Table of contents for December 2022 in Sporting Gun

OPENING SHOT Head start Peter Theobald and his shooting chums take aim at an unsuspecting greylag from their lie-down blinds bordering a field of barley stubble on Orkney. The Essex Boys Goose Shooting Club braved an unreasonably early start following a 14-hour journey by land and sea from the south-east of England to the first of the Northern Islands. The lone goose was soon joined by others flying about 100ft directly over the shooting party. Things did not all go entirely to plan as a gun malfunction meant Peter had to manage with only his top barrel. That said, it made little difference to a successful first morning and a bag big enough to encourage the lads for the rest of their adventure. Find out more on page 25…

Rabbits The poacher is a fabled part of country life. I am sure many country people have known a poacher or, perhaps inadvertently, even indulged in poaching themselves. My father was a poacher turned gamekeeper. He only confessed to this not long before he died. When he did so, he regaled me with tales of taking deer at night without being caught. Back in his day he poached pheasants and trout as much for devilment as for any other reason. Many of the pheasants he took were given to a local nursing home free of charge. All this was before he saw the error of his ways. Change Times change and the modern-day poacher isn’t the loveable rogue the fables of yesteryear would have us believe. While I am sure…

No two trips to Barbury Shooting School are ever the same. On each visit there’s a new facility to enjoy, a new event to take part in, or even an entirely new clubhouse, sprung from the Wiltshire hillside, to explore. These continual improvements are thanks to owner and managing director Huw Stephens. “I purchased the site from John King in May 2007,” says Huw. “Since then we’ve always had a project under way. “One of our first jobs at the school was to expand the Sporting course. We now offer 12 to 15 practice stands for shooters to enjoy every day.” Far from being a simple line of similar-looking stands, Huw and his team have opted for a much more naturalised approach, dividing the ground into sections, each themed to…

The summer fires that I spoke of in a past article (Hot stuff!, October issue) presented me with my first really good bag of the year. The fires that swept across the corn fields at the height of the heatwave were travelling so fast that much of the corn wasn’t completely burned off and had been left lying on the ground – scorched but still on their heads. The crop was unharvestable because the straw had burned through and collapsed, so there was no way the combine could collect the scattered wheat off the ground and it was too scorched anyway. These fields had then been direct drilled with winter rape and it was just starting to break the surface. This, unfortunately for the farmer, had coincided with an unexpected…

Days in the field My pheasant shooting plans for this season have been pretty much curtailed. In fact, for the first time in more than 10 years my rough shooting syndicate, The Circle of Trust, hasn’t got any shooting booked. Our regular haunts have either had to reduce the number of birds they have put down and are using what birds they managed to get for their own syndicates, or, as in the case of a couple of shoots known to us, just couldn’t get any birds at all and have decided to either fold or suspend shooting for this season. I am hoping something will come along at some point during the season, but we shall just have to wait and see. Late start Compared with some, I started…

Letter of the month Talk about rabbits We enjoyed reading Ed Cook’s concise article, Long live the rabbit, containing a lot of facts about the rabbit in October’s edition of Sporting Gun. Even my 82-year-old grandfather said he learnt a few things. Unlike Ed, he can remember ‘pre-myxy’ Britain when the rabbit population was rampant and they were the number-one agricultural pest. He can recall cereal fields that had been so seriously browsed by the conies that there would be no crop for several feet around the perimeter. We must remember that in those days the fields were often only five acres, so this meant a heavy loss of crop (regardless whether cereal or grass) for the farmer. He said that in the spring his father would drive his car…

December crossword CLUES ACROSS 6 Common crop we might connect with the bunting bird (4)7 Gun components used for chopping meat? (8)8 Ivo _ , prestigious Italian gunmaking firm (6)9 Gun pin (6) 10 These canines are far from unemployed! (7,4) 14 Unauthorised visitors on private land (11) 16 Illuminating lamping equipment (6)18 A breakout by penned animals (6) 20 Formations of shooters (3,5) 21 One colour of squirrel (4) CLUES DOWN 1 Ferret-finding gadget (7)2 A bit of butter on the gun bolt handle piece? (4)3 _ opening, type of gun mechanism (4)4 Sporting statistics (8)5 Crude variety of goose? (5)7 Customers of sporting agents (7)11 _ Griffon, breed of gundog (8)12 Those in the gun or game trade (7) 13 A hunter of animals, often for their fur…

Härkila Reidmar Mid 2.0 GTX Having been raised on a smallholding and grown up around livestock, horses and fieldsports, I have always had my feet firmly planted in welly boots. Easy to slip on and fully waterproof, they are the go-to when it comes to life outdoors. However, for a while now, I have been considering investing in a pair of walking boots as a sensible addition to my wardrobe. Goodquality walking boots offer better ankle support and grip, both of which will be useful for my season of beating. But where to start, as there are so many different brands offering a selection of models, at very different price points, it can be difficult to know which ones are worth spending money on. A pair that stood out from…

