Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2019 i Shooting Gazette

Are you missing it yet? While there’s every chance you’ll be reading this in the dying embers of the season, the fact is there’s only one day in the month of February where we can enjoy driven birds before the book closes on 2018/2019 forever. Now of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t keep shooting, either here or abroad, but the fact remains that the time has come for our guns to have their annual services, the tweeds need the attention of the dry cleaners and our gundogs are told that beating and standing behind the Guns any time soon is a while away yet. How fortunate then that we’re “welcoming” in the close season with advice on how to best fill your time until it all starts again. Mary…

Sir Johnny Scott will launch his new book, The Countryman, Through The Seasons, at the Northern Shooting Show in May. Published by Quiller, it plays host to a number of colourful characters – from bees and nightjars to pheasants and cuckoos – as well as stories and burning questions about the countryside, all captured in Sir Johnny’s unique style. The Northern Shooting Show takes place at the Great Yorkshire Showground on May 11-12. ‘An Audience With Sir Johnny’ will be held on the Sunday, when visitors will be able to put their own questions to the author and take away a signed copy. For more information about the book launch or show, visit northernshootingshow.co.uk.…

The November issue’s The Great Debate saw Messrs Samuelson and Catchpole discussing quality over quantity regarding bag size. Both put forward good reasoning for their respective views but both appeared to be promoting shooting over professionally keepered ground. Regardless of the size of the bag, the opportunity (and possession of the financial wherewithal) to shoot on a grand estate is not something that is a reality for a goodly sector of the shooting fraternity [Ed: The debate was aimed at all levels of driven shooting, but point taken.] Therefore, I would like to put forward some small bag days that have stuck long in my own sporting memory. Rough shooting is one area of our sport that seems to be forgotten by some but not for nothing did the late,…

Recently, readers of the Sunday Times were treated to a montage of photographs under the headline: Pilgrims’ fury at Llangynog Valley shoot carnage. I was unsure that religious pilgrims could, by definition, evidence fury, though arguably that’s how the Crusades started. Accompanying the pictures was a story about the Llechweddygarth shoot in Powys and the alleged impact of its activities on visitors attending the shrine of St. Melangell, written by someone who was obviously doing what he thought the Lord would do if he knew the facts of the case. Anyone presented with birds coming off Greis Mountain or Jet Run would remember that Llechweddygarth is amongst the best in Britain for showing driven pheasant, but since the sale of the estate and replacement of its long time shoot tenant,…

Expect the unexpected: Luxury is about thoughtfulness, being prepared. Know your Guns, research the host and guests, then surprise them with personal touches that will be remembered. What wine do they like to drink? Where have they shot previously? Often with our American parties they will have shot in the south then moved north. We recently had one shooting party, five couples, who wanted vodka, vodka and more vodka – on the rocks, with an olive, straight, every which way. Take things personally: Personalised gun cabinets, kennels for the dogs, our drying room – all hugely important to our shooting guests. Drench showers with biblical pressures to heat the body through after a day in the field; king-sized beds with finest English linens; Penhaligon’s toiletries; an eclectic selection of books…

Q What process would a shotgun certificate holder have to follow, under the law, if they discovered they had lost the keys to their cabinet (full of shotguns) with no hope of recovery? Surely getting the cabinet open would be the least of his or her worries, given the lack of adequate storage this would present. A The conditions on your certificate state that shotguns must be stored securely to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, unauthorised people taking or using them. The most important thing is to maintain the security of your shotguns. I’m afraid this is going to be rather expensive unless you can find some spare keys from somewhere. It might be worth asking the manufacturers but I doubt that they will be able to help.…

