Innholdsfortegnelse for Jun-2018 i Shooting Gazette

June hopefully means bright sunshine and the chance for game shooters across the country to take their pre-season preparations up a gear. One of the ways we can all enjoy our summertime practice even more is by indulging in a simulated game day, which is the closest we’ll get to the real thing without a seeing a pheasant, hearing a beater or working our gundogs. The popularity of this form of shooting has exploded over the past few years, not only helping experienced shots to sharpen up but also bringing new people into the sport, giving them a realistic taste of what driven game shooting involves. Robin Scott and Chris Hanks are two guns who’ve enjoyed their fair share of simulated game days over the years. In this issue, Robin…

Nick Hurd MP, the minister responsible for firearms licensing, recently confirmed that fees are currently being reviewed by the Home Office. This would be another blow to the wallet for shooters, coming just a few weeks after Mr Hurd suggested every gun owner would have to pay a fee to their GP when applying for a certificate. BASC has responded by highlighting that the online licensing system proposed in 2015, which it was anticipated would help the police to achieve full cost recovery, has still not been introduced. It also noted that the current system has been criticised as “inconsistent and inadequate” by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary due to some police forces processing applications in as little as five days and others taking 165 days. BASC says the service…

What’s the biggest change that you’ve seen in the cartridge industry during your time at HCC? I see a great deal more interest in getting the right cartridge for the quarry or discipline. We deliver cartridges like the Driven Grouse and High Pheasant Extreme as a direct result of our affinity and association with the grass roots of the sport. The future is very much fibre and we are also leading the change for game shooters to use fibre cartridges What does HCC and the cartridge industry as a whole need from Brexit negotiations in order to remain competitive? There’s lots of hype or negativity surrounding Brexit but I see shotgun certificate applications have risen and we are constantly meeting new shooters at great events like the Game Fair. We…

Dear Uncle Giles, A good friend treated me to a peg on a shoot last season where the bag was more than 250 head of game. I would like to return the compliment by taking him simulated game shooting in the summer. My question is, how many such days would, in your view, be sufficient to adequately return his generosity? ACT, by email Uncle Giles writes I don’t think that you should see this undertaking as a tit-for-tat issue. Your friend has been generous to you and all you need do to is return his generosity. Numbers large or small should not be a consideration. The spirit of the gift is everything. Your friend, I sense, took you pheasant or perhaps partridge shooting? Why not then set up your simulated…

SHARE YOUR VIEWS Email: martin.puddifer@timeinc.com Guns and pickers-up should work together I would like to commend not only Jeremy Hobson’s article In the Thick of It but also Adam Calvert’s Expert Instruction in April’s Shooting Gazette. As a keen participant on driven days, I define our sport as not only shooting but also recovering game and remember the sage words of my first BASC Shooting Handbook, which opined no gun should go into the shooting field without adequate means of recovery, namely a competent dog. Sadly those of us who do are in a minority these days, but some guns still invest time and money and take some pride running a competent dog (thanks again, in my case, to Ricky Ross Maloney) and from the working of which we…

“To my amazement he began to fly – a heavy, monstrous flight that made the whole glen throb”. We moved to a new farm last June. The house lies on the edge of open moorland where rough grasses fade down into good beef and dairy country. My wife and I get to enjoy the best of both worlds, as the rough country is home to curlews and snipe while the good ground is a magnet for wildfowl in the winter. In the chaos of moving in, we acquired two African geese. I am still not sure how this happened, but we brought the birds home in a dog crate. They were enormous creatures, and the gander hissed and wailed in the car like a demon. It was hard to tell…

Stephen Grant was born in 1821 and served his apprenticeship under the Dublin gunmaker William Kavanagh who conducted his business from 4 Upper Ormand Quay. After completing his apprenticeship, he moved to London to work for Charles Lancaster, the well-known maker of top quality barrels. Around 1850 Grant left Lancaster to work for Thomas Boss at 73 St. James’s Street, London. By this time Thomas Boss had established himself as a builder of the highest quality guns only. In 1857 Thomas Boss died and his widow Emma Boss asked Stephen Grant to become managing partner in the firm and from this date onwards, Boss became known as Thomas Boss & Co. Whilst at Boss, Grant took out his first patent in 1861 for an early breech-loading closing action. Grant was…

