Shooting times & country update

MANY HAPPY RETURNS… HOW TO GET THE DOG TO COME WHEN YOU CALL

The UK’s leading weekly shooting title since 1882

14th January 2015

BETTER SHOOTING

THE RIGHT LEFT & RIGHT

Plus BATH BIRDS: DIY SHOOTING IN A STUNNING SETTING

BY SOMERSET’S GEORGIAN CITY… AND MORE!

Why your gun has two barrels (Hint: it’s not because you missed)

SEEKING THE ‘VINTAGE’ SPRINGER

Can we rediscover the working dogs of the past?

GREEN LIGHT FOR PIGEON!

HOW TO SECURE THAT ALL-IMPORTANT PERMISSION TO SHOOT AIRGUNNING

THE CROWS AT ROOST: Using airpower at dusk

BEATER’S DAY

BEST DAY OF THE SEASON? Why it pays to thank the team

COOKING GAME

FOOD MILES? TOO FAR… Field to fork on one estate

Celebrating The Country Life

+ENRY ADKIN PAIR BOXLOCK EJECTORS 12G

PURDEY SIDELOCK OVER & UNDER PAIR 28”

A pair oI 27” 12J bo[lock eMectors chokeG 1/4 anG IXll, with ¿nel\ enJraYeG scallopeG actions which retain mXch oI their oriJinal coloXr. The\ haYe 15” well ¿JXreG staiJht hanG stocks anG are presenteG in their oriJinal labelleG case.

A trXe pair Irom 1990 maGe with 28” barrels with a thirG barrel with open chokes Ior JXn nXmber one ¿tteG in their oriJinal motor case GesiJneG to accept all barrels anG accessories. The\ haYe 15” roXnGeG pistol Jrip richl\ ¿JXreG stocks anG matchinJ IorenGs. +aYinJ haG onl\ one owner Irom new the\ retain mXch oI their oriJinal coloXr anG ¿nish, their actions so ¿nel\ enJraYeG with Àoral anG scroll enJraYinJ. YoX haYe arriYeG

BERETTA SO6 EELL 30” 12G A sXperb e[ample ¿nisheG new in 2007 anG GXl\ cherisheG Irom then to Gate. It has 30” barrels chokeG î anG 1/2 anG is ¿tteG with a narrow ¿le cXt tapereG rib. The pistol JrippeG stock anG matchinJ IorenG are Geepl\ ¿JXreG anG the lock plates proIXsel\ enJraYeG with Àoral, scroll anG Jamescenes b\ an Italian master enJraYer. PresenteG in its makers leather labelleG case.

A TRIO OF WOODWARD SIDELOCK S/ SIDES 12G It’s not Yer\ oIten that one has the opportXnit\ to see somethinJ this special. MaGe in 1915 this e[hibition JraGe trio haYe been preserYeG in oXtstanGinJ conGition since.

The\ haYe stXnninJ stocks anG matchinJ IorenGs, lots oI oriJinal coloXr anG Yer\ XnXsXal ornate scroll enJraYinJ. The\ are presenteG in a wonGerIXl oak anG leather motor case beaXtiXll\ ¿tteG to take the trio. Frankl\ increGible.

w w w. s p o r t a r m . c o m

PURDEY SIDELOCK SIDE BY SIDE 30”

PURDEY SIDELOCK S/S 28” 12G

This ¿nest e[ample maGe between the wars is a GeliJht to the e\e, its action so Gelicatel\ enJraYeG with the ¿nes boXTXets oI Àoral work anG a Geepl\ ¿JXreG 14 ¾” stock with a rich EnJlish oil ¿nish. The 30” barrels are chokeG 1/8 anG 3/8 anG are ¿nisheG with a tapereG concaYe rib. It presents e[TXisitel\ in a liJht weiJht labeleG case complete with perioG accessories.

A terri¿c moGern PXrGe\ GeliYereG new in 1987 with 2 ¾ “ chambers, 28 í “barrels chokeG 3/8 anG halI, anG a 15 í “ straiJht hanG stock.

It is Gelicatel\ enJraYeG with ¿ne Àoral anG scroll work, retains its oriJinal ¿nish anG coloXr anG with perIect bores anG in as new conGition it is reaG\ Ior an\thinJ Jame season 2013/14 challenJes it with.

CaseG with all accessories.

MIROKU MK60 GRADE 5 30”

BERETTA JUBILEE SIDEPLATE SCROLL 12G 30”

AYA NUMBER 2 SIDELOCKS 28G PAIR A pair soXrceG Irom oXrselYes when new anG remaininJ in sXch conGition haYinJ enMo\eG onl\ occasional e[cXrsions Irom their makers Ilat presentation case. The\ haYe roXnG boGieG coloXr harGeneG actions, 27” barrels anG 15” straiJht hanG well IiJXreG stocks. Their scaleG actions, eleJance, balance anG liJht weiJht hanGlinJ belie their trXe capabilit\ in the IielG.

BROWNING B25 POINTER 205 12G This moGel oI hanGmaGe BrowninJ has particXlarl\ prett\ scenes GepicteG on all siGes oI the action anG a richl\ IiJXreG pistol JrippeG stock. It has 27 í” barrels with Ii[eG chokes JiYinJ a liYel\ Ieel at onl\7lbs in weiJht. It will no GoXbt be enMo\eG Ior sportinJ cla\ anG be eTXall\ accomplisheG in the IielG. These perioG e[amples represent e[traorGinar\ YalXe.

BERETTA JUBILEE SIDEPLATE 28G 28” SXch a prett\ liJhtweiJht Jamescene siGeplateG Beretta with trXl\ scaleG 28J action makinJ it so YisXall\ appealinJ. It has 28” mXlti-chokeG barrels anG a Geepl\ IiJXreG pistol JrippeG stock anG matchinJ IorenG, XnaltereG Irom new anG YirtXall\ XnIireG anG as new.

BERETTA SO5 SIDELOCK 28” 12G Beretta’s premiXm JraGe sporter oIIerinJ e[TXisite hanGlinJ, balance anG the crispest triJJer pXlls.

Delicatel\ borGer enJraYeG lock plates anG a richl\ ¿JXreG pistol JrippeG stock con¿rm its GeserYeG premiXm JraGe statXs anG Iactor\ mXlti-choke barrels ensXre its Yiabilit\ as the perIect µall roXnGer’.

A branG new e[ample oI these prett\ anG well balanceG liJhtweiJhts with 30” barrels chokeG î ¾

The more XnXsXal anG e[tremel\ ornate latest Yersion oI these wonGerIXll\ balanceG siGeplateG premiXm JraGe Berettas with 30” barrels chokeG î anG halI. BranG new in makers case.

BERETTA 687 EELL 28” A pre-owneG Beretta 687 EELL with 28” barrels, chokeG 1/4 & 1/2.

C+URC+ILL BOXLOCK .410 BERETTA SO6 SCROLL 12G 28” Beretta’s sXperbl\ balanceG siGelock oYer anG XnGer is worlG renowneG Ior eYer\ aspect oI its e[ceptional TXalit\ anG IinGinJ a pre-owneG e[ample that has been well careG Ior oIIers mXch rewarG. This e[ample has the rarer scroll enJraYeG lock plates anG a Geepl\ IiJXreG pistol JrippeG 14 ¾” stock anG has been IitteG with TeaJXe chokes. PresenteG in its maker’s leather case.

www.sportarm.com

KRIEG+OFF K80 BAVARIA ROYALE 30” AYA NUMBER 2 SIDELOCK 20G An e[cellent pre-owneG e[ample oI these mXch IaYoXreG Spanish siGelocks that oIIer sXch phenomenal YalXe. It has 27” barrels anG a 14 ¾ “ stock, hanG Getachable locks anG is GecorateG with Àoral anG scroll enJraYinJ.

This German maker oIIers the sportinJ cla\ shooter a ranJe oI JXns bXilt to hanGle the poXnGinJ which is ineYitable Irom an elite sportsman’s hectic shootinJ calenGar. The\ ranJe in st\le Irom the simplest lookinJ to the most e[otic anG this 30” mXltichoke e[ample is Irom the latter anG beinJ relatiYel\ new is probabl\ MXst rXn in.

A Iinel\ scaleG bo[lock with 26” barrels weiJhinJ MXst 4lbs 1o] retaininJ mXch oriJinal coloXr presenteG in its maker’s leather labelleG case.

BROWNING B25 B2G 206 30” An e[cellent e[ample oI these Yer\ well balanceG hanG maGe BrowninJ shotJXns with 30” barrels chokeG 1/4 3/4 anG a 14 3/4” pistol JrippeG anG well ¿JXreG stock. It has hanG enJraYeG Jamescene enJraYinJ comprisinJ GXcks anG pheasant. An e[cellent to enMo\ XsinJ Ior both Jame anG cla\ piJeon shootinJ.

BERETTA SILVER PIGEON CLASSIC 28” A branG new Jame JXn IitteG with Iactor\ mXlti-chokes Irom the top oI the SilYer PiJeon ranJe with 28” barrels.

The Stables, Princes St, Dorchester Dorset DT1 1TW

CESAR GUERINI ECLIPSE EVO 30”

01305 268001

CONTENTS

EDITOR’S LETTER WHY DOES your gun have two barrels? The question is posed by Blue Zulu on p.30, where he discusses secondbarrel kills. He quotes the venerable Gough Thomas, who noted that the second barrel isn’t there to compensate for an outright miss with the first. In my own view, the second barrel is there to fold up a pricked bird with a follow-up shot. Yes, it’s satisfying, on occasion, to shoot a right-and-left, but the idea that two shots naturally lead to two stone dead birds is not always the case.

Respect for our quarry is such a fundamental aspect of shooting, but it is often easily overlooked. Such respect manifests itself in numerous ways on a shoot day. Ensuring you give a pricked bird the second barrel is one such example, but the list goes on: marking your birds carefully; carrying a priest; assisting the pickers-up; handling dead game properly; shooting within range; even organising a tableau de chasse at the end of the day. This all matters.

Earlier this season, I was on the peg when two walkers passed by. I invited them to stop to watch and, inevitably, as we chatted they asked what would happen to the game.

I struggled to convince them that it would all be eaten — they were expecting the mythical JCB to roll up at the end of the drive. Why? Because of the perception that shooters don’t care for their quarry.

Great shooters might hit all that they aim at, but they’ll never be more than an average Shot if they can’t show they care.

Alastair Balmain, Editor

THIS WEEK IN

14.01.15 ISSUE 5,914

18 An unbeatable end to the season How to make your beaters’ day one to remember — for all the right reasons

12

A DIY shoot comes of age Revisiting a West Country DIY shoot

27

Getting the green light for pigeon How to secure permission for shooting

REGULARS

17 KEEPER; 36 GUNDOGS; 38 GUNDOG ANSWERS; 39 CROSSWORD; 43 SPORTING ANSWERS; 49 FISHING; 51 COUNTRY DIARY; 58 SHARPSHOOTER

NEWS & LETTERS

FEATURES

to shoot pigeon on farm land you don’t own

over proposed increases to gun licence fees

A DIY shoot comes of age Tony Jackson revisits a small DIY shoot in the West Country where pheasants, partridges and fabulous views all add to the day’s success

ON THE COVER challenges Balls over fee plans 4 BASC BASC takes shadow chancellor to task

12

ON THE COVER the green light for pigeon 27 Getting Tom Payne on how to secure permission ON THE COVER and wrong rights-and-lefts 30 Right Expending both barrels on one bird can

“Disneyfication” undermining understanding of the countryside Countryside Alliance warns that popular views of animals as cartoon characters poses threat

ON THE COVER unbeatable end to the season 18 An Ian Grindy considers what makes a

make a difference to bag size, says Blue Zulu

top-class and memorable beaters’ day

32

From around the regions The latest news and upcoming events from your neck of the woods

ON THE COVER “greener” way of cooking at Colstoun 23 ALucy King goes on a game cookery

6

8

10

Readers’ Letters Your opinions on the world of fieldsports

course at Colstoun House in East Lothian

Winning the crow challenge Mat Manning explains how to control crows effectively by shooting them at roost The point of no return?

Jackie Drakeford has top advice on how to instil a sound recall in your dog

34

‘‘The wildlife of today is not ours to dispose of as we please. We have it in trust.

We must account for it to those who come after.’’ King George VI SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

14 JANUARY 2015 • 3

THIS WEEK'S NEWS

twitter.com/shootingtimes

facebook.com/ShootingTimesUK

NEWS 14.01.15

Get in touch: Lucy King, News Editor 020 3148 4750 lucy.king@timeinc.com www.shootinguk.co.uk/news

GUN LICENCE FEES WILL BE A KEY ISSUE FOR SHOOTERS AT THIS YEAR’S GENERAL ELECTION

GUNDOGS

Shock collar ban to be discussed Scottish environment minister Aileen McLeod has said she is prepared to discuss banning electric shock collars for dogs in Scotland. Following a Holyrood debate on the issue, Ms McLeod also reassured MSPs that the Scottish Government takes animal welfare seriously. The debate followed calls from organisations including the Kennel Club, the Scottish Kennel Club, the Scottish SPCA, the RSPCA, and the Dogs Trust to ban the collars.

BASC tackles Balls over Labour’s licence fee plans Shooting organisation takes shadow chancellor to task over Labour’s proposed licence fee increase if it wins General Election

CONSERVATION

A. CAMPBLELL / P. QUAGLIANA / D. KJAER / CLA

New acting head named for SNH Susan Davies has been appointed as the new acting chief executive of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) with effect from today (14 January). Ms Davies was previously director of policy and advice at SNH and was a director of the Langholm Moor Demonstration Project from 2010 to 2013. She replaces Ian Jardine, who has taken up a position in Brussels.

4 • 14 JANUARY 2015

B

ASC is lobbying shadow chancellor Ed Balls to clarify Labour party plans to increase gun licence fees.

This follows a recent interview in which Mr Balls said his party would use “new charges for gun licences” to raise additional funds for frontline policing. In November last year, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper made similar comments, pledging that the party would put up charges to almost £200.

BASC has sent Mr Balls detailed up-to-date costing figures from a rigorous review of licensing costs carried out in 2014, which found that the cost to the police of administering the system under e-commerce was about £80

per licence. This is significantly lower than the unverified figure of £196 previously claimed, which BASC believes has formed the basis of Labour’s calculations.

BASC chief executive Richard Ali said: “BASC is committed to working with all parties to ensure that policy on all aspects of shooting is grounded in solid evidence and conforms to the rules for better regulation.”

The association has also offered to assist Mr Balls should the Labour party wish to review its policy.

Since the start of the year, BASC has informed politicians across the board about the importance and economic value of shooting to the UK. It sent MPs a selection of statistics from last year’s Value of

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

Shooting report that was prepared by independent firm Public Corporate and Economic Consultants. This information included the fact that shooting generates an estimated £2billion for the UK economy every year and supports the equivalent of 74,000 full-time jobs.

The organisation has also set up a webpage that allows shooters to see if their candidates for this year’s General Election have expressed any support for shooting. The site allows voters to contact would-be MPs, asking them for views if they haven’t been previously made public, and offering to help them discover more about shooting.

Mr Ali said that 2015 is likely to be a “challenging year” for shooters

twitter.com/shootingtimes

292

facebook.com/ShootingTimesUK

THE NUMBER

of English MPs who would vote to repeal the 2004 Hunting Act, which bans hunting, according to analysis carried out by the Countryside Alliance.

and shooting due to the political uncertainty surrounding the election.

But he said that BASC is in a strong position “to provide an effective voice for shooting in politics and the media across the UK”.

He said that membership had just topped 140,000 and that every new member strengthened the voice of shooting. He added that there has never been a more important time for shooters to join shooting organisations.

BASC chairman Alan Jarrett added: “I am delighted to be able to start the New Year with the announcement of BASC’s growing membership passing a significant milestone. The organisation is evolving rapidly through change defined

by BASC’s elected council and implemented by BASC’s committed staff. BASC will continue to work

“THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MORE IMPORTANT TIME FOR SHOOTERS TO JOIN SHOOTING ORGANISATIONS” to bring together the best value for our members and the effective representation for shooting on the ground, in politics and in the media.”

The association is now calling on members wishing to put their talents and experience to use on the front line to stand for election to the BASC Council, which oversees the running of the organisation. It meets eight times a year and sets BASC policy and direction.

Candidates must be proposed and seconded by two fellow members.

The deadline for nominations is 30 January. Postal voting forms will be sent out in early March and the results will be announced at BASC’s Annual General Meeting on 13 June.

For nomination forms and more information, visit www.basc.org.uk or contact Andrea Porter by email andrea.porter basc.org.uk or tel 01244 573035.

THIS WEEK'S NEWS

“Don’t forget the RSPB shoot foxes to protect lapwings, whereas I shoot foxes to protect lapwings...” piptheparson points out uncanny similarities in the use of culling by conservation groups and landowners.

Shooters warned about power lines

P

Scottish and Southern Energy were damaged.

The company’s head of operations, Bev Keogh, said: “We fully appreciate that guns are an essential part of rural life, as is a safe and secure supply of electricity. We’d like to take this opportunity to remind all firearms owners of the importance of checking for our overhead lines before they take aim and pull the trigger — if you misfire and hit one of our lines or poles, it could mean local villages or communities being without power for a short time.”

Anyone coming across damaged power lines should stay well back and contact the 24-hour emergency service centre, tel 0800 072 7282 or 0345 Shooters have been reminded to check for 072 1905. overhead power lines before pulling the trigger ower company Scottish and Southern Electric has warned shooters to take care after stray shotgun pellets hit power lines and left almost 1,000 people without power for six hours earlier this month.

The incident happened at a shoot near Longleat in Wiltshire on Saturday, 3 January, where overhead power lines belonging to power distribution company

GAMEKEEPING

New Perth office location for SGA The Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association (SGA) has moved to new headquarters after seven years at Perth’s Arran Business Centre. The SGA said that the new HQ at the Inveralmond Business Centre in Perth will allow the SGA to benefit from good access, plenty of parking, spacious offices and high speed broadband. The SGA’s new address is: Inveralmond Business Centre, 6 Auld Bond Road, South Inveralmond, Perth, PH1 3FX.

Landowner erects anti-RSPB signs

T

he owner of the 60,000acre Gairloch and Conon estates in Ross-shire, Scotland, has put up signs telling the RSPB that it is not welcome.

John Mackenzie said the charity had “lost the plot” and was “out of control”.

“It is so big and so powerful now, someone has to try and make it stop and think. I am just doing my small part in that aim,” he said.

Mr Mackenzie took issue with the RSPB’s attitude to landowners and estate workers concerning raptor persecution and the fact that staff from the charity had not informed him that they were monitoring nests on his land. The signs were also erected as part of a protest against a £9.6million RSPB field centre planned for its Forsinard Flows nature reserve, and against the charity’s policies on capercaillie conservation.

An RSPB spokesman said: “While we would prefer a constructive dialogue with anyone who disagrees with our charitable work, it is the right of any individual to erect a sign on their private land expressing their opinion.”

The RSPB’s actions over raptors have provoked one landowner to protest

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

FISHING

Game Fair fishing area improved The fishing area at this year’s CLA Game Fair has been redesigned so that visitors can feel even more involved in the piscatorial action, organisers have announced. All exhibitors will be looking directly at the water, where numerous demonstrations are planned.

New features for 2015 include a kayak experience, an expanded flytying challenge with youngsters, beginners and expert areas, a casting pool and lure tank and a children’s area.

14 JANUARY 2015 • 5

THIS WEEK'S NEWS

020 3148 4750

lucy.king@timeinc.com

THEYSAID WHAT?

www.shootinguk.co.uk/news

“It amounts to a bigoted pogrom.”

Andrew Tyler, director of animal rights group Animal Aid, takes strong exception to the Forestry Commission’s latest plans to control grey squirrels.

THE “BAMBI EFFECT” HAS HAD A PARTICULARLY STRONG IMPACT ON PEOPLE’S PERCEPTIONS OF DEER

FISHING

Licence to kill wild salmon proposed The Scottish Government is set to launch a consultation on the introduction of a licensing system regulating the killing of wild salmon.

Proposals to prohibit such killing without a licence will be put to the public this spring, along with a carcase tagging scheme to assist enforcement.

Restrictions would apply to both anglers and netters, and could be in place for the 2016 season.

Better

19 GREAT

LESSONS

SHOOTING THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SHOOTING

GAME & CLAYS Easy-to-follow tips to get you bang on target!

“Disneyfication” undermines rural management, says CA The Countryside Alliance warns that views of animals as cute cartoon creatures pose a threat to vital management practices

FIX BAD HABITS

LEARN HOW TO HANDLE YOUR GUN CORRECTLY

THE RIGHT STANCE

PICTURE THE LEAD

WHY GOOD FOOTWORK CAN THE MYSTERY OF FORWARD TURN MISSES INTO HITS ALLOWANCE REVEALED!

ALAMY / L. CAMPBELL / COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE / L. GIBBON / D. KJAER / P. QUAGLIANA

SHOOTING INSTRUCTION

Better Shooting bookazine A new Shooting Times digital “bookazine” on better shooting is now available to download to smartphones, tablets and PCs. The 80-page step-bystep guide takes you through 19 lessons and includes advice on gun fit, stance, mount and forward allowance. Priced at £6.99, it can be bought and downloaded for Apple devices from the App Store, and also via the Kindle Fire, Zinio, Nook, MagazinesDirect.com and Google Play.

6 • 14 JANUARY 2015

T

he “Disneyfication” of the countryside means many people no longer understand the need to manage wildlife, the Countryside Alliance (CA) has warned. Increasing the public awareness of the reasons for management is particularly important in this election year, the organisation said, because there is a risk that politicians will be tempted to opt for policies they see as easy vote-winners, but which will further restrict the activities of those who manage the countryside.

The alliance commissioned consultants ORB International to carry out a survey of people’s attitudes to killing birds and animals to control them as pests or to manage population numbers. In September last year, ORB spoke to

1,509 people of different ages and social grades from around the UK. In general, younger respondents were the least likely to support culling, and women objected to lethal control of both birds and animals in notably higher numbers than men.

With animal species, the survey suggested that what it called the “Bambi effect” has had the strongest impact on people’s perceptions of deer: on average, only 17 per cent of respondents agreed that culling should be allowed. It also indicates that rats are the least “Disneyfied” species, and, overall, 81 per cent of those asked agreed that it should be legal to kill them. However, support for rat killing was much lower among younger people, with only 58 per cent of

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

18- to 24-year-olds supporting lethal pest control.

Fourteen per cent of respondents were against the killing of any animals, and town dwellers were less likely to support culling than country people for most species, but were keener on killing mice and foxes (see table 1).

As far as birds are concerned, support for lethal control in general was even lower: 36 per cent were against killing any species of bird for pest control or management purposes. As with animals, rural respondents were more supportive of culling, and the difference was most pronounced in attitudes to gulls and crows (see table 2).

There was most support for killing pigeon, with 55 per cent of people supporting lethal control. Only 6 per

twitter.com/shootingtimes

facebook.com/ShootingTimesUK

“It is quite within the rights of organisations such as the Countryside Alliance to promote an activity that can be carried out legally in accordance with the exemptions set out in the Act, and is of economic and social importance to many of our most rural communities.”