TRAVEL Lees Court is 60 miles by car from central London, easily accessed on the motorway network via the M2 or M20, and at around 40 minutes from Eurotunnel and seaports, it is ideally placed for European visitors. Faversham railway station is handy, as is Ashford International for the Eurostar. The estate has a helipad and both London Gatwick and Biggin Hill airports are on hand. STAY Kent is blessed with accommodation at a full range of prices. Reads in Faversham has stylish rooms, fine dining with a great wine list (reads.com) and Wye near Ashford has the choice of The Wife Of Bath with its Spanish influence (thewifeofbath.com), the New Flying Horse, a good Shepherd Neame establishment (newflyinghorsewye.co.uk), or the dog-friendly Kings Head (kingsheadwye.com). CATERING Lees Court is blessed…

What do you do with yourself once February 1 comes around? The close season means different things to different people throughout game shooting after all. Some need to have a proper rest after a long season in the field, whether they are a Gun, beater or picker-up, and heaven knows our agents, hosts and gamekeepers need five minutes away from their shoots to recharge their well-worn batteries. “Imagine standing there on a simulated day with the advice of a dozen instructors ringing in your ears as the clays flew over.” While many amongst you will no doubt be carrying on regardless after February 1, either getting stuck into pigeons (both clay and wood) or even treating yourselves to a trip abroad, there will be an equal number who find that…

A couple of years ago, an old friend called. His father had decided it was time to hang up his guns and as both son and grandson prefer sailing to shooting, he asked if I would I like his old shotgun. It was a lovely looking 12 bore AyA XXV; a short-barrelled side-by-side boxlock with ‘Churchill’-type rib and very nice floral and scroll engraving. It hadn’t had much use over the past few years but at 50 years old was the same age as me – though in much better shape. The action closed like a bank vault and the ejectors were surprisingly forceful. Up to this point I had only used over-unders but as my tastes lean toward the traditional, I was keen to use the gun and make…

Engineering: 9/10 These guns are tried and tested and have no known vices. They come with a three-year warranty. Looks and finishing: 9/10 The version being tested had a plain silver action without engraving, however, the wood had some great figuring that would look amazing with an English oil finish. Handling: 10/10 This gun handled amazingly. I can see why the 33in barrel length is the most popular by far of the options. Reliability and customer service: 10/10 John goes to exceptional lengths to provide a first-class service, in particular in relation to one of the unique selling points: the custom fitting. The brand itself is also tried and tested. Value: 9/10 It’s a great gun to handle and it works incredibly well. At £16,500 it’s not especially cheap but…

Q I want to use roost shooting as a means of practice during the close season – what should I do to get the most out of my sorties? At this time of year some are still lucky enough to be shooting partridges in Spain, but for me the real fun is to be had shooting pigeons coming into roost. It is absolutely the best practice for your shooting and great fun. All you need is a gun, a pocket full of cartridges, some dark clothing and above all a nice piece of woodland. A dog makes life much easier if you have one, and it is also good practice for the dog. While roost shooting, I tend to travel light, so I can move position during the evening depending…

1 Billy Steel Jnr's FTCh Harperrig Breac, winner of The Retriever Trials Championship Challenge Cup,The LadyAuckland Memorial Salver,The Hiwood Challenge Trophy,The IGL President's Trophy and the Lorna Countess Howe Memorial Trophy for best dog entered by an owner resident in Scotland 2 David Field's FTCh Artistryn Ulrich, winner of The FTCh Ulstare Style Challenge Trophy for the dog placed second and The Andrea Edwards Packington Cup for the highest placed yellow in the awards 3 Lady Celina Carter's FTCh Brocklebank Bronze of Chatsworth handled by John Halsted 4 Richard Hinks' FTCh Castleman's Gobi of Garronpoint handled by Annette Clark Diplomas of Merit Mrs C. Finlan's FTCh Macgiriaght Foxy Lady handled by John Halsted Donnie Leitch's FTCh Garshake Dunbar Lady C Carter's FTCh Asterix Aguzannis of Chatsworth handled by John Halsted…