USED GUNSAntiques Sometimes the rarest of guns turn up in the most unlikely of places. Perhaps readers have their own tales to tell about such? However, I’m willing to wager that none of you will have seen an example of the carbine pictured here. There is a reason for that: it is believed only six were produced. This example surfaced in South Africa, but it is unclear how it ended up there, and gives an excuse to tell an interesting story from the 19th century. Origins The carbine, a short rifle used by cavalry, is actually a ‘Jenks Patent’, invented by an American called William Jenks. It was originally designed and used as a flintlock in the 1830s, and while these are not unknown, being one of the many US…

Victoria Knowles-Lacks wanted someone to shoot with. She had fallen in love with the sport but struggled to coax her friends on to the stands. Fortunately, she found a solution: bribery. Not with cash, clays or cartridges but with cake. Unsurprisingly, Victoria’s ploy was a success. Her cakes brought new shooters behind the barrels, where they quickly became enamoured with the sport. Victoria soon realised her ingenious idea could be expanded far beyond her own circle of acquaintances and so she officially launched The Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club in 2011. Nearly 12 years later and the club has expanded far beyond cake and clay pigeons. It has become one of the most recognisable organisations in women’s shooting, won numerous awards and welcomed more than 20,000 ladies on to the…

Should you find yourself in the quaint town of Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands and wander down one of the many cobbled side streets, you will come across an unpretentious shopfront with the name of William Shearer above the door. If you live on Orkney you will almost certainly frequent this shop as it sells everything from drawing pins to garden furniture, plus everything else in between. For the shooting man, the real gem lies at the back of the shop in the shape of a tiny room stuffed with guns, cartridges and all the gear any wildfowler could ask for. Pictures of bags of geese adorn the walls, for this is the home of Orkney Island Goose Shooting, run by Raymond Shearer, professional goose guide. Raymond is the sixth-generation…

Over the past few decades the tufted duck has become an increasingly familiar sight on reservoirs and lakes across the country. Even at a distance, the white flanks of the smallest of our diving ducks set against the otherwise black plumage of the male makes it unmistakeable when at rest on the water. Viewed closer, the sharply contrasting yellow eye and long feathered tuft on the back of the head that gives rise to the name quickly becomes apparent. The female is less distinctive, being more of a chocolate brown with slightly paler flanks. She also has very slight tufting on her head but it is nowhere as pronounced as that of the male. Both have a sturdy looking blue-grey bill. These are small ducks that are dwarfed alongside a…

With poults out of their release pens before the start of the shooting season they are at their most vulnerable to fox predation. Also, with the harvest over, partridges are ‘jugging out’ on the stubbles and they need to be looked after as they are ground-roosting birds that are easy prey for a fox, which will also scatter the coveys. A keeper’s life is a busy one and it can take many man hours getting to grips with the fox population. These are hours that could perhaps be used more wisely elsewhere. On the Honeycombe Shoot run and keepered by Mike Appleby there is a stalking club, and gathering the members for an evening of fox control every so often is a good way of putting a number of people…

Foxes In many of my previous articles I’ve spoken about how finding a good vantage point in order to spot your fox is far better than simply going hunting for it. This time I’m going to look at some of the various ways in which you can exploit any successful observations. Before setting off, however, it’s important to do your best to work out what your quarry is actually up to so that you can plan accordingly. Previous information from trail cameras can be really helpful in not only alerting you to the presence and preferred routes of one or more foxes, but also what time they appear. There’s no point in wasting several hours staking out a known path if the foxes don’t even get there until much later.…

Vet’s advice Neil McIntosh SG’s gundog health expert Fading puppy syndrome – when new-born puppies become dull, fail to suckle and increasingly vocalise until death – is a devastating, distressing and frustrating condition. Although the primary cause is canine herpesvirus-1, the condition is multifactorial and careful steps must be taken to control it. Herpes viruses Herpes viruses are ubiquitous in many species and are responsible for: • Fading puppy syndrome and respiratory and genital disease in dogs • Chicken pox, shingles, genital lesions and cold sores in humans • Cat flu • Aujeszky’s disease in pigs • Duck plague in ducks • Respiratory conditions in cattle and horses Canine herpesvirus-1 Around 80% of dogs have antibodies to this virus, proving that, just like the herpes virus that causes human cold…

GOT A QUESTION? CONTACT: sportinggun@futurenet.com Sporting Gun, Future PLC, Unit 415, Eskdale Road, Winnersh RG41 5RA GUNDOGS The job lot Is it possible to hunt a spaniel out in front while walking a retriever to heel? I quite like the idea of taking my two dogs out together, but I am concerned they will end up competing with each other. Fran says: The simple answer is yes but first they need to be trained to do their jobs separately. The labrador should quietly walk to heel next to you and not be bouncing around or pulling ahead, while the spaniel should hunt nice and close, within shooting distance. I would also practise sending each one for a retrieve while the other dog has to sit and watch. Make sure…

When I was offered the chance to try out the latest Polaris XP 1000 Ranger, I agreed with alacrity. I’ve often been intrigued by just how well such a vehicle would work as a night-time foxing tool. It should be understood, therefore, that this article is being written from the perspective of a hunter – not that of a farmer or a gamekeeper. The Polaris Ranger already has an excellent reputation in those roles, so I don’t need to comment on that model. Professional eye When the XP 1000 first arrived, I spent some time examining it with a critical eye – having been a motor racing engineer for most of my career, I don’t take prisoners when it comes to matters automotive. Things like the grippy Maxxis balloon tyres…

