Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2017 i Shooting Gazette

THE ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME chance to shoot at five of Norfolk’s most famous estates in a single day will be a reality for one team entering the Norfolk Big Five Shoot raffle. The prize, organised by the GWCT, will see a team of eight guns shoot one drive at Castle Rising, Holkham, the Le Strange Shoot, the M.C.C. Shoot and Thornham on November 14. The winning team will also enjoy a dinner at the Temple in Holkham Park, prepared by prepared by Michelin Star chef Galton Blackiston and overnight accommodation at Congham Hall Hotel. Tickets for the Norfolk Big Five Shoot raffle are on sale now and are priced at £250. The draw will be held on March 31. The proceeds will be divided between the GWCT and local rural charities nominated…

April 22-23 the dates for the East Anglian Game & Country Fair at Euston Estate, Suffolk June 14-18 the dates for the Kennel Club’s Gundog Working Test at Chatsworth Estate, Derbyshire March 7-9 the dates for three fox snaring courses being run across Wales by the GWCT and NGO Training Ltd. 900 number of BASC members who undertook one of the association’s training courses in 2016 2 minutes it’ll take to complete the Welsh Game Meat survey on consumption and availability of game in Wales 5,000 number of people who tried shooting in 2016 via BASC’s ST-2 simulator…

It would start with us being welcomed to the shoot lodge on the morning of the shoot by my favourite keeper, Malcolm Partridge. Not only has Malcom provided me with some cherished shooting memories, but we also have the privilege of sharing the same wonderful line of labradors. With Malcom ‘behind the wheel’ I would be free to relax and enjoy the company of my guests. James Purdey was the founder of James Purdey & Sons Ltd. Not only would I be fascinated to see him shoot with one of his early guns, I would make sure I sat next to him at lunch so that we could discuss how the shooting world had changed and so that I may update him as to how his legacy has evolved. I…

My syndicate’s season ended on the highest note possible, a group of friends and partners in great good humour, shooting their socks off on some of the finest pheasants to be presented in the south of England this year. As I stood on the Devon hillside, frost still evident underfoot and in glorious sunshine, for no immediately obvious reason I found myself pondering the work of Minnie Louise Haskins, missionary, academic and poet. It was her best-remembered poem that clicked into my consciousness. “And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year; ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied: ‘Go out into the darkness...’” My thoughts were drawn in this direction by the things we might face,…

For your chance to win a bottle of Taittinger Champagne for Picture of the Month, send us a team photograph or a picture of something unusual from your shoot. Send high-resolution images or prints with captions to Shooting Gazette Gallery, Time Inc (UK) Ltd, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF or email: will.hetherington@timeinc.com. PICTURE OF THE MONTH Mick Hutton sent us these pictures and he said: “This special peg was constructed for Phill Bowdidge, a member of our north Wales syndicate. As he gets a bit waspish when he is told to stay on his peg, Richard Gulliver and I thought we would make this for him. He says a peg is only a guide but he did take this in good heart.” There’s a bottle of bubbly…

Leap of faith for young lab Seeing the young beaters on our walked-up days always brings energy and fun to our shooting community. Watching them jump the ditches and streams as they beat their way through the countryside makes me think about the times when we have to take a leap of faith. My regular training with my 23-month-old labrador, Reggie, has been progressing well and I know his steadiness is critical for success in the field. My inner voice has been saying he’s ready to join the shoot and take in the ambience of the guns and watch the established picking-up dogs in action. So in January I was ready to take a leap of faith with him. I have to admit the journey to the shoot was full…

“Choose between the standard engraving, game scene vignettes or something bespoke.” Ten years ago, if you asked anyone with a passing interest to name the famous British gunmakers the answer would no doubt have included names like Purdey, Holland & Holland and Boss. And anyone who has read articles by our own Donald Dallas over the years would be able to add plenty more names to that illustrious trio. But apart from the modern gunmaking genius that is David McKay Brown there couldn’t have been many other contemporary names on the list. There were a number of world-renowned individual craftsmen, such as David Sinnerton, but hardly any other established manufacturers displaying at the game fairs and running their own factories. However, fast-forward to 2017 and that situation has changed quite…

