and hoped that the sudden shot would frighten the remaining pigs into leaving him alone for the time he needed to secure his prize.

Confident, that is, until a grunt erupted seemingly at his heels. The pressing vegetation could tangle his gun, the shifting shadows might confuse his eye, and the gun itself could fail to function. Heart pounding, he hugged his gun and spun on the narrow trail, then lowered the weapon and froze, his eyes probing the shadows, his ears searching the sudden silence for any whisper. With an effort he controlled his breathing and stopped the tremor in his hands. His ability to appear calm in tense situations had earned him the admiration of his professional colleagues, but few of the people he knew had ever placed themselves where failure to maintain their self control could literally result in being eaten.

He heard a quiet rustle, behind him yet again, and he was very aware that he could be the creature being stalked. He restrained the urge to run back up the track, fleeing from what his mind said might be around him. Slowly, the normal sounds of the night resumed, and his ears identified the stirrings around him as minor creatures, minding their own affairs. Still he waited, for a pocket of silence remained to his front. Insects hummed about his ears and some settled in the centre of his back, where the sweat had rinsed the repellent away, and plastered his shirt next to his skin, but he dared not move. He heard a soft snuffle, and the shadows shifted, but he could not be sure of what he faced and would not shoot until he was. The shadow stirred again and a little goat slipped into the moonlight and down a cross path.

He stood for a moment, bringing his breathing and heartbeat under control again.

Checking the angle of the moon, he realized the time was approaching when such light as he had would begin to fade to near total darkness. Resuming his way along the trail, he came to an open area and stopped again, listening. Several times he had heard noises of pigs in the distance. Then, downwind from where he stood, across and beyond the little clearing in the grass, he heard an inquiring, questioning grunt. His palms were damp, and he carefully wiped them on the sides of his pants, needing a firm grip when the time should come. He did not think a boar would approach him from behind, and risk losing his scent, but he made sure he had room to turn and paid attention to all the sounds.

He had a moment of doubt whether he had remembered to safe his gun and quickly slipped the top tang mounted slider forward and back again. The soft click of steel on steel brought another questioning grunt from the brush across the clearing and he realized the animal had slipped much closer without giving any sound of passage. Hardly breathing he waited, straining his eyes into the dimming moonlight, conscious of a growing stillness.

Another soft snuffle and this time he heard the rustle of the grass against passing bodies. A shadow moved on the far edge of the clearing, no more than 40 yards away, and he thought he saw the gleam of little eyes, examining this stranger here in their midst. They had his scent, for they were downwind from his position. Years had passed since a human had been so bold as to enter here and the pigs were

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cautious, yet curious, too. He could hear them testing the air and grunting softly among themselves. He held himself still, seeing only a few flickering shadows while the herd gathered in the tall grass. He knew how quickly a charging boar could cover that distance, so he watched and waited for movement.

Gradually the rustling grew. Sweat ran down between his eyes, and he blinked to keep his vision clear. He could hear them clearly, but none had yet exposed themselves so that he had a clear shot. The pigs to his front had held his full attention and it was his almost forgotten sense of smell that told him something was very wrong. His nose filled with the rank stink of boar, and his brain shrieked that the breeze was blowing toward the pigs of which he was aware. He turned and a deeper shadow detached itself from the waving grass only a few feet away, hurtling towards him.

There was no time for thought, only instinct and experience as he swung his rifle and the thundering shot burst the quiet darkness. 450 pounds of meat hit him like a hairy truck and the moon made a crazy circle in his vision as he was slammed to the ground. A jolt of agony ripped through his back, and broken stalks of grass gouged his skin. He rolled over and sat up, the wind knocked from him and dirt in his eyes, but knowing that to lie and collect himself could mean death. Blinking, struggling to breathe, he held his rifle at the ready for a second shot, praying that the barrel was not plugged with dirt. But he was alone in the tall grass. The massive hog had rolled to an inert heap and the rest of the herd had scattered in fright.

Luck had been with him, as a raking tusk had only sliced an eight-inch gash in the cuff of his pants. A visit to his chiropractor would be in order when he got back to the states, but as he reloaded the fired barrel he checked and found that his rifle's barrels were clear and he was able to walk and see.

He dressed out the animal quickly, taking only the choicest cuts, knowing that the other pigs would have no qualms about finishing the rest. He thought, too, that now the farmers would enjoy a few weeks respite. The pigs had been reminded to have some respect for humans, for a little while at least.

Some weeks later, back at his home, David invited a group of friends and colleagues for a "home-cooked" dinner. Preparing bits of lightly fried pork tenderloin, he added freshwater shrimp, collected by the simple trick of placing a filleted joint in a wire mesh trap, and leaving it in a quiet eddy in the river near his house. He had purchased some wild rice from a Native American farmer, who had gathered it from a canoe using wooden staves. Finally, he had cut fresh shoots of young asparagus from a plot at the edge of his yard. His guests eagerly attacked the food, and he left them happily unaware of the origins of what they were eating.

One of these was a noted political science professor and author, whom David had looked forward to meeting, but who had monopolized the conversation talking about his newest book. The guest droned on about the majesty and benevolence of government and their duty as a "cosmopolitan" elite to manage the affairs of the rest of humanity.

David idly wondered, as the plumpish professor paused long enough to enjoy a long swallow of wine, if the grapes were still crushed by the bare feet of the peasant harvesters. Probably not, he decided, as the anointed one turned to him and expressed how appalled he was that David not only possessed firearms, but also had used them on his recent trip to Afghanistan.

"It's barbaric, killing an animal for sport," taking another bite of wild boar as he spoke. "I intend to visit Afghanistan, now that the government has things well in hand, but I'm taking a camera."

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A FLYFISHERLADY'S LIFE One girl, one rod, a couple of trout perhaps?

On Perfection Wikipedia defines perfection as," a state of completeness and flawlessness”. I think this has something to do with Pi and circles and maths.

When most of us think of perfection, I think we think of perfectionists. You know, the fastidious types whose desks are tidy and whose pencils are sharp and who run their lives by Excel spreadsheet. I am rarely like that. I have my moments though. I am hypercritical of bad grammar in others; I know my blog is littered with mistakes but grammar matters. I wish I could apply such a critical eye over my own writings. I also am really fussy about saucepans and plates in cupboards. Everything has its proper place. I am fussy about hanging pictures, the fonts on labels and tea pots in display cases. It’s my job to be this way. I am a curator, being fussy about detail is what we are good at. I bring my work home sometimes; once I made my housemate re-hang all of his pictures in his bedroom. This is the pursuit of flawlessness. However, a correct sentence, a straight picture and a beautifully placed teapot, though flawless in execution, lack certain completeness on their own.