Q My young spaniel, seven months old, has started to ignore my recalling. How can I stop this? A The dog is obviously hunting on its own and does not feel the need to come back. At that age it is getting more confident and exploring. This very often happens on ground they are used to walking on – it becomes a known and safe territory with a regular pattern they create based on what they have smelt/seen/chased before. If this is the case, then vary the walk a lot. Also, is the dog bolting or looking for you every now and then? If so, change direction regularly – it is best to do this from when they are puppies as it makes them watch you. Get a whistle then get…

THE AUTHOR of the Letter of the Month will receive a pair of Wexford boots from Dubarry of Ireland (RRP £325). The knee-length, side-zip boots – designed for both men and women – are handcrafted from waterproof Dry Fast-Dry Soft™ breathable leathers. The high quality of the boot is reinforced throughout with an insulated GORE-TEX® lining that wicks moisture away from the foot, ensuring the wearer remains dry and comfortable all day. Dubarry’s new, hard-wearing, durable outsole gives maximum grip whatever the ground conditions.…

Elderkin & Son Gunmakers What’s the most common repair request that comes into your workshop during the close season? It would have to be strip and cleans and checking ejectors and misfires. Ejection issues are the most common problem as the modern shotgun cartridge in modern and old guns tend to stick. Is modern shooting more demanding on older guns than ever before? If so, is it best to leave heirlooms in the cabinet for certain kinds of shooting? Guns are there to be shot, whatever their age, so as long as the older guns are tight and serviced they will be as reliable as modern guns. Breakdowns occur with all guns; the difference is new guns’ parts are readily available where as older guns’ parts have to be made.…

We would shoot pheasants at Brigands on October 20, which is my birthday. We’d shoot five drives: Lou’s Gulley, Heavens Water and Oaks before stopping for lunch (to give headkeepers Jamie Kembrey and Craig Davies a break) and then head back out for Well Shaven and Gwienion to finish. Aside from myself, the team would consist of... Robin Crofts, my father, who unfortunately passed away when I was 10 years old back in 1994. He never confessed to being a great shot but loved the social side of shooting. A great asset to the day but a cheap guest, Next up would be Willow & Phoebe Crofts, my two little girls, who are currently aged three and one. They would be down to share a peg as they boss me…

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, TI Media, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 7BF or email: martin.puddifer@ti-media.com. RBR GROUP DONATION TO THE BGA Roxtons and Ian Coley Sporting (RBR Group) presented the British Game Alliance’s fighting fund with a cheque for £43,000 in November. The money was raised through the group’s 50p levy scheme. BDS-NI DONATES £1,000 TO BLACK SANTA APPEAL The British Deer Society donated almost £1,000 to St. Anne’s Cathedral’s Black Santa appeal following a Gala Game Banquet held at the Ulster Reform Club, which BDS-NI sponsored. ENGLISH HAMMERGUNS IN DENMARK “This…

I have always fancied being a shoot host, the man in control, calling the shots, delivering the goods. What could be more agreeable than shepherding a team of Guns through a wonderful day shooting beautifully presented birds you, vicariously, produce like a conjuror pulling a rabbit from a hat. I could do that. Of course, given an irascible team of Guns, awful weather and birds that won’t fly where you want them – or won’t fly at all – I might not have quite the skill set to cope. And I might be OK on a single occasion, but two or three – or five or six – times a week for five months? Fortunately for teams of Guns up and down the land, we’ll probably never know how I…

We all listen to plenty of shoot briefings every season. Most of this stuff is pretty rudimentary, but it is often worth revisiting some of the basic principles to focus the mind. Besides, every shoot has a slightly different take on safety and we can usually learn something from others, even if we disagree with it. On a recent driven day, my ears pricked up during the shoot briefing to hear that hares were up for discussion. All too often, ground game is ruled out of the bag on safety grounds. The shoot captain explained that hares were available on the sole condition that the shot was safe and the gun was willing to eat the beast afterwards. “We like hares,” he said, “so only shoot one if you really…