“At times it was as though I’d never been away, as despite the odd mis-mount, I was connecting well.” I haven’t been able to get out shooting as much as I’d have liked since taking the editor’s chair last summer. A shoulder injury has not helped matters over the last nine months. Back in October I struggled to rotate my right shoulder (I shoot off my left) even half way around without my face crumpling in pain (I put it down to too many big hits during my rugby playing days) but with endurance weight training and plenty of slow dry gun mounts over the winter and early spring, I finally started feeling like I was returning to some sort of normality around March. I just had to keep telling…

“Gordon is a handsome dog, rather like Ollie’s big brother, with a loving and honest character”. The joy of meeting and getting to know my new golden retriever, Gordon, helps ease the great sadness of losing dear Ollie, who died in January at only seven years old. He had been a loyal friend and a particularly good pigeon shooter’s dog. I am lost without a dog and Phil Allen, who had bred and trained Ollie, came up with a suggestion having had a word with several of his mates. Phil, as a trainer and field trial judge, knows a good dog when he sees one. Following a conversation with golden retriever trainer Andrew Wright, it happened he was over-dogged with nine under his kennel roof. For trialling he was focusing…

Given that the Stratos was intended for the clay market but is now finding favour with game shooters, especially those who head west for the ‘high stuff’, I thought I had better give it a workout on a variety of targets. I was interested to see if the 33” barrels were too much of a handful on fast targets where a change of direction would be required to get to the second target. I have to say that it was exceptionally pleasant to shoot and incredibly controllable. The patterns through the fixed half chokes were devastating. I also tested it on some long loopers where it was fantastically pointable. Next onto the high tower where on the 90’ and 130’ targets the clays evaporated, which suggests it would be entirely…

Q My friends and I have been offered the chance to select our targets on a simulated day we are attending over the summer – which combinations will offer the biggest challenges? AI am a big fan of simulated game days, but the clays need to be exactly that - “simulated game” - to be of use to practise on. There are now lots of different simulated drives which have pigeon layouts or rabbit drives. These are all great fun, but not the best thing if you are using the day for practice. The targets that I would like to see on simulated days are ones that are similar to the birds I actually want shoot during the season. For example, one of the things I particularly like is when…

“My main concern was that I didn’t try to make progress too quickly while she was young, with the focus on learning through play.” We were ready to go. My young spaniel bitch Bucklawren Luna of Stockingford, or Luna, as she is known in our family, was about to start her first run in the 2018 A.V. Spaniel (Except Spaniel [Cocker]) Championship back in January. It was an exciting moment because we were competing against the top spaniels from Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It was our chance to shine, but we needed to put on a faultless display in the next few minutes, and repeat that performance a second time, assuming we survived our first run. So how did we get on, you may well ask, and what has…

HECTOR KIRK RETRIEVER CHALLENGE CUP 1 The Three Dogs including Glynn Sykes, David Sidwell & Ralph Thompson 2 The Poachers including Phil Goulden, Andy Latham & Dave Latham 3 In Dogs Beers We Have Only Had One, including Tom Newton, Paul Newton & John Yarwood A.V. SPANIEL NOVICE 1 Damon Ross 2 David Jennings 3 Richard Kinnon A.V. SPANIEL OPEN 1 David Ross 2 Lee Marson 3 David Jennings A trophy in memory of Jimmy Swindlehurst for the highest scoring dog of the retriever test was awarded to Antony Appleton with Mossborough Chub of Applebriar.…

This summer sees the return of a popular country charity event. Held on June 16 at Toplands Farm, Woodplumpton, the event has grown year on year. The Toplands clay shoot and Tessleymoor Gundogs country charity event now offers a variety of country sports like competitive clay shooting, a gundog scurry, archery and air rifles. With free entry, hog roast and bar, entertainment for the kids and lots of stalls, plus a charity raffle and auction, it’s a great day out for the family and the perfect treat for Father’s Day weekend. Every penny raised goes to local charities and the organisers are looking to top last year’s total of £11,000. For further details about the day or how you can get involved, contact Damian Barson on 07843 283370 or visit…

Small animal vet and regular gundog healthcare columnist for Shooting Times Tony Buckwell has written a concise guide to the health and welfare of a gundog from puppy to adult. Gundog Health and Welfare provides guidance for those who aspire to acquire a healthy puppy as well as existing gundog owners so they might be reasonably informed on how best to ensure their dogs live healthy, happy, active lives and are able to assure their immediate care should they become ill or injured. It covers topics such as keeping your puppy healthy and introducing them to the outside world; reducing the risks of injury and disease; first aid in the field; recognising and dealing with illnesses, and caring for the older dog. Priced £19.99 from The Crowood Press.…