To explain further, imagine this scenario. It's a true story. Place yourself on a warm, cloudy day on the banks of a southern chalkstream. Gin clear water filled with feeding fish. Gin clear water containing the biggest trout you have seen for years. It’s at least 6lbs, it’s probably 8lbs. It shouldn’t be in that castable spot. You look ahead and realise its proper home is tucked into the near bank, under a bush, impossible to get to. It’s on a holiday, the one day a year where she will expose herself to some sun. Fat Mrs Haversham leaves the attic.

You walk past, you come back and watch her.

She’s eating nymphs very near the surface but not quite on it. You tie on your scruffy version of a Wyatts DHE. When you grease it, you feel a bit like Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Predator”, psyching yourself up preparing your weapons for the big guy. It’s tense.You begin. One gentle cast behind it to get your judgement right. You go for the money cast. They never work first time. Well, not for me.

For once, it works. The fly falls gloriously, floppily and with deadly accuracy. You watch the fly, you watch her. Her mouth opens, it’s about the size of a saucer. Her mouth opens for me, for my fly. You flinch in surprise, the fly moves. You hear a “sploosh” like someone dropping a champagne bottle in a bathtub, confirming its size like a slap in the face. She’s gone back down, without your fly. So, flawlessness without completeness.

Whilst I participated in this indulgence, my mother was teaching my Physicist how to cast. He is brilliant. Somehow, he seemed instinctively to get the "pause". The "pause" which all fly fisherman know, is an essential part of casting. The "pause" following a back cast, is the difference between a staright line and a nasty tangle. He talked physics at me, explaining the theory of casting, he used the word "synchronicity" which I liked, whilst executing a series of pretty decent casts. I have never felt more proud. He’s a long way off flawless, but the fact he caught a fish, played many and has mastered the theory of casting makes me feel like I am on the path to completeness.

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The Rural Oscars - Countryside Alliance Ireland's Finalists Announced Ireland's finalists have been announced in the 2012 Countryside Alliance Awards; nicknamed the 'Rural Oscars'. Top businesses are vying for one of four all-Ireland Awards and the chance to go on to win a UK & Ireland title.

The Countryside Alliance Awards celebrate the characters, skills, traditions and enterprise of the countryside through the people who work so hard to make it tick. The Awards are informed by public nomination and we are encouraged that each of the finalists has been put forward by a customer or supporter who believes they deserve recognition for their work.

Pictured are last year's winners, Nolan's of Kilcullen.

The 2012 finalists for Ireland are: Local Food Category Bruce's Hill Farm Shop, 3 Woodgreen Road, Ballymena, County Antrim, BT42 3DR www.bruceshillfarmshop.com 028 2589 2774 McKee's Country Store and Restaurant, 28 Holywood Road, Newtownards, County Down, BT23 4TQ www.mckeesproduce.com 028 9182 1304 Village Shop Category Miskimmin Spar, 24-28 High Street, Ballyhalbert, Co Down, BT22 1BL 0906 784 0063 Rathlin Co-op Shop, Rathlin Island, BT54 6RT www.rathlincommunity.org/shops 028 2076 3923 Village Shop, 26 Main St, Dunloy, Ballymena, Antrim, BT44 9AA 028 2765 7269 Enterprise Category Cloughmills Community Action Team & Incredible Edibles, 5 Rosemount, Cloughmills, Co Antrim, BT44 9L www.incredible-edible-todmorden.co.uk 028 2766 0226 Trail Kilkenny, 10 Patricks Court , Kilkenny, Ireland www.trailkilkenny.ie 00353 (0) 56 7752111 Otterburn Trout Farm, Otterburn, Caddy Road, Randalstown, Antrim, BT41 3DL www.otterburntroutfarm.com 028 9447 2002 Butcher Category Martin Divilly Butchers, Westside Shopping Cte, Seamus Quirke Road, Galway, County Galway www.martindivillybutchers.com 091 523947 Kehoe's Butchers, Carrick on Suir, Main St, Carrick on Suir, County Tipperary 051 640138 Muldrew's Butchers, 92-94 Main Street, Markethill, Armagh, County Armagh, BT60 1PL 028 3755 1235 Countryside Alliance Ireland's Chief Executive, Lyall Plant, commented: "We have a diverse range of rural businesses included in this list and the judges look forward to meeting the finalists. Last year we were proud that Nolan's of Kilcullen were named the best butcher in all of the UK & Ireland and I have high hopes we can bring a title home again this year.

"Rural businesses continue to face tough times; bad weather has affected the harvest and tourism, meaning a lean year for many. It is vital that we support our small rural businesses and help to revive our rural economy - celebrating them in the 'Rural Oscars' gives them a well-deserved boost."

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TYING A GREY & RED SPIDER (DRYFLY) WITH DAVIE MCPHAIL.

http://youtu.be/UcEAlQcP0ZA

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FISHING 2012 WITH CARL AND ALEX SMITH We would like to thank you for being so supportive, watching, commenting and talking to us via Facebook, Twitter and/or YouTube. We love it when someone writes to us saying how much they enjoyed one of our videos and that is what keeps us making them!

We both hope that you have a great Christmas and keep catching whatever the weather.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Carl and Alex Check our website http://carlandalexfishing.co.uk

http://youtu.be/sGtzm_NuiAY

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Everything you need to know about bowhunting. It is the height of the fallow deer rut, the animals are roaring all over the place, so we join them with top bowhunter Max Hunt. He explains how he shot a bowhunting record roebuck, plus just how exciting this sport is. That's not all. James Bond is using only his second ever sporting firearm in the film Skyfall, a 500 Nitro Express double rifle by Anderson & Wheeler of St James's. We talk to the maker about what it's like to be a real-life Q. And we're in Sussex for the MacDougal Challenge - first you shoot your pheasant then you tie a fly with its feather and catch your trout. There is Hunting YouTube, News Stump and all it needs is a small glass of something strong for you to sit back, relax and enjoy this week's Fieldsports Britain.

BOWHUNTING, BUCKS AND JAMES BOND'S RIFLE

http://youtu.be/gfjh-sNdtHk

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'The Macnab': grouse, stag and salmon, all in a day. Sporting Shooter editor Dom Holtam presents the 'Ferrari Macnab': a stag in Cornwall, a grouse in Yorkshire and a salmon in the North of Scotland, all thanks to the new 208mph Ferrari FF. But does he make it? Find out in this film, which is half of Fieldsports Britain this week.