DEFRA minister George Eustice dismisses a request from Labour MP Roger Godsiff to ban a CA badge marking the 10th anniversary of the Hunting Act.

cent of people thought it should be legal to kill buzzards or cormorants and, unusually, the level of support was similar across all age brackets.

A spokesperson for the CA commented: “The culling of corvids, such as crows, is really important to protect songbirds. There is a need for a consistent, evidence-based and principled approach to wildlife management and habitat protection across all species, but, if people are never made aware of the reasons it matters, they will think that culling any wildlife is cruel and inhumane, and we end up in a situation like that over the trial badger cull. Pest and predator control are really dirty words.

“Politicians are always going to be tempted to go for an easy vote-winner and further restrict the activities of those who manage the countryside. Because wildlife management is not spoken about, people get more and more anti, because they don’t understand that without management we would not have the countryside we have today — it’s a man-made environment.”

Animal control (table 1) Species

percentage in favour of lethal control Rural

Urban

Rats

84

79

Mice

61

63

Grey squirrels

42

38

Mink

41

29

Foxes

31

33

Rabbits

36

27

Badgers

26

22

Deer

21

15

THIS WEEK'S NEWS

GOOD

Predation project launched

T

he relationship between predators, waders and wild gamebirds will be explored in a new initiative led

by Scotland’s Moorland Forum, commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage.

The project aims to establish, and agree on, the facts and assess the effectiveness of existing management options by reviewing scientific knowledge and “local knowledge”. It will also investigate the apparent disparity between scientific knowledge and the direct observations of local people on the ground, which the Moorland Forum believes presents an obstacle to progress.

The Moorland Forum is asking people with an interest in predation on wading and wild

gamebirds to provide their views and comments throughout the project. To find out more or get in touch, visit http:// po.st/MoorlandPredation or tel 01387 723201.

Bittern numbers are booming in the UK, with the 140 males counted in 2014 being the highest ever recorded, according to the RSPB.

Falconer and Cambridge academic Helen Macdonald won the biography category in the 2014 Costa Book Awards for H is for Hawk, her account of training a goshawk.

Those interested in wading and wild gamebirds are invited to comment

THIS WEEK

Culling “threatens stalkers’ jobs”

E

xcessive culling is threatening stalkers’ jobs and deer welfare, the Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association (SGA) has warned.

The association is planning to lobby politicians to rethink attitudes towards killing large numbers of deer by special licence for the sake of forestry and other conservation projects.

SGA chairman Alex Hogg said:

“This really concerns us. You have now got areas in Argyll where you can drive for 100 miles and never see a deer. They have got rid of them completely.

It is really hard to put a figure on how many jobs are at risk. But the people we are speaking to say everybody is frightened that it is getting nearer and nearer the time when owners will say: ‘We can’t afford to keep you on.’”

The death of a Northern white rhino at a zoo in San Diego leaves only five of the species left in the world, zoo officials said.

Bird control (table 2) Species

A prize pig belonging to the Princess Royal was killed by a wild boar, she told the Oxford Farming Conference.

percentage in favour of lethal control Rural

Urban

Pigeon

56

55

Gulls

42

34

Crows

29

19

Buzzards

8

5

Cormorants

7

6

BAD In some parts of the north of Scotland, there are very few deer left, says SGA

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

14 JANUARY 2015 • 7

THIS WEEK'S NEWS NEWS IN SOUTH AFRICA Wildlife rangers at Kruger National Park shot and fatally wounded two men suspected of poaching, while a third escaped after a gun battle at dawn, according to a spokesman for the South African National Parks. The men are thought to have been in pursuit of rhinos, more than 1,000 of which were illegally killed in South Africa last year.

Around the regions...

The latest news from your neck of the woods Book now for two-day intermediate deer course

KENT: BASC is holding a two-day intermediate deer course at Eridge Park, near Tunbridge Wells, on 5 and 6 February. The course is aimed at those who have completed DSC Level 1 and are preparing for DSC Level 2. It will cover stalking or shooting from a high seat, taking and reacting to the shot, approaching the deer and following up, extracting and transporting the carcase, and gralloching and inspecting the carcase. Places cost £260. To book, visit http://po.st/IntDSC.

Win a day’s shooting OXFORDSHIRE: The

Southern Counties Shooting ground closes DORSET: Southern Counties Shooting ground at Evershot, near Dorchester, closed down on 5 January following a long-running dispute with a neighbouring landowner over lead pollution from falling shot. The ground was Olympic gold medallist Peter Wilson’s (pictured) favourite to train at.

The Sportsman Gun Centre, a specialist shooting and hunting store selling new and used guns, clothing and accessories to the trade and public, will remain open. For more information, tel 01935 83099.

Learn about deer impact

P. QUAGLIANA / L. CAMPBELL

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE: The

Deer Initiative is running a best practice event on deer impact and activity monitoring on 28 March at Perio Mill, Fotheringhay, Peterborough.

The event is aimed at landowners, managers and anyone with an interest in deer management. It will give delegates a better understanding of the impact of deer activity in woodlands and how to monitor it. Places cost £20.

To download a booking form, visit www. thedeerinitiative.co.uk or email admin thedeerinitiative.co.uk.

8 • 14 JANUARY 2015

Oxfordshire committee of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) is hoping to raise £50,000 for the GWCT and local charities with a “fab four” raffle. The prize is a day’s shooting in January 2016 for eight Guns on four of the most outstanding drives in the Chilterns. Tickets cost £200 each and are strictly limited to 250. The winner will be drawn on 31 March. For more information or to buy a ticket, contact Caroline August, tel 07850 295333 or email office carolineaugust.com.

New Greenland goose management plan INNER HEBRIDES: Scottish Natural Heritage has announced a new goose management strategy for Islay to help farmers reduce crop damage caused by Greenland barnacle geese and improve habitat for Greenland whitefronted geese. Both species are protected under European law, but numbers of barnacle geese have more than doubled since the 1980s, placing increasing pressure on farm crops.

The strategy aims to reduce crop damage by scaring and diversionary feeding for Greenland white-fronted geese, and population reduction of Greenland barnacle geese.

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

Make charcuterie products on course DEVON: Topsham charcuterie company Good Game has joined forces with the master butcher at nearby Darts Farm to put on a charcuterie course on 1 March. The course will involve hands-on demonstrations of basic butchery and will teach participants to make various charcuterie products involving pork and game, including chorizo and salami.

It costs £115 per person, which includes a tasting lunch with beer and charcuterie to take home.

For more information, tel 01392 878209 or visit www. dartsfarm.co.uk.

BASC hosts pigeon shooting for beginners CAMBRIDGESHIRE: BASC is holding a day-long introduction to woodpigeon shooting at Chippenham Park on 24 January. The course covers the law and General Licence, quarry identification, safety when shooting in hides, reconnaissance and hide building, respect for quarry, equipment, decoys and hide discipline. Refreshments will be available but lunch is not provided. Places cost £45 for BASC members, £65 for nonmembers. For more information or to book, visit http://po.st/PigeonIntro.

Email: STLetters@timeinc.com ISSN: 0037-4164 Shooting Times, Time Inc (UK) Ltd, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU. Tel 020 3148 4741 Fax 020 3148 8179

For editorial enquiries email: STEditorial timeinc.com For picture enquiries email: max.tremlett timeinc.com For subscriptions enquiries: 0330 333 0233 To subscribe: 0844 848 0848 Editor Alastair Balmain Deputy editor Kate Gatacre 020 3148 4746 kate.gatacre timeinc.com Editor’s PA Katharina Doyle 020 3148 4741 Art editor Dean Usher Designer Sam Holmes Picture editor Max Tremlett Chief sub-editor Trevor Cooper trevor.cooper timeinc.com News editor Lucy King lucy.king timeinc.com Publisher Fiona Mercer Publishing director Hamish Dawson Editor at large Robin Scott Editor in chief Mark Hedges Managing director Paul Williams Classified advertising 020 3148 2872 Fax 020 3148 8160 Senior classified sales executive Mike Coombes 020 3148 2627 Display advertising 020 3148 4212 Fax 020 3148 8130 Group advertisement manager Rosemary Archer Advertising manager Tim Hanson 020 3148 4205 Sales executives Carly Wright 020 3148 4211 carly.wright timeinc.com Wendy Robertson 020 3148 4212 wendy.robertson timeinc.com Advertisement production Andy Durrant 020 3148 4195 Sponsorship and advertorials Charlotte Harris 020 3148 4231 Marketing manager Regina Tumbridge-Harringer 020 3148 4313 regina.tumbridge-harringer timeinc.com Innovator (for loose and bound-in inserts) 020 3148 3710 Can’t find ST? 020 3148 3300 Back issues 01733 385170

THIS WEEK’S COVER BY P. Quagliana IMAGE CREDITS: P. QUAGLIANA, D. HUDSON, A. WARD, G. DOWNING

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

We reserve the right to edit letters. No letter should exceed 250 words. Letters will not be used unless the author is prepared to have their name and county of residence published. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Shooting Times, Time Inc. (UK) Ltd, The Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU, or email STletters timeinc.com. Please include a daytime telephone number and postal address.

Shooting Times online forum: Join the conversation Log on to forums.shootinguk. co.uk, to chat with the Shooting Times community online about a wide range of up-to-date shooting and countryside topics.

10 • 14 JANUARY 2015

Your views & opinions

Readers’ Letters WRITE TO:

Shooting Times, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU

Letter of theIN ASSOCIATION week WITH

Bush Wear

Bad behaviour Over the festive period I was lucky enough to take six non-shooting friends and family members to my local clay ground to introduce them to shooting. We all enjoyed a great day out, and one or two are now seriously thinking of taking up shooting as a hobby.

However, the enjoyment of our day was marred by the terrible manners of a group of mature Guns, male and female, who not only crowded close to the group while the novice Shots were shooting, but also felt the need to make derogatory comments on the ability of those shooters (unfairly, as two of them shot five out of six) with the result that two of my companions declined to shoot the stand.

As a sport we should be doing all we can to encourage people to try shooting, and this sort of rude and disrespectful behaviour in no way encourages people to pursue our sport. Nor does it encourage kindly dispositions towards shooters as a whole and it can only undo much of the hard work that has gone into changing the public perception of our sport.

G. McLean, by email

Woodcock restraint I was disappointed to read that the National Woodcock Association of Ireland has called for a ban on the sale of woodcock (News, 17 December). However, I can understand the reasons.

High prices at the gamedealer can bring out the very worst of behaviour by some sporting guides and shooters.

This issue is not isolated to Ireland, as during the severe winters of 2011-12 in Scotland excessive bags of woodcock were being shot by sporting guides and teams of shooters on organised “woodcock shoot days”. It saddens me to see such a lovely bird as the woodcock with a bounty of £10 on its head, leaving it vulnerable to over-exploitation by the underbelly side of shooting.

The late Shooting Times contributor John Humphreys once wrote: “Woodcock shooting should be like a good champagne, sipped but never gulped” — this

should still stand for all shooters.

This bird deserves all the help and protection it needs in order for sustainable shooting to continue.

R. Findlay, by email

RSPB encounter Over Christmas I had a frank discussion with an RSPB membership recruiter outside my local garden centre. We covered diverse topics such as raptors, cats and Bill Oddie!

He was a well-meaning man who sincerely believed all that he had been taught by the RSPB. For example, he assured me that the organisation was not political and that its moors were a great conservation success. He agreed that cats kill millions of small birds but said that was okay as they had always done this. His view on predators was that nature should be left to find a natural balance.

The sad thing about this encounter was that we were both passionate about wild birds but

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

The writer of Letter of the Week wins this fantastic Pro Spotter Torch courtesy of Clulite Products worth £78.

It’s a compact and lightweight rechargeable LED hand torch with an incredible 350m spot beam. Up to 20 hours’ duration, supplied complete with wrist strap, battery and chargers. For more information on the Clulite range, visit www.bushwear.co.uk or tel 0845 226 0469.

WIN! Dedicated To The Great Outdoors

Bush Wear

were a million miles apart when it came to solutions. I suggested that his organisation could achieve far more by working with the shooting community rather than against us, but I am afraid that, at least in this instance, we had to agree to differ.

N. Cherriman, Surrey

Comps for crossbreeds?

Having read with interest your article about sprocker spaniels (Breeds in focus, 24 December), I was surprised that they cannot be registered with the Kennel Club and so cannot compete in Kennel Club events. I would imagine it is the same situation with Labrador and spaniel crosses. [Ed: it is.]

I regularly attend game fairs with my Patterdale x cocker spaniel, who absolutely loves having a go at the scurries. He is intelligent and fast and has always managed a really quick time.

He has attracted a great deal of interest from onlookers and other

NEXT WEEK IN competitors. However, these trials are for Kennel Club-registered gundogs, so we only do it for a bit of fun as I know we cannot win any prizes, which is a great shame.

With so many of these crossbreed working dogs now appearing, is it not time that we opened up these competitions to crossbreeds also, even if a separate class has to be introduced for them? Surely it has to be good for the sport.

Hilary Smith, by email

Drying a gun In the 26 November web query in the Sporting Answers section, Blackbirdtrev asked how he could make sure there was no water in the midrib after shooting his new gun in the rain. Mosti said to give it a good air cleaning with a compressor. He said this makes all the water come out so the gun is dry in a few minutes.

Unfortunately, however, air contains water — and air that comes out of a compressor has more of it, unless you use a dentist’s compressor, which puts out dry air but costs about £600.

As others suggested, the best thing Blackbirdtrev could do is to use WD-40 (the WD stands for water displacement).

As well as being a shooter, I am a retired air compressor engineer.

I. Finlayson, by email

Spying on keepers The story about the prosecution of the Scottish gamekeeper (News, 24 December), where footage from a hidden camera was used in evidence, was startling — particularly as it was reported that the head of the RSPB investigations unit told the court that the organisation “routinely enters estates without

First pheasant This picture (right) is of my nephew Owen Ling, 11, on his first shoot day as a standing Gun at Watering shooting, Creeting St Mary, Suffolk.

He is holding his first shot pheasant.

Sophie Annelis Buckingham, by email ■ CHAMPION SPRINGERS! The full report from 2015’s English Springer Spaniel Championship

Future keeper?

This is our 18-month-old son Henley Mills (right) at Arley shoot in Worcestershire on New Year’s Eve. He had a great day and we are very proud parents.

Lisa Mundie and Sam Mills, by email

permission of landowners” using access under the Land Reform Act. Really? Is that what it comes down to now? That a charity can enter any land without the owner’s knowledge and hide video cameras for “scientific purposes”? What next? A hidden microphone in the keeper’s bedroom? After all, he may be discussing wildlife crimes with his wife!

In the same story, mention was made of the refusal of the Scottish Government to issue licences for predator control to the game industry. If anyone had any doubts about the Scottish Government’s hostility to shooting in general, they should have no doubts now — this is a government that wants to drive through licences for air rifles. Ask yourself what next?

You also report in the same issue the slump in the sales of sporting estates in Scotland.

I wonder why that is the case?

P. Plotkin, Buckinghamshire

Biscuit barrel bird May I offer a late-season reminder to fellow Guns to sort out the contents of their pockets before the first drive?

Having downed a cock bird with my second barrel on the post-Christmas shoot, I fumbled in my right-hand pocket for two more cartridges as another cock immediately came over the trees.

Out came one of Lyalvale’s best, accompanied by a bone-shaped dog biscuit of roughly 12-bore dimensions.

With not a moment to contemplate, I stuffed in the single cartridge and mounted, swung and fired in one movement as the bird passed directly overhead, the copybook instinctive shot. The bird crumpled, arced and hit a kennel door 40 yards behind. It may have been my shot of the day, but I felt I had almost given new meaning to the term “biscuit barrel”.

I. Morton, Wiltshire

■ KINGS OF THE CASTLE: On the peg in the Welsh Borders at the stunning new Castle Shoot

■ DUCK TUBE DRIVERS: Meet the Fenland fowlers who get stuck in for ducks on their patch

■ “SNIPE FORWARD!” How to make your shoot’s boggy bits the best they can be for snipe

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

14 JANUARY 2015 • 11

GAMESHOOTING

A DIY shoot comes of age Tony Jackson returns to a small DIY shoot and sees some spectacular birds and impressive shooting

B. PHIPPS

I

n June 2013, on a sunny golden day I visited the 300acre Weston Wood DIY shoot (Shooting Times, 18 July 2013). Set in a deep, bowl-like valley close to Bath Racecourse and overlooking the Georgian Somerset city, this compact shoot, established on a small scale three years before, was still in the throes of development. It enjoys dramatic scenery: on a clear day the views across to the Severn estuary and the Welsh coast are stunning — this must surely be one of the most panoramic shoots in the country. On the day of my first visit, a team of syndicate members and helpers were working on a potential flightpond set beneath a steep, flanked wood, an addition to the two already established release pens, while a third, on a steep bank overlooking woodland, was in the process of being built.

The shoot incorporates three farms, one of which, owned by the Robinson family (Adam Robinson, his cousin Matthew and their fathers, Paul and Gerald), lies at its centre. It all began in 2010 when five friends, including Adam, Matthew and a close friend, Nick Anstey,

“IT ENJOYS DRAMATIC SCENERY — THIS MUST SURELY BE ONE OF THE MOST PANORAMIC SHOOTS IN THE COUNTRY”

TOP: Craig Macpherson and Charlie on the last drive, Sam Smith’s Ground. ABOVE RIGHT: Leigha brings home the goods on Long Ground, the third drive. RIGHT (l-r): James Burmester, Kath Davies, Neil Daw on Dark Wood; Jack Kerslake blows his horn on the second drive, Dark Wood 12 • 14 JANUARY 2015

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

GAMESHOOTING

TOP: Time for a break. ABOVE (l-r): James Pitt, Les Gowen, Mark Collins, Nick Anstey, Adam Robinson, Craig Macpherson, Matt Robinson, Rodney Mortimer, John Harvey and Luke Harvey

all keen Shots, discussed the possibility of creating their own modest driven shoot. The land was available, and each of the five contributed £240, and so, with a start-up kitty of £1,200, a release pen was built and 250 birds, all ex-layers, were bought in. In that first season no more than 40 birds were shot, but it was felt that the potential for a successful DIY shoot was in hand — it needed only expansion and the knowledge that comes with experience. Three more members then joined the syndicate, all of whom were friends. The Weston Wood shoot was now a real player.

However, the following season was not an outstanding success. Some 600 poults were released, but the weather that summer and winter was dreadful, with almost continuous rain, and bags were reduced to 25- to 30-bird days.

Lessons learned When I visited the shoot again, this time in December 2014, Nick told me, to use that over-worked phrase, that lessons had been learned. “As far as putting birds down goes,” he said, “we discovered the hard way that ex-layers are a waste of time and money. We quickly found that they wouldn’t hold and tended to stray. However, it was a start at reasonable cost and taught us a great deal about management and releasing.

We moved on to poults after that first

CRAIG MACPHERSON GOES FOR A HIGH BIRD ON THE VALLEY DRIVE, THE FIRST OF THE DAY

season’s experience with ex-layers and, considering that our covercrop was poor this year, the birds have been holding really well.”

Nick expanded: “If you are planning to create a DIY shoot, the main thing is to have everything in black and white from the very start. You must work out expenditure, and stick to a tight financial budget. We started with a small outlay but now the financial side has improved and we’ve even had donations from Guns, while one of them has given us a 4x4 vehicle, and another built a partridge release pen. As well as having finances in place, for a small shoot like ours one needs to have people with skills, such as carpentry, while we also have syndicate members living locally who can help out with the feeding.”

Nick explained that, on this particular day, there would be six drives, one of which, the last, was completely new and an experiment. All the drives except the final one are contained within the valley and within easy walking distance of one another, with birds being driven from SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

one drive to another. On this day there would be nine Guns on pegs and one back Gun. There would, however, be no duck flighting, quite simply because the pond had proved to be a failure owing to the presence of a public footpath and walkers with dogs. However, plans are now in hand to excavate a pond in a more suitable patch of damp, marshy ground.

As Nick said, one lives and learns.

First drive The first drive, the Valley Drive, was spectacular. It is set on a steep slope leading up to a wood cloaking the side of the valley, above which lies Bath Racecourse. There is a strip of immature miscanthus above the tree-line, the wood itself has dense bramble cover, and on either side lies more woodland.

The Guns were double-banked to allow for the relatively narrow frontage and the steep slope. There was silence, with only the whisper of a breeze and then, abruptly, a pack of a score or more partridges erupted from the miscanthus to sweep over the line 14 JANUARY 2015• 13

GAMESHOOTING

ADAM ROBINSON, WITH HIS DOG, HARVEY, AT HIS FEET, BAGS A BIRD ON THE HARRIS PEN DRIVE

ABOVE: Filling the gamecart at the end of the last drive. BELOW (l-r): Dave Dunster, Wendy Dunster, Steve Hill, Pete Norris, Finley Cook, Gene Norris, Neil Daw, Gareth Dando, Kath Davies, James Burminster, Jack Kerslake, John Guley and Holly Guley

and down the valley. Almost catching the Guns unaware, they passed through unscathed. That was not the case, however, when several cloud-scraping pheasants swung over the line. On my right, Les Gowen, from Padstow in Cornwall, killed a good bird, while a boom and a puff of blue smoke marked the demise of a 40-yard bird. This was the work, I discovered when the drive ended, of Nick who was using, for the first

two drives, his blackpowder hammergun made by Rosson & Co. On the second drive, Dark Wood, the team of 15 beaters pushed out an adjacent strip of thick cover. Though only half a dozen birds erupted, all were high and fast — so much so that only one paid the penalty. A spectacular cock bird, it survived two Guns, only to be killed cleanly by John Harvey. This, in my book, was to be the best shot of the day. There was then a break for refreshments and time to catch our breath in anticipation of the next drive, Sidelands, the main drive of the day.

Thwarted by the wind

Holly Guley, pictured with Frank and Purdey on the Harris Pen Drive, had a successful day

It was, however, to prove something of an anticlimax. The team of Guns doublebanked on the base and side of a lynchetstriped hill with a strip of woodland on one side. From the steep slope, one could look down into Bath far below us. It was a spectacular view. Usually, spectacular birds would break over the Guns, but today it was not to be. A gamecover crop, out of sight on the hilltop, held dozens of birds, which should have come forward to provide some remarkable shooting, but instead, at the behest of an increasing wind, chose to swing sideways into the next drive. A handful were shot but, as Adam Robinson pointed out, one can’t legislate for the wind.

However, all was not lost, for the next drive of the day, the Long Ground, kept

14 • 14 JANUARY 2015

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

the team busy as bird after bird, fast and high, broke cover, with many of the survivors swinging into the adjacent Harris Pen drive. This, the penultimate drive of the day, produced several spectacular birds and some equally impressive shooting from Adam, while Kelly Paines, under instruction, shot her first pheasant.