I am privileged to count a gentleman from West Papua as a friend. Benny is a kind, brave and principled man with many tales to tell that would hold the most jaded post shoot-lunch table enthralled. He’s also a mine of information about what it’s like to grow up in the Papuan Highlands, with a lifestyle in many ways rather more in touch than ours with that of our shared ancestors. One of the key elements is the Papuans like to go hunting. Friends and relatives will head out into the jungle and spend a day or two away with the purpose of fetching food home. They eat and drink too much, talk a great deal of rubbish to each other and laugh a lot. They take their dogs with…

Since he became Secretary of State in charge of the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs portfolio, Michael Gove MP has alternately encouraged and enraged the rural community. Gove is something of an enigma, a silent assassin of rivals’ ambitions, nose a-twitching for political advantage. Peering out from behind his glasses, he comes ‘feather-footed through the plashy fen’ – the Conservative Party’s questing vole. He has proposed a ban on electric collars for dogs and cats, has witheld a report on likely changes in food prices post Brexit, is proposing various checking and changing information on hedges, and has appointed several ardently green members to his advisory team. He now has the Lords baying at his back for a radical change in responsibility for rural policy. One group in the rural…

Don’t be put off by the cynics: Despite now having some amazing advocates of our guns, ever since launching them at the Game Fair in 2010, there have been sceptics and antagonists (and they’re still around, albeit in fewer numbers), for whatever reason. Had we listened to them we probably would have packed up, tail between our legs, and scurried back to Lancashire. However, we believe totally in what we have created and the fact we have had to battle against adversity has made us stronger as a company and given us the determination to build on what we have. So thank you to all those who have Stay true to yourself: We are passionate about the guns we make and the fact they are completely made in our factory…

Q A friend of mine is keen to show a group of Armed Forces veterans my trio of best London guns from the 1930s during a reunion dinner later this year. The event is taking place near to our respective homes. He is not a shotgun certificate holder. I would like to oblige but also stay within the law. How can I do this?” A Condition 4 on your certificate provides that: 1. (a) that any shotgun to which the certificate relates must at all times (except in the circumstances set out at (b) below) be stored securely so as to prevent, as far as is reasonably practicable, access to the shotguns by an unauthorised person; 2.(b) where a shotgun to which the certificate relates is in use or the…

Give corporate guns a break The article by Simon Peniston-Bird How ‘Big’ is your ‘Bag’? in the March issue was a thoughtful piece addressing, as it did, the question of the problems associated with ensuring all shot game enters the food chain. However, was it necessary to snipe at “corporate guests” suggesting guns who stump up large sums of money do not want to shoot poor quality birds? This is an old-fashioned bit of snobbery I thought had long since disappeared, but evidently not so, and simply adds to the myth already in some shooting folklore of the rich businessman who is indifferent as to whether he is invited to a day’s golf or a big bag day, and, if to the latter, is only interested in numbers shot, has…

TRAVEL The shoot lies just to the east of Broadchalke some eight-and-a-half miles from Salisbury. By road Stoke Farm is two-and-a-half hours from London, one-and-three-quarter hours from Bristol, and Southampton airport is a reasonable 30 miles away. Salisbury was called the ‘Gateway to the West’ in Victorian times and the station is well served by the Waterloo to Exeter line and trains from Cardiff to the south coast. STAY Being in the ‘Golden Triangle’ of the Chalke Valley, Stoke Farm is surrounded by hotels used to catering for guns. To name a few: the Beckford Arms (beckfordarms.com) at Fonthill Gifford; the Castleman Hotel (castlemanhotel.co.uk) at Chettle; Howard’s House (howardshousehotel.co.uk) at Teffont Evias; and the King John Inn (kingjohninn.co.uk) near Tollard are all spoken of highly. CATERING We had lunch at…

Probably the greatest ever devotee of the hammer ejector was Lord Ripon. He was born Frederick Oliver Robinson on January 29, 1852, and upon the death of his father in 1909, succeeded as the 2nd Marquess of Ripon. In 1885 he married the society beauty of her day, Gladys, Lady Lonsdale. Compared to her somewhat austere husband, Gladys was a leading socialite and in conjunction with a husband renowned as the finest shot in the whole of Great Britain, both husband and wife were in great demand at society functions. Lord Ripon owned the estate of Studley Royal in Yorkshire comprising around 21,800 acres. He was very conservative in his choice of guns, preferring hammer guns long after hammerless guns came into use. His guns were all built by Purdey…