My daughter, Jackie, runs an organic health food shop from the barn that used to be our shoot hut at Hauxton. She is passionate about all things organic and ethical and is successfully conducting a personal crusade to eliminate plastic from the packaging of the organic products she sells. We have all been aware of plastics in the world for some time but Blue Planet II really has been a wake-up call, even if more than 20 years too late. Though Prince Charles, so often ahead of environmental issues, was expounding the dangers of plastics at that time. “Most of us have responsibly taken plastic wads and cartridge cases out of the countryside landscape.” However, these promptings have got me thinking about plastic in our shooting world. In many ways,…

Historically one of the great Midland estates, Patshull is steeped in history with records of a manor house on the site even before the Norman Conquest. The bulk of it has been owned by the Crown Estate since 1958 and proactively managed and farmed since then. It represents an opportunity to acquire a significant landed residential and amenity estate with huge potential. Extending to 3,583 acres, Patshull Estate is located on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border, surrounded by unspoilt countryside. The sale includes three equipped farms let on various tenancies, 646 acres of mixed historic woodland, five farmhouses, eight cottages and potential for the development of a range of traditional and modern farm buildings. While there is no shoot on the estate currently, in the past it was home to a challenging…

LAND ROVER EXPLORE BY BULLITT GROUP £599 landroverexplore.co.uk Taking design cues from the Land Rover Discovery and with a build quality to match, this higher than high-end smart phone will be of great benefit to those in fieldsports (gamekeepers in particular) who spend the majority of their time outside and at the mercy of the elements. Developed and built for Land Rover by Bullitt Group, specialists in making ‘rugged devices’ (in other words, those that can withstand whatever nature or the workplace throw at them), this is a serious piece of kit that is not just ‘for show’. Drop-tested to 1.8m, its outer casing and screen are harder than that of your average smart phone. It also features myriad tools to give you an invaluable, in-depth picture of your environment,…

Club: Team GB Event: World St. Hubert Championships and World Championships for Pointing Breeds Venue: Torrijos, Spain Sponsors: The Kennel Club and Skinner’s For the first time, a British competitor has won gold at the World St. Hubert Championships for working gundogs. Rob Gould, competing as part of Team GB, won first place in the gentlemen’s category with his German longhaired pointer, Wamilanghaar Djynn. The Championships were held alongside the World Championships for Pointing Breeds in Torrijos, Spain, where a number of other British competitors also achieved success. Team GB was led by team captain Meryl Asbury; team vet was Rob Gould. In the World St. Hubert Championships dogs are run singly with their handler and the pair are judged on their relationship, the dog’s training, shooting skill and understanding…

Club: The Kennel Club Event: 17th Hunt, Point and Retrieve Championship Venue: The Swinton Estate Judge: C. Wilkinson & P. Bakewell Sponsor: Skinner’s A five-year-old German shorthaired pointer from Perthshire has won the Kennel Club’s 17th HPR Championship, held in Ripon, North Yorkshire, by kind permission of Lord Masham. FTCh Aytee Jumbo Jet of Islasbraw, owned by Darryl Elliot, was awarded first place at the competition, which saw working gundogs tested on their natural working ability. Darryl said: “It is an achievement to qualify for the HPR Championship let alone win it. “FTCh Aytee Jumbo Jet of Islasbraw, known at home as Lewis, is my second German shorthaired pointer and is the most modest, trainable dog I have ever had. His goal is to do what you ask of him…

When we are picking-up I always say to myself, “If I was judging a trial here today, where would I put the dogs if I had to position them?” At a driven trial it’s so important to put dogs in a place where they can pick wounded game quickly without bumping into loads of dead game. Standing dogs in the line can be good but can prove challenging if a runner falls later in the drive, unless pickers-up can dispatch those birds quickly from the sidelines – in some cases, that is by far the best answer. In driven trials birds are usually plentiful and many shoots are really happy to accommodate trials as they can more or less leave the trial to get on while the Guns go and…