The last drive of the day was an experiment. Called Sam Smith’s Ground, it consisted of a long, very dense thicket overlooking a shallow valley. Fed for a week before the first time through, several partridges came forward, only to swerve sideways back into the main shoot. Two or three good pheasants came forward and one was shot. If additional ground below the thicket could be incorporated into the drive, this would undoubtedly prove a useful addition to the Weston Wood Shoot.

At the end of the day we gathered in the farmyard, while the bag of 36 pheasants, five partridges and a brace of jays was hung on a rail. Had the main drive of the day, Sidelands, lived up to expectations the bag would doubtless have been bigger, but that was of no consequence. The team of Guns had enjoyed excellent sport provided by enthusiastic beaters and, as I fully appreciated, the Weston Wood shoot had come of age.

NEW YEAR OFFER

Subscribe today and get

2 years for just SAVE up to

60%

£99

ENJOY THESE GREAT SUBSCRIPTION BENEFITS:

• Your subscription comes complete with a free trial digital version for iPad and iPhone

• Never miss a copy of your favourite magazine • Convenient home delivery every month • Save up to 60% on your subscription

0330 333 4555

Subscribe online at

shootingtimessubs.co.uk/17N

Quote code: 17N

7 days a week from 8am to 9pm (UK time)

Complete the coupon below

THE DIRECT DEBIT GUARANTEE: • This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits • If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit Time Inc. (UK) Ltd will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request Time Inc. (UK) Ltd to collect a payment, conf irmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request. • If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by Time Inc. (UK) Ltd or your bank or building society you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society – If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when Time Inc. (UK) Ltd asks you to. • You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.

YES! I would like to subscribe to Shooting Times: ■ UK Direct Debit: Pay just £31.65 every 6 months, SAVING 49%

on the full rate of £63.29.

■ 2 year UK credit/debit card subscriptions: Pay just £99.00, SAVING 60% on the full rate of £253.16.

■ 1 year UK credit/debit card subscriptions: Pay just £93.49, SAVING 26% on the full rate of £126.58.

OVERSEAS RATES – SAVE UP TO 29% Call: +44 330 333 0233

YOUR DETAILS: Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms:

PAYMENT DETAILS: Cheque/Credit Card

I enclose a cheque/money order for £___________________ made payable to Time Inc. (UK) Ltd. Or please debit my: ■ Amex ■ Visa ■ VisaDebit ■ Mastercard ■ Maestro (UK only) Card No:

For office use only: Originators Reference – 764 221 Name of bank: Address of bank:

■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■■ Start Date (Maestro only)

M M – ■■ Y Y ■■

Issue No. (Maestro only)

■■■

Expiry Date

M M – ■■ Y Y ■■

Forename:

Postcode: Name of account holder: Account no: ■■■■■■■■ Sort code: ■■ Ð ■■ Ð ■■ Instruction to your Bank or Building Society: Please pay Time Inc. (UK) Ltd Direct Debits from the account detailed on this instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with Time Inc. (UK) Ltd and if so, details will be passed electronically to my bank or building society.

Surname:

If you would like to receive emails from Shooting Times and Time Inc. (UK) Ltd containing news, special offers, product and service information and, occasionally, take part in our magazine research via email, please include your email below.

Email Address:

Signature: Date:

(I am over 18)

Signature: (I am over 18)

Address:

Postcode: Home Tel. No (inc country/area code) :

If you would like to receive messages from Shooting Times and Time Inc. (UK) Ltd containing news, special offers, product and service information and, occasionally, take part in our magazine research via your mobile, please include your mobile phone number below.

Mobile phone no: Date of Birth:

DIRECT DEBIT: Pay £31.65 every six months by Direct Debit (UK only)

D D

M M

Y Y Y Y

Date:

Ofer closes 28th February 2015. Ofer open to new subscribers only. Direct Debit ofer is available to UK subscribers only. Please allow up to six weeks for delivery of your first subscription issue (up to eight weeks overseas). The full subscription rate is £126.58 for 52 issues a year and includes postage and packaging. If the magazine ordered changes frequency per annum, we will honour the number of issues paid for, not the term of the subscription. The free digital version can be withdrawn at any time during the subscription period. Calls to 0330 numbers will be charged at no more than a national landline call, and may be included in your phone provider’s call bundle. For enquiries from the UK please call: 0330 333 4555, for overseas please call: +44 330 333 0233 or e-mail: magazinesdirect@quadrantsubs.com Shooting Times, published by Time Inc. (UK) Ltd, will collect your personal information to process your order. Shooting Times and Time Inc. (UK) Ltd would like to contact you by post or telephone to promote and ask your opinion on our magazines and services. Please tick here if you prefer not to hear from Time Inc. (UK) Ltd ■. Time Inc. (UK) Ltd may occasionally pass your details to carefully selected organisations so that they can contact you by telephone or post with regards to promoting and researching their products and services. Please tick here if you prefer not to be contacted ■. Time Inc. (UK) Ltd who publish Shooting Times would like to send messages to your mobile with ofers from carefully selected organisations and brands, promoting and researching their products and services. If you want to receive messages please tick here ■. Time Inc. (UK) Ltd would like to email you with ofers from carefully selected needed – UK only) organisations and brands, promoting and researching their products and services. If you want to receive these messages please (No tick herestamp ■.

Send the completed coupon with your payment to: FREEPOST RTKA-YLJG-HAAK, Time Inc. (UK) Ltd, Rockwood House, 9-16 Perrymount Road, HAYWARDS HEATH, RH16 3DH.

Send completed coupon to: FREEPOST RTKA-YLJG-HAAK, Time Inc. (UK) Ltd , Rockwood House, 9-16 Perrymount Road, HAYWARDS HEATH, RH16 3BR (No stamp needed – UK only) CODE: 17N

MIKE SWAN

GAME COOKERY

Gamekeeper More parts of a gamebird’s carcase can be used in the kitchen than is often realised

W

ell, here we are again. The excesses of Christmas are all over, and it's time to think about a healthy diet with lots of game to keep us fit in 2015. It never ceases to amaze me that some who shoot seem reluctant to eat much game. For me, the food gathered is more than half the reason for going shooting — but then, I come from pothunting stock.

As a consequence of poor shooting, my score from various flights and armed rambles north of the border over the past week was just one greylag, one pheasant and one snipe, but the generosity and diffidence of others meant that I came home with five geese, a brace each of

snipe and teal, and a nice fat mallard. In common with most of what comes through my hands, this will all be relished in the Swan household, and I take a certain pride in making the best possible use of what I gather. The geese, in particular, will take a bit of work, but for me that's all part of the story. My usual luck is to end up shooting the toughest old gander in the skein, and this year was no exception, judging by the number of black feathers scattered across his breast.

However, two of the other four look like this year’s young to me, so they will certainly be worth the effort to pluck and dress for roasting. The others will probably be carefully skinned and have the breast and leg meat boned out and cubed for use in a casserole. I find that goose meat like this goes particularly well if casseroled along the lines of boeuf bourguignon, with chopped onions, red wine and pieces of smoked bacon — let’s call it goose and claret, though a rather cheaper red will do just as well!

You may think at this point that you have done all you can with the birds, but I like to go a bit farther. I’ve always been an offal fan, and I just love to fry the livers and kidneys from rabbits, deer and other game. From the birds, I usually use the hearts and livers to make pâté, along with any other scraps from the carcases that are really too small to cut into cubes.

There always seem to be some of these to be rescued after the initial boning, and on bigger birds there is useful meat along the back, too.

Simple pâté My pâté recipe is very simple, and goes as follows. First pick over the livers and remove the gall bladders, then fry them and the hearts and other scraps gently in butter, with a little chopped shallot and garlic. Add a few sprigs of thyme and some shavings of nutmeg towards the end of the cooking time and pour in a splash of wine or a little stock. Once they are cooked, allow them to cool

P. QUAGLIANA

It’s worth the effort of plucking a young goose for roasting whole. Use the heart and liver to make pâté

GET IN TOUCH:

www.shootinguk.co.uk

twitter.com/shootingtimes

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

a bit and then blitz in a food processor, adding salt and pepper to taste. Be generous with the butter; you probably need about 25g for every 100g of meat and offal.

This pâté works well as a starter but is also great for lunch, and is a favourite with my 11-year-old son. He often takes a small tub and some oatcakes to school as the main part of his packed lunch, and I get the feeling that some of his mates are a bit envious. You can also vary the flavour by adding a drop of port, and/or a spoonful of redcurrant jelly. A softer version with a bit of extra stock makes a change from the usual

‘‘For me, the best of pheasant comes from sinking my teeth into the succulent thighs of a well-roasted young hen’’ mayonnaise-based things as a dip with sticks of celery and carrot.

The recipe works well with any other game, such as partridges and pheasants, and I often end up mixing all sorts of things when I make it; the most recent batch included offal and other bits from teal, wigeon, pigeon and pheasants. You can also increase the ratio of meat to offal, so if you are one for just breasting out pheasants, why not use the offal and thigh meat in this way? In some ways, I think that you are missing out if you do; for me, the best of pheasant comes from sinking my teeth into the succulent thighs of a well-roasted young hen.

Talk of pheasants brings me to a New Year resolution from years ago that I know is now overdue. This is to introduce at least one person each season to the joys of eating game. My normal scheme is to start with pheasants, and to invite my “victim” for an early-evening drink and a game preparation lesson. With a glass of beer to hand, we settle down in a quiet corner with the plucking bin and set about a brace of birds. This inevitably takes longer than just doing them and presenting oven-ready birds, but the end result is usually a convert who is now happy to pluck and dress their own in future.

facebook.com/ShootingTimesUK 14 JANUARY 2015 • 17

BEATERS’ DAY

An unbeatable end to the season W

A. HOOK / P. QUAGLIANA

There’s no better way to thank loyal shoot helpers at the end of the season than with a beaters’ day shoot.

Ian Grindy considers what makes a good one

hat made my old shoot special was the attitude of the Guns towards the beaters and shoot staff. Despite the size of the shoot and the wealth of the family owners, there was not the slightest whiff of a “them and us” attitude.

The boss would take as much time to greet the beaters in the morning as he did his high-profile shooting guests. Regular Guns and family members did the same thing. They also thanked everyone at the end of the day for their efforts.

This appreciation by the boss was even more evident when it came to the beaters’ days at the end of the season.

Note the plural — we had quite a lot of beaters and pickers-up. The boss thought that one day’s shooting was not enough for them; he said we should have two days — so we did!

BEATERS WORK HARD DURING THE SEASON, SO A DAY THAT REWARDS THEIR EFFORTS AND LOYALTY IS A GREAT WAY TO SAY THANK YOU

18 • 14 JANUARY 2015

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

It gets better: on the last beaters’ day we would all take ourselves off to the village hall for a beaters’ day meal. Our beaters and pickers-up would arrange taxis and family members to collect them afterwards — the boss provided both the food and drinks. The regular Guns turned out to beat for us on beaters’ day — a touch of role reversal (but they weren’t very good beaters!). And at the evening meal we presented the Golden Pheasant Awards to individual beaters for the greatest number of cock-ups in a given season — all good-natured fun!

With teams of both walking and standing Guns on beaters’ days, the bags were often bigger than those shot on normal shoot days. The wily old birds that had been used to escaping out of the side of the drive or back over the beaters’ heads got caught out on these occasions.

The shooting and hospitality were second

BEATERS’ DAY

BAGS CAN SOMETIMES BE BIGGER ON BEATERS’ DAYS THAN ON NORMAL SHOOT DAYS — ESPECIALLY IF THERE ARE TEAMS OF BOTH WALKING AND STANDING GUNS

to none and I have no doubt that this added to the appeal of being part of our regular beating team. It certainly helped engender a sense of loyalty to the shoot.

We had many beaters who would willingly give up most of their annual holiday entitlement to beat on a regular basis. Not only that, but they would also turn up to help with the more labourintensive activities such as building new release pens. If you were to ask me if this was all about their obtaining an opportunity to shoot on beaters’ days, I would say no. The chance to shoot on beaters’ days, combined with the obvious generosity and sincerity of the boss, was an expression of appreciation of their efforts, and to some people, being truly appreciated is more important than physical or monetary reward.

Whom to include?

Of course, beaters’ days can also be a bit political. Arthur was one of my star beaters and a special friend. He worked on the docks in Liverpool and had an irrepressible sense of humour and mischief, typical of a born-and-bred Scouser. Arthur never missed a day’s beating or picking-up, so he more than qualified for a Gun on beaters’ day. What used to rattle Arthur were the beaters who trod the fine line between qualifying or not — in other words, those who got in just enough days to get noticed. He used to call them “late-season migrants”. The closer it got to the end of the season — and beaters’ day — the more we used to see of them.

I tended to be more generous. We patronising — just pragmatic. “Some had both the ground and the birds to beaters never get the chance to do much accommodate people on beaters’ days, shooting,” he said, “so you may need to so I never set any criteria or a qualifying give them some help, encouragement number of days’ beating for attending and safety advice. I usually ask a more the shoot. But, of course, there is a experienced friend to do this, and it limit to such generosity. If somebody makes the day that much more enjoyable had only done a couple of days or so of for everybody concerned.” beating, then I would make a point of For a successful beaters’ day, goodexplaining to them that I needed natured conversation, along with to look after my regular beaters an enjoyable and relaxed first. I strongly believe that atmosphere are Brian’s “I CAN’T if somebody has to be essential ingredients — EMPHASISE excluded then you need plus some good shooting, ENOUGH HOW to explain the reason of course. The beaters’ VITAL BEATERS’ why. This is important: day at Brian’s shoot is DAYS ARE FROM A be fair, be honest and all driven birds and be straightforward those who don’t shoot — TEAM SPIRIT AND with people, and they friends, family and nonLOYALTY POINT will understand where shooters — do the beating OF VIEW” you are coming from. and picking-up. They take As far as the evening meal place on the last two days of and entertainment were the season and Brian sees it concerned, everybody as a time to celebrate the was invited. end of one year and look forward to another.

“I can’t emphasise Safety first enough how vital these Brian Mitchell, head days are from a team gamekeeper on the spirit and loyalty point Castle Hill Shoot of view,” he said. “They in Devon, and author provide the cement of the book Think Like that helps bind us all a Pheasant, is one of the together, especially when most experienced keepers we get down the pub for a meal I have ever met, so I phoned and a pint at the end of the day. him to ask how he dealt with Anything can happen then.” beaters’ day.

Brian’s beaters are more fortunate Brian told me that the first thing to than most: anybody who beats or think about is safety. He wasn’t being SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

14 JANUARY 2015• 19

BEATERS’ DAY

DO’S Make safety your first priority.

If some people have to be excluded from the day, explain the reason why.

Make a point of thanking your beaters: a short thank-you speech at the end of the day is always appreciated.

Do everything you can to create a good atmosphere on beaters’ day: it’s the end of the season — try to relax!

TOP RIGHT: A friendly atmosphere makes for a great beaters’ day. ABOVE: At the end of proceedings, a meal and a drink, whether on the shoot, in the village hall or the pub, helps express your appreciation

“A GOOD ATMOSPHERE AND A FEELING OF INCLUSIVENESS ARE ESSENTIAL”

Several hundred miles north of Brian is the beautiful Trough of Bowland, near Lancaster in Lancashire, where Peter Pedder runs a modest grouse and pheasant syndicate. So, do they do things differently up North? Not according to Peter. In fact, there are many similarities.

Like Brian, Peter immediately emphasises the safety issues. “Having

been a keeper yourself you know what it’s like; you’ve just got to be a bit more careful on beaters’ day,” he said.

Peter also allows non-shooting beaters to invite a guest to shoot in their place. He has a solid core of about 30 beaters and he accepts that you can’t make it completely fair about who should be invited, but he advises being diplomatic and as inclusive as possible.

Peter likes to hold his beaters’ day about a week before the end of the season, and they usually shoot 120 to 150 birds on the day. Peter and his regular Guns also arrange a hog roast for everybody and provide something to drink. Some of the beaters’ wives and girlfriends produce cakes and other goodies to eat.

“It’s great; everybody helps out. In modern parlance, I suppose you would call it ‘team bonding’,” he told me. But whatever you want to call it, he said it works: a good atmosphere and a feeling of inclusiveness are essential on beaters’ day — and every other day of the season.

I asked about his philosophy regarding beaters’ day politics. Peter was clear:

20 • 14 JANUARY 2015

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

picks-up at Castle Hill, but is a nonshooter themselves, is allowed to invite a guest to take their place on beaters’ day. Brian also organises several days of roughshooting on the boundary of the estate, which helps to push birds back towards the main drives, and any beater who puts his name down for one of these is a welcome guest — it’s a perk of the job.

Brian believes that those who take part in beaters’ day should be fairly regular attendees on formal shoot days, but he has no set criteria. He prefers a more flexible approach and likes to encourage as much participation as possible.

Similar focus

Be as generous as you can: you may not be able to afford a full-blown beaters’ day meal for everybody, but even a few sausage rolls at lunchtime will help show your appreciation.

DON’TS Don’t take your beaters or pickersup for granted; few shoots could survive without them.

Don’t show any favouritism on the day; treat everybody equally.

Don’t cut the day short — this is often the only chance beaters get to shoot. Make the most of it and make an early start.

Don’t forget that this is beaters’ day.

Keep it exclusively to beaters, pickers-up and shoot helpers if you can. The regular Guns should have had enough shooting by now.

“People have other commitments: they have families and work to think about.

If they beat or pick-up when time allows, that’s good enough for me. And you can’t be too prescriptive about who should, or should not, be allowed to shoot on beaters’ day. Be generous, we’ll need all the help and support we can get next season.”

EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE

Set your sights on uncompromising off-road capability. The 855D S4 has everything you need: a powerful 854 cc diesel engine, 454 kg cargo box capacity (635 kg payload capacity), on-demand true 4WD and fully independent suspension. Plus comfortable seats for four workers all week – and four hunters at weekends.

JohnDeere.com

TS32020.3ENG_GB

Seats four, hauls more: XUV 855D S4

New BERETTA SO10 £110,000

Running number pair, 20 Gauge, 30” Barrels, Fixed choke 1/4 & 1/2, Narrow game rib, 2S1 Hand engraved deep scroll, 15 1/2” Matched pistol grip stocks with lovely dark wood, Only pair of its kind available, 12 Gauge 30” pair also currently in stock.

New BERETTA SO6EELL £67,600

Factory pair, 12 Gauge, 29 1/2” Barrels, Fixed choke 1/4 & 1/2, Flat tapered rib, Auto safe, Hand engraved gamescene sidelocks, Numbered 1 & 2 in gold, 15 1/2” :ell matched pistol grip stocks with superb fguring throughout, Complete in double case. Second hand running number pair also available 29 1/2” barrels with 15 1/2” stocks, POA.

Used BERETTA JUBILEE £21,250

Factory pair, 20 Gauge, 29 1/2” Fixed choke & 32” Multi choke barrels, Narrow game rib, Hand gamescene engraved sideplates, Numbered 1 & 2 in gold, Auto safe, 14 3/4” :ell matched pistol grip stocks with beautiful fguring, Very good condition, Complete in double case.

New BERETTA JUBILEE £26,000

12 Gauge running number pair, 30” Barrels, Fixed choke 1/4 & 1/2, Flat tapered rib, Hand fnished scroll engraving, Auto safe, 14 1/2” Matched pistol grip stocks with deep fguring throughout, Fabulously balanced.

Tuesday to Saturday 9.30-5.30pm, Bywell Shooting Ground, Bywell Farm, Felton, Northumberland, NE65 9QQ 01670 787827 www.bywellshootingground.co.uk

game cookery

cordon bleu chef fiona misselbrook (right) leads the game cookery courses

colstoun estate

A “greener” way of cooking at Colstoun Lucy King enjoys a game cookery course at Colstoun House in East Lothian, where the ingredients are grown, reared or shot on this progressive estate

colstoun house is home to a cookery school, established in 2011, that has its own walled garden and 2,000 acres of organic farmland and forestry

partially accurate: the estate is literally olstoun is a fascinating and physically a remnant of the feudal example of a family-run past — the oldest parts of the house date estate in what are testing times back to the 11th century. But that’s where for private estate owners in the accuracy comes to a juddering halt Scotland. Faced with political — the place is anything but outdated and promises of radical land the ingenuity of its current inhabitants reform, estates that have, in some cases, is showing just how uncommonly good been privately run by the same families well-run private estates can be for the for generations are under increasing economy, environment and people. pressure to demonstrate publicly how These days, the house is the centre of they contribute to “the common good” a 2,000-acre organic operation — the unclear but ominous that fuels a carbon-neutral concept which the Scottish “the cookery school, hosts Government has declared house has sporting breaks and feeds to be the goal of its into a string of wider proposed changes. been in the community projects.

It’s easy enough hands of the The house is just to paint a negative broun family since outside Haddington, picture of private its first stones less than 30 minutes estates, portraying were laid from Edinburgh. It has them as obsolete some 950 years been in the hands of the remnants of the ago” Broun family since its frst feudal past. In the stones were laid some 950 case of many estates, years ago and it is said that no this image would simply be other extant house in Scotland has lazy and inaccurate. In the case of been continuously inhabited by a single Colstoun, the portrayal is, admittedly, SHooTING TImES & CoUNTRY mAGAzINE

14 JANUARY 2015 • 23

GAME COOKERY

family for as long. Legend has it that the Brouns had supernatural help to hang on to it: in the 13th century, a local wizard, Sir Hugo de Giffard, is said to have given the then laird of Colstoun an enchanted pear when he got married to Giffard’s daughter. He told his new son-in-law that so long as the pear was kept intact, the Broun family and Colstoun would prosper, but, if anything should happen to the fruit, the fortunes of the family would fail.

The pear was kept safe, whole and — apparently — fresh for 400 years, but at the turn of the 18th century, the lady of the house was overwhelmed by the urge to take a bite of the forbidden fruit. The story goes that as her teeth touched it, the pear turned to stone. The petrified remains were quickly locked away again, but the damage had been done. Her husband proceeded to lose all his money gambling and had to sell the estate to his brother, who was then drowned with two of his sons when their carriage overturned during a storm.

The Brouns, however, were evidently made of stern stuff and are still in situ, as is the pear, which is locked inside a casket, inside a locked box, inside a safe, inside a strong room in the depths of the house.

The petrified pear is not the only piece of horticultural history being cared for at

Colstoun. Under the auspices of Freddy Macnamara, nephew of the current laird, Ludovic Broun-Lindsay, and his friend and business partner, Cameron SinclairParry, the estate now grows enough produce, including several heritage and heirloom varieties, to supply the cookery school, the family and several others.

A 60ft polytunnel next to the orchard helps a variety of vegetables thrive well

WOODCHIPS FROM THE ESTATE’S FOREST FEED THE STATE-OF-THE-ART HEATING SYSTEM

into the colder months of the year. When I visited in November several areas had been put to bed for the winter under blankets of local seaweed, but a couple of crops, notably the salad and chilli plants, were far from sleepy. The tunnel itself is also growing: plans are afoot to triple its length to 180ft by spring this year.