For the other half, go to http://www.youtube.com/fieldsportschannel

THE FERRARI MACNAB

http://youtu.be/S_GRvDsBv8g

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We are going continental this week. We are on a shooting estate near Paris enjoying a day's driven partridges with the research & development team from Browning shotguns. We take a look at the latest foxcalling techniques to come from Sweden.

Back at home in the UK, we are out with the Countryside Alliance, taking journalists deerstalking and pheasant shooting in Sussex. And it's the launch of our new series with bushcraft expert Jonny Crockett, who is showing his tip for getting drinkable water from a river. There's News Stump, there's Hunting YouTube, it's time to sit back, relax and watch some top telly.

PARTRIDGES IN PARIS AND CALLING FOXES IN SCANDINAVIA

http://youtu.be/1TcMUQzZGCM

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Vinnie Jones is after fox, salmon and raccoondog - the South Somerset Ferreters are after rabbits - Roy Lupton is looking for roe deer - and we've even got some scientists whingeing about the perils of lead shot. It's a dangerous week to be wildlife on Fieldsports Britain. We lead on the news that Vinnie scored a Macnabski in Russia. Meanwhile, lurchers get some action in Somerset, and Roy is keen to stay on top of the roe doe cull. So much more real than reality TV.

VINNIE JONES'S RUSSIAN MACNAB + FERRETING + DEERSTALKING

http://youtu.be/SBOtY3DmAjg

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Round pellets, flat pellets and pointed pellets - which is better when you are after rabbits? Roy Lupton conducts an almost scientific test to show which of them do the most damage to a rabbit. It's a test that will lead to higher standards in shooting.

That's not all. Game chef Mark Gilchrist is after muntjac in Essex (crucial word is 'after'), And Jonny Crockett from Survival Schools says which hedgerow plants from the English autumn are good to eat. There is News Stump, where David gets to put on the Brian May wig again. And there is Hunting YouTube. It all adds up to great TV.

RABBIT SHOOTING PELLETS AND HOW TO FORAGE FOR FOOD

http://youtu.be/MNnUYigirgc

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MINISTER NÍ CHUILÍN ANNOUNCES FISHING LICENCE AND PERMIT FEES FOR THE 2013 SEASONS Minister Carál Ní Chuilín has announced that there will be no increase in fishing licence fees for the 2013 fishing seasons.

Fishing permits for the Public Angling Estate will be subject to an inflationary rise of 4.8%.

In making the announcement, the Minister said: "In light of the current economic climate, I have decided to keep the salmon and inland fishing licence fees at 2012 levels. This is the fourth year in a row that there has been no annual increase. I hope this will continue to ease the financial burden on those involved in the commercial fishing sectors and encourage others to enjoy recreational fishing.

"As well as being an affordable leisure activity, angling has proven health and well being benefits. I hope that by freezing the licence fees, more people will be encouraged to take up the sport and become more active and healthy."

The Department is encouraging all fishermen and women to ensure that they have a rod licence and the correct permit to fish.

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November's day by ronan baggott The clock jolts us out of our deep slumber, all over the country men crawl out of bed taking care not too wake their wives girlfriends or significant others. Hushed talks over cups of tea in the morning bleakness waiting for sunrise, another November's day has begun. Novembers 1st means different things to everyone, to me it means coming home. Now residing in a different county the first of November provides me with an opportunity to meet with friends and indeed family who I wish I got to see more often, this day is special. The first crunch as you step over a gate onto frozen grass sends adrenaline coursing through your veins, a shot in the distance makes you feel like your heart will beat through your chest. A couple of “doubty” parks covered with nothing to show and your head drops a little, slowly you drive towards some forgotten hill and suddenly your partner jams the breaks, there he is glistening in the morning sun is our quarry. Dog and men hunt the field and just as you give up hope the dog locks set flaring at the nostrils, staring glazy eyed at a clump of rushes. Then men push forward encouraging the dog so timidly, until........ explosion of wings , a fine cock breaks cover second later and echoing “ BANG “ is met with a cry of “cock down”.

This indeed is an idealistic scenario, November the 1st is a special day and it doesn't matter if you never dirty a barrel. The real meaning for the day for me is held in the banter, the ones that got away, the truths and untruths , relaxing that night with a pint in the local pub surrounded by people who feel exactly the same way as I do, counting their lucky stars that were part of it.

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Fishing in British Columbia, Canada Exclusive Escorted Salmon Fishing Trips to Canada BC with Qualified Game Angling Instructor Stevie Munn & Gordon MacLeod Scottish Spey caster and guide.

British Columbia, Canada, has some of the most phenomenal and exciting sport fishing opportunities the world has to offer. Every year the salmon runs, number in the 10's of millions. The sturgeon fishing is world class, and if that's not enough, they also have a fantastic steelhead and trout fishing. Simply speaking, British Columbia and it rivers produce an awesome year-round fishery that's tough to beat.

Combine this great fishery with spectacular scenery wildlife and tips and help from a qualified Hardy Academy Instructor, and you have the opportunity to experience the trip of a lifetime! Fishing in British Columbia, Canada is nothing short of world class. Whether you are a die-hard or an occasional fisherman, we will spoil you with excellent fishing.

Sturgeon & Salmon - British Columbia - Fraser River The mighty Fraser River constitutes the back-bone of one of the world’s great salmonyielding systems, comprising countless tributaries that have been spawning sites since time unknown. Amid breathtaking scenic beauty you’ll find yourself fishing the region’s local rivers - the Fraser, the Chilliwack, the Vedder, the Harrison and the Chehalis - for Chinook, chum, Coho, pink (running every other year, including 2011) and sockeye salmon plus steelhead, trout and the massive sturgeon (the latter being catch/tag and release only).

HALF

OF

ALL

FISH

CAUGHT IN THE NORTH SEA ARE THROWN BACKOVERBOARD DEAD http://www.fishfight.net

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There are few places left where you can genuinely be surrounded by superb fishing and stunning scenery. The legendary Fraser River system, which to this day remains un-dammed throughout its 850 mile course, ranks as one of the world’s last great salmon producing rivers and still has no rival in its migratory salmon runs. There is no doubt about it sturgeon of all sizes are exciting - most adversaries leap upon feeling cold steel and 60-180lb. specimens are everyday catches on the Fraser and Harrison Rivers.