Mind your language Oh dear! After reading The Jargon Jungle and Mother Tongue [November issue], I admit to “occasionally risking cheapening the sport itself”. While picking-up, can I never again ask a Gun: “Can I hold your cock, sir?” Or on seeing an elderly Gun struggling to cross a stile, “Can you get your leg over?” And my retired gamekeeper husband really must not say again on admiring a lady Gun’s matched Purdeys, “You’ve got a lovely pair.” Sue Knight, by email Ed: These Carry On moments aside, Sue, you’re still a fantastic ambassador for our sport! New home needed My shooting pal, Rex, passed away recently and his widow, Margaret, has asked me if I could help dispose of his collection of sporting guns. She has his William Rochester…

Further to the question posed on your November cover, ‘What is an acceptable cartridge-to-kill ratio?’ [Ed: in reference to David Whitby’s article in the same issue], I would like to offer the following observations. Assuming we are talking game shooting and an appropriate gun/cartridge combination, I think the average cartridge-to-kill ratio should be roughly 4:1. Now, I expect this average to be too high for many Guns, however, my reasoning is that no one should shoot at live quarry without attaining a very good level of competency. Pigeon-holing (no pun intended) game shooting into three categories, I would rate them as follows: 1. Rough shooting, including pigeons, semi/driven and duck-flighting days, birds a max of 15-30 yards up. 2. Formal days, including driven grouse, partridge and pheasants, birds testing yet…

Dear Uncle Giles, One of our syndicate lost his elderly lab last season. They were inseparable and he was crushed when the time came to say goodbye. Our syndicate would like to present him with a permanent reminder of his old friend but we aren’t sure what form this should take. Might you have any suggestions? TCB, by email Uncle Giles writes: The first thing that springs to mind is a portrait of the dog. This, of course, depends on the budget the group has in mind. Good representations of favourite dogs are not cheap, as anyone who has commissioned one will tell you. Of greater concern in this regard is most good artists like to meet their subjects in order to get a flavour of the character they are…

TRAVEL Leighton Hall is situated within the Silverdale & Arnside Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Lancashire. It’s a mere 10 minutes’ drive from Junction 35 of the M6, a 90-minute drive from Manchester and Liverpool, around two hours from Glasgow and 4½ hours from London. The nearest railway station is at Carnforth. A taxi will be necessary for the five-minute journey to the hall. STAY Dog-friendly Longlands Hotel is a four-star inn alongside the Lancaster canal (longlandshotel.co.uk). The Royal Station Hotel (royalstation.co.uk) and the Redwell Inn (theredwellinn.com) are options in nearby Carnforth, as is the County Hotel, a family-run establishment with a reputation for good food (county-hotel-carnforth.hotelmix.co.uk). All offer an excellent base from which to explore the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales. CATERING The wonderful hospitality on offer at…

One of the inestimable advantages of back gunning, either when the line ahead is so good that nothing finds its way past the barrage and you stand contemplatively redundant or just observing the action from astern, is that it provides time to think and ponder the vagaries of life. Such as, and this is, of course, as much a question for the High Street as for the high tops, but not quite as sartorially pressing, though employers encouraging dress-down days have much to answer for. Did the man directly ahead of you actually consider his choice of inappropriately outrageous and colourful garb to be suitable for a day on these ducal acres or merely forget to view himself in any sort of mirror before leaving home? And did the immaculately…

It says a great deal about many of our Guns when they decide to stop shooting a quarry through choice rather than legislation. Most, if not all, of my Guns have made a conscious decision not to shoot woodcock or snipe. I wholeheartedly agree with this on a pheasant shoot; with large numbers of driven shoots taking place across the country, there must be a considerable number of woodcock added to the bag. I am now most definitely of the opinion that if they are to be shot, it should be walked-up with dogs and earned. If you walk all day and manage to get a brace, then all well and good. But this magnificent little bird deserves more respect than to be pushed over a line of Guns and…