“ONE OF THE SCHOOL’S AIMS IS TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION” 24 • 14 JANUARY 2015

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

ABOVE LEFT: A decorative pear features on the gate to the walled garden. ABOVE: The lady of the house who dared to bite the Colstoun pear at the turn of the 18th century, Lady Elizabeth Mackenzie

Around the corner, great things are set to sprout in the old walled garden, which is divided into two sections — one for flowers and one for food. A lot of the flowers are grown from unhybridised seeds that preserve heritage and heirloom varieties. Not even the magic of Colstoun could make them bloom for me in November, however, so I had to settle for Cameron’s descriptions. “The blooms are not as perfect as the hybrid seeds,” he told me, “but they still have their natural scents and shapes, which are lovely.”

HEIRLOOM VEG

The vegetable section also includes many heirloom and heritage crops because these, as Cameron puts it, “are the exciting ones”. These vegetables may not quite match the preservative powers of the original pear, but they’re impressive nonetheless. They include De Colgar and Ukranian varieties of tomato; the former can be cold stored over winter, and the latter are better suited to the southern Scottish climate than most. Other unusual vegetables include Bulgarian leeks, albino and touchstone gold beetroot, and d’Eysine and Jaune Obtuse du Doubs carrots from France.

As well as gracing the family table, these vegetables go into the dishes created at the Colstoun Cookery School, which Freddy and Cameron set up in November 2011 and which won a Countryside Alliance Award in 2013. It offers a selection of courses, including game cookery, which is what attracted me.

GAME COOKERY Colstoun also works with local schools: through the Prince’s Trust programme, pupils aged from 13 to 15 get hands-on experience of gardening and cookery.

Older students come for residential cookery courses as part of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award.

One of the school’s aims is to promote sustainable food production. As many of the ingredients as possible are grown, reared or shot on the estate, and the rest are locally sourced. What’s more, the school’s hot water and warmth are generated by a state-of-the-art woodchip heating system, which is fed with wood from the estate’s 1,000-plus acres of forest. Thanks to investment in its forestry, rigorous energy efficiency and waste reduction policies it has achieved carbon-neutral status, which means it has net zero carbon emissions achieved by balancing the carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset.

RECIPE SERVES TWO Warm salad of partridge, pear and walnut

FOOD EXCHANGE The produce not used on the estate also goes to a good home, as Cameron explained: “We give away a lot to those who help in the walled garden — we have an honour system where an hour’s work equals 2kg of food. We also work with local companies and do exchanges.”

Ironically, something that doesn’t make it directly on to the Colstoun chopping boards is its present day pear crop. The orchard produce goes to local cider producer, Thistly Cross, where it undergoes a transformation only slightly less magical than that of the ancient Colstoun pear. It eventually makes it back, fermented and in bottled form.

I joined three pairs of cookery lovers for one of the game courses, which are taught by Cordon Bleu-trained Fiona Misselbrook, whose considerable experience includes cooking everything from game to glühwein at chalets and sporting lodges all over Europe.

We were tasked with making four dishes, beginning with a warm salad of partridge with, funnily enough, pears (see recipe, right). The partridges had been shot by the current laird and the salad leaves were picked from the polytunnel as we worked. Other dishes included rabbit, pigeon and venison meatballs, the venison for which had been shot on the estate by Cameron’s brother, Mac, who I have to thank for introducing me to this remarkable estate in the first place.

For more information on Colstoun House, the cookery school, corporate bookings and sporting breaks, visit www.colstoun. co.uk, email info@colstoun.co.uk or tel 01620 822 922.

I g di tss Ingredients

• 2 TBSP OF GRATED PARMESAN

FOR THE DRESSING:

• TWO MEDIUM-SIZED, RIPE PEARS

• 6 TBSP OF OLIVE OIL • 1 TBSP BALSAMIC VINEGAR • 1/2 TSP GROUND CINNAMON

• 15G OF BUTTER • 10G OF WALNUTS • TWO PARTRIDGE BREASTS

• SALT AND PEPPER

• SALT AND PEPPER

FOR THE SALAD:

• 100G OF SALAD LEAVES, ROCKET, WATERCRESS, MIXED LEAVES

• TWO THICK SLICES OF SLIGHTLY STALE WHITE BREAD • SUNFLOWER OIL FOR SHALLOW FRYING

• 1 TBSP OF OLIVE OIL

• ONE POMEGRANATE • A HANDFUL OF PARSLEY, CHOPPED

THE METHOD ■ Make and season the dressing by mixing all the dressing ingredients together.

pieces (depending on size, you may want to slice again).

■ To make the croutons, remove the crusts from the bread and cut the slices into small cubes. Heat 2.5cm (1in) depth of oil in a small pan. If the oil isn’t hot enough, the croutons will not crisp up properly — you can tell that it’s reached the required temperature by dropping a piece of bread into it: if it sizzles instantly, it’s hot enough. Fry the bread cubes until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Then, while the croutons are still warm, toss them with the Parmesan.

■ Season the partridge breasts with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in the frying pan and fry the breasts for about two minutes per side. Leave them to rest in the pan while you assemble the salad.

■ Peel the pears, quarter them, then slice each quarter again lengthways into three SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

■ In a frying pan, heat the butter over a medium heat and cook the walnuts for a couple of minutes until glazed, then remove from the pan.

■ Toss the salad in some of the dressing, then arrange the pears and walnuts on a bed of the leaves, topped with the partridge breasts, cut into slices. Finally, pour over more dressing and scatter over the pomegranate seeds and parsley.

14 JANUARY 2015 • 25

4 YEAR WARRANTY

HIGHLAND

12G CYCLES EVERYTHING FROM LIGHTEST 2 3 4” (70MM) TARGET LOADS TO HEAVIEST 3” (76MM) MAGNUMS

OUTDOORS

www.highlandoutdoors.co.uk

SAVE 70p PER BIRD ON YOUR REARING COSTS

Steel Frame - Fully Galvanised not painted Plastic coated twin wall steel sheets - Fully Insulated - 25 Year Lifespan Save Gas - Money - Time - Money

Specially designed heating system and drinkers Typical gas use as low as 2 bottles for 2000 birds.

Constant temperture means faster growth and hardier birds.

NO adjusting heaters - NO opening and closing windows 5 Minute pick up and move with built in lift points 2000 Bird Unit - double brooder and double night shelter only £3399 + VAT Phone or Email for Brochure

For Trade enquiries contact Highland Outdoors Ph: 0845 099 0252 Fax: 01857 341 111 sales@highlandoutdoors.co.uk

PIGEON SHOOTING

Getting the green light for pigeon

TOM’S TOP TIPS FOR GETTING PERMISSION TO SHOOT Once you have found pigeon causing a problem on ground where you don’t have permission to shoot, find out the farm and the farmer’s name.

1

2

Visit the farmer at an appropriate time and on an appropriate day.

First impressions count, so be professional and dress smartly when you ask permission in person.

3

Be confident when you tell the farmer where you have seen the pigeon problem and which crops they are feeding on.

4

Do not assume that full permission will be granted. You are hoping to get out for an initial outing.

5

Want to shoot pigeon on a farmer’s land? Follow Tom Payne’s step-by-step advice on getting permission

A. HOOK / P. QUAGLIANA

O

If that trust is abused, this will only put nce the shooting season ends pigeon shooters in a bad light. in a couple of weeks, my full Permission is not easy to obtain and attention will be turned to it can take time getting to know people pigeon shooting and the before consent is granted. Farmers must year ahead. With the recent few cold have complete confidence in the person snaps, pigeon have begun to flock in my seeking permission — as a pigeon shooter area. I’ve started to see good numbers you must not let them down. on rape, as well as birds hanging around I have found that winter is the best the gamestrips, restoring their energy time to gain consent, especially in a year by consuming the protein-rich maize. in which pigeon are hitting winter rape I’ve had some great early hard. Farmers do not want their roosting sessions on the few rape to be destroyed, and in windy nights we’ve had, and most cases will welcome I’ve seen a dramatic turna pigeon shooter if he around from the poor or she approaches the shooting of last winter. situation respectfully The most important and carefully. aspect of pigeon shooting is gaining permission to do so on STEP 1: NAME OF land that doesn’t belong FARM AND FARMER PUBS ARE GOOD to you. Unless you have Once you have found PLACES TO GET your own farm or shooting ground that you think would INFORMATION rights, you will rely on the kind benefit from pigeon being authorisation granted by farmers, shot, you will have to track down landowners and keepers to shoot on the farmer. Try to find out the name of their ground. Without this, you will not the farm and farmer before going any be shooting pigeon. This is a sport that farther. This does not mean driving is built upon trust and respect from all into every farmyard you come across, parties involved right from the start. annoying the local farming community SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

Be prepared, and have a pack ready to give the farmer containing information about you that he or she will need.

6

If you can, ask the farmer for a map so that you understand the ground completely before shooting.

7

Respect any other parties who may shoot on the ground.

Pigeon shooters can be unnecessarily protective of their ground; it is important that you work together.

8

Always call a day in advance so the farmer knows when you will be shooting on their land. Call them again when you have left and give them a report of the day.

9

Never take a friend shooting with you unless you have asked. If you wish to take a dog, check that the farmer is happy about this, too.

10

14 JANUARY 2015 • 27

PIGEON SHOOTING

through your recce to fnd the pigeon, to obtain the relevant information. a local you must try to be clear about the location pub, post offce or shop will normally and make sure you know what the crop be able to help, but make sure you are is. it looks unprofessional if you discreet. once you have the name turn up and get the name of the farmer, the name of the of the crop wrong. this farm and the location, you “dO NOT sort of mistake will not can approach in the right TurN uP instil confdence in your way and at the right time. cOvErEd IN experience or ability. camOuflaGE GEar, if you obtain a phone Step 2: the viSit lOOkING aS If yOu’rE number, don’t just call on Farmers are busy people abOuT TO makE a the off-chance; a visit is and do not like being mIlITary raId ON always best. interrupted. Do not turn THE farm” up at lunchtime or late in the evening, and defnitely Step 3: DreSS coDe not on a Sunday. i tend to visit Do not turn up on the day late in the morning, and will assess expecting to get out and shoot the situation to try to make sure that it is straight away. it is not polite to turn up a suitable time for me to interrupt them. with all your kit, covered from head to toe

PIGEON PACK Once you have gained permission to shoot

on a farmer’s land, give them a pack containing the following:

■ A copy of your shotgun certifcate. I prefer a scanned colour copy; make sure that you have signed your original certifcate before scanning it. ■ Insurance details. This should be in the form of BASC membership or equivalent. If you have no insurance, then make sure you get some in case of any accident so that both you and the farmer are covered. ■ A scanned colour photo of your vehicle. This should also be accompanied by your full registration and, if you choose to, your insurance details. ■ A sheet of contact details with your full home address, phone numbers and email address.

28 • 14 January 2015

Shooting timeS & Country magazine

in camoufage gear, looking as if you’re about to make a military raid on the farm.

When making your visit, dress smartly. you will be far more approachable and far less presumptious. Being professional is crucial — frst impressions count.

Step 4: ASk for permiSSion When asking for permission to shoot, be confdent and clear. explain exactly who you are and where you are from. it may be benefcial if you have obtained permission elsewhere in the area, as most farmers in that part of the country will know each other. if you have a reference from another farmer who has given you leave to shoot, this can also help. explain exactly where you have seen the pigeon problem. there is every chance that the farmer will be fully aware of the grey eating machines. the decision the farmer makes must be fully respected. if he or she says no, then politely ask if you could leave your details in case of any future problems and thank him or her for their time. if the answer is yes, it is important that you completely respect and understand the farmer’s rules. remember that you are being granted the right to use a lethal frearm on their land. i have a pack that i give to farmers, landowners and keepers if i’m granted

I’m still standing after all this time! permission to shoot. this pack (see box) covers all bases, gives the farmer confdence in my ability and puts their mind at rest, knowing that they have granted permission to a respectful, professional pigeon shooter. it also shows them that they are covered in case of any incident, and allows them to identify you if they receive a phone call from the local constabulary or a local person concerned about someone in a feld with a gun.

aBoVe left: If you win permission to shoot on a farm, the rewards can be great aBoVe rIGht: tom and the farm manager discuss where the pigeon have been spotted

FLIGHTPATH GAME MAIZE

Step 5: What you Should requeSt from the farmer i always ask the farmer for an up-to-date map of the farm, so that you can locate any no-go or sensitive areas. you can also identify the cropping plan, which will aid in reconnaissance. a map also comes in handy to identify places where you are not allowed to drive, and public rights of way. Before any shooting occurs, you must make yourself aware of the ground that you are to be shooting over. get the farmer’s contact details and make a note of the best time to contact him or her. you should always contact the farmer a day in advance of shooting, always be clear of where you are going to be, and always call to let them know when you have left. also, make a note of the farmer’s vehicle and registration number.

Permission is not easy to obtain, but it is easy to lose. if you do succeed in obtaining it, treat the ground and the farmer with the utmost respect. always leave the ground the way it was when you turned up, and always be safe.

CONTACT BRIGHT SEEDS TODAY

Tel: 01722 744494

www.brightseeds.co.uk Shooting timeS & Country magazine

14 January 2015 • 29

gameshooting

Right and wrong rights-and-lefts expending both barrels on one bird can make the difference between big and poor bags, says Blue zulu

K. REYNOLDS

T

a brace to be culled out of every pack, he late gough thomas once and preferably two. reminded readers that guns We all know what stops the majority of were not double-barrelled in us from becoming properly good Shots — order to hit a bird missed with a lack of ability and a lack of practice (the the frst shot. latter, to be fair, often dictated by a lack of i try to remember this when yet again folding stuff). is there anything we can do i lapse into being a double-banger. We to stop our second-barrel shots being used have all sinned thus, but i fear i’m guiltier just to hit what we’ve missed with our frst? than most: a bird crosses your bows, you Well, it helps if we get the lead right miss with the frst barrel, swear inwardly in the frst place, so we’re both hitting and swing faster with the second. Down and killing. Far too often this season comes the pheasant. as it’s been bagged, i’ve been knocking out tail feathers with kinder neighbours may think you’re my frst barrel and then having to sort shooting reasonably well but the more out the problem with my second. good experienced hands know you fuffed it.

Shots don’t seem to do this. “either this “bang-oh-bugger-bang” they miss or their birds are technique will always relegate dead in the air,” said a friend its practitioners to the ranks “like fighter who runs a small shooting of the second and third pilots, pigeon, school, “because they division and, while that grouse and wild always give too much lead does not matter much greys know that, rather than too little. and with reared birds, it’s when under they always shoot much a curse when shooting attack, it is fatal earlier than the average wild game. “you can to continue to Shot, with the result that bring the pigeon into fly straight” the bird is hit in the head. the decoys only so many if they do miss, or prick times in a day,” said a the bird, then there’s plenty professional guide, “and what of time to deal with the situation makes the difference between with a measured second shot, rather big bags and poor ones is the ability to than scrabbling about trying to hit a bird score double runs. given exactly the that’s now less than 20 yards away with same opportunities, the good Shots a pattern the size of a soup plate.” will shoot about twice as many birds, i felt his gaze on me, as i’d done exactly simply because they have the accuracy that in the last drive. the trouble is, when and timing to pull off rights-and-lefts you’re having an off day, you try to make consistently.” as a result, these pigeon sure, so either end up taking the shot too professors will always be top of the list late for an effective second barrel or you when a guide has a really big day — one wait to see whether the frst killed the bird that he doesn’t want wasted on duffers properly or if you need to administer a — in the offng. coup de grâce with the second. a similar selection process applies to the grouse hotshots (who, incidentally, are often pigeon professors). you and DonÕt wait i may be capable of making sure that that sort of bad shooting practice something is always on the ground when destroys any chances of consistently a covey sweeps over us, but that isn’t shooting rights-and-lefts. “i never know much use to the moor owners, who need what i’ve shot when the grouse are coming large numbers of grouse to be harvested really thick and fast,” a true expert told in august, when the birds are moderately me as we banged away at some simulated easy to drive. he or she needs at least birds. “if you wait to see if your frst shot 30 • 14 January 2015

Shooting timeS & Country magazine

has connected, you’ll never have time to take the second. you just have to trust your skill, pull the trigger and get on to the second bird.” to prove his point, he smoked the next four pairs of clays skimming towards him at head height. “that’s where clayshooters come undone on grouse and pigeon,” he added. “they shoot very straight but they always want to make sure — and if you wait to make sure with your frst, you’ll never score consistently with the second on those birds.” it’s not just because the birds are so fast, but also because of their speed of reaction and aerobatic skills. it’s relatively easy to shoot rights-andlefts on duck, geese, pheasants and reared redlegs, because they keep a fairly steady path after the frst shot.

Pigeon, grouse and wild greys, on the other hand, are designed to outfy peregrines and sparrowhawks; like fghter pilots, they know that, when under attack, it is fatal to continue to fy in a straight path for more than a few moments. With these species, the second shot has to be taken very quickly after the frst to stand any chance of connecting. this season i’ve seen some of the best in action and they share three qualities: they do not allow anything or anyone to break their concentration when birds are approaching; they keep very still; and they keep their barrels up, especially when expecting wild greys, to minimise gun movement. i bore all this in mind when we had our knockabout day on the local farm shoot. it’s hardly a grand grouse moor, i grant, but the pigeon were in and there was a fver riding on the frst shot. as our “beating line” drew nearer (a mixture of wives, girlfriends and terrible terriers), there was a cry of “Cock for’ard!” followed by a woodcock, then another, and then another. there was no more than 10 yards between any two of them, and each few

directly across my bows, 30 yards out, left to right. They did not twist or dip, but just trundled past, wishing me good afternoon and doffng woodcocky hats.

Here then, was the easiest right-and-left at woodcock since God created Adam. Here, fnally, was the coveted membership of the Shooting Times Woodcock Club. And, happily, I did not miss. Less happily, I did not fre. Woodcock were strictly off-limits.

As they disappeared round the wood, I thought of less restrictive times in general and of Mr Ernest Gibson in particular. Flighting duck at the Laguna Milan in the province of Buenos Aires in 1920, he’d flled in a quiet moment with a right-and-left at black-necked swan and grey mullet. I imagine dear Ernest, like all good Shots, had not dithered for a second. And I bet he would have walked home from our farm shoot with a spring in his step and brace of woodcock concealed somewhere about his person.

AIRGUNNING

Winning the crow challenge

Crows can be difficult to control, but as Mat Manning explains, you can boost success by shooting them at roost

S

harp-eyed and always on full alert, crows never fall easily to the air rifle. Attempting to stalk within airgun range of corvids is virtually impossible and decoying them to within striking distance is challenging at the best of times.

But it is possible to catch crows off guard at the roost. In fact, much of what we take for granted in crow behaviour changes when these birds decide it’s time to bed down for the night. These elusive corvids are often regarded as fairly solitary birds — unless they’re drawn to an easy feeding opportunity. But vast flocks of birds will gather to roost in their favourite part of the woods when the sun goes down, especially when the weather turns cold, and the noisy congregation is often joined by jackdaws and rooks, too.

You’ll also notice a change in the way they act. Instead of making the usual cautious approach, and remaining wary after pitching in, roosting crows tend to arrive in a “BECAUSE raucous, croaking mob, CROWS ARRIVE swooping straight into AT THE ROOST SO the trees and hopping LATE, THE WINDOW from branch to branch with little concern for OF OPPORTUNITY any threat which might IS USUALLY be lurking beneath. This SHORT AND creates an ideal opportunity SWEET” for the airgun shooter tasked with thinning out a population of crows to protect the eggs and chicks in spring’s precious clutches of game and songbirds.

Bold behaviour

32 • 14 JANUARY 2015

M. MANNING

AN FAC-RATED AIR RIFLE OFFERS EXTRA KNOCKDOWN POWER WHEN TARGETING CROWS AT ROOST

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

To capitalise on the crow’s bold behaviour at the roost, you must first find where they gather for the night. Corvids turn in for bed late, much later than woodpigeon, so you need to wait until the light begins to fade before they start to arrive. When roosting crows do turn up, they’ll be conspicuous by the amount of noise they

AIRGUNNING

DON’T EXPECT BIG BAGS, BUT EVERY CROW SHOT COUNTS TOWARDS VITAL PEST CONTROL

“ROOSTING CROWS ARE CONSPICUOUS BY THE AMOUNT OF NOISE THEY MAKE”

You don’t need a hide when shooting crows at dusk, but you do need to be well camouflaged

make prior to settling down to sleep through the night.

You can also locate crow roosts by day, when the birds are away scavenging a living. Rather than looking up at the trees, look at the ground. If you find an area where the leaf litter is splattered with watery white droppings, it’s likely that you’ve located a crow roost.

Rather than turning up at dusk, I arrive about half an hour before I expect the birds to start flighting in. That way, I won’t spook any early arrivals as I crunch my way through the woods. Once settled into position, I’m able discreetly to pick off the first crows at the roost.

Natural cover I seldom build a hide for this type of shooting. Making use of natural cover means it’s easy for me to shuffle about if I can’t get a clear shot at a bird. It also means I can move to another spot if it’s apparent that I’ve set up in the wrong place when the crows start flighting in.

Crows have keen eyesight, so camouflage is vital in low light. Cover up telltale patches of skin on your face and hands — crows may be less suspicious at the roost but they’re not stupid. It’s easy to assume that your quarry can’t see you as you wait in the twilit wood, but your face can stand out like a beacon as you peer up from the

gloom — especially if it’s illuminated by a moonlit sky. Likewise, crows will often take flight if they spot the flash of your hands as you lift the gun up into your shoulder. A camouflage headnet, snood or peaked cap and a dark pair of gloves will help you remain undetected.

Because crows arrive at the roost so late, the window of opportunity is usually short and sweet — it’s often all over in 10 minutes. It’s illegal to use artificial illumination to shoot corvids, so you can’t use a lamp or night-vision gear to extend hunting time. Once you run out of natural light, that’s it.

Choose your location It’s important to set up in the right place, so find a spot that allows you to shoot comfortably and into relatively open trees that offer clear shots — it’s frustrating when birds are streaming in but are obscured by fine twigs that will deflect an airgun pellet wide of its mark. It’s easy to get over-excited when faced with

incoming crows, but stay calm to make your shots count. Leave any birds that you’re not confident of dropping cleanly, and wait until a better opportunity arises — missed shots will just put the rest of the flock on edge.

I favour an FAC-rated air rifle when targeting crows at the roost if the situation means one can be used safely. When using a legal limit airgun, I limit myself to head shots to ensure clean kills, but the extra knockdown power of a .22 calibre airgun producing about 30ft/lb means shots delivered to the heart and lung area will also be fatal. This enables birds perched with their head obscured by twigs to be dropped by a shot that targets any exposed chest area.

Don’t expect to make massive bags — there’s limited opportunity when targeting crows at the roost, but they’re usually easier opportunities than those available during daylight. The success of this sort of pest control hinges on frequent visits, accounting for two or three birds at a time, gradually to keep numbers in check. When spring finally arrives there will be fewer hungry crows hunting around the coverts when each day dawns. Every bird killed counts, especially when you consider how many eggs a carrion crow can snaffle its way through in a week. Your contribution will bring real benefits when combined with the keeper’s efforts with the Larsen trap.