Back in the 1800s the gun trade was remarkably specialised. It was more often the case that a name on a gun or rifle did not mean that the firm actually built it. There was nothing underhand or fraudulent about this, it just made economic sense to go to a specialist. As an example, Holland & Holland was famous for its rook rifles in the late 19th century, supplying thousands of them. This volume of sales meant they had to be built in Birmingham by specialist makers and yet it was all quite appropriate as they were of a quality as befitted the famous firm. It was a similar story with Stephen Grant of London. He was primarily a builder of shotguns and when clients ordered a double rifle it…

“The farmer informed them of a dark orifice where they might place their grant.” What a wonderful man Sir David Attenborough is. The programmes he has presented over the years have shown us so many wildlife marvels and bought such wonders into our lives. He is truly a great British institution. Sir David’s latest series, Planet Earth II , has naturally been the topic of much discussion with colleagues, friends and my ecologist sons. One of the more important revelations was the helping of young turtles drawn towards town lights mistaken for the moon reflecting on the sea of a Barbadian beach. Essentially, they were going in the wrong direction only to perish. A golden rule of scientific study is not to interfere, be it from behind a camera or…

The balance of this gun and the ease and consistency of mounting is astonishingly good. All the positive handling characteristics of a 20 bore are present, as you would expect, though as noted above it is no lightweight. This does of course have a major benefit in terms of recoil control, even given the relatively tight nature of the chokes. The trigger has a lovely low profile shape, set well back in the trigger guard and gives very clean, crisp trigger pulls. In the hand the wooden parts of the gun are very comfortable, with no irritation from the new chequering. The semi-pistol grip stock is well shaped, offering enough in the hand whilst still feeling slim. Similiarly, in the front hand there is plenty of girth with no danger…

DON’T MISS THE GUNDOG ISSUE A tribute to our four-legged shooting companions with: •  Expert advice• In depth interviews• The best kit• News, results and pictures FAVOURITE DRIVES A handful of the best drives in the country POOR EXCUSES Some of the most common reasons for missing THE WOODCOCK MAN Artist Owen Williams shares his knowledge of the elusive game bird WHAT’S IN A NUMBER? Why tight chokes might be a bad idea and do you really know your yardage? PLUS DOUBLE BUBBLE Two premier league shoots from Wales and Berkshire THE APRIL ISSUE IS ON SALE FROM THURSDAY MARCH 23…

Most owners and occupiers of Scottish rural property are being faced with Return of Information forms issued by assessors for shooting and deer stalking rights. Many will be wondering how best to answer the detailed and sometimes intrusive requests for information and be pondering the implications of the information provided. Few will welcome yet more bureaucratic form filling to satisfy the puritanical zeal of the metropolitan Scottish Government. Many commentators consider the reintroduction of sporting rates to present a significant threat to the viability of economically fragile enterprises supporting highly valued employment in rural areas. With no database of sporting occupiers to hand, some 22,000 Return of Information forms have been issued to all owners and occupiers of land registered with the Rural Payments and Inspections Division. The assessors face…

Tweed travel bag by Alan Paine £249.95 alanpaine.co.uk Canvas cartridge bag by William Evans £105 williamevans.com Leather and canvas boot bag by Fur Feather & Fin £89 furfeatherandfin.com The Side by Side Weekender bag by Purdey £4,495 purdey.com Glenmore leather loader bag by William Powell £209 williampowell.com Large classic canvas holdall by Farlows £235 farlows.co.uk Gokey shell pouch by Orvis £119 orvis.co.uk Boot bag by Oliver Brown £99 oliverbrown.org.uk Leather cartridge holdall by Holland & Holland £895 hollandandholland.com Leather cartridge bag by William & Son £350 williamandson.com Leather and canvas holdall by Fur Feather & Fin From £125 furfeatherandfin.com Leather cartridge bag by William Powell £145 williampowell.com…

THE INTERNATIONAL Gundog League’s two-day qualifying open stake was held at Hy-Fly in Lancashire by kind permission of Graham Holden, writes Gilly Nickols. The judges were Terry Prentice (president of the IGL), Les McLean, Lynn Mitchell and Polly Dunckley. Committee member Allan Schofield had organised the excellent team of guns who so generously shot for the trial, and his wife Sue was an enormous help over the two days. Kevin Hughes was the steward of the beat and he ran the line with good humour, ensuring a steady flow of partridge rising from the sugar beet. With Terry and Lynn on the right and Les and Polly on the left, the trial was held entirely in beet with the steep-sided Hy-Fly ditches causing a fair number of problems. Scent seemed…