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The first examples of the Lamborghini Urus are about to find their way to customers and I’m dying to see if anyone takes one shooting. I’ve seen quite a few Bentaygas in the middle of fields and bet a few hardy souls take their Rolls-Royce Cullinans shooting when they come out. However, the new Rambo Lambo may just be an SUV too far, so an insubstantial but heartfelt prize will wing its way to the first picture of a Urus at a game shoot, especially if it has muddy dogs in the back!…

Q Having read a lot about the various steps in training a gundog, I still get confused as to the sequence I should follow, what to do next and how it all fits together. Does that make sense? A That makes an enormous amount of sense and probably the main reason people get frustrated. It’s a common question and a lot of people achieve a certain level but then aren’t sure how to progress. Training a gundog, especially for the first time, can seem quite complex and is certainly more intense than most dog training. The various individual steps in training the dog are relatively straightforward. The challenge and difficulty is layering and knitting each element together and building on them to get a rounded working animal. It sometimes helps…

The 2018 BASC Chudleys Scurry League is open to all gundog breeds, and tests the retrieving ability of gundogs against the clock over various disciplines. The scurries are hosted at country shows and game fairs across the UK, and competitors and spectators can enjoy scurries such as Multi Pick up, Pick & Mix, Long Retrieve, Obstacle and Junior Obstacle. Each day the fastest dog is awarded with first place and 30 points, second place receives 20 points, and third place is awarded 10 points. The top 20 dogs in the league after the final qualifying round will be invited to attend the grand final at the Midland Game Fair, Shropshire, on September 15 to determine who the overall winner will be. Forthcoming rounds will be held at the Cotswold Show…

I have shot for 55 years but having been retired for the past 11 have downsized my shoot days, concentrating instead on coaching, loading and picking-up. Over time I have built up a list of my favourite shoots, and my dream team could choose to spend a day at any from Maesmawr, Hanmer, Challacombe, Punchbowl, Prescombe, Molland and Gurston Down. First up is Tony Ball, whom I have shot with for 20 years. He’s fantastic on high pheasants. I wish I could shoot as well as he does consistently, he is my mentor. Second on my list is Dr Bob Hall, a good shot, especially with his 28 bore on high partridges. I’ve shot with Bob for more than 20 years. It took him the first three years to realise…

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: martin.puddifer@timeinc.com. RBSS GUNS RAISE OVER £550 FOR CHILDREN'S CHARITY Wendy Dixon from RBSS (left) and Nicky West from Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity pose with a cheque for £567.90, following the shooting school’s recent Easter Bunny Shoots. FIN'S FIRST BIRD “In late December young Fin Cuthbert accompanied his father on a cool, breezy day at Manydown in Hampshire,” writes Shooting Gazette contributor Robert Cuthbert. “We were guests of Angus Irvine, Kevin Rolls and the team, and…

TRAVEL Raisthorpe Manor lies just to the east of the village of Thixendale and a few miles north of Fridaythorpe on the A166. This road heads westwards towards York, which you’ll reach within around 25 minutes. If you take the scenic route north along the B1248 you will soon find yourself on the A64, which leads to other shooting delights on the lower section of the North York Moors. STAY Numerous accomodation options are available, including two Shooting Gazette favourites: the Blue Bell Inn at Weaverthorpe, a mixture of modern and traditional rooms and pub owned by keen shot Jarrod Fisher (bluebellweaverthorpe.co.uk) and the sizable and resplendent North Field Lodge on the outskirts of Huggate. The latter is able to host large parties (thelodgenorthfield.co.uk). CATERING Guns started the day with…

Gin has soared in popularity during recent years, and that’s good news for those in our sport who enjoy the odd tipple as well as those thinking of dipping into something new after a day’s shooting. With so many brands to choose from it can be difficult to know where to start your ‘gin journey’. How fortunate then that the Bespoke Gin Company, based in Sale, Manchester, and run by distiller and chief blender David Connor, can guide novices and experienced drinkers alike on a path of discovery, one where they not only learn how gin is made but also have the chance to create their very own recipes and take a bottle home. Even for non-gin drinkers, learning about the gin making process, which stretches back 400 years, is…