Normal Itinerary This Year we are offering a deluxe trip with all meals but dinner.

5 days guided fishing with Jet boats, 1 day walk and wade fishing, 8 night’s accommodations, 10 day trip, Airport Transfers.

Lunches for your fishing days, Return flights from UK/Ireland Accommodation Breakfast at hotel.

5 x 8hr day jet boat guided fishing Shuttle to and from fishing Rest day or fish the Vedder River Any tuition needed. Most people like to bring their own gear but tackle can be hired We like groups that are not massive 6-8 is a nice number though we can do bigger groups, sometimes others do very big groups but we like to provide good service.

Advantages Fully qualified instructor, Local knowledge of the area and river. Discount on all tackle for your trip bought at www.anglingclassics.co.uk Fly-fishing guides on all boats Meeting like minded anglers Breakfast at hotel. & Lunches for your fishing days, most trips don’t do this and charge.

Best Hotel in Area.

HAVING A GOOD TIME. Your angling adventures can also include • Improve on your fly casting techniques • Double Hand Traditional Spey and Skagit casting techniques • Single Hand Casting techniques • Tackle talk, the basics required • Learn how to tie fly leaders and attach flies • Importance of fly selection Top Salmon fishing & Sturgeon fishing Top Class Salmon Fishing With Top Class Guides, Hosted By Top Class Instructors. The fishing is spectacular. The thunderous roar of the mighty rivers fills your ears, as you gaze up towards the sky you are greeted with breathtaking mountain views and towering formations of chiselled rock. Known as! The Great Outdoors!

Located just 1 hour east of Vancouver offering visitors a liberating and exhilarating experience.

Stevie Munn is a proud member of the Hardy Greys Academy, and APGAI- Ireland which comprise of instructors, who actively promote the best instruction service for anglers wanting to improve their technique. Stevie has been teaching game angling for many years and is devoted to fly angling at its best.

Testimonial: "I can't say enough. You gave me the best fishing trip I have ever had. I can't thank you enough."

Robert Hayes We use Registered Top Canadian Guides in compliance with Canadian Law Email anglingclassics@aol.com

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HOW TO MAKE A PCP SCUBA TANK HOLDER

David James - aka HuntersVermin - provides AirgunTV with his step-by-step 'EZ' guide on making a holder for PCP scuba tank. It's great for stopping your air bottle rolling around the trunk of your vehicle, or simply for just neater storage in your gun room.

http://youtu.be/4aq9YTSQCq4

http://nigelallen.blogspot.com

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For a subscription, click www.airgun.tv – or to buy an e-zine version (single issue), click http://www.pocketmags.com/viewmagazine.aspx?titleid=24&title=Airgun+Shooter I Shoot and Fish E-Zine December 2012

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About Mike and POSITIVE SHOOTING Hi and welcome to www.POSITIVESHOOTING.com. I'm Mike Yardley and I've been shooting and studying it for over 40 years - ouch! I love the sport be it with shotguns, rifles, pistols, or airguns. I'm delighted you've found this website and I really hope you find it useful. The goal is to get as many people into the sport as possible and to get them shooting as well as possible - maximising all their potential. Thank you for your support. Safe shooting.

Michael Yardley was born in Denmark and educated in England, Switzerland and the US. He has a psychology degree from London University, conducted post-graduate research into direct action and terrorism at the LSE, and is also a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Mike Yardley Michael is well known as a sporting journalist, shooting instructor, and hunter and has written and broadcast extensively on all aspects of guns and their use.

His articles (2000+) have appeared in many journals as well as in the national press. He has appeared as an expert witness in cases which relate to firearms and firearms safety. He is a founding fellow of the Association of Professional Shooting Instructors, and has formal instructing qualifications from a variety of other bodies including the British CPSA, BFSS, NRA and NSRA. Michael began competitive shooting with 11th County of London HG Btn. Rifle Club. He won ‘Colours’ for shooting as a member of the shotgun and pistol teams of the Royal Military Academy Sandhust (being a member of the winning GB IMAGE match team in 1980). He has been a special advisor to the Police Federation, and others, civil and military. He has shot for sport for more than 40 years and hunted birds and larger game on four continents (making more than twenty safaris to Africa hunting both dangerous and plains game). He is a multiple county clay pigeon shooting champion, British Side by Side Champion 2004, and, has won hundreds of ‘High Guns’ in open competition with his faithful Beretta 303 semi-automatic and Lyalvale (Express) cartridges. He is listed one of The Field’s ‘Top Shots.’

He retired from the press competition at the CLA Game Fair after winning it three times.

As well as his shooting activities he has written books on other subjects including an account of the independent Polish trade union Solidarity, a biography of T.E.Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), and a history of the Royal Military Academy Sanhurst itself. He is a contributing author and ‘Special Researcher’ to the Oxford History of the British Army (in which he wrote the concluding chapter and essays on the army in Northern Ireland and the SAS). He is also a frequent broadcaster and has made and presented documentaries for the BBC on ‘The Media and the Monarchy,’ ‘Kill one: frighten Ten Thousand (a History of Terrorism),’ and philosophical doubt. He has also been involved as a specialist ballistic consultant, and presenter, in many productions for various TV companies including the Discovery and History Channels. He has re-enacted on location worldwide the death of the Red Baron, the Trojan Horse incident from ancient history, and some of the most infamous assassinations, including those of JFK, RFK and Abe Lincoln.

Michael has worked a photojournalist and war reporter in Syria, Lebanon, Albania/Kosovo, Africa, and Afghanistan. He was seized off the street in Beirut in 1982 (before Terry Waite and John McCarthy) but released shortly afterwards having befriended one of his captors. In 1986 he made 3 clandestine crossings into Afghanistan with the Mujahedin putting his cameras aside and working as a medic on one mission with a group called NIIFA. In the late 1990s, he ran aid convoys to Kosovan Refugees in Albania and on the Albanian/Kosovo border. The charity he co-founded, ‘Just Help,’ was honoured for this work which took 300 tons of relief to desperately needy people.

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Have Guns Will Travel - Part 3 - Mike Yardley Reminisces

Writing this column is fun, it brings back memories that time and god willing may be collected together into a book one day. Meanwhile, this is written from a cabin in the hills of North Eastern Pennsylvania having just landed an 8 pound rainbow from the nearby stream – quite a red letter day of itself, it is not often that I put down a gun and pick up a rod, so in this case, I might well be described as a jammy bugger.