THE EASTERN Counties Golden Retriever Club held its novice field trial at Ampton by kind permission of Peter Rushbrook, writes Di Ewings. The judges were Steve Ellis, John Keegan, Ted Fitzjohn and Peter Hurst. Special thanks must go to Natures Menu, which has supported both our trials. We had a full card of 16 dogs and were only five yards into the beet field when the first two birds hit the ground, promising a special day ahead. The guns shot particularly well but the dogs sometimes struggled to mark in the beet, which had a liberal sprinkling of ‘fat hen’. Our second field of beet yielded a slower stream of birds and two hares, which found dogs out. The trial was decided on a long retrieve that left the winner…

A SIX-YEAR-old labrador retriever bitch from Gloucestershire has won the Kennel Club open retriever field trial held at the Blankney Estate in Lincolnshire. Windoogpack Coral, known as Whisky, owned by Clare Baker, was awarded first place at the competition, which saw working retrievers tested on their natural working ability. Clare Baker said: “I am absolutely elated that she won and I am so proud of my little girl. She’s very soft but has been quite tricky to train, but we have kept plodding away and it’s a dream come true to win.” A full list of Kennel Club field trials, including schedules and entry forms, can be found at thekennelclub.org.uk/ fieldtrialsschedules. Results 1 Clare Baker with Windoogpack Coral 2 Jayne Coley with Waterford Integrity 3 Stephen Newitt with Diglake Charlie…

THE ARFON Working Gundog Club held two retriever stakes this season. First there was a one-day open a.v. retriever stake held at the Checkley Wood Shoot in Nantwich, Cheshire, by kind permission of Ivor Beavis. The judges were Mike Newsom, Keith Bellamy, Sheila Suzuki and Mike Allen. No awards were made and Guns’ Choice was awarded to Norman Onens with labrador dog Kestrelway Freddie. Secondly a novice a.v. stake was held at the Glasfryn Shoot in Pwllheli, Gwynedd by kind permission of Gwilym Jones. The judges were Kevin Bradey, Lynn Mitchell, Mike Allen and Carol Clarke. It was a driven day and on the first drive four dogs were lost and, by the end of the third drive, three dogs were left for the run-off. Three became two and eventually…

IT IS with great sadness that we announce the passing of the Honourable Mrs Richard Beaumont, who died on December 21, 2016, aged 88, writes Richard Purdey. Mrs. Beaumont was the widow of the Honourable Richard Blackett Beaumont, owner of James Purdey & Sons between 1949 and 1994, who passed away in 2010. Lavinia Beaumont, née Keppel, was born on June 28, 1928, a descendant of the second Earl of Albemarle, and the younger daughter of Lt Col Arnold and Laura Keppel. Lavinia was brought up in North Yorkshire and was for several years governess to HRH Prince Edward and Lady Sarah Chatto. When her royal duties came to an end, she married Richard Beaumont in October 1971, and worked alongside her husband until they retired in 1994. When Tom…

LORD JAMES Percy, Sarah Troughton and Lord Masham are amongst the keynote speakers due to address the Gamekeeping for Life conferences forming part of the Gamekeepers Welfare Trust’s (GWT) 25th anniversary celebrations throughout early 2017. The conferences will be held at estates across the UK between March and May to celebrate the charity’s work to provide support, advice and financial assistance to gamekeepers or those formerly employed in the profession. The conferences will also provide an opportunity for gamekeepers and estates to share their experiences and examples of best practice and sustainable development. For more information, visit thegamekeeperswelfaretrust.com…

How did you first get in to shooting? “I began shooting clays a few years after starting work at Gamebore – I thought it would be a good way to learn about our products. Although I didn’t properly get the shooting bug until I had a particularly fun day out with Rachel Carrie and a group of other women shooters. Since then it’s safe to say that shooting has taken over my life.” What was your inspiration to co-found Femmes Fatales? “It was when I was out with a small group of female shots that we spoke about how few women there were at clay grounds. We decided there and then to start an online community dedicated to encouraging more women and girls to try the sport. What we’d only…

Venison carpaccio, goats cheese & almonds SERVES FOUR PEOPLE Ingredients • 1kg venison loin• 200g goats cheese• 20g almonds• 20g marcona almonds• 10ml lemon oil• 50g rocket & watercress• Smoked Cornish sea salt• Milled black pepper Method Place the venison on some cling film and season really well. Roll the venison in the smoked sea salt and black pepper. Wrap the venison in the cling film as tight as possible and tie the ends to make a sausage-like shape, place in the freezer to firm up. The salt will cure the venison whilst wrapped. Once the venison feels firm to the touch after 20 minutes or so remove from the freezer and slice as thin as possible and place directly on to the plate removing all the cling film as you go. Crumble over the goats cheese and…