I’m pretty sure we’re all guilty of dropping what can fairly be called a ‘Neville Chamberlain’ at some time in our lives. In other words, dropping a clanger. Poor old Mr Chamberlain’s howler was famously waving a bit of paper upon landing back in Blighty after a meeting with Adolf Hitler, declaring “peace in our time.” A short time later the Nazis invaded Poland and the rest, as they say, is history. Thankfully the several ‘Nevilles’ I’ve dropped along the way have been inconsequential, piffling, affairs; but still a significant source of embarrassment when I think back to them. Which reminds me, don’t mention simulated game days. I can’t honestly remember who first got the ‘sim day’ ball rolling but it was, I recall, in the early 1990s and it…

A sustained period of low interest rates has stimulated the UK forestry investment market, driving cash investors to look for alternatives. Forest ownership is perceived as straightforward, long-term and low risk in uncertain times. Our latest research suggests cash on deposit would have accumulated 19 per cent in value before tax since the financial crisis; spruce tree growing on a hill in south Scotland would have accumulated 35 per cent over the same period. Throw in inflationary growth in capital market value and the performance is boosted to over 80 per cent. In 2017 the total value of the forestry market increased by 24 per cent to over £112 million. Yet despite this large increase in the overall value, the total area of forestry sold across the UK actually fell…

“Yes we won, and better still we had qualified to run in the championship …” Maurice Stanbury charts his relationship with his spaniel, Luna “A break from the norm can offer space for new thoughts…” Wendy Bardsley on the benefits of gundog training away days “A great deal of our own angst is trying to fit too much in…” Mike Barnes on why handlers should be comfortable when training PLUS News and reports from tests, stakes and more top draw gundog events from around the country…

Successful inaugural test for Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group Club: The Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group Event: Working test Venue: Conistone and Grassington Estate Sponsor: Dog & Field The Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group (YDMG) hosted its first ever working gundog test in a bid to raise funds for an outdoor learning facility for Kettlewell Primary School, which is part of a federation of four small primary schools in the Dales that is helping to educate the next generation about the countryside surrounding them. Sonya Wiggins, coordinator of the YDMG and wife of the headkeeper of Conistone and Grassington Estate, said: “It has been a real pleasure organising the inaugural Hector Kirk Moorland Cup and to see so many friendly faces turn up despite the weather. We have seen some fantastic displays from…

Heights Farm Premium Pet Foods has developed an Extra Joint Care range of dry food recipes that combine a balance of quality natural ingredients, vitamins and minerals to maintain the health, vitality and bounce of any dog. The recipes also promote a healthy skin and coat as well as supporting the joints. Available in three varieties: chicken and rice; lamb and rice (both gluten free) and salmon and potato (grain and gluten free), these hypoallergenic diets are designed to prevent the many allergies and food intolerances which are common in dogs these days. These can often be diagnosed by dry and flaky skin, hot spots, a dull coat, ear and skin infections, loose stools and sometimes aggressive behaviour. Founder Stephen Ward set up the company in response to his own…

Skinner’s Pet Foods is increasing its support for working gundog events by sponsoring the Kennel Club Gundog Working Tests and the Kennel Club Cocker Spaniel Championship for the next three years. These two events, as well as the Kennel Club Hunt, and Point and Retrieve Championship, which Skinner’s already sponsors, are among the highlights of the working gundog calendar. They serve to draw attention to the standards of excellence achieved by dogs and handlers taking part in Kennel Club field trials. Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club secretary, said: “Both Skinner’s and the Kennel Club recognise the importance of working dogs competing to the best of their natural abilities, and we are excited about this new sponsorship and the events, which will see working gundogs at the top of their game.” William…

When participating in field trialling, a sport with winners and losers, we should consider it our obligation to do our best to win, and win well. Everyone involved should be treated with respect and dignity, behaviour most would agree amounts to sportsmanship. Some say being sporting is behaving with generosity and fairness towards competitors and respecting the sport. From being well turned out for competitions – yes, dressing appropriately is part of sportsmanship, as turning up in training vests, jeans or dirty over trousers shows a distinct lack of respect to hosts and others participating – to punctuality, politeness and putting your point of view across if you feel you are being treated unfairly, are all part of the behaviour that contributes towards sportsmanlike behaviour. Rudyard Kipling’s poem If could…

How to win For your chance to win either a Pintail Explorer smock (top) or a Seasons jacket (right), email high-resolution pictures to: katemaxim@outlook.com. Please put “Gundog Picture of the Month” in the subject line. The winner will be chosen by the Shooting Gazette judging panel. Good luck! The prize will only be posted to winners with a fixed UK postal address.…