LEFT: White droppings on the woodland floor will often betray the location of a crow roost

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

14 JANUARY 2015 • 33

gundog training

if you are complacent about training your puppy, you will have a much more difficult job to do later

The point of no return?

how do you teach a dog to come back to you? here’s jackie Drakeford’s advice on instilling a sound recall

a. hook / g. knight / P. quagliana / j. mactavish

A

sound recall is one of the most important things you can teach your dog — and also one of the most diffcult. Failure is commonplace, heard as much in the despairing wails of pet dog owners as with the equally fruitless and exasperated whistling following in the wake of some gundogs. those people who have dogs with enviable recall have put in a lot of work while keeping their expectations realistic. remember, there is never a dog allowed off-lead that has not at some time presented its handler with a rapidly disappearing view of its hindquarters.

Dogs range out to have fun and come back to fnd security. therefore, if you want them to come back reliably, you need to provide entertainment as good as, if not better than, they can fnd for themselves. until recall is frmly installed, you should load the dice in your favour by never letting the dog realise that it can fnd more fun without you than with you. the second part involves going on to do fun things together, but that is PhD level, and recall starts in kindergarten.

Being a “safe place” to return to is the other essential of recall, and one that is often neglected. it’s natural to be irritated, embarrassed or nervous when

34 • 14 january 2015

Shooting timeS & Country magazine

your dog runs off into trouble or even danger. But why would a dog come back to an angry person who is shouting? Why would a dog stop having fun to be put on a lead and taken away? in fact, why do dogs come back at all? i have heard trainers say that a dog should come back “because it loves you” or “because you are the boss/top dog/ alpha/pack leader” but that is egotistical nonsense. if our dogs love us — and it is nice to think they do — they can only love us as dogs love. if a dog looks “guilty” or as if “it knows it has done wrong”, trust me, it isn’t and doesn’t. it offers appeasement behaviour because it has picked up on its handler’s annoyance. Dogs need to feel safe, and a faky human does not encourage a desire to return. therefore, you have to make yourself the best place in the world for the dog to be — you must present yourself as consistent, protective and rewarding, no matter how cross you might be. it’s the devil of a tall order for us ordinary mortals.

Herding types Some breeds of dog — for instance, herding types — have a natural inclination to stay close because returning is a big part of the original task of the breed. this is straightforward to build

GUNDOG TRAINING

If this is the only view you have of your dog when out and about, you need to work on the recall

upon and shows good early results.

Others, such as hounds, have a genetic bias to range out, and you need to apply more cunning when training those types.

Puppies of any kind like to stay close to us in the early weeks, often fostering smugness in the owner, who does not realise that recall training must be started now even though it looks as if it is already there. At around five to six months old, the puppy will have developed more confidence and so will no longer need its owner as an anchor. If it now finds that the world is one big source of joy, and at the same time that the owner is the place where fun stops, it will have no incentive to return when summoned. You can get angry and demanding, you can plead, cajole and threaten, but you won’t be worth coming back to.

But if you start with that dependent puppy, if you teach it that you are

unreliable if not watched and tend to “disappear” by hiding or walking away if it stops paying attention to you, if you reward each return with pleasure and fun, you install that critical foundation to build upon after the awkward and defiant stage ends. Adolescence can’t be helped: each dog goes through one, and that is when the brain reconfigures into “cooperative” with social species.

Sometimes the changes are “I HAVE HEARD so disruptive that any kind of training has to be put TRAINERS SAY on hold, but with other THAT A DOG SHOULD dogs you only get a few COME BACK ‘BECAUSE relatively minor bumps.

IT LOVES YOU’, BUT used to search out scent, To help you through, you THAT IS EGOTISTICAL retrieve items and so on, need to understand that NONSENSE” as interesting exercises to the dog is not doing this do together with the handler to annoy you; it is a natural rather than something the dog progression that cannot does on its own. Thus the dog sees be hurried. you as a source of good things, not the end Once out the other side, you will find of them, and continues to look to you and that all the foundations you have laid still stay nearby to find out what you are doing exist, and then training will progress together next. much more smoothly. If, however, you There are some temptations that you neglected to create those foundations cannot better and which are different for because you were complacent with the different dogs, so for these you should puppy, you now have a dog that may go use management. Training, no matter farther, faster and for longer — and you what you might read, is never 100 per have a bigger job to do. Fortunately, the cent effective. Management steps in on principles remain the same. these occasions. Put the dog on a lead or behind a closed door. If your dog On the line is likely to ignore you, don’t give it the Long-range types of dog often benefit opportunity. You can work on recall from wearing a long line during their in a less stimulating place until it is of difficult phase — a horse lunge line is a high enough standard, or you can ideal — to instil the idea of remaining acknowledge that this particular dog will within a certain distance. This is better always be unreliable in that particular used off a harness. The idea is that the situation, and make sure it never has the dog does not learn how long the line is, chance to prove it. This is not failure but but is called back, rewarded and sent out a realistic assessment and handling of the again before it reaches the full length of dog on the day. It’s a good maxim for the it. Never use an extending lead, which rest of our training too. only teaches dogs to pull. This time can be

WHAT rewards WORK BEST? Rewards should necessarily be high value to that particular dog — not what the owner thinks is rewarding, nor what was rewarding to a different dog. Praise often doesn’t reward at all, especially if you say “good dog” in a leaden, dull tone. Many dogs like food rewards, but some couldn’t care less. Some like a game, or to carry a toy, but to others these things mean nothing.

Some dogs crave touch while others only put up with it; some find pats on the head unpleasant and prefer gentle rubs of chest and ears instead.

You should vary the rewards, for even the best wear thin after several times. Rewards should be high-value for recall — it’s no good expecting a £100 response for a £1 reward.

Giving food as a reward can work for many dogs, but some breeds couldn’t care less

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

14 JANUARY 2015 • 35

GUNDOGS

A change for the better?

Over the past 40 years, modern working springers have changed quite a lot, writes David Tomlinson

D. TOMLINSON

I

n the 1970s I owned several sporting Ford Escorts. I wish I had kept them, because they are now fetching silly sums of money. Compared with their modern successors, they were basic and not very fast, but they were great fun.

I didn’t have a dog in those days, but a friend’s English springer, Susie, used to stay with us for her holidays. Susie was an old-fashioned springer — liver-andwhite, not very long in the leg, with a chunky head and shortish ears. She was a great worker with an outstanding nose.

Like my Escorts, she wasn’t fast, but she was reliable and would work non-stop all day long.

Forty years on, the old Escort has evolved into the modern and efficient Focus, while the springer has changed

similarly into a much faster and lighterbuilt dog. Selective breeding, favouring stud dogs from trialling lines, has led to the 21st century working springer being a very different animal from its ancestors a mere 40 years ago. But just as enthusiasts hanker after old Escorts, there are still shooting people who want the sort of spaniels they remember from their youth.

I was reminded of this recently when I wrote about Peter May and his quest to find genuine working springers with no trialling blood (Gundogs, 12 November).

He succeeded, but it took him a long time.

As a result of that article, I received several emails from readers asking me if I could help them find old-fashioned springers. Colin Cook, for example, wrote to say: “I will be looking for a new

36 • 14 JANUARY 2015

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

THE ENGLISH SPRINGER IS DIVIDED INTO TWO MAIN STRAINS — WORKING (PICTURED) AND SHOW

springer shortly and like the ‘vintage’ type. I have usually been able to find one eventually, but it is getting more and more difficult. I use my dogs for roughshooting with a few friends. They work in the traditional spaniel way, flushing and picking-up, and are usually out for a full day at least every fortnight.

I’d be really grateful if you could give me some contacts of people who breed the vintage-type springer, or who may know of suitable breeders.”

Roy McBride emailed to say that he wasn’t a fan of the modern springer spaniel, “which is why I have been looking for the old type of spaniel, not the weedy type that is about now”. He added: “I had a springer in the 1980s (Kennel Club name Billy Muffin) that could go into a lake in the shooting season and not require emergency services to revive him afterwards. Do you know of any breeders of this sort of spaniel, and if so could you give me their details, please?

“I would like to get a young bitch or a couple of bitches that could hunt with me and be competitive in working tests in the summer months and maybe go on to trial.

Though I live in Northern Ireland, I am more than willing to travel to purchase a suitable bitch or puppies. Ideally, I’d like to see a separate working type trial for this old kind of spaniel. I thought the

GUNDOGS

A problem springer How do you stop a springer from acting aggressively?

I

MODERN WORKING SPRINGERS TEND TO BE BUILT A LOT LIGHTER — AND FASTER — THAN THEIR ANCESTORS

something of a two-edged sword. While the performances in trials have improved in style and speed, this has meant that the average owner finds that stock from the more high-powered lines is too much to cope with. It is a matter of debate as to whether this hyperactivity is of benefit Traditional springers to the breed as a whole, or just to the Frustratingly, I know few people competition dogs.” breeding traditional springers, though A typical modern springer of trialling I’m sure that there must be some out breeding is almost certainly more there. If you have what you regard as biddable, and trainable, than the dogs traditional, old-fashioned springers I’d be we had 40 or 50 years ago, and delighted to hear from you, or if you know a more stylish hunter, too. of someone breeding this type of But speed and style spaniel do contact me. I’m sure are not necessarily that a register of traditional what everyone spaniel breeders would be wants. There’s a real help for people, something such as Colin and reassuring Roy, who are looking when you for a traditionalshoot over a type springer springer that as a shooting is a plodder companion. but can keep In his book up the same The Complete pace all day English Springer and work with Spaniel (Ringpress a minimum of Books, 1996), Colin handling.

Muirhead wrote: “In Sadly, the recent years the “THERE ARE English springer is working ability STILL SHOOTING sharply divided between of the breed has show and working types, been sharpened PEOPLE WHO neither of which conform to the to a great extent WANT THE SORT breed standard. Perhaps it’s daft by the keen OF SPANIELS THEY to try to divide the working type competition REMEMBER FROM into shooting and trialling strains, in field trials, THEIR YOUTH” but there seems to be a demand for though this has this, whether we like it or not. turned out to be idea of trials was to improve the breed and to pass future generations on to the shooting fraternity, but this no longer seems to be the case: it’s no wonder the springer’s popularity has suffered.”

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

’ve long thought that high-performance working springers don’t make great pets, because DAVID TOMLINSON they need the discipline of work. But the difficulty that one particular reader, Gerald, has had with his working-bred springer isn’t typical.

Gerald emailed me to say that his bitch, Jasmine — a pet from trialling lines — had become “extremely aggressive” towards certain other dogs. “It has become so bad,” he wrote, “that as a last resort I’ve bought a radiocontrolled citronella spray, which is attached around her neck and which I can trigger from a small hand-held unit. The idea is that eventually with a combination of a firm command of ‘No!’ and a shot of citronella spray if she doesn’t respond, I will gain greater control and ultimately obedience without the use of spray.”

He added: “I had thought her ‘punchups’ with other dogs were territorial, as most incidents happened in and around our fields,

“The fights are horrible — the other dog screams and ends up on its back” but that theory has gone out the window. She still responds to normal commands, while her recall is good. However, I have to watch her the whole time in case of encounters with other dogs. The fights are horrible — the other dog usually screams and ends up on its back.

“Jasmine has an enormous amount of freedom and walks with me two or three times daily, loves playing and rocketing around our field with dogs she knows. The difficulty is with those she isn’t familiar with. Any suggestions or help will be much appreciated.”

I suspect that the citronella spray may make matters worse. Dogs hate citronella, as it effectively knocks out their sense of smell, which they rely on more than their sight.

Whether a conventional electric collar might be a better bet is debatable, but modern collars do have a buzz button that can be effective in reminding a dog who is in control. One oldfashioned solution would be to exercise Jasmine in a muzzle, but she might still attack dogs even if she couldn’t bite them.

I have put Gerald in touch with a vet who may be able to help — she has four working springers of her own, so knows a lot about the breed. However, if you have experienced this kind of problem and have found a solution, then it would be good to hear from you.

Email David at stgundog btinternet.com 14 JANUARY 2015 • 37

GUNDOGS

WRITE TO:

Shooting Times, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU

ASK THE VET HARVEY CARRUTHERS is a practising veterinary surgeon. If you are concerned about your dog’s health always seek veterinary advice.

Blood in urine My dog’s urine is very dark; could this be blood?

J. Hair, by email HARVEY CARRUTHERS SAYS: Dogs have to pass a lot of blood before you see it in the urine — normal, wellconcentrated urine can also look very dark. Some causes of blood in urine include cystitis or bitches being in season, and in males, prostate disease.

The blood could come from the genitals, bladder, kidneys or the bloodstream itself. Dogs that urinate frequently may have irritation or partial blockage of the bladder or lower urinary tract; cystitis would be a common cause of these signs. To be sure, drop a morning urine sample off to your vet, who can test for blood, infection and other illnesses and, if necessary, advise about any further tests.

Training

Retrieving at distance I inherited my father’s Labrador and she is trained for the gun. Though she is steady and understands hand signals, I have a real job getting her to go out far enough when there is a bird she has not seen fall and I end up walking right out myself. How can I change this?

K. Fishman, by email PAUL RAWLINGS SAYS: You need to build her confidence gradually.

Find a place in the countryside where you can walk her every day without any distractions from other dogs. Using the same place each day, drop a dummy into light cover, then after walking on at heel send her back with the command you will use in the future such as “go back” or “get out”. Over a week or so she will soon learn to run back keenly to that same spot, where she always gets the reward of finding a dummy. Gradually extend the distance to 100m maximum. Little and often is the key.

Diet

Eating nettles My springer enjoys eating the tips of nettles that have begun sprouting. This seems unusual but he does not get stung. Is this harmful?

L. Simpson, by email PAUL RAWLINGS SAYS: The stinging nettle is a herbal remedy, yet it is better known as a common and sometimes

A dog’s normal urine can look dark so there has to be a lot of blood in it for you to notice

H. CARRUTHERS / P. RAWLINGS / P. QUAGLIANA

Stinging nettles are edible, with a high mineral content

Ensure your gundog is adequately insured!

No age restriction

Email: kate.gatacre@timeinc.com

Once she will happily go from your side on command back to the dummy from 100m, move to the next step. Put two dummies there and send her back for each in turn. She may be reluctant to go for the second but encourage her and success will follow. Next time, leave the dummies in that familiar place, walk her away at heel, but then sit her while you walk on a short distance. Then turn and, with a clear raised hand signal in a pushing motion coupled with her usual fetch command, send her back. With repetition and patience you will soon build a mutual trust with her. With gradual progression and variation you should be able to handle her out confidently to any distance.

Use a dummy to train your dog to venture farther out

irritating countryside weed that can be found growing wherever the land has been disturbed.

In milder winter weather it is common to see nettle stalks starting to reshoot. However, the sting does not seem to be as potent in young shoots and that is probably why your dog is able to eat them without any apparent ill effect. I have seen other animals eating nettles, including a troop of monkeys at a wildlife park.

Nettles are versatile and, in the past, have been used in the manufacture of cloth, puddings and beer. Reputed to relieve rheumatism and purify the blood, they also have a mild diuretic effect. Because of their high vitamin, iron and mineral content, nettles are considered a good, general tonic to help strengthen the body. If your dog is not suffering any obvious side effects then he should come to no harm, but seek veterinary advice if you are worried.

Specialist insurance provider Petguard, supported by Shooting Times, includes great benefits for Working Dogs including:

0% representative APR on monthly instalments

Interested? Call 0844 249 1157 or visit http://po.st/STGundog to find out more Petguard is a trading style of Thistle Insurance Services Ltd. Lloyds Broker. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A JLT Group company. Registered office: The St Botolph Building, 138 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7AW. Registered in England No 00338645, VAT No. 244 2321 96. Time Inc. (UK) Ltd are an Appointed Representative of Thistle Insurance Services Ltd

38 • 14 JANUARY 2015

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

20%

introd u discouctory nt*

*off the first year’s premium and for new business customers only

CROSSWORD

No 1177 Compiled by Eric Linden

THE TRIALLING WORLD Season for retrievers?

PAUL RAWLINGS KCAI (WG*) Full-time gundog trainer and A-panel spaniel judge

Is there a specific season for Open Retriever Trials which qualify for the Championship or can they be run all year?

R. Willis, by email PAUL RAWLINGS SAYS: Though the field trials season for all breeds of gundog begins on 2 February and then finishes on 1 February the following year, all the retriever sub-group field trials are conducted within the gamebird shooting season, which begins with grouse shooting on12 August and ends on 1 February. This is not a specific regulation but has been common practice over many years. This avoids any retrievers running in Open Stakes qualifying for the Championship Stake or being made up to a Field Trial Champion solely on ground game.

Open Retriever trials all take place during the gamebird shooting season from12 August to1 February

1 4 7 8 9 10 13 16 17 19 21 22 23

Concentration is required for scope control (5) One leaves Israel’s peculiar gun engravers (6) Ask awkwardly for a top offer on the Finnish rifle (4) Universal Trench shooting for the quintet and an animal catcher (4,4) Cunning weasel decapitated by sporting agreement (5) Cartridge legend manufactured around Russia’s capital? (7) Farm animals survive on commodities (9) Shooting position leaving a firearms user depressed? (3,4) The American gunmaker puts a floor covering on the emergency room (5) The grace of a Winchester model (8) A small number go to Virginia for the Benelli model (4) Top gun part for beaters? (6) Spies burrowing creatures (5)

DOWN

BACK TO BASICS JACKIE DRAKEFORD KCAI (CD) (WLSA*) Respected author on dog behaviour and training

ACROSS

Thyroid problems and aggression My Clumber, who is entire, will not socialise with other dogs and is aggressive. My vet says he’s never known of thyroid/prostate problems in dogs, which you mentioned in your answer to “Should I have him castrated?” (5 November). Could you explain?

Name and address provided JACKIE DRAKEFORD SAYS: Benign prostate problems are common in older entire dogs, and both entire and neutered dogs can develop prostate cancer. Any prostate swelling is painful, which can make a dog short-tempered — and entices other dogs to sniff the prostate area. A simple thyroid test can be insufficient to detect disease until it has become serious, but a full thyroid profile will show up issues more accurately.

Research by Dr Jean Dodds, author of The Canine Thyroid Epidemic, shows there is a link between low thyroid and aggression. Assuming your Clumber is healthy, I would need to know how his behaviour is manifesting — is he seeking out other dogs to fight, or is he responding to challenges from them?

1 2 3 4 5 6 11 12 14 15 18 20

Action components among an optician’s merchandise (6) It can affect a bird’s line of flight as we traverse and meander (9) It keeps guns out of harm’s way on the outskirts of Santa Fe (4) Little hares are svelter around the finish line (8) A command from the gundog handler while visiting (3) A deer wanders around the river as animals are bred (6) Being active at night, the cult ran on madly (9) Small thrushes giving colour to pilot insignia (8) Ammunition from Istanbul, lethal on the inside (6) Regarding the first lady’s muntjac (6) Beaters working together have a hot drink beside the motorway (4) Some young farriers look in on a group of gamefarmers, initially (3)

SOLUTION TO 1175, 31 DECEMBER ACROSS: 6 Squirrelling 7 Norfolk 8 Flash 11 Hay 12 Perennia 14 Trainers 15 Ash 17 Chick 19 Stamina 20 Walk and stand DOWN: 1 Quarry 2 Brood 3 Peck 4 Finland 5 Eggs 6 Synthetic 9 Heathland 10 Arms 12 Pies 13 Lincoln 15 Animal 16 Marsh 18 Hawk 19 Sink

WINNER P. CARNEY, Suffolk PRIZE WORD SKEINS HOW TO ENTER

For your chance to enter our crossword competition, identify the word in the shaded squares and you could win a pair of Pro 9 Noise Cancelling Hearing Protectors, worth £25.03, from Napier of London.

The mystery word is: Name: Address:

Postcode: Tel no:

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

!

WIN

hh h h h h Cut out this coupon and send to: Shooting Times Crossword No 1177, Shooting Times, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU

RULES: Entries must be received by 21 January 2015. All usual conditions apply. Solution and winner will appear in the 28 January 2015 issue. Photocopies accepted.

14 JANUARY 2015 • 39

Celebrating The Country Life

%266 6I'(/2C. 29(5 81'(5 28” 12* 'elivered in 1ovember 195 and treasured to this day this exqui site /ondon sidelock retains much original fnish and colour, its action so fnely engraved with scroll and bouquets of foral work. With 28” barrels and weighing only lb 12o] its balance and handling qualities are as no other, its sweetness to shoulder unsurpassed. Complete with original case and accessories

%266 6I'(/2C. 2 * 6I'( %< 6I'( 28” A delightful lightweight from 192 Must nudging the scales to a slender 5lb o], its el egance and delicate scale bellies its eminent capability with 2 ï” chambered 28” bar rels choked î and í, and the prettiest rounded gripped 15” stock from its maker¶s deep est reserves, its engraving is frankly exquisite as is its all to include its maker¶s leather labelled case.

/A1* 6I'(/2C. 29(5 81'(5 12* 3 ” From the mid twenties a rare over and under from this highly regarded /ondon maker with 3 ” barrels orig inally chambered 2 3/4 “ and ftted with a solid fle cut rib. Its intricate key detachable lock mechanism will inevitably intrigue, fnely engraved with time honoured patina and a spectacularly fgured 15” straight hand stock with matching three piece forend complete with decorative screws to further delight.

A<A 180%(5 2 C20P26(' PAI5 6I'(/2C.12* 28” A brand new pair of 12g sidelock side by side 1umber 2 ¶s which have consecutive serial numbers and well matched richly fgured straight hand stocks. With no pair surcharge they offer remarkable value. 15” stocks and 28” barrels choked î and half complete the spec.

+A55I621 +866(< 6I'(/2C. PI*(21 *81 From 1923 this rare beast was fn ished with original 2 ï” chambers choked 5/8 and full, proofed at 1 1/4o]. It has a 15” /2P, much orig inal colour and fnish and the fnest engraving from this top /ondon partnership who made best guns for Must a decade. What a treat, pre sented in its labeled leather maker¶s case, blink and you¶ll miss it

w w w. s p o r t a r m . c o m

P85'(< 6I'(/2C. 12* 28” 6I'( %< 6I'(

%52W1I1* %25 WI1'625 25 32”

%266 6I'(/2C. PAI5 6/6 12* 28”

A terrifc modern Purdey from 19 9. Its rare and elegant rounded bar delightfully scaled, the lock plates fnely engraved with foral bouquets and delicate scroll. 7he action retains a good percentage of the original colour hardening and displays a perfect patina. It has 28” barrels balanced by a well fgured straight hand stock and is ready for a new owner to enMoy all that twenty frst century game shooting offers. Presented in new condition in its maker¶s labeled leather case with accessories.

2rdered new in 2 5 this top drawer handmade %rowning offers multiple examples of its maker¶s and engraver¶s talent. Its sideplates are profusely detailed with scenes depicted in gold and its exhibition grade pistol gripped stock decorated with drop points and ornate designs with saddle stitching and finished with an en graved heel plate. 7he 32” barrels have a hand cut tapered rib and the highly figured three piece forend was cut from the same blank as the stock, both chosen from the maker¶s deepest reserves.