Dear Uncle Giles We were fogged off on a bought day last season. We waited till lunchtime and it didn't clear. I understand that it's our lookout whether we were insured or not but what's the usual cut-off point in these situations? AJF, by email Uncle Giles writes Fog is the last word in shooting disasters, isn't it? Birds won't fly in it and guns can't see in it. Beaters can't function, pickers-up can't spot birds and, above all, of course, is the fact that shooting in fog is dangerous for all concerned. You can muddle through in rain and struggle on in the snow but fog really puts the kibosh on the whole proceedings. When do you call it off? Frankly, I think you did well to be given…

I read with interest the Letter of the Month in February’s issue. Some years ago, when HMRC warned that real-time tax collection would be foisted on us and shoots would be responsible for collection unless we became self-employed, I started to keep records of my expenditure as a picker-up. At the time I worked my dogs about 30 to 35 days a season so my "earnings" were about £1,000. After totting up my expenditure – and believe me I put everything I could think of, from mileage travelling round the shoots to kennel fees when on holiday, dog food, vets’ fees, etc., – I found it was more than double my income, and could easily have been more if one of the dogs had had a severe injury – so…

I have often remarked how confusing and intimidating the viewing is at a Holt’s auction. Its rooms in the Princess Louise’s Barracks in Hammersmith are cavernous and absolutely stuffed to the brim with hundreds of guns, rifles and accessories, so where do you start, even if you have all day? I was wandering round the December sale looking for something interesting to catch my eye, a little blasé about the countless Purdeys, Hollands and Bosses on display. There is always something unusual in the sale and I spotted a standard boxlock ejector by John Robertson that had a Boss elective single trigger. Right beside it was the gem of the sale. I noticed the magnificent single Damascus barrel and then spotted the action: it was an incredibly rare single-barrel shotgun…

As a comparison to the sheer size of the 12 bore drop-block action exhibited on the single-barrel Grant, a diminutive drop-block action is shown on the little .360 Henry rook rifle no. 2905, completed in 1873. This little rifle with just a 25” barrel utilised the .360 2¼” black powder cartridge designed for shooting rooks, rabbits and the like. The action is not far off half the size of the Grant 12 bore yet they both function in exactly the same way. Such Henry drop-block rifles were incredibly popular in the second half of the 19th century, with Henry building not far off 3,000 of them. They were built right down to .256 Mannlicher in the late 19th century and right up to the massive .577 big game cartridge. The…

Familiarity is a tricky beast. With immediate access to almost the entire collected works of humanity available at swipe of a finger, it is easy for the extraordinary to become everyday. As our modern, connected world has brought us all closer together and made the exotic attainable, so the tangible has become disposable. So just what is it about the sporting shotgun which manages to hold our attention, not just with the eye but with the heart? One of the very great pleasures of reviewing shotguns (aside from the obvious) is the experience of visiting Elderkin and Son in Spalding. Not just because I am sure of a comfy spot on the sofa and a cup of tea, but because I get to watch so many people going through the…

The Eclipse from Follet of Colyton, Seaton & Devon (1900); the Globe from Cole & Son of Devizes, Windsor, Portsmouth & Cheltenham (1900); the S.P. from Edwinson Green & Son of Cheltenham & Gloucester (1910); and the Vivit-Post Creast from Carr & Co of Nottingham (1900). The Harrogate from R.T. Hodgson of Harrogate (1900); the City of Newcastle from P. Small of Newcastle (1900); the Flag from E. Gale & Son of Barnstaple & Bideford (1927); and the A.W.G. from A.W. Gamage Ltd of London (1910). The Calthorpe from G. Dodd of Birmingham (1910); the C.G.A. Gastight from The Country Gentleman’s Association Ltd (1910); the Special Smokeless from A. Ward Thompson of Middlesbrough (1926); and the Hallrite Special from Frank Hall of Chesterfield (1926). CARTRIDGES FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF…