Anyway, being in deer hunter country, my mind has turned to my favourite quarry and, oddly to a wood in West Sussex about ten or fifteen years back.

I was out looking for fallow with my old lever-action Sako Finnwolf .308, a rifle which I have owned for over 30 years (I shot the barrel out with military ball and had to send it back to the factory for re-barrelling). I have noted before I love to be in the woods stalking – whether or not anything is brought back is immaterial. I just love to a witness to the woods. On this occasion all that was brought back was my oddest stalking story of all.

Walking down a ride, peaceful but alert, I was expecting deer. After about 10 minutes, deep in, I heard rustling to my left. I turned and saw something that will be etched in my memory forever. What was it? Not, what you expect in a Sussex wood, that's for sure. About two yards to my side there was a very large reptilian tail sticking out of some heavy, but low, cover. For a moment it was still, then it swished a couple of times, knocking the leaves about, and then, as suddenly as I saw it, this Jurassic phantom disappeared.

That's it. But, it was one of the strangest things I have ever seen in a British wood.

What was it, an iguana or some sort of escaped pet? I don't think so, it was just too large. The tail or part of the tail I saw was at least a yard long. It looked quite like a croc tail than anything else. Anyway, I went onto red alert, but not a trace of it did I find (which may have been a very good thing). I told my stalking companion about this when I walked out. He did not take much notice – I am not sure if he took me seriously. But, the memory of it has bugged me.

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Then, quite recently, I came across the legend of the Sussex Dragon. I was intrigued – could I have seen one, or, part of one? Ethelward's Chronicle of 770AD mentions "Monstrous serpents were seen in the country of the Southern Angles that is called Sussex." There was unknown to me much local folklaw on the subject. In 1614 a pamphlet about the dragon was published in London: True and Wonderful. A Discourse relating a strange and monstrous Serpent (or Dragon) lately discovered, and yet living, to the great annoyance and divers slaughters both of Men and Cattell, by his strong and violent poyson. In Sussex, two miles from Horsam, in a Woode called St. Leonards Forrest, and thirtie miles from London, this present month of August, 1614. With the true Generation of Serpents.

It seems that the dragon's preferred habit was "in a vast and unfrequented place, heathy, vaulty, full of unwholesome shades, and over-grown hollows, where this serpent is thought to be bred...This serpent (or dragon, as some call it) was nine feet, or rather more, in length, and shaped almost in the form of an axle of a cart."

Witnesses, describe the beast "of Countenance very proud." On seeing man or beast he would "raise his neck upright, and seem to listen and look about, with great arrogancy."

Weird. Could this have been what I saw? I am not kidding. I certainly saw something very strange that day. Has anyone else in Sussex ever seen something similar in more recent times? There is another account of the legend, by the way, which notes that no one who has ever seen the dragon (happily I did not see it all if dragon it was) has lived to tell the tale. If this intrigues you might visit Dragons and Sepents in Sussex, http://www.sussexarch.org.uk/saaf/dragon.html or, Professor Carmichael's Cabinet of Curiosities at http:// carmichaelscabinetofcuriosities.blogspot.com/2010/09/sussex-dragon-and-flyingserpent-of.html or it will come up under a Google search for Sussex Dragons. Apparently, there was a flying serpent of Essex as well! I haven't seen that yet...

Have Guns Will Travel - Part 4 - The Early Years I can remember – just – when many London department stores had gun departments.

Harrods, the Army and Navy Stores, and Gamages, all sold guns once upon a time (Selfridges even had there own girls only gun club in the 1920s and 30s). Harrods and the Army and Navy stores, moreover, made guns or had them made for them. I have several old copies of old Army and Navy store catalogues. The amount of kit offered was extraordinary – everything from thunderboxes, to service pistols, to Winchesters, to Garden guns. They even had their own shooting ground. They offered big game rifles and shotguns in various qualities and continued to sell some stuff until the 1970s.

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I recall in the same era handling one of the last guns left at Harrods, a centre-fire Mauser '98 stalking rifle which might have been made for them by Churchills. They were not especially expensive either, but out of my reach both financially and because of the lack of a stalking FAC. Nevertheless, I bought a beautiful small Bryant cartridge bag from them for a fiver (a lot of money 40 years ago) which someone sadly nicked recently.

Gamages had a well stocked gun department staffed by a guy who looked and sounded like a retired German Foreign Legion NCO. I handled my first Luger there under his severely encouraging supervision. I remember him, wonderfully, having an argument with my mother on why I should be allowed to have an air-rifle and practice target in my bedroom. Sadly he lost – mind you I have never met anyone who won an argument with my mother. I sneaked back with my grandma and got both.

She lived in a small house in Kensington Place. It had once been the forge to Kensington Palace and would be worth a fortune today. She filled it with Chinese antiques but nevertheless allowed me to set up various practice ranges. Air-rifles up stairs, downstairs, I had an archery target in the drawing room which was used for knife and even axe throwing practice. It was not stout enough to withstand my Ekins 'Finest in the Kingdom' crossbow's bolts, though.

We used to frequently visit a tiny shop in Kensington High Street – our nearest gun shop – which was opposite what is now the Hilton. It sold all sorts of shooting and fishing gear, most of which was hidden out of sight. I persuaded grandma Alexa, unsuccessfully to apply to Kensington police for a semi-automatic pistol and moderator for 'vermin control.' They declined it (though I got an FAC in my own right at 15 having joined the 11th Country of London Home Guard Btn. Rifle club at Vauxhaul).

She was, however, instrumental in getting me un-arrested in Holland Park for discharging my .32 starting pistol on the playing fields. I remember her in the Park Office noting imperiously: “Don't be silly, it is a harmless toy! Give it to me! She took the gun her grey gloved hand and almost immediately had a rather dramatic ND. As the smoke cleared, and we all recovered from the shock, she said “see perfectly harmless.” She got a way with it and dragged me out. Then, I noted she was clenching her other fist where there was a very nasty wound apparent through the palm of her left-hand glove – blood trickled through a powder burnt hole (don't think blank firers are not potentially dangerous). The brave old thing had shot herself and hadn't made a peep! Just what you would expect of a women who was one of the first ever commissioned in WW1.