A stunning pair of %oss double trig ger sidelocks made a year before the great war and from then on treasured to this day around a century later.

7heir actions have the patina a col lector seeks and the fnest foral and scroll work as one might expect from the period. 7hey have 15 1/2” richly fgured walnut straight hand stocks and 28” barrels with perfect bores, both choked 1/4 and half. 7hey present in a condition as one can only wish and in a beautiful maker¶s double leather case with accessories.

%(5(77A 62 ((// 1*1 6I'(/2C. 3 ” A brand new example of these fab ulous handmade sidelocks from Italy with 3 ” barrels and 15” highly fgured pistol gripped stock and a combination of foral, scroll and gamescene engraving.

A<A 180%(5 2 '(/8;( 28” 12* We have a choice of these won derful new A<A models with coin fnished foral and scroll engraved lock plates. Available from 12g to .41 with 28” to 3 ” barrels. 6tocks are well fgured as one might ex pect from the deluxe. Call our gun room for availability from stock or bespoke special orders.

P(5A==I 6C2/C 2 * 2/8 3 ”

P(5A==I 0;2 6C2 3 ” 2 *

From this leading Italian maker¶s top drawer this phenomenal pre owned example from 2 3 displays the true extent of their mastery of gun making.

It has 3 ” barrels, a deep and richly fgured rounded pistol gripped stock with perfectly matching forend and profusely engraved side plates depict ing fnely engraved gamescenes in full panorama. 8tterly as new.

7his 2 example ticks all the box es if twenty is your favoured calibre, its handling qualities are exceptional with balance from 3 ” barrels and a 14 ï” pistol gripped stock of excep tional quality, the maker matching the rounded game forend from the same blank. Intricate and detailed gamescenes from an Italian master decorate the action and ironwork, ev ery scene a reminder of a Moyous day in the feld. Cased…as new.

%52W1I1* +(5I 7A*( 0/C 3 ”

%52W1I1* %25 %2* 3 ” 12* *A0(

A brand new example of these gamescene engraved sideplates with 3 ” multi choked barrels We have a full range of %rown ings in stock at 6portarm.

A modern pre owned example from 2 3 of these hamdmade %rown ings, this one ftted with a fle cut, tapered narrow game rib and well fgured rounded pistol gripped stock. +aving seen little use it presents in as new condition.

%(5(77A -8%I/(( 2 * 2/8 3 ” %(5(77A 48 6I'( %< 6I'( 12* 28” %(5(77A 8 ((// 2 * 3 ” Weighing only about lbs and with a delicately scaled action the %eretta twenty utterly cap tures the spirit of the calibre, this particular example with a traditional straight hand stock, 3 ” barrels and choked î and half. *amescene engraved sideplates complete the picture.

www.sportarm.com

A brand new example of these premium grade guns with 3 ” barrels, 1/4 and 1/2 choke and full gamescenes.

7he very latest offering in tradi tional gun making from the well thought Italian brand, this new model has an elegantly scaled action decorated with fine floral and scroll engraving, 28” bar rels, single trigger and a well figured straight hand stock.

%(5(77A 9 FI(/' 3 3 ”

P(5A==I 0;12 6C3 3 1/2” 12* 'elivered from Italy in 2 4 this exquisite example has been se lected with 3 í” barrels choked î and í. It has a richly figured pistol gripped stock with a 15 1/8” /2P. 9ery fine gamescenes decorate and the handling char acteristics will assist the enMoy ment of every day in the field.

Presented in its makers case with accessories.

7he 6tables, Princes 6t, 'orchester 'orset '71 17W

13 5 2 8 1

Q&A

Expert tips & advice

WRITE TO:

Shooting Times, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU

BILL HARRIMAN

MAT MANNING

DAVID TOMLINSON

BASC’s head of firearms and global gun authority

Airgunner and journalist from the West Country

Highly regarded writer and ornithological specialist

SIMON WHITEHEAD

Author, professional ferreter and rabbit controller

STEVE BOWERS

IAIN WATSON

GRAHAM DOWNING

Precision rifle builder and specialist in rifle testing

Keen stalker and senior CIC international trophy judge

Shooting consultant and sporting author

Like GRUB’S on facebook www.facebook.com/grubsboots

SEND IN YOUR QUESTION TO ENTER A MONTHLY DRAW for a chance to win a pair of GRUB’S Snowline 8.5 boots worth £99.99* — top-of-the-range boots with exceptional thermal technology and Highloft fleece lining to keep feet warm and dry. With fantastic grip, the Snowline boots feature hard toes for extra protection.

For more information, contact GRUB’S on 01279 418052 or visit www.work-lite.com *Every week the featured question writers’ names will be entered into the draw. One winner per month will be chosen.

THE HEIGHT OF A SNARE ON A STEEP BANK DEPENDS ON WHETHER YOU THINK THE FOX WILL RUN UPHILL OR DOWN

Pest control P. QUAGLIANA /B. PHIPPS / D. MASON / L. CAMPBELL

Setting a snare Could you please tell me about setting snares for foxes? How far should the distance be from the bottom of the snare to the ground when set?

N. Blackford, by email LIAM BELL SAYS: The distance between the ground and the bottom of the snare should be about 9in (about 23cm) if it is set in an open run on level

ground. It ought to be set a little lower if the run is on a steep bank and you think the fox will be travelling uphill. Set it slightly higher if you think it will be going downhill. Have a good look at the run before setting the snare and adjust accordingly. If you are still unsure, or want to know more about snaring, book yourself on to a snaring course with the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation, run in conjunction with the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust. For more information on the courses, visit www.nationalgamekeepers. org.uk.

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

Email: stanswers@timeinc.com

TONY JACKSON

Former Shooting Times editor, game Shot and keen stalker

LIAM BELL

TOM PAYNE

Shropshire gamekeeper and keen wildfowler

Professional shooting instructor and avid pigeon shooter

Antique firearms

London gunmakers I have a very nice little Queen Anne-style pistol signed “Greensell, London”. It has silver wire inlaid into the butt in a sort of shell pattern.

The buttcap is in the form of a man’s face. The barrel unscrews for loading. I have tried to find out something about this maker but there is nothing on the Internet. Can you help?

T. Orde, by email BILL HARRIMAN SAYS: Joseph Greensill is listed in BlackmoreÕs Dictionary of London Gunmakers as a jeweller at 36 Strand in the years 1776–1780. He retailed silver-mounted pistols as part of his main business. The pistols would have been sourced from someone in the London trade.

Spellings were not standardised until the 1880s, so both versions of the name would be used. It may have been misspelt by the person compiling the directory or register.

Pocket pistols with barrels that unscrewed for loading — known as “turn off”— were in use from c1650 to at least 1840. They shot very hard because an oversized bullet could be used that compressed to fit the bore exactly when it was loaded.

The silver wire inlay is actually thin strips of silver that are hammered into the wood. The style of decoration is called rococo, which is derived from the French word rocaille, which means seashell. It was popular in Europe from about 1740 to 1780.

Birdlife

A confusion of harriers During a riding holiday with my wife in Patagonia we saw what looked like hen harriers on a number of occasions, quartering open country in exactly the same manner as I’ve watched hen harriers hunting moorland in Scotland. Were they really hen harriers?

R. Ashby-Smith, by email 14 JANUARY 2015 • 43

Q&A THE HEN HARRIER IS WIDELY DISTRIBUTED IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE — A CLOSE RELATION IS FOUND IN SOUTH AMERICA

DID YOU

KNOW? The stoat has many other names: foumart, fomart, weasel, royal hunter, hob, white weasel, big weasel, whittret, clubstart, lobster, lobstart and clubtail.

The last one is due to its stumpy tail.

Of course, it is also called ermine while in its winter coat, which is white with a black tip to its tail. Ermine was used in the linings of the richest garments, including coronation robes and crowns.

Ermine, therefore, also has a place in heraldry and describes a white background with a pattern of black shapes, which represent the tail tips (right).

“THE STOAT IS ALSO CALLED ERMINE WHILE IN ITS WINTER COAT”

DAVID TOMLINSON SAYS: Fifty years ago the answer would have been yes, for the cinereous harrier of South America was then regarded as a race of the hen harrier.

Today it is given full specific status as Circus cinereus, and the taxonomists will tell you that it forms what is know as a superspecies with the hen harrier. It is clearly closely related to the hen harrier, as it is similar in size and even plumage, though both the male and female have distinctive rufous barring below. Its style of hunting is identical.

The hen harrier is widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere: in North America it is known as the northern harrier, but was once known as the marsh hawk.

Some experts regard these American harriers as a separate species from our bird, but the differences are subtle. Intriguingly, northern harriers have been identified in Britain on a number of occasions in recent winters.

New Year offer Save up to 60% 44 • 14 JANUARY 2015

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

Stalking

Foreign deer measurements On a recent trip to Hungary I was able to do some stalking, and arranged to shoot a red stag. After the hunt, the agents had the trophy cleaned for me and measured. I was charged according to the measurement. When I collected it I was given an official-looking certificate, which is difficult to read, but it seems to have two separate measurements on it. Do you know what these measurements are, and are they the equivalent of a CIC measurement, or do I need to have it remeasured in the UK? T. Bridges, by email IAIN WATSON SAYS: With a Hungarian certificate, I expect that you will have a CIC score on it along with a score awarded using the Nadler system (the CIC score will be the higher one). The Nadler system, named after Dr Herbert Nadler, was in

Subscribe today and get 2 years for just £99 Subscribe online at: shootingtimessubs.co.uk/17N 0330 333 4555 Quote code: 17N 7 days a week from 8am to 9pm (UK time)

Q&A effect a forerunner of the current CIC method.

Though it was superseded, it continues to have some support in Hungary and Austria, and was used in tandem with the CIC method during the famous 1971 International Hunting exhibition in Budapest. Like a number of countries, Hungary, as a state member of the CIC, records all of its trophies and uploads them to the national database. The measurements should have been undertaken by certified measurers, with both scoring methods then appearing on the certificate, which is what you indicate. So, the higher score will be a CIC measurement and the lower one a Nadler measurement. You do not have to have it remeasured or validated in this country.

IN THE COUNTRY

14 JANUARY

RETURN OF THE MISTLE THRUSH: With the

countryside still in the grip of winter, it’s always encouraging to find signs that spring is not really so very far away. Mistle thrushes are one of the first indicators of the changing season, and the cock’s far-carrying song is heard commonly in mid-January. Invariably delivered from a lofty or commanding song post, the song can be confused with that of the blackbird, though it lacks the latter’s fluency and melody.

Snow, rain, wind or storm fail to deter a mistle thrush from singing, and it is because of its indifference to such inclement conditions that the bird acquired its old country name of stormcock. Mistle thrushes are early nesters, so establishing their territories now makes sense, as nest building may well start in southern England in the first few days of March. In mild winters the first eggs may even be laid in late February.

Rabbiting

Getting ferrets underground I have just started to work my young ferrets, but they don’t appear to want to go underground.

Do you have any tips or advice about starting young ferrets off working?

R. Baines, by email

SIMON WHITEHEAD SAYS: Starting to work young and inexperienced ferrets is the most frustrating aspect of ferreting.

There is no guarantee that the ferret you have cared for in the past nine months will work but you can give it a helping hand. Start working the young ferret behind an experienced ferret.

This will give the youngster some guidance and encouragement to go underground.

Instincts play a great part in making up your ferret’s prey drive, and if fed a rabbit diet your ferret will already know what a rabbit is. Patience is required — always resist the urge to blame your ferret and definitely resist the urge to grab your ferret once it re-emerges or sniffs around the hole. Only time will tell, but usually curiosity will take them underground — but only if rabbits are present. Try to work them where they will get a positive experience, because success breeds success.

Patience is required with inexperienced working ferrets that appear reluctant to go underground

This week’s web query From the www.shootingUK.co.uk forum

An inexpensive first deer gun Goliath asks: I’m looking to buy a second-hand .308 to start shooting deer.

I think the choice is between a Zastava M98, a Brno 601 or a Parker Hale 1200. I just wanted to know people’s opinions/experience with these guns or some others I could look at. I’d really appreciate your advice and help. jonylandrover says: I have a Parker Hale 1200 in .243. It’s not screw cut so is a tad loud, but I do love the look of an old-fashioned rifle. I think it’s a wonderful rifle and they can be cheap if not screw cut — I paid £95! It shoots very well with a cold barrel but tends to wander after three shots in a row. The trigger is adjustable but tends to stay a bit heavy compared with how I’d ideally like it. If you adjust too far the safety won’t engage. The only problem I’ve had is ammo

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

feed — if the round flips up before it’s located the head behind the extractor claw the bolt won’t close. They are light for what they are too. All round I’d rather use the Parker Hale 1200 than any of my other rifles any day! It just feels right in the hand and in the field. neutron691 says: I bought a secondhand .308 about this time last year. I’d have settled for a CZ/Brno or something similar but do spend some time looking as occasionally a rifle from the “next level up” will often come up for a good price. I was looking at spending £350-£450 on a CZ or similar, but then found a Heym SR20 for £450-odd and bought that.

I had seriously considered about eight or nine options including Sakos, but I’m glad I waited — the Heym is a sweet-shooting gun.

Remember all the other kit you’ll need too — a decent scope is a must, whether you’ll shoot five or 5,000 rounds a year with it.

14 JANUARY 2015 • 45

AVAL N GUNS LTD The Best Selection of Quality Shotguns in the UK - Britain’s only Shotgun Finance Company

THE BEST SELECTION OF NEW A MODEL & DETAILS

PAIR OF THE WEEK

BROWNING B725 SPORTER ADJ SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BROWNING B725 SPORTER SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BROWNING B25 B2G SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U 1/4 1/2 BROWNING B725 HUNTER GD1 GAME 28 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BROWNING B325 GD5 ISIS SPORT 28 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BROWNING B525 HUNTER ELITE GAME 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BROWNING CYNERGY BLACK ICE SPORT 32 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BROWNING B525 GD1 SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BROWNING B525 GD1 SPORT 32 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BROWNING B425 GD1 SPORT 32 12G R/H O/U 1/4 3/4 BROWNING B425 GD1 SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BROWNING B325 GD1 SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BROWNING CITORI GD1 SPORT 28 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BROWNING GTI BLACK ACTION SPORT 32 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C

£17,995.00

A PAIR OF BERETTA ASE LX SIDEPLATE LTD EDITION 12G 30” O/U SPORT M/C IN VERY GOOD CONDITION AND CASED.

BERETTA PREMIER SHOTGUNS MODEL & DETAILS

BERETTA SO6 EELL 2G2 GAME 29.5 12G R/H O/U FULL 3/4 BERETTA SO6 EELL 6G1 GAME 29.5 12G R/H O/U 1/4 1/2 BERETTA SO5 EX DEMO SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA SO5 SPORT 32 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA 687 EELL CLASSIC GAME 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA 687 EELL CLASSIC SCROLL GAME 30 12G R/H O/U 1/4 1/2 BERETTA 687 EELL CLASSIC GAME 30 12G R/H O/U 1/4 1/2

QUALITY

PRICE NEW £38,870.00 EX DISPLAY £36,995.00 EX DEMO £16,995.00 VERY GOOD £10,995.00 NEW £6,200.00 NEW £6,000.00 NEW £6,000.00

12M* £750.95 £714.73 £328.34 £212.42 £119.78 £115.92 £115.92

24M* £414.06 £394.09 £181.04 £117.12 £66.05 £63.92 £63.92

BERETTA EX DEMO EX DISPLAY SALE ALL WITH WARRANTY FROM BERETTA £7,995.00 £5,195.00 £4,895.00 £4,795.00 £3,895.00 £2,795.00 £2,595.00 £1,550.00 £1,495.00 £1,295.00 £1,250.00 £1,250.00 £995.00

£154.46 £100.37 £94.57 £92.64 £75.25 £54.00 £50.13 £29.95 £28.88 £25.02 £24.15 £24.15 £19.22

£85.17 £55.34 £52.14 £51.08 £41.49 £29.77 £27.64 £16.51 £15.93 £13.80 £13.32 £13.32 £10.60

NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW

£5,375.00 £5,235.00 £3,000.00 £2,725.00 £2,325.00 £2,195.00 £1,925.00 £1,925.00 £1,775.00 £1,760.00 £1,450.00 £1,380.00

£103.84 £101.14 £57.96 £52.65 £44.92 £42.41 £37.19 £37.19 £34.29 £34.00 £28.01 £26.66

£57.26 £55.77 £31.96 £29.03 £24.77 £23.38 £20.51 £20.51 £18.91 £18.75 £15.45 £14.70

MINT VERY GOOD VERY GOOD MINT VERY GOOD GOOD GOOD VERY GOOD GOOD

£2,395.00 £2,195.00 £2,195.00 £1,495.00 £1,295.00 £1,295.00 £1,095.00 £895.00 £895.00

£46.27 £42.41 £42.41 £28.88 £25.02 £25.02 £21.15 £17.29 £17.29

£25.51 £23.38 £23.38 £15.93 £13.80 £13.80 £11.66 £9.53 £9.53

£102.95 £74.36 £58.52 £45.30

£56.77 £41.00 £32.27 £24.98

BERETTA JUBILEE GAME 28 20G R/H S/S 1/2 3/4 EX DISPLAY BERETTA DT11 SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C EX DEMO BERETTA 687 EELL GAME 30 12G R/H O/U 1/4 1/2 EX DEMO BERETTA 687 EELL SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C EX DEMO BERETTA DT10 SPORT 32 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C EX DEMO BERETTA 692 SPORT 32 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C EX DISPLAY BERETTA 692 SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C EX DISPLAY BERETTA A400 XTREME BLACK EX DEMO GAME 28 12G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C EX DEMO BERETTA ULTRALIGHT EX DISPLAY GAME 28 12G R/H O/U 1/4 1/2 EX DISPLAY BENELLI SUPER VINCI EX DEMO GAME 28 12G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C M/C EX DEMO BERETTA SILVER PIGEON 1 EX DISPLAY GAME 30 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C EX DISPLAY BERETTA A400 XCEL EX DISPLAY SPORT 28 12G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C EX DISPLAY BERETTA A300 XTREMA BLACK SYNTHETIC EX D GAME 28 12G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C EX DEMO

NEW BERETTA 12G SHOTGUNS BERETTA 687 EELL GAMESCENE GAME 30 12G R/H O/U 1/4 1/2 BERETTA 687 EELL GAME 30 12G R/H O/U 1/4 1/2 BERETTA 692 ADJ STOCK SPORT 30 OR 32 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA 692 SPORT 30 OR 32 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA 690 3 SPORT SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA 690 3 FIELD GAME 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA SILVER PIGEON 1 DELUX GAME 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA SILVER PIGEON 1 DELUX SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA ULTRALIGHT CLASSIC GAME 28 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA 686E EVO SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA SILVER PIGEON 1 SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA SILVER PIGEON 1 GAME 28 OR 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C

BERETTA PRE-OWNED SHOTGUNS BERETTA 692 SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA 687 EL GOLD GAME 28 12G R/H O/U 1/4 1/2 BERETTA 692 SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA 686E BLACK ACTION SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA 686E ADJ SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA 686E SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA 682 SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA 686 SPECIAL GAME 30 12G R/H O/U 1/4 1/2 BERETTA 686 ONYX SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C

BROWNING NEW AND PRE OWNED 12 BORE OU GAME/SPORT GUNS BROWNING HERITAGE HUNTER II GAME 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BROWNING B725 Hunter Grade 5 GAME 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BROWNING ULTRA XS PRESTIGE ADJ SPORT 32 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BROWNING B725 SPORTER BLACK EDITION SPORT 30 OR 32 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C

NEW NEW NEW NEW

£5,329.00 £3,849.00 £3,029.00 £2,345.00

QUALITY

NEW NEW VERY GOOD VERY GOOD VERY GOOD GOOD GOOD VERY GOOD VERY GOOD GOOD VERY GOOD GOOD VERY GOOD FAIR

PRICE £2,049.00 £1,889.00 £5,995.00 £1,495.00 £1,495.00 £1,395.00 £1,395.00 £1,095.00 £1,095.00 £995.00 £995.00 £995.00 £895.00 £695.00

12M*

24M*

£12,450.00 £240.53 £5,249.00 £4,995.00 £96.50 £795.00 £15.36

£132.62

£39.59 £36.49 £115.82 £28.88 £28.88 £26.95 £26.95 £21.15 £21.15 £19.22 £19.22 £19.22 £17.29 £13.43

£21.83 £20.12 £63.86 £15.93 £15.93 £14.86 £14.86 £11.66 £11.66 £10.60 £10.60 £10.60 £9.53 £7.40

PERAZZI SHOTGUNS PERAZZI MX12 SC3 SCROLL AUTOSAFE GAME 30 12G R/H O/U 5/8 7/8 PERAZZI MXS SPORT 32 12G R/H O/U 3/4 FULL PERAZZI MX8 SC3 SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U 1/4 3/4 PERAZZI MT6 SPORT 29 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C

NEW NEW GOOD GOOD

£53.21 £8.47

MIROKU NEW & PRE-OWNED 12 BORE OU GAME/SPORT/TRAP GUNS NEW NEW VERY GOOD VERY GOOD NEW NEW VERY GOOD

£3,295.00 £2,599.00 £1,895.00 £1,495.00 £1,395.00 £1,299.00 £1,095.00

£63.66 £50.21 £36.61 £28.88 £26.95 £25.10 £21.15

£35.10 £27.69 £20.19 £15.93 £14.86 £13.84 £11.66

BERETTA DT11 SPORT 30 12G L/H O/U M/C M/C NEW BERETTA 692 SPORT 30 12G L/H O/U M/C M/C NEW BROWNING B725 SPORTER BLACK EDITION SPORT 32 12G L/H O/U M/C M/C NEW CAESAR GUERINI MAXUM SPORT 30 12G L/H O/U M/C M/C VERY GOOD BROWNING B725 SPORTER BLACK EDITION SPORT 30 12G L/H O/U M/C M/C VERY GOOD BERETTA SV10 PREVAIL 1 SPORT 30 12G L/H O/U M/C M/C NEW BERETTA A400 ACTION GAME 28 12G L/H SEMI AUTO M/C NEW BERETTA SILVER PIGEON 1 GAME 30 12G L/H O/U M/C M/C NEW BROWNING B525 GD1 SPORT 30 12G L/H O/U M/C M/C NEW BETTINSOLI CLASSIC SIDEPLATE UNIVERSAL 30 12G L/H O/U M/C M/C NEW BETTINSOLI DIAMOND MK3 UNIVERSAL 28 OR 30 12G L/H O/U M/C M/C NEW HATSAN ARMS ESCORT MAGNUM MOSSY OAK OBSESSION GAME 28 12G L/H M/C NEW HATSAN ARMS ESCORT MAGNUM BLACK SYNTHETIC GAME 28 12G L/H M/C NEW

£5,760.00 £2,725.00 £2,399.00 £2,295.00 £1,995.00 £1,620.00 £1,395.00 £1,380.00 £1,339.00 £950.00 £750.00 £450.00 £339.00