Q I was helping the beaters with my three-year-old spaniel over Christmas and had a very excited and active dog, but then he stopped and would not move and looked very distressed. He is fine now but I need to understand what happened. Can you overwork a dog? A The short answer is absolutely. Imagine going from basic daily exercise and training to the intensity and excitement of a shoot. People talk of getting your dog ‘fit’ for the field but it is nigh on impossible to replicate an actual day. And you may not always be sure beforehand what is required on a particular shoot. It is hard to know how much ground your dog will need to cover, especially when you are beating. A recent example is…

Shattered and soaked after a morning’s roe buck calling during the rut in Gloucestershire, I’m flicking through a three-month-old copy of a shooting magazine when my eyes are drawn to the classifieds. Bingo! I read of a litter of wire-haired Hungarian vizslas for sale, ironically four hours back north and on our home doorstep of North Yorkshire. We had been after one for years, hopefully for grouse and deer-stalking work. I had already owned a Large Munsterlander during my teens and we had big plans for our new WHV in addition to the current pack of 14 sprockers and springadors! Sika, as she would be called, was 13 weeks old and the last one of the litter. She landed at home and screamed the house down every night for months,…

BUILDING ON its extensive experience in developing the highest quality products for working dogs, Skinner’s is now keen to extend that to pets with its new Life range. Will Delamore, Skinner’s marketing director, says: “Our Field & Trial range has been the number one working dog food for around 25 years and we’re well known because of our passion for making sure we provide dogs with the best possible nutrition. The main aim of our food has always been to produce happy, healthy dogs, and as Field & Trial is already doing that with working dogs, we decided it was time to turn our attention to pets. We understand the importance of making sure all dogs have access to the best possible food and we believe their enjoyment of what…

The author will be known to many readers not only for his long stint (since 1991) in the BASC firearms office, where he is now director, but also for his colourful contributions to the BBC's Antiques Roadshow since 1985. As one of the country’s leading experts on sporting and military firearms, a legal adviser, firearms forensic examiner and journalist, there are many strings to his bow. However, he has had to rein himself in for this latest addition to BASC's handbook series. It’s an exploration of current firearms legislation and is intended as a guide for anyone who wants to apply for a firearms or shotgun certificate. But, with all those years of experience Harriman has managed to ensure this book is not quite as dry as it sounds. By…

As the season drew to a close we asked our Facebook followers a simple question: should your gundog sleep in their kennel or your kitchen. Some handlers are quite strict about where their dogs roam, though the following suggests a more relaxed attitude. Rhys Jones wrote: “Wherever suits the owners and their circumstances the best. Mine have the best of both worlds. Kennelled during the day and the house in the evening (don't think they or the wife would forgive me if they didn't have cuddles in the evening). They sleep in the kitchen though.” Zena Mayhew wrote: “We have a "bed dog", he takes himself off to bed, even opens the bedroom door!” Ellie Rupp wrote: “Ours have always lived in the kitchen or living room or bedrooms or…

Aldo Leopold was born in 1887 in Iowa, becoming a forester in the early years of the 20th Century. He was heavily involved in forestry concerns as America began to balance its industrial consumption of natural resources with concerns about sustainability, and in time he became one of the most prominent voices in pre- and post-war conservation. Having been assigned to hunt and kill cougars, bears and wolves in New Mexico early in his career, Leopold’s background was heavily pre-occupied with the kind of short-term destruction wrought on America by the first generations of settlers to what had once been the “Wild” West. In later life, he campaigned for balance and moderation in conservation, even campaigning for the restoration of wolves to many areas from which they had been lost.…

Q: "I have been told that it is now legal to shoot muntjac and Chinese water deer with a shotgun. Is this true, and if so, what are the rules on ammunition?" A: I think your friend may have confused the change in the law a few years ago that enables you to shot these species with a centrefire .22 with an ability to shoot deer with a shotgun. Every year stalkers come across deer that have been horribly wounded by being unlawfully shot with rifles of too small a calibre or by shotguns used by persons who are incompetent or using ammunition that is not up to the job. Shotguns really are not ideal tools for dealing with deer and the law recognises this. Generally speaking you may not…

TRAVEL Glyndebourne is less than four miles east of the small market town of Lewes in East Sussex and is less than 60 miles from London. The nearest railway station is in Lewes with excellent connections to London Victoria. The shoot is also very convenient for Gatwick Airport, which is only 45 minutes away by car. It’s on the eastern edge of the South Downs National Park and 10 miles from the coast. STAY If you wish to stay over the night before, there are several good options. Moor House is elegant, with stunning views of the South Downs. It’s a private house but you are guaranteed a warm welcome and it is only three minutes from Glyndebourne (airbnb.co.uk). Otherwise Lewes Town and Country B&B Group (lewesbandb.co.uk) offers attractive and…