She also took me along to the Kensington Rifle and Pistol club, now run by my friend Mike Wells, and professed them all to be “gangsters” (a prejudice later overcome – I would become a member for 20 odd years). My fondest memories though are her parked on the pavement outside Thomas Bland and Son when it moved to New Row from Willam IV Street. She would sit in her red mini, lift her veil, and read the Daily Express, while the avuncular Casely brothers indulgently instructed me in all things gun related. No time left to tell you when Cogswell and Harrison were in Piccadilly or Rigby's in Pall Mall...one day www.positiveshooting.com Michael Yardly I Shoot and Fish E-Zine December 2012

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Bird Hunting in Kenya

by Gary Kramer Editor's Note from Bateleur Safaris... www.bateleursafaris.com East Africa is not the first place most wingshooters think of for an African bird safari, but Senior Correspondent Gary Kramer says Kenya is a good alternative to the shooting destinations further south. He recently travelled there to check out the hunting opportunity. Here's what Kramer found.

For many years, Africa has been the domain of the big game hunter, but not so any longer. In recent years the increasing demand for wingshooting has lead more and more African operators to offer stand-alone bird shooting safaris. As reported in past issues, most of these operators are located in southern Africa, particularly South Africa and Botswana. Less well known are the bird shooting operators in East Africa, specifically Kenya.

In the case of Kenya, many people know that big game hunting is closed and mistakenly assume that bird shooting is unavailable as well. While big game hunting was closed in this country in 1977, game birds and waterfowl remain legal quarry.

I recently returned from a 10-day bird shooting and game viewing safari in Kenya where I hunted with Bateleur Safaris (PO Box 42562, Nairobi, Kenya; tel. 011-252-2-4890454; email: bateleursafaris@swiftkenya.com ; web site: www.bateleursafaris.com), owned and operated by Michael Cheffings. Cheffings is a second-generation professional hunter whose father, Joe Cheffings, was a well-known PH during the hey day of big game hunting in Kenya. For the past seven years, Cheffings has offered bird shooting safaris in two regions. The first is the area we hunted - the Olgulalui region of Masailand about 100 miles south of Nairobi on the boundary of Amboseli National Park.

http://www.africahunting.com

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The trips are conducted in the grand African style with Mt. Kilimanjaro as your backdrop and the sights and sounds of Africa just outside your tent. The beaters and helpers are all Masai who still wear the traditional dress. The weather during September and October is dry and can be hot during the day but cools off at night due to the 3,500-foot elevation of the camp. In addition to bird shooting, the proximity of the camp to Amboseli makes it an ideal venue to enjoy some world-class game viewing less than an hour away.

Our base of operations was a mobile tent camp set up under the shade of umbrella acacia trees. The camp itself is a study in logistics and ingenuity. The entire camp can be set up or moved in a day. The food was incredible, considering it was cooked over an open fire or in a Dutch oven. Linen napkins, monogrammed dishware, excellent wines, hot water showers and impeccable service make this remote camp as comfortable as most permanent facilities.

The hunting took place on a 15,000-acre private ranch where the habitat was mostly acacia savanna. The action is a combination of driven and walk-up helmeted guinea fowl, yellowneck spurfowl and crested francolin shooting. The driven guinea shooting was excellent, with our best single drive for six guns yielding 59 guineas. Spurfowl were plentiful and mini drives and walk-up shooting were both productive. The daily limit on ground birds (guinea fowl, spurfowl and francolin) is 15 birds per day, and most days we reached or approached that number per shooter. The dove shooting was in the afternoon at natural water holes and, in one case, a watering area where a well supplied water to a cattle trough. The dove shooting was good, with bag limits of 25 per shooter reached on most outings. The species bagged in order of abundance were red eye, African mourning and laughing doves. We also spent several mornings shooting sandgrouse. The birds were all chestnut-bellied sandgrouse; however, in some years yellow-throated and black-faced sandgrouse also are included in the bag. The sandgrouse shooting was the weakest portion of the program with only 31 birds shot during three mornings.

Apparently, unseasonable rain had scattered the flocks, and the traditional watering areas were not being used.

The other shooting area, which I did not visit, was in the Shaba/Samburu region of northern Kenya. Here the mobile camp is set up in Shaba National Reserve, and the shooting takes place just outside the park. The shooting is similar with vulturine guinea fowl added to the birds available. Sandgrouse here are generally less abundant than they are in Masailand.

The bird hunting season runs July 1 to Oct. 31 and again from Feb. 1 to Mar. 31. The hunting is not hot-barred but still very good from both a variety and numbers standpoint. Limits are 25 doves, 20 sandgrouse and 15 ground birds, and limits are enforced.

Gary Kramer Hunting Season - July 1st through 31st October and 1st February through 31st March Species Chestnut bellied sandgrouse, Black faced sandgrouse, Yellow throated sandgrouse, Helmeted guineafowl, Yellow necked spurfowl, Crested francolin - All year round Species Mourning dove. Ring necked dove, Pigeons, Harlequin quail Daily Bag Limit (per shooter) - Doves 25- Sand grouse 20- Pigeons 25- Guineafowl, francolin, spurfowl 15 mixed bag total

http://www.africahunting.com

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Sexyloops' Tackle Reviews COOKSHILL FLYTYING PARTRIDGE-SKIN

BY LARS CHR. BENTSEN A review of any, natural flytying material really has to be about quality. And quality is very different from skin to skin, from hide to hide. You need to be able to assess quality to get it every time you buy. Hair, fur, feathers etc. are all natural materials that differ from skin to skin.

Cookshill Flytying is run by Steve Cooper, who also runs the British Fly Fair International, and this partridge skin is from him.

When I tied at the British Fly Fair in 2004, I bought a few skins from Cookshill Flytying – different gamebirds. They were all of a quite remarkable quality.

If the skin comes in a ziplock-bag, make sure there's no small particles floating around in the bag - this *could* be a sign of bugs eating their way through the feathers.

When looking at a partridge-skin, first take a look at the backside. If the skin has been properly treated, it’ll be completely clean and preferable quite thin too (a little fat-residue is no problem). Look for holes, as small holes are easily covered by the plumage.

Turn it around and look carefully at what the whole thing is about – the feathers.

The denser the plumage, the more feathers, and more feathers mean more quality for your buck. The denser the plumage, the thicker the whole thing well feel if you squeeze it or poke it with a finger. The feathers should be dry and warm to the touch! If the skin is looking really good, a little grease on the feathers is easily washed off in mild detergent or shampoo. Blood however is difficult to remove. If you can, pluck a feather and bend it and try stroking the barbules. The stem should feel supple.