I love provincial guns as they can often be a little bit quirky and many are every bit as good in quality as their London contemporaries. The London gun has always been held up as the pinnacle but the subject of this article – a 13 bore, two-groove percussion rifle by Robert Ancell of Perth in Scotland – is every bit as good as anything that emanated from the metropolis. Robert Ancell was an Englishman born in 1782. For some reason – and in contrast to many of his contemporaries – at an early age he moved from England to Perth. Here he set up a fishing-tackle business in St. John Street around 1810, selling primarily fishing hooks. Fish hooks at this time were not mass produced but were all…

Having tested John Jeffries guns previously I should have known better than to approach the test with a degree of scepticism. Having handled the gun in the lodge at the shooting school, however, I couldn’t help it given that the gun felt like a mini howitzer. Given our proximity to Northolt and Heathrow I was concerned for passing aircraft. The gun had attracted the attention of a number of instructors and so it was out to the 40ft tower with a small gathering keen to pass comment. I was expecting it to be a bit of a handful here and no-one was more surprised than me when all the clays ended up as balls of smoke with minimum gun movement and effort. A couple of shots for the other three…

While on the subject of Bentleys, I’ve just got back from driving a Bentayga round a very wintry Iceland and can honestly say that its off-road performance was way beyond my expectations. Everyone knows that G-Wagens and Range Rovers can scale the side of mountains or swim across rivers, but what we did with that Bentayga was every bit as tough. If you are considering one but unsure whether to take it shooting, make sure that it is on the 21in all-seasons tyres – then go for it.…

Savills’ latest forecasts for UK farmland for the next five years demonstrate the importance of nurturing our land’s natural capital, an essential need for diversification and the value in taking on new technologies and innovations to boost values as supply increases. Our scenarios suggest farms taking a traditional, commercial approach are likely to see increasing losses over the next few years, up to a possible six per cent fall, while more diverse estates should see small gains. We are likely to see increased liquidity in the farmland market; while supply will be constrained, the announced end of the Basic Payment Scheme by 2027 will mean many rural businesses will be evaluating their 10-year succession plans. We predict this will bring more land to the market than has been the case…

Ladies  2nd in her group and 4th in the individual, Maddy Raynor with Irish setter Bownard Carrabullawn of Wiscombe 3rd in the team placings,taking bronze, Maddy Raynor with Irish setter Bownard Carrabullawn of Wiscombe and Sara Chichester with Gordon setter Wiscombe Tomintoul Gentlemen  1st place to become UK’s first World St. Hubert Champions, Rob Gould with Wamilanghaar Djynn 4th in the team placings, Rob Gould with Wamilanghaar Djynn and John Naylor with pointer Goddrib Bari of Bitternboom Spaniels Michael Raynor with English springer spaniel Kenquartz Backstreets of Wiscombe came 4th World Championships for Pointing Breeds 3rd in her group with a Very Good, Maddy Raynor with Irish setter Bownard Carrabullawn of Wiscombe 2nd in her group with an Excellent, RCACT and RCACIT, Sara Chichester with Gordon setter FTCh Little Treasure…

We live in a part of the world where there are many more pheasants than humans and in the summer the dogs know something is up as soon as the poults arrive. With three release pens within half a mile of the house, the smell of birds must be overwhelming. Training gradually intensifies. The dogs have a three-month lead in to the start of the season. “Ah,” he said, “I let the seagulls train my dogs.” Not so at the end of January when dogs are at peak fitness, mentally and physically, working perhaps three days a week. And then suddenly it all stops with no warning. No more picking-up. It’s really important to let working dogs wind down gently – keep routines as normal as possible by doing a…

Congratulations to Craig Adams for this lovely picture of his little spaniel, Effe. How to win For your chance to win either a Pintail Explorer smock (right, 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.…