“Sometimes on a pheasant drive where you can see the birds coming from a long way out you have too long to think about it.” The late Ed Watson was better known to readers of this magazine as Dr Watson and, until he eventually succumbed to the dreaded cancer late last summer, he would regularly emphasise the importance of the connection with the bird. Rather than stress too much about how much forward allowance to make for any given target he would urge me to trust my instincts. Thankfully I can still hear him saying it now: “When you’re driving a car you don’t measure every single distance between yourself and other vehicles or obstacles, you just do it instinctively. The same as when you play tennis, or squash, or…

“There is no evidence that shooting is responsible for declines of breeding woodcock in Britain.” Publicity about decline in woodcock numbers has given me pause for thought. Figures suggest that Britain’s own population is beginning to fall apart, and while the vast majority of woodcock shot each winter are European migrants (of which there can be over a million), it is sobering to witness the decline of a bird that means so much to the shooting community. It has been argued that by starting to shoot woodcock later in the season, by which time the migrant birds have arrived, we would avoid harming resident populations, and this is surely a good starting point. Shooting wild birds brings great responsibility, and it’s important we should be reactive to changes in the…

“Birds were decoying from a great height as they arrived over the field from afar.” The morning mist was burning off as we arrived at a large L-shaped field of 50 or so acres that had recently been drilled with spring barley. I was with AC, my one-legged pigeon-shooting pal, and Geoff, another friend who regularly shoots with him. Reconnaissance the previous afternoon had confirmed pigeons had found the field and there was a good scattering of seed showing on the surface, a rare thing these days with efficient modern drills. On this occasion the reason it had been directly drilled into a standing crop of autumn-sown mustard that had been sprayed off a week before. Therefore the drill was not working on a cultivated seedbed but on ground firmed…

These are superb guns from an excellent manufacturer, and offer fantastic value for money. This Grade 5 model is currently the top of the line in terms of the quality of finishing, however rumours abound a Grade 6 is to be introduced in the future – if there is to be an improvement over this gun it promises to be fairly spectacular. These guns come with fixed chokes at ¼ and ½ - you might want these widened as this is fairly tight for a 20 bore. At just under 7lbs, however, this is clearly a serious game shooting gun, so if you plan on taking on plenty of high birds then perhaps you might leave them as is. The gun has 3” chambers which are magnum proof, though I…

Q I want to try and understand more about lead. Some people say give the target 5ft while others say a couple of inches Can you help me see the light? A The differing amounts of lead that people see on targets can be one of the most talked about subjects in the shooting community. The first thing to understand is that we all see lead differently, and if you try to use someone else's picture it can create lots of problems or, more importantly, lots of misses. I tend to think that lead pictures fall into three basic theories... 1. The ‘no lead’ theory. Many people say they are not aware of giving lead and as a result never see lead. I tend to find these people increase…

THE KENNEL Club field trial secretaries’ seminar, which will focus on providing essential knowledge and understanding for the management, organisation and stewarding of field trials and gundog working tests, is to be held on April 22, 2017 at the Littlebury Hotel, in Bicester, Oxfordshire. The seminar is primarily designed for those who are newly appointed field trial or gundog working test secretaries. However, other interested parties are also welcome to attend. The day consists of presentations and breakout sessions which are designed around issues a secretary is likely to encounter. Each delegate will receive a comprehensive information pack including copies of the presentations, examples of the various certificates, a copy of the J Regs and a USB stick containing template forms. The seminar costs £45 including refreshments, and places can…

Reflecting back on the past trialling season, we had some interesting conversations when we were in spare dogs and “around the tailgate” over a piece of cake and a cup of tea. Who is managing the improvement in retriever field trials? Is it the Field Trial Liaison Council? Is it the FT Sub Committee? The Kennel Club General Committee? It's certainly not always clear. There doesn't appear to be any strong leadership or anyone identifying mistakes and rectifying them through official channels. Different cliques have started taking matters into their own hands. By mentoring and grooming up-and-coming judges they can ensure that the trials are judged the way that suits them and their dogs, thereby shaping the future of field trialling. The official bodies continue to look the other way,…