Now to the feather itself. Partridge are craved for two things mainly – the softness of the fibre and the barring. Check that the dark bars are clear and dark – the clearer the barring is the better. On the back of the bird, you’ll find the brown feathers with dark brown bars and on the neck and shoulders you’ll find the small, speckled grey feathers. Fine markings and a lighter over hue indicates a male, and more heavy markings and browner overall hue indicates a female. Inspect the feathers closely and open up the skin by folding it gently. The feathers should of course be whole and have intact tips. Any sign at all of bugs in the skin – discard it! http://www.sexyloops.com

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The partridge-skin I have from Cookshill Flytying is very good quality indeed. The plumage is thick and dense, the feathers are whole and undamaged and the skin has obviously been handled and treated in the correct way when the bird was skinned. Seen from the back there is very little fat left on the skin and it’s thin, almost like parchment. As far as I can tell, the plumage is completely intact meaning that no feathers are lost in the skinning-process giving maximum value for my buck.

With this skin in hand and the other skins I’ve seen from Cookshill, I will safely recommend Steve Cooper as one of the best suppliers of gamebird skins. And Magnus points out that no other supplier of gamebird skins mark their skins male or female and I don't know of any other either!

Cookshill Flytying M Holding Roughcote Lane Caverswall Stoke-on-Trent ST11 9ES United Kingdom Phone: 01782 388382 Mobile: 07932 653492 mail: cookshillft@aol.com

Irish Field Trial Council Formed An Irish Field Trial Council has been formed to represent all those involved in field trials in Ireland.

In recent years there has been growing concern amongst people involved in holding field trials regarding costs, conditions and rules and The Irish Field Trial Council was formed to improve channels of communication between organisations, such as the Irish Kennel Club (IKC), and field trial clubs.

The President of the IKC, Sean Delmar, actively partook in the meetings prior to formalisation of the Council, and suggested some constructive improvements which were taken on board. Mr Delmar also commented that he had great expectations for this Council, and was looking forward to working with the members in resolving many of the current issues.

The Council consists of elected delegates from the various sections of field trials, and they have already held two well-attended and productive meetings. The Council believes this is a very constructive move and a forum for all those involved in field trials which will allow (amongst other things) them to have their genuine grievances listened to and acted upon in a fair manner. www.countrysideallianceireland.org/ http://www.sexyloops.com

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Catch of the week 05/11/12 11 POUNDS OF SOLID COPPER COAST BASS FOR KENNY! Steven Neely of Rookie Bass Angler reports: We had been into Absolute Fishing a few times but when we walked in on the last morning, there was a different atmosphere about the place. James and Cian both had a buzz about them. The news was good … the wind was to turn to the South West and they fully expected it to switch on …. We drew up the attack plan and set off with high hopes.

We fished a few marks that morning with no success but when we arrived at our final mark it looked different. Clean, white water and a fizz …. perfect.

Jonny and I stopped to fish a little section while Kenny went on over past us and cast out – FISH! We looked over to see the rod doubled over and straight away we knew this was a brute of a fish. We reeled up frantically and made our way over to help him. The landing tactics were, lets say creative and a little lucky but the bottom line is, we landed it.

We just stood for a second and looked at the massive bar of silver which sat in front of us. There were no words out of any of us, just pure shock!

We scrambled for the camera, the scales, the length tape and worked quickly to ensure this stunner would swim back safely. At first we hugely underestimated the fish – when we got the weight and double checked we all just burst out laughing with utter amazement. 11 pounds of solid Copper Coast Bass!

Kenny with double figured bass http://www.fishinginireland.info

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DOUBLE FIGURES! We just couldn’t believe it ……

I will take the time now to put this in writing – A massive well done to Kenny for landing a fish of a life time and I think I can speak for myself and Jonny – we are both delighted to be there and to witness such an awesome creature. Will we ever see one as big again? – Who knows but surely that is what keeps us going back each time? …. You just never know!

Pure solid silver – I know this will have a special place in Kenny’s mind for the rest of his life!

The action kept on coming as we got followed and bumped by more Bass up to 6/7lbs but failed to connect.

For me it was one of those days, you fish hard and no matter what you do nothing works …. it gets into your head. I had a huge fish take my nice Pearl Gataride, smash it up and straighten my hooks!

It was the perfect end to the trip. What more can you ask for? It just doesn’t get any better – of course we could have nailed bigger fish that day but even to see one was the icing on the cake.

Gatarides! http://www.basslures.co.uk/ catalogsearch/result/?q=gataride This seemed to be the lure for the trip ….

It accounted for pretty much all the Pollack, Schoolies and Jonny’s Bass on the last session. I had been smashed up a few times on mine, but sadly it got hammered to bits. I will be trying my best to fix it but I fear it may be beyond repair ….

Of course we were sad to be leaving, but what a trip! We worked hard for all of our fish but we all were rewarded in one form or another. We connected with some serious fish over the trip. We had lures lost, smashed, hooks straightened and soft plastics ripped to bits but eventually it all clicked into place and we landed our first double figure fish!

As always a huge thanks to the lads at Absolute Fishing, it is always great to go in, chill out and of course buy shiny new lures. It was also great to get a catch up with Henry and finally get speaking to Del Thompson who I know had a blast of a time, getting his first ever Irish Bass!

A huge thanks to Kenny and Jonny, it is great to spend time fishing with like minded individuals who have a true passion for the sport.

As much as I would like to be back on the Copper Coast before the year is over I highly doubt it will happen …. but never say never ….. stay tuned!

Compliment of: Steven Neely Rookie Bass Angler Web: Rookiebassangler.blogspot.ie

http://www.fishinginireland.info

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Catch of the week 08/11/12 26 LB. 4 OZ. PIKE FOR BELGIUM EDDY AT MELVIEW LODGE Kevin Lyons reports from Melview Lodge: Eddy and Ivan from Belgium who are regular visitors to Melview Lodge were here for their second time this year, things started a little slow for them using lures so once again it was decided to switch to dead baits. Kevin said the last few weeks have been producing some great Pike on dead baits so we tried our luck on a few spots in and around the Shannon, Ivan tried his luck wading using the sink and draw method and produce a nice Pike of 12lb, Their week produced Pike to 26 lb 4oz (1m 14cm) which wins our Catch of the Week for Eddy and the pair also caught many good doubles during their stay here, well done lads.

Kevin Lyons Melview Lodge Drumlish Road, Clonrollagh, Longford, Co. Longford.

Tel : +353 (0)43-33-45061 Mobile : +353 (0)87-2687441 Email: info@melviewlodge.com Web: www.melviewlodge.com

http://www.fishinginireland.info

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Catch of the week 28/11/12 SEVEN YEAR CALUM LANDS A GREAT PIKE OF 21 LB. IN CO. MONAGHAN WHILE FISHING WITH HIS GRANDAD!