£111.28 £52.65 £46.35 £44.34 £38.54 £31.30 £26.95 £26.66 £25.87 £18.35 £14.49

£61.36 £29.03 £25.56 £24.45 £21.25 £17.26 £14.86 £14.70 £14.26 £10.12 £7.99

£5,240.00 £3,300.00 £2,495.00 £2,479.00 £2,095.00 £1,925.00 £1,925.00 £1,889.00

£101.23 £63.75 £48.20 £47.89 £40.47 £37.19 £37.19 £36.49

£55.82 £35.15 £26.58 £26.41 £22.32 £20.51 £20.51 £20.12

MIROKU MK38 GD6 SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C MIROKU MK70 GD5 SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C MIROKU MK38 GD5 TRAP TRAP 30 12G R/H O/U 3/8 FULL MIROKU MK38 GD3 SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C MIROKU MK70 GD1 SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C MIROKU MK60 GD1 SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U 1/4 3/4 MIROKU MK38 GD1 TEAGUE SPECIAL SPORT 32 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C

LEFTHANDED SHOTGUNS

NEW 20G SHOTGUNS BERETTA 687 EELL GAME 30 20G R/H O/U 1/4 1/2 BERETTA 486 PISTOL GRIP GAME 30 20G R/H S/S M/C M/C CAESAR GUERINI MAGNUS LIGHT GAME 30 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C MIROKU MK60 GD5 GAME 30 20G R/H O/U 1/4 3/4 BROWNING B725 HUNTER UK BLACK GOLD GAME 30 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA SILVER PIGEON 1 DELUX GAME 30 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA SILVER PIGEON 1 DELUX GAME 30 20G R/H O/U 1/4 1/2 BROWNING B725 HUNTER GAME 30 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C

NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW

FEATURED GUN

£16,995.00

HOLLAND AND HOLLAND ROYAL BREVIS 12G 27” S/S 3/8 AND 1/2 CHOKED IN MINT CONDITION AND CASED

Avalon Guns Ltd | 191 High Street, Street, Somerset BA16 0NE | www.avalon-guns.com Email: info@avalon-guns.com | Call 01458 447505 or 01458 841504 | Fax: 01458 840020 Overseas export a speciality Contact: Call: 0044(0)1458 841504 or Fax: 0044(0)1458 840020

Call: 01458 447505 or 01458 841504 visit us now: www.avalon-guns.com Premium Dealers

AND USED GUNS IN THE UK MODEL & DETAILS

FEATURED PAIR

QUALITY

PRICE £450.00 £295.00 £595.00 £495.00 £395.00 £895.00 £350.00

12M*

24M*

£11.50

£6.34

£17.29

£9.53

NEW NEW VERY GOOD NEW NEW

£2,495.00 £2,195.00 £1,995.00 £2,495.00 £1,795.00

£48.20 £42.41 £38.54 £48.20 £34.68

£26.58 £23.38 £21.25 £26.58 £19.12

VERY GOOD NEW NEW NEW GOOD VERY GOOD GOOD NEW NEW GOOD GOOD

£3,895.00 £895.00 £750.00 £695.00 £595.00 £595.00 £495.00 £450.00 £399.00 £250.00 £195.00

£75.25 £17.29 £14.49 £13.43 £11.50 £11.50

£41.49 £9.53 £7.99 £7.40 £6.34 £6.34

BAIKAL MP-18M-M HUSHPOWER GAME 34 .410G R/H SINGLE BARRE 1/2 NEW BAIKAL MP-18M-M Synthetic GAME 26 .410G R/H SINGLE BARRE 1/2 NEW BERETTA SILVER PIGEON 1 GAME 30 28G R/H O/U M/C M/C NEW BROWNING GOLD CAMO MOSSEY OAK INFINITY GAME 28 10G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C NEW GUNMARK KESTREL DT NE GAME 26 .410G R/H S/S FULL FULL FAIR LINCOLN JUBILEE GAME 28 16G R/H O/U M/C M/C GOOD MOSSBERG M500E SYNTHETIC STEALTH GAME 32 .410G R/H PUMP ACTION FULL NEW MOSSBERG PUMP 24 .410G R/H PUMP ACTION 1/2 MINT MOSSBERG PUMP GAME 24 .410G R/H PUMP ACTION FULL VERY GOOD YILDIZ SPZM JUNIOR GAME 26 .410G R/H O/U M/C M/C NEW YILDIZ SPZME GAME 28 .410G R/H O/U M/C M/C NEW YILDIZ SPZME GAME 30 .410G R/H O/U M/C M/C NEW YILDIZ SPZME JUNIOR GAME 28 28G R/H O/U M/C M/C MINT YILDIZ TK36 GAME 28 .410G R/H SINGLE BARREL FULL NEW

£350.00 £165.00 £1,380.00 £1,250.00 £295.00 £595.00 £595.00 £495.00 £395.00 £495.00 £675.00 £695.00 £595.00 £165.00

£26.66 £24.15

£14.70 £13.32

£11.50 £11.50

£6.34 £6.34

£13.04 £13.43 £11.50

£7.19 £7.40 £6.34

HATSAN ARMS ESCORT MAGNUM MO SHADOW GRASS GAME 28 12G R/H M/C NEW HATSAN ARMS ESCRT MAGNUM YOUTH GAME 26 20G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C M/C VERY GOOD MOSSBERG M500E SYN STEALTH GAME 32 .410G R/H PUMP ACTION FULL NEW MOSSBERG PUMP 24 .410G R/H PUMP ACTION 1/2 MINT MOSSBERG PUMP GAME 24 .410G R/H PUMP ACTION FULL VERY GOOD WINCHESTER SX3 CAMO MOSSY OAK INFINITY GAME 28 12G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C NEW WINCHESTER SXP BLACK SHADOW GAME 26 OR 28 12G R/H PUMP ACTION M/C M/C NEW

£16,995.00

CAESAR GUERINI SHOTGUNS CAESAR GUERINI MAGNUS GAME 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C CAESAR GUERINI SUMMIT SPORT 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C CAESAR GUERINI MAXUM SPORT 32 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C CAESAR GUERINI MAGNUS LIGHT GAME 30 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C CAESAR GUERINI TEMPIO GAME 30 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C

A PRE-OWNED PAIR OF BERETTA JUBILEE 12G 30” GAME O/U 1/4 AND 1/2 CHOKED IN VERY GOOD CONDITION

MODEL & DETAILS

BROWNING B725 HUNTER UK GAME 32 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C CAESAR GUERINI TEMPIO GAME 30 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA SILVER PIGEON 1 ADJ SPORT 30 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C FABARM ELOS VENTI GAME 30 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C BERETTA SILVER PIGEON 1 GAME 28 OR 30 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C LINCOLN PREMIER GOLD DELUXE GAME 32 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C BAIKAL MP-18EM-M Hushpower GAME 32 20G R/H SINGLE BARRE 1/2

QUALITY NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW

PRICE £1,889.00 £1,795.00 £1,650.00 £1,475.00 £1,380.00 £995.00 £375.00

12M*

GOOD VERY GOOD MINT VERY GOOD VERY GOOD MINT GOOD VERY GOOD

£3,295.00 £2,895.00 £2,795.00 £1,995.00 £695.00 £595.00 £595.00 £295.00

£63.66 £55.93 £54.00 £38.54 £13.43 £11.50 £11.50

£36.49 £34.68 £31.88 £28.50 £26.66 £19.22

24M* £20.12 £19.12 £17.58 £15.71 £14.70 £10.60

PRE-OWNED 20G SHOTGUNS BERETTA 687 EELL GAME 28 20G R/H O/U 1/4 1/2 RIZZINI ROUND BODY EM GAME 28 20G R/H O/U 1/4 1/2 JENSON SIDELOCK GAME 28 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C BROWNING B425 GD5 GAME 30 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C BETTINSOLI DIAMOND MK3 GAME 32 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C WEBLEY & SCOTT 920K GAME 28 20G R/H O/U M/C M/C LANBER DELUX GAME 28 20G R/H O/U 1/2 FULL HATSAN ARMS ESCRT MAGNUM YOUTH GAME 26 20G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C M/C

£35.10 £30.84 £29.77 £21.25 £7.40 £6.34 £6.34

HUSHPOWER SOUND MODERATED SHOTGUNS IDEAL FOR VERMIN CONTROL BAIKAL HUSHPOWER SINGLE BARREL 3” MAG .410 34” FULL CHOKE BAIKAL HUSHPOWER SINGLE BARREL 3 “ 12G 36” FULL CHOKE MOSSBERG HUSHPOWER PUMP ACTION 3 SHOT 3” MAG FULL CHOKE

NEW NEW NEW

£350.00 £350.00 £599.00

NEW & PRE-OWNED 12G S/S GUNS DAVID SINNERTON SELF OPENING SIDELOCK EJ GAME 29 12G R/H S/S 1/4 1/2 VERY GOOD AYA NO2 ROUND BODY GAME 28 12G R/H S/S 1/4 1/2 NEW AYA NO2 GAME 28 12G R/H S/S 1/4 1/2 NEW BERETTA 486 PISTOL GRIP GAME 28 12G R/H S/S M/C M/C NEW AYA NO2 GAME 28 12G R/H S/S CYL 1/2 VERY GOOD AYA NO 2 GAME 26 12G R/H S/S 1/4 3/4 VERY GOOD WEBLEY & SCOTT DT EJ BOXLOCK GAME 26 12G S/S 1/2 FULL GOOD BARELLA SCROLL DT NEJ GAME 30 12G R/H S/S 1/2 3/4 GOOD KESTREL DT EJ GAME 28 12G R/H S/S 1/4 1/2 GOOD AYA NO 3 GAME 29 12G R/H S/S FULL FULL GOOD SARASQUETA DT EJ GAME 28 12G R/H S/S GOOD KESTREL BOXLOCK EJ GAME 28 12G R/H S/S 1/4 1/2 GOOD EBOR DTNONEJ GAME 28 12G R/H S/S 1/2 FULL GOOD

£34,995.00 £5,995.00 £5,595.00 £3,300.00 £1,495.00 £995.00 £695.00 £695.00 £395.00 £295.00 £295.00 £295.00 £195.00

£676.09 £115.82 £108.09 £63.75 £28.88 £19.22 £13.43 £13.43

£372.79 £63.86 £59.60 £35.15 £15.93 £10.60 £7.40 £7.40

£895.00 £1,195.00 £1,395.00 £1,195.00 £1,515.00 £1,495.00 £1,250.00 £1,099.00 £1,099.00 £795.00 £1,075.00 £695.00 £339.00 £450.00 £450.00

£17.29 £23.09 £26.95 £23.09 £29.27 £28.88 £24.15 £21.23 £21.23 £15.36 £20.77 £13.43

£9.53 £12.73 £14.86 £12.73 £16.14 £15.93 £13.32 £11.71 £11.71 £8.47 £11.45 £7.40

OTHER PRE-OWNED 12 BORE O/U GUNS BLASER F3 SUPER LUXUS SPORT 29.5 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BETTINSOLI CLASSIC SIDEPLATE UNIVERSAL 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C LINCOLN PREMIER BASIC GAME 29 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BETTINSOLI DIAMOND MK3 UNIVERSAL 28 OR 30 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C LINCOLN PREMIER GOLD GAME 28 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C MACNAB LOWLANDER GAME 32 12G R/H O/U 3/4 3/4 RIZZINI SST EJ SPARE SKEET BARRELS GAME 27.5 12G R/H O/U 3/4 FULL BAIKAL 27 EM-M-1C Nickel GAME 28 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BAIKAL 27EM EJECTOR GAME 28 12G R/H O/U M/C M/C BAIKAL 27E-IC GAME 28 12G R/H O/U 1/2 FULL BAIKAL IJ-27 GAME 28 12G R/H O/U 1/2 FULL

OTHER CALIBRE GUNS

NEW & PRE OWNED S/A & PUMP SHOTGUNS BENELLI CRIO COMFORTEC GAME 28 12G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C VERY GOOD BERETTA A300 XTREMA SYNTHETIC GAME 28 12G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C M/C NEW BERETTA A400 ACTION GAME 28 12G L/H SEMI AUTO M/C NEW BERETTA A400 XCEL KICK OFF SPORT 28 12G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C M/C MINT BERETTA A400 XCEL PARALLEL TARGET SPORT 30 12G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C NEW BERETTA A400 XCEL SPORT 28 12G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C NEW BROWNING GOLD CAMO MOINF GAME 28 10G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C NEW BROWNING MAXUS CAMO MODB GAME 28 12G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C NEW BROWNING MAXUS CARBON FIBRE SPORT 28 12G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C M/C NEW BROWNING MAXUS COMPOSITE GAME 28 12G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C VERY GOOD BROWNING MAXUS COMPOSITE GAME 28 12G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C M/C NEW BROWNING MAXUS GD2 GAME 28 12G R/H SEMI AUTO M/C GOOD HATSAN ARMS ESCORT MAGNUM BLACK SYNTHETIC GAME 28 12G L/H M/C NEW HATSAN ARMS ESCORT MAGNUM MOSSY OAK BREAK UP GAME 28 12G R/H M/C NEW HATSAN ARMS ESCORT MAGNUM MOSSY OAK OBSESSION GAME 28 12G R/H M/C NEW

Avalon Guns New Finance Deal on guns with a balance over £500 -

GUN OF THE WEEK

£9,995.00

A PRE-OWNED BROWNING D6.3 30” 20G O/U GAME 1/4 AND 3/8 CHOKED IN VERY GOOD CONDITION WITH CASE.

Example Weekly Finance Payments (Paid monthly)

£1000 - £100 Deposit and 12 Months @ £19 per Week or 24 Months @ £11 per Week £1500 - £150 Deposit and 12 Months @ £29 per Week or 24 Months @ £16 per Week £2000 - £200 Deposit and 12 Months @ £39 per Week or 24 Months @ £21 per Week Prices correct at January 2015

Pheasant Total Capacity Chicken Partridge

Pheasant Total Capacity Chicken Partridge

12000 eggs 7920 eggs 16500 eggs

12000 eggs 7920 eggs 16500 eggs

Pheasant Total Capacity Chicken Partridge

Total Capacity

Pheasant Chicken Partridge

12000 eggs 7920 eggs 16500 eggs

4000 eggs 2640 eggs 5500 eggs

Clip on Spex/Flexi Spex (per100)

ÂŁ9.15 Hen/Cock Wing Brails (per 100)

ÂŁ13.95 For peace of mind book a service or pre-season check up for your incubators with one of our experienced engineers Bristol Incubators Only - For more information contact our sales team on 01454 228730

Op

Total Capacity

Total Capacity

Total Capacity

Tel: 01454 228416/228730 Freephone: 0800 085 4856

ALL PRICES EXCLUDE DELIVERY & VAT

Pheasant Chicken Partridge

4000 eggs 2640 eggs 5500 eggs

Pheasant Chicken Partridge

7200 eggs 4752 eggs 9900 eggs

Pheasant Chicken Partridge

2400 eggs 1584 eggs 3300 eggs

Order online at www.patrickpinker.com enquiries@patrickpinker.com

NICK FISHER

FISHING

On the hook The breakfast kipper is both traditional and good for you — more power to the herring

A

nyone who has travelled for work in recent years and stayed in any of those generic “lodge” or “inn” hotels will know the hollow, nauseous sound of those hateful words: “It’s a buffet breakfast, sir. Please help yourself.”

There is only so much pale, white gooencrusted bacon and multi-hours-old fried egg a person can eat before they scream for something, anything, that is not pork-related or microwaveirradiated.

Last week, staying at a non-generic pub B&B in Norfolk, I was smacked across the face by a breakfast menu, upon which there was an alternative to the ubiquitous gut-dragging, arteryclogging full English breakfast. It simply said: “Grilled Lowestoft kipper”.

My heart sang. My taste buds rippled in anticipation. And I was not to be disappointed.

A moist, plump, plate-sized, cold-smoked split herring arrived at my table, with a poached egg and a hunk of granary bread. And, at that moment I did, I am quite sure, hear the clear but distant sounds of angels singing.

Happiness is a hot, salty, oily, many-textured kipper. It is a breakfast dish that is not only mired deep in tradition, but bursting at the seams with health-promoting nutrients. To eat a kipper is the equivalent of a seaweed bath, a seaweed salad, a brisk country walk and a beefsteak, all rolled into one delicious fork-wielding experience.

It’s high in protein, high in omega-3 longchain fatty acids, low in cholesterol, fairly low in fat, devoid of trans fat, and full of selenium and vitamin B12, vitamin B6, vitamin D and niacin.

A kipper is not so much a meal as a way of life.

A kipper is like one of those astronaut’s perfectmeal pills, only it’s wrapped up in a fish skin and hung around some very suckable bones.

My adoration of kippers is not new. I have loved herring and all smoked fish since a childhood in

‘‘A kipper is not so much a meal as a way of life. A kipper is like one of those astronaut’s perfect-meal pills’’

P. QUAGLIANA

Glasgow, where bloaters, Arbroath smokies, smoked haddock and the occasional hot-smoked mackerel were a normal part of our diet.

Recently, I was asked to write the fish entries for Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s new book, The River Cottage A-Z of Ingredients, and no entry on herrings would be complete without a considered mention of kippers. So I thought my wife and I should re-acquaint ourselves with kippers from every available source: Waitrose, Morrisons, Lidl, our local Chesil Smokery and various other online and over-the-counter vendors, to contrast and compare their wares.

In the early summer it’s possible for me to catch herrings inshore along Lyme Bay and Chesil Beach, but they are rarely large. Some aren’t much bigger than over-sized pilchards and, to make a really decent kipper, in my humble opinion, you need to start with a pretty whopping herring. The salt-curing, drying and cold-smoking reduce it in size by 20 per cent at least, so the original fish needs to be a porker in its proportions.

The process thereafter is an art, which I accept others do better than I. Of course, I’ve smoked my own mackerel and pollock and salmon, but a kipper is altogether a step farther along This is a meal that bursts at the seams with health-promoting nutrients

GET IN TOUCH:

www.shootinguk.co.uk

twitter.com/shootingtimes

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

the road to fish preservation. And I’m more than happy to eat the produce of others rather than do a DIY kipper and probably fail.

The fruits of my recent research for the new book taught me that in truth there are no really bad kippers. Some look very pale, but are in fact as tasty as those wrinkled, mahogany-brown specimens that look as though they’ve been used to patch a hole in a Wetherspoon’s pub floor. Big is good.

Small can be a bit of a fiddly bone-to-flesh ratio.

Fillets are to be avoided. I understand that some people are obsessed with dodging fish bones, but if you’re that finicky you probably aren’t plumping for a cured herring breakfast. Bones in kippers are good. My favourite part of a chicken is the carcase. Picking all those nuggets of flesh and gristle from the bones of a roasted hen is my idea of heaven. Ditto with a large kipper. Some of the flesh adhering to the skeleton of a kipper is the best meat of all. Along the spine there’s flat, compressed, toasted flesh that is tangy and needs to be teased off with bunny-like nibbles, using your front teeth. Below the neck, where the spine meets the head, are white flakes of the softest, moistest meat. And along the line of the belly next to the skin is a seam of brown, almost gelatinous flesh, a special kind of fat, like the brown fat on salmon; folded on to toasted sourdough bread and sprinkled with lemon juice and black pepper, it is momentous enough to make a grown man cry.

Grilling, or hot baking in the most volcanic layer of our Aga, is my favourite way to cook kippers.

However, Hugh and I have rustled up some recipes over the years to try to tempt those kipper doubters to the trough. My two favourites are both salads. Hugh invented a raw grated carrot, sultana and cold flaked kipper version that, when doused in lemony or even orangey dressing with a sprinkling of fresh coriander, is the ambrosia of the gods.

Continuing the Greek theme, my salad has black olives, raw onion and chunks of ripe tomato tossed together with hunks of feta cheese. It’s full of heavyweight flavours and goes down a treat with warmed flatbread or pittas.

Backed into a corner over Christmas presents one year, struggling to find something suitable for my wife’s stepfather, I plumped upon membership of an online home delivery kipper club. Every month, for half a year, they sent a pair of massive specimens to his house for his delectation.

In the following six months, he went from being an occasional recreational user to a full-blown addict.

facebook.com/ShootingTimesUK 14 JANUARY 2015 • 49

RE EW U OW N CH E N ALL O ABL E C BR VAILLEAS

A P

DEER STALKER Keep Looking Shooting Suits from ÂŁ159.99

plus a full range of quality clothing The better you look, the better you shoot

S H O O T I N G

&

C O U N T R Y

C L O T H I N G

Bob Parratt Countrywear CALL US or log onto our website for information on our full range

015395 64475 www.bobparratt.co.uk info@bobparratt.co.uk

Unit G, Main Line Ind Est, Crooklands Rd, Milnthorpe, Cumbria LA7 7LR

7R $GYHUWLVH SOHDVH &DOO

7LP +DQVRQ :HQG\ 5REHUWVRQ )UHGGLH 0203 148

Michael%XQQ coombes 2627

rees FAST-GROWING uality tTREES Q PRODUCING GROWTH OF 6-8 FEET PER YEAR

HYBRID WILLOW & POPLARS Successfully used for: â&#x20AC;˘ Windbreaks & shelterbelts â&#x20AC;˘ Game cover & lifting â&#x20AC;˘ Coppice fuel

â&#x20AC;˘ Screens & hedging â&#x20AC;˘ Bank stabilisation â&#x20AC;˘ Woodland regeneration

All sizes available from 1ft slips up to 8ft rooted trees

PRICES FROM ÂŁ35 FOR 100 PLANTS

GET F F 20% ROS OF ORDE OW & WILLLAR* POP

Also specialists in evergreen and native trees & hedging *OFFER ENDS 31 JAN 2015. QUOTE BOW20 WHEN ORDERING.

WWW.BOWHAYESTREES.CO.UK T: 01404 812229 E: info@bowhayestrees.co.uk

TURNSTONE

FESTIVE SPORT

Country Diary An unusual sighting, mild weather and poor sport made for a peculiar Christmas holiday

I

HORSE & HOUND

had a distinctly odd Christmas holiday.

Sitting in my office contemplating the festivities and the fact that I find turkey incredibly boring and tasteless, I glanced up as something white caught my eye. Now, you should know that the large window in front of my computer overlooks a meadow, which sweeps down into a shallow valley, the sparse winter grass dotted with the bovine offerings of half-a-dozen red Devons. There is a mesh wire fence a yard from the office and there, just on the other side, only feet away, a little egret with snowy plumage stepped sedately — in search, I assume, of the odd worm or insect. These little herons are now commonplace in the local inland marshes and I have seen the odd one or two nearby, but to have the bird so close and apparently quite indifferent to the building was, I thought, bizarre.