Here is a picture of my grandson, Calum Ennis, with a 21lb. pike caught on November 5th 2012 at a lake in Co. Monaghan. Calum has just turned 7 and was trying out a new rod and reel which he got as a birthday present; nice way to christen it! the lake was just outside Monaghan town and the fish took a legered smelt deadbait in the afternoon. We weighed the fish at 21 lb. but didn’t measure it.

Calum had one other run but the fish got off while I only managed a small 2lb 4oz pike, also on smelt. We fished about 5 hrs.

Calum's big fish comes near to the net Regards, Paddy Ennis.

http://fishinginireland.info

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AIR RIFLE HUNTING, WOOD PIGEON DECOYING WITH THE BSA SUPER 10, SEPT 2012 This is footage of another day that i spent out on the stubble field in late September. Though this time i have brought along my BSA Super 10 pcp powered air rifle.

http://youtu.be/rzqGIAZpdRw

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Get your copy of Hunters Vermin ‘Air Rifle Control in Northern Ireland’ today. A perfect Christmas gift for any air rifle shooter.

Call Blaze Publishing on 0044 (0) 1926339808 Cost £14.99.

Or on line at http://www.virtualnewsagent.com/corvid-chaos/

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Irish Red Grouse Association - CAI Conservation Awards 2012 Countryside Alliance Ireland (CAI) hosted a very enjoyable function at the Maldron Hotel, Portlaoise on Wednesday 14th November 2012 to present the inaugural annual CAI Conservation Project of the Year Award.

This Award was announced at the IRGA Conference at Moate, County Westmeath in November of last year by Marian Harkin, MEP and consists of perpetual trophy plus a 500 euro cheque for the winning project.

Atkinson Brothers, suppliers of vermin control equipment throughout the country, sportingly stepped in to present equipment to the value of 250 euro for the second placed award and the Irish Red Grouse Association presented the third placed project with a cheque for 100 euro.

Chairman, Vincent Flannelly, welcomed the large gathering to an historic night. He congratulated this year's award winners, but added that the real winners were Irish red grouse and stated his delight that the IRGA had achieved so much in two years. Vincent thanked the Committee for their great dedication, CAI for their continued support and encouragement, Atkinson Brothers for their sponsorship and in particular Pat Warner and National Parks & Wildlife Service for their support, advice and great co-operation.

Walter Phelan, who presented the first placed award on behalf of CAI (along with Pat Warner, NPWS), wanted to endorse everything good that had been said about IRGA. The award winners were: First place: Clifden Red Grouse Conservation Group (represented by John O Halloran) Second place: Keadeen Red Grouse Project (represented by Seamus O'Neill) Third place: Peterswell/Kilchreest Gun (represented by John Leech)

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www.burrenretreats.com Corofin, County Clare Enjoy a personalised mini-break in exceptional accommodation, overlooking The Burren National Park & the picturesque fishing village of Corofin with access to Lough Inchiquin, Ballycullinan Lake & Atedaun Lake

Explore the Burren with on one of our guided walking tours, then soak in our outdoor hot-tub & Spa with views of the magnificent Mullagh Mor. Prices start from â‚Ź35 pp Bed & Breakfast

www.burrenretreats.com Call Burren Retreats today +353 (65) 6827749 I Shoot and Fish E-Zine December 2012

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THE SHOOTING SHOW - RED STAGS ON HIGH AND LOW GROUND We're following Sporting Rifle contributor Andy Malcolm as he acts as stalking guide and tries to find a young client a stag in Scotland. The estate they're hunting over has a very selective cull policy, however, and with rough weather and a tight deadline, Andy is aware that he might end the day empty handed.

It's left to Byron to head back on to the glens the next day to deal with a roe deer that is causing a farmer some problems.

http://youtu.be/91HELzvGCcY

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THE SHOOTING SHOW - EVENING DUCK FLIGHT AND IAN GREENSITT INTERVIEWED On presenter Pete Carr's home turf just half a mile from the East Yorkshire coast, it's the first day of the duck shooting season and he's been feeding the duck pond hard in anticipation. The area is host to every duck species shootable in the UK -teal, pintail, wigeon, not to mention the ubiquitous mallard -- and they all come in to feed as Pete and his shooting buddy Shep lie in wait with their Remingtons. As any with any duck flight, the action is fast, furious and demands all of the pair's shotgun shooting skills.

Meanwhile, Byron Pace interviews wildlife sculptor Ian Greensitt, a specialist in sculpting game birds and game fish. He finds out what got him into the art, what the sculpting process involves, and what his favourite animal to work with really is.

http://youtu.be/KL5o4RbOr3c

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THE SHOOTING SHOW - NITESITE IN THE SPOTLIGHT AND IN THE FIELD The NiteSite, featured here in its NS200 form, provides a way to convert your day scope into a night vision unit without having to re-zero and at a fraction of the price of a traditional NV unit. Byron Pace and shooting buddy Edan Annand take the NiteSite out in a field of rabbits that are beginning to wise up to the usual day shooting methods. First with the .22LR and then with the HMR, the boys give the NiteSite a run-out and provide some cracking rabbiting footage while they're at it.

We also catch up with the brains behind the NiteSite operation: Phil and Dave Craven. They tell us how the idea came about and what challenges and surprises they've had along the way.

http://youtu.be/77-1SUkEAzI

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THE SHOOTING SHOW - ROE STALKING IN THE BORDERS AND SHOOTING POSITIONS Byron accompanies professional stalker Steve Gray in the Scottish borders where keeping deer damage to a minimum on a new plantation is paramount. It's a challenge to get the vulnerable tree restock established, with a high level of deer migration meaning there's an ever-present threat -- but the latest kit and an out-of-season licence helps Steve keep on top of the situation. Heading out at daybreak, Steve faces a tense stalk for two does and a buck, and we get it all on camera.

We're also in Moray for a visit to the Stalking School to get our technique assessed and fine-tuned. This week schoolmaster Andy Chadderton gives us a lesson on shooting positions -- with bi sticks, quad sticks and seated. It's your chance to pick up some tips and make sure your poor technique isn't costing you the chance of a shot -- don't miss it.

http://youtu.be/p3XCp-ErOu8

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Want to see your story and pictures in our e-zine email to info@ishootandfish.ie or call Anthony on 087-6690796

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