But then, at the time of writing, this so-called winter is causing confusion among birds, bees and flowers. In the garden, primroses are in full bloom, I saw a bunch of daffodils in flower a week before Christmas, and those same flowers are now blooming in nearby Yeovil. The bird-feeders in the garden have been largely neglected, as there is obviously ample forage in the hedgerows and woods, though goldfinches are still attracted by nyjer (or niger) seeds. Roses are still in flower

and I even had blossom erupting on a crab-apple tree a fortnight before Christmas Day, while a hibernating tortoiseshell butterfly awoke in my garden shed to flutter at the window in the belief that spring had arrived. One can now only hope that we do not suffer a bitter icy spell to curtail this mild West Country season, though the latest forecast predicts continuing mild, damp weather.

On the sporting front, I attended the Boxing Day meet of our local pack of hounds, of which

‘‘A hibernating butterfly awoke in my shed to flutter at the window in the belief that spring had arrived’’ Mrs Turnstone is a Joint Master. The square and main street of our local market town were lined with hundreds of appreciative spectators, and 67 mounted followers, all smartly turned out, followed hounds and the huntsman and whippers-in to the first draw, to a thunderous round of applause. There was not a single anti or dissenting voice to be heard, only goodwill, Christmas cheer and plenty of mulled wine, generously provided by the local inn.

It was, sadly, a mild, drizzly day with little, if any scent, and though the field enjoyed some fences and the odd tumble, only a hardened handful stayed the course.

Goodwill, Christmas cheer and mulled wine greet riders and hounds at the traditional Boxing Day meet

GET IN TOUCH:

www.shootinguk.co.uk

twitter.com/shootingtimes

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

A few days later, our modest little DIY shoot gathered for our fifth day of the season. So far we have managed to show some excellent sport, even to the extent of a bag of 24 pheasants and six duck a fortnight before. However, on this occasion, for some reason, the release pen was crammed with birds, nearly all of which departed in haste as we passed by to the first drive. This, from a small wood towards the pen, had proved highly successful in the past, but now disgorged no more than one high, fast cock bird, which was handsomely missed by two Guns. This was a disaster.

We then moved on to shoot the flightpond.

Our leader made sure that every Gun was using Bismuth and we settled back to await events.

The modest beating team, with spaniels and armed with sticks, moved into the reed-beds surrounding the water. Nothing stirred for several minutes and then mallards erupted over the line.

The Gun on my left, normally an excellent Shot, had a drake over him at 30 yards and fired. A puff of feathers drifted in the air and the bird carried on, apparently unscathed. He then fired at a cock pheasant, an easy shot, with the same effect — feathers in the air and the bird flying on as though untouched. Several duck, to be fair, were shot, though only one cleanly, but the concerted opinion of everyone was that non-toxic shot isn't a patch on lead where duck are concerned.

A heavy load On the following day I picked-up with both yellow Labradors on a shoot near the coast. On this occasion, there was only one other picker-up, a charming woman with a flatcoat bitch. Fortunately, the bag was only 60-odd, but, even so, we were stretched to make sure we accounted for every bird, and at the end of one drive I staggered to the gamecart with two shoulder straps laden with 15 pheasants. Normally, I have at least two other pickers-up to assist me but colds, flu and seasonal festivities had reduced the ranks. Such was the amount of work my two dogs had to undertake that the following day neither moved from its bed, other than to eat, and the bitch, now more than 10 years old, was still taking it easy two days later.

Incidentally, pheasants this season are in superb condition, particularly at the time of writing. Both cocks and hens are flying with verve and speed, the cocks being particularly heavy and strong. Indeed, as many a picker-up will confirm, dealing with a lively cock bird can be hazardous if its lashing legs and spurs catch your hand.

facebook.com/ShootingTimesUK 14 JANUARY 2015 • 51

WANT TO BECOME A BETTER SHOT?

Download the ultimate guide to shooting today

NEW

Available on your tablet, smartphone and PC In this great step-by-step guide, we cover the essentials to ensure you shoot better in the field. It includes practical advice on gunfit, the correct stance, gun mount and understanding forward allowance. All you need to know about becoming a better shot.

So next time you take aim on the peg, in a hide or walking up a hedge, you will do so with confidence.

Happy shooting!

CLASSIFIED Market Place The UK’s No1 weekly shooting magazine - out every Wednesday Private ads 0800 072 9600 Trade ads 020 3148 2872 Fax 020 3148 8319 Email shooting_classi@timeinc.com www.shootinguk.co.uk/marketplace

dogs for sale

dogs at stud

DRAKESHEAD LABRADOR STUD VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.DRAKESHEAD.CO.UK

Elbows O/O 7 GOOD LOOKING FT.CH. INDIANA DOGS AT STUDHips 2/3. Eye Cert Adults/ WINNER BOSCO Hips 5/3. RIBBLE Eye Cert Puppies O/OFT CHAMPION FT. All We Feed and Elbows VODKA FT WINNER Dogs elbows Score 0-0 FTWINNERTHUNDER Recommend Elbows O/O FT.WINNER ROSS Hips 0/0. Eye Cert sometimes No Dog’s Hip’s Score Over 10 Total FT WINNER RIBBLE FT. WINNER FRASER Hips 2/3.BOSCO Eye Cert for-sale.

Elbows O/O ROSS FT WINNER FT WINNER AllFT. Dog’s WINNER DNA tested clear for GPRA & CNM FT WINNER BOSCO Elbows O/O RIBBLE Hips 2/2.

Eye Cert Training All Dog’s Have an Eye Certifcate FT WINNER VINCE ALL DOGS ARE (DNA) TESTED CLEAR FOR (GPRA), (HNLR), AND (CNM) FT WINNER FRASER FT WINNER VINCE Videos/

Male - LABRADORS SPANIELSREQUIRED REQUIRED LABRADORS andand SPANIELS

John & Sandra Halstead - Tel / Fax: 01254 831363 DVDs Drakeshead Labradors, Lodge Bank, Brinscall, Chorley, Lancs PR6 8QU available

by Post www.drakeshead.com Pedigrees available by fax or post

Aged 12-24months Aged 12-24months £1000 paid Mustbe bebold bold and and confdent inin new Must newsurroundings surroundings and be trained trained as asDetection DetectionDogs.

Dogs. andwith with people people -- To To be

“DRAKESHEAD WAY BASIC”

“GUNDOG TRAINING VIDEOS AND DVD’s”

“DRAKESHEAD WAY ADVANCED”

personal

Black abrador Puppy

Just Woodland Friends traditional . bespoke . country Introduction Agency Tel: Penny 07846007856 penny@justwoodlandfriends.com www.justwoodlandfriends.com

Gordon setter puppy One four month old dog puppy available from 100% working lines. Kennel club registered, fully vaccinated and micro chipped. Both parents from excellent proven working and trialling lines, hip scored and PRA clear. £800 Telephone 07884444402

One dog puppy from litter of 10. Born 04Ê10Ê14 Both parents are K registered, have excellent pedigrees with numerous T in bloodline, low ipsÊ lbow scores and clear eye certs. e is K registered, been wormed, had 1st and 2nd vaccinations and is microchipped. e will make an ideal working dog andÊor family pet.

Ready now. Tel] 012y8820yÉ1 Ê 0778É07742 amesÛeyreKbtinternet.com ®!orth orset¯

abrador Puppies ®yellow, some with shades of red¯ xcellent working pedigree, .ire active working, Grand .ire 2x T h, .ire and bitch ®K reg¯ good hip and eye score.

Ready early anuary 201y.

ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIEL PUPS Three liver and white dogs, 12 weeks old. xcellent working mum.

T Buccleuch Pepper.

ocked, fully vaccinated, microchipped, and wormed.

KC Reg £450 (Ayr) 07896953050

GUNDOG TRAINING

derbyshire

07776¤6Ô04¤ Ê 0¤47757¤¤94 (C eÄ re)

Range Of New & Second Hand Shotguns, Air Rifes & Sporting Rifes Range Of Shooting Equipment & Ammunition Large Range of Outdoor,Waterproof Clothing, Wellingtons & Boots Tel: 01332 862091

8orking cocker spaniels, 18 months old.1 chocolate dog, 1 liver and white bitch. Ê

, vaccinated and K registered.

Basic training complete. £É00 07887714É18 ®!orth :orkshire¯

PE IGREE A7ARIAN #UN0AIN H#UN

PUPS±

ogs and bitches ready beginning of eb.

Both parents excellent working dogs.

K Reg, deposits now being taken to secure pups. r re w r ?Í ¬ e?Äe W Í?WÍ G?ry 0770957¤455

www.melbournegun.com

64 Church Street, Melbourne, Derby DE73 8EJ

shooting suits

nglish .pringer .paniel Pups arm reared, working stock. K

registered.Tails docked and microchipped, vaccinated. iver and white, ready now, mother can be seen. £Ïy0 01 77É4240ÉÊ 078ÏÉy1Ï722

CHARLES GALE

Tailored shooting suits and coats from the very best of tweeds.

All southern areas now being visited.

Book now for an appointment.

Tel: 01329 237698

BRYANTSCROFT GUNDOGS HPR’S Retrievers and Spaniels.

Trained to owners requirements.

HPR training DVD available.

Dogs at stud. (Lincolnshire).

Tel: Rory Major 01526 388616 www.bryantscroftgundogs.

dog food & equipment

TOTAL DOG TRANSPORT SYSTEMS Van kit outs Custom made fit out or removable systems including fans and storage

Universals Full range with optional extras 24 YEARS OF LINTRAN MANUFACTURING -

Kennels and Runs panels.

Bespoke service if required

Custom Made boxes, any size.

Optional storage to suit

New Steed Kit Out + pickups + transafes Custom made fit out or removable systems including fans & storage Dog trailers Single and twin axle quality trailers from stock

through innovation not imitation

Tel: 01673 885959 Fax/Tel: 01673 885956

www.lintran.co.uk

Lintran (SS), Brentwood House, Lincoln Road, Faldingworth, Market Rasen, Lincs LN8 3SF

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

14 JANUARY 2015 • 53

CLASSIFIED

Private ads: 0800 072 9600 www.shootinguk.co.uk/marketplace

gAmE bIrD AnD DuCk PHEASANT & PARTRIDGE, CHICKS & POULTS

FOR SALE

The highest quality Chicks, competitively priced and delivered to your brooders within 12 hours of hatching. Also the best grass reared and hardy poults available for delivery anywhere in the UK.

DUCK GROWERS TOO...

For availability call: 01686 650628 / 07872 300286 Email: richard@bettwshall.com

www.bettwshall.com

www.bonsonwoodgamefarm.co.uk

Grass reared top quality poults for sale Top quality eggs chicks and poults Kansas, Kansas X Ringneck and Ringneck pheasant poults Grass reared Kansas, X Ringneck RedKansas Leg Partridge poultsand Ringneck pheasant poults Red Legand Partridge poults ;eekl] Zetinar] inspections full ¾ock health plan for complete peace of 01278 mind 652249 Please call Robin Please call Robinor on:Nick 01278 652249 or on: 01278 653893 01278 653893Nick / 07815 940677 email: nickpardoe83@btinternet.com a competitive and nationwide delivery ForFor a competitve priceprice and nationwide delivery

Game Farm for Sale

(Leasehold) Due to retirement Established with equipment to hatch and rear approx..

50,000 pheasant and partridge Located in N.Oxon Enquiries to 07480125903

French Partridge - eggs + chicks Deliveries Mainland UK 01603 738292 www.norfolkgamesupplies.co.uk

Game bird/duck equipment for sale

Crosslands Game Farm

(Essex) Top quality grass reared 7-8wk pheasant poults and 12-14 wk red leg partridge.

Competitive prices, Regular vet inspections, GFA members.

shooting available Syndicate Membership’s 19 stalk blocks UK wide & walked up rough shooting - £750 PA 10 walked up/rough blocks/wildfowl UK wide - £350.00 PA

For details: Tel 07795-214934

Alistair 01255 830123

To advertise here call the team on 0203 148 2877 shooting available

Exmoor Rearing Houses • 0TWLY]PV\Z [V KPZLHZL • =LY` SV^ NHZ \ZHNL • +LZPNULK MVY L_[YLTL JVUKP[PVUZ • <W[V IPYKZ

www.spowlesfabrication.com Tel: 07962 112071

guns for sale

BERETTA PAIRS PAIR BERETTA EELL 20 BORE 30” CUSTOMISED WITH STRAIGHT Hand well fgured walnut stock with leather covered pads and long trigger guards.

Tese guns are in perfect order and come complete with double and single trigger mechanism, and double motor canvas case. Price £8,450.00.

PAIR BERETTA EELL DIAMOND PIGEON 12 BORE 28/3” CHAMBERED Barrels, choked ¼ ½ , well fgured pistol grip walnut stocks with tulip forends. Actions game scroll scene engraved throughout. Price £7,950.00.

Also arriving shortly: PAIR AYA No 2, 20 BORES WITH 29” BARRELS IN AS NEW CONDITION Price £7,450.00.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further details.

ELDERKIN & SON (GUNMAKERS) LTD Spalding, Lincolnshire PE11 1TG, UK Tel: 01775 722919 Open Saturday – Closed Tursday Website: http://www.elderkinguns.co.uk Email: william@elderkin.co.uk

54 •14 JANUARY 2015

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

CLASSIFIED land serivces

situations vacant

shooting tuition

2 LESSONS FOR THE PRICE OF 1 Take advantage of our very popular "2 hour lesson for the price of only 1 hour" offer on weekdays during January, February, March and April 2015* (conditions apply)

1 person for 2 hours is priced at £124 2 people sharing 2 hours is £167

Please ring 01923 825349 to secure your booking HOLLAND & HOLLAND SHOOTING GROUNDS DUCKS HILL ROAD, NORTHWOOD, MIDDLESEX HA6 2ST

Email:

Trade ads: 020 3148 2872

shooting.grounds@hollandandholland.com Web: www.hollandandholland.com

* This offer is available on weekdays only and is for 1 or 2 people shooting for two hours. May not be used in conjunction with any other promotion. Cartridges and clays are not included. Lessons must both be taken on the same day. Lessons with our Chief Instructor are subject to a 10% surcharge on the prices shown.

TO ADVERTISE YOUR SITUATIONS VACANT PLEASE CALL THE TEAM ON

0203 148 2877

UNDER KEEPER Under Keeper required for family owned and run Highland Estate in the Angus Glens, to work alongside existing Head Keeper.

Te estate comprises a driven grouse moor, red deer stalking and low ground shoot, and is about 8,000 acres in size.

Te role will involve primarily unsupervised grouse keepering, including vermin control, gritting, and heather burning, and general moorland maintenance, therefore self starter and motivated person required with previous experience of grouse keepering essential.

Shotgun and frearms license, and clean driving license are also required for this job. Accommodation provided.

Please email CV’s to dee.ward@rottalestates.com

Grouse Keeper Vacancy Beat keeper required for Aberdeenshire Moor.

Full details at: www.glendyegrouse.com

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

Ireland UnderKeeper Position Available

A position will be open as of the 1st February on a well established shoot.Te applicant should have a reasonable knowledge of game rearing and vermin control and all aspects of modern game keeping.

Trustworthy and hard-working.

Good package available for successful applicant Reply to:

shooting_classi@timeinc.com

14 JANUARY 2015 • 55

CLASSIFIED

Private ads: 0800 072 9600 www.shootinguk.co.uk/marketplace

situations vacant

vehicles & accessories

GROUSE KEEPER REQUIRED FOR GLENAVON ESTATE Prestigious, multi-disciplined 40,000 acre estate wishes to appoint a grouse keeper.

Te successful applicant will have the opportunity to manage and develop their own beat under the direction of the Head Keeper and will also undertake general estate duties. Tey will join an experienced team on one of Scotland’s top grouse moors.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate relevant experience and appropriate qualifcations.

An interest in stalking would be an advantage.

Attractive remuneration package and accommodation available to the right candidate Apply in writing with covering letter and full CV to: Richard Greenlaw, Head Keeper, Glenavon Estate Ofce, Tomintoul, Moray, AB37 9HX or admin@glenavonestate.co.uk

56 •14 JANUARY 2015

21GUN

Cherished number plate Currently on retention For sale £25,000 Call Eric on 07976 326751

To advertise here call the team on 0203 148 2877

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

Game BIRD & DUCK WaNTeD

Wanted

Good Clean Hen Pheasants for Laying Essex Area Tel: 01621 860209 Mob: 07855 417888

Insure your working dogs No age restriction

10%

multi-dog discount*

2 0% introdu

Insurance with the following benefits: ctor discount y ** Working dogs covered as standard 4 levels of annual vet cover Vet fees excess of just £50 in the first year (per condition) 0% representative APR on monthly instalments Petguard can cover dogs used for a number of activities including wildfowling, deer stalking, game shooting, conservation, hawking, ferreting, vermin control, gun dog working and training.

Online quote available in seconds Visit the Petguard website today or if you prefer call them directly on 0844 249 1157 Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm or visit www.petguard.co.uk/shootingtimes *via our call centre only **off the first year’s premium and for new business customers only Petguard is a trading style of Thistle Insurance Services Ltd. Lloyds Broker. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A JLT Group company.

Registered office: The St Botolph Building, 138 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7AW. Registered in England No 00338645, VAT No. 244 2321 96.

Time Inc. (UK) Ltd are an Appointed Representative of Thistle Insurance Services Ltd

ALASDAIR MITCHELL

VIEWPOINT

Sharpshooter Tradition is something to be revered, but we should never allow it to blind us to useful innovations

I

think I have been guilty of unwarranted snobbery — and my shooting has suffered as a consequence. I say this because, for all my shooting life to date, I have favoured side-byside shotguns. Yet the other day I had cause to use an over-and-under. It was a revelation. The question is not so much what have I been missing (in all senses of the word) but why?

Let’s start with the facts. I shoot better with an over-and-under. I gather that most people do. It must be something to do with the narrower sight plane. So, given this, why did I cling on steadfastly to side-by-sides for all those years?

In part, this was because of tradition. Sideby-side was the commonest barrel configuration for game guns when I started shooting. Sideby-sides were commonly held to be more comfortable to carry over your arm. They looked elegant. They opened at a shallower angle, to allow the ejection or extraction of cartridges more easily.

Moreover, they were “proper” game guns. By contrast, over-and-unders were mere parvenus, suitable only for serious people in polyester vests blasting clay pigeons.

I now realise that I have been hampering my shooting for outmoded notions of what is or isn’t “proper”. My mind was closed. Over-and-unders now predominate in the gameshooting field — and for good reason. The old, snobbish disdain for them never had any substance to support it, anyway. Fashion has moved on and left the sideby-side dinosaurs behind.

Of course, I still believe that a good side-byside looks the part, and I shall continue to use mine on a regular basis. I had it built for me 30 years ago, and it is an old friend, whom I shall not

“Logically, there is no good reason a semi-auto shouldn’t be seen in the line at a driven shoot” abandon. What I will drop, however, is my deepseated prejudice against over-and-unders.

Tradition has a valuable part to play in fieldsports. Usually, it is something to be revered, rather than sneered at. Our sporting heritage is based on ways of doing things that are safe, ethical and fair. But when a respect for tradition overflows into a lack of respect for useful innovations, matters have got out of hand.

Take the prejudice against telescopic rifle sights when these first began to appear on the stalking scene. To listen to the naysayers, you

would think that these fiendish devices were deeply unsporting. In fact, they don’t lengthen range so much as aid accurate shot placement, allowing the essence of the sporting effort to focus on the actual stalk — which is as it should be.

The history of gunmaking is one of innovation and technological breakthroughs. And besides, the use of over-and-unders for shooting driven game has a longer history than some may think.

The famous low-profile Boss over-and-under was first made in 1909, for instance.

I wonder what other elements of prejudice will fade as time goes by. The use of semi-automatics in driven shooting is still beyond the pale. But why, exactly, is this? If there are concerns about multiple shots, you could impose a limit of two cartridges. (In any case, weren’t multiple shots the raison d’être of the original double-barrelled gun design?) If there are worries about safety, wouldn’t a breech flag suffice?

Semi-automatic shotguns have all the advantages of a narrow sighting plane with the added benefit of reduced recoil. Yes, you have only one choke option between successive shots, but does that really matter? Even today, most traditional game guns are bored with tighter choke in the second barrel than in the right, which is a hangover from walked-up shooting, of course.

When you look at it logically, there is no good reason a semi-auto shouldn’t be seen in the line at a driven shoot. Is gun snobbery still playing a role? Or has my new-found enthusiasm for modernity gone too far this time?

DOG... BY KEITH REYNOLDS

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE, ISSN 0037-4164, is published weekly, incorporating Shooting Magazine, Shooting Life, British Sportsman, The Angler’s News & Sea Fisher’s Journal and Field Sport, by Time Inc. (UK) Ltd, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU, United Kingdom. © 2015 Time Inc. (UK) Ltd. Contributions are welcome but must be accompanied by a suitable stamped addressed envelope. Publication of accepted articles is not guaranteed, and the publishers will not be held liable for any manuscripts, photographs or other materials lost or damaged while in their possession, though every care will be taken. The Editor reserves the right to amend any such articles as necessary. Distributed

by Marketforce (UK) Ltd, a Time Inc. (UK) Ltd company, 3rd Floor, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU. Tel: +44 (0)20 3148 3333. Printed in the UK by the Polestar Group. Registered as a newspaper for transmission in the United Kingdom.

Subscription rates for 52 issues: UK - £126.58 Priority Service (5-7days): Europe - ¤210.99, ROW - £179.99. The 2014 US annual subscription price is $274.99. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. Subscription records are maintained at Time Inc. (UK) Ltd, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU.. All prices include postage and packing. Enquiries and subscription orders: Time Inc. (UK) Ltd, PO Box 272, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 3FS. Cheques payable to Time Inc. (UK) Ltd. Tel: +44 (0)845 845 123 1231, fax +44 (0) 1444 445599.

58 • 14 JANUARY 2015

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

The 687EELL Classic This exquisite model is a luxury version of the popular 687EELL.The 687EELL Classic has an elegant semi pistol grip stock and slim semi-beavertail style forend, both hand crafted from carefully selected ‘Class 4’, premium grade walnut.

The side plates are elegantly adorned with a choice of either handsome game scenes or intricate scroll engraved patterns, both of which are enhanced by floral motifs that extend to the trigger guard strap and forend catch. Each gun is hand finished by Beretta’s master engravers.

Produced in limited numbers, the 687EELL Classic is only available to view at Beretta Premium Dealers. It is offered in both 12 and 20 gauge, with fixed choke or multi-choke barrel options. Factory pairs and made to measure stocks are also available for special order.

FOR FURTHER PRODUCT INFORMATION PLEASE CALL GMK ON 01489 587500 OR VISIT WWW.GMK.CO.UK THIS GUN IS AVAILABLE TO VIEW AT BERETTA PREMIUM DEALERS LISTED BELOW:

Avalon Guns Somerset 01458 447 505 • Beretta Gallery London 020 7408 4411 Bywell Shooting Ground Northumberland 01670 787 827 Chris Potter Country Sports Kent 01892 522 208 • Derek Lee Gunsmiths Ltd Linconshire 01526 354 505 Harrods Ltd London 020 7893 8903 • Ian Coley Sporting Gloucestershire 01242 870391 • Sportarm Ltd Dorset 01305 268 001 The Sportsman Gun Centre Devon 01392 354 854 • The Sportsman Gun Centre Gwent 01633 250 025