The traditional English-style game gun, developed and refined more than 100 years ago to excel on the English game shooting scene, is iconic. The qualities of an easy handling, swift to mount, well-balanced and pointable (usually) side-by-side shotgun are all embodied in the typical English game shotgun. The finest examples were largely made here and are treasured by their owners, many of whom are the benefactors of such guns handed down through the generations. Understandably, owners of such guns now face something of a quandary regarding ammunition for these much-loved and valued guns in the face of the impending requirement to use steel shot for most game shooting in the UK. A key feature of many such guns is being chambered for 2½in cartridges, for many years the mainstay of…

Strict biosecurity measures have been ordered by the Government after a surge in avian influenza cases across the UK. As we go to press there is no suggestion there is an imminent threat to the shooting season, but this could change if the outbreak takes a greater hold. Defra announced the implementation of an avian influenza prevention zone (AIPZ) across England, Scotland and Wales after a number of bird flu cases had been detected, both in the wild and on commercial premises. Where a case has been confirmed, disease control zones are put in place. The AIPZ means that all bird-keepers must enact strict measures to help protect their flocks. Additional housing measures have been put in place in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex. This order includes captive gamebirds…

Esme Daubrah has been named Young Gamekeeper of the Year, senior, in an award from the Gamekeepers Welfare Trust (GWT). Esme, 15, is the daughter of a gamekeeper who helps run a small shoot in the Midlands. The GWT said she gets involved “in all aspects of the shoot from rearing through to picking-up on the shoot day. She loves her animals and birds, so finds some aspects of the role tough, but she doesn’t shy away and understands the bigger picture”. Her father said she is always “getting stuck in” and that he has difficulty keeping up with her. She was presented with her award by Sir John Scott Bt, honorary president of the GWT. Meanwhile, Tom Waite, 11, was announced as the winner of the junior category of…

There has been an adverse reaction to the announcement by the Welsh government that it is to ban the use of all snares. The administration in Cardiff recently announced the move as part of the Agriculture Bill it is bringing forward, which will amend the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. BASC said there was no scientific basis for the ban and that it would “negatively impact farming and conservation practices”. The association also said the ban would restrict essential control to protect ground-nesting birds and livestock. It added there was no need for a legal ban as the latest snare designs met humane standards. Steve Griffiths, BASC Wales director, said: “BASC has proposed a solution of legislating against the use of non-code compliant snares while allowing the continued use of…

I write this after finishing my last outing on roebucks. There are good times and not so good times in a season to hunt roe deer. For my deer management group, October has always been one of those less good times to hunt the elusive roebuck. The reason for this merits discussion. The roebuck season ended in England and Wales on 31 October, and for any of us out there who spend their working life controlling roe deer, if we hadn’t already completed or were at least close to the agreed cull (usually decided at the beginning or even before the season) then we faced a difficult , if not virtually impossible task. Here in Northumberland, the Greenlee Deer Management Group may attempt to get the odd buck that has…

Editor’s test The most striking thing about this gun is the engraving. It is hand finished, it is profuse and it looks fantastic. As a field gun the C135 Super Orion Artisan is decorated with woodcock and partridge. The extended trigger-guard has foliate engraving as does the back strap, top lever and safety catch. Attention to detail There is exquisite attention to detail on this gun. The inside of the catch on the fore-end is engine turned and parts of the breech are given similar treatment. Even the screw heads inside the fore-end are decorated in a fashion you would get on a high-quality sideplate gun. Combine this with a round body action and stunning grade five walnut and you get one of the prettiest and distinctive shotguns out there.…

Gun test I was lent a new Beretta DT11 31in Sporter by GMK. It arrived at my local gunshop, J F Neville in Alfreton, where I popped up to collect it for the three-day trial. Neville’s is my favourite gunshop; it always has a huge choice of guns, which is good for me as I can stop by and borrow something when I have run out of ideas for gun reviews. Plus, I always get a cup of tea. On receiving the gun, I unboxed it at home. The DT11 comes in an airline-approved, three-lock, silver ABS case. Inside the box, the barrels are in a gun sock, as are the stock and action. There are two snap caps, if it’s your preference to pop these into your gun barrels…

USED GUNSBlast from the past CHARLES SMITH-JONES SAYS:“Used Pro Hunters are readily available and offer the opportunity of acquiring a dependable and accurate stalking tool” The names of Steyr and Mannlicher have long been synonymous with high-quality sporting rifles, so the introduction of an affordable model immediately met with some considerable excitement in hunting circles. The gun in question, the Pro Hunter, was a radical departure from the more traditional stylings of the Austrian company and had a sleek yet practical appearance. First available only with a dull black, high-density moulded polymer stock, it appealed to shooters looking for a tough, no-nonsense rifle that was clearly intended for hard use rather than occasional duties. Purchasers of the original Pro Hunter reported occasional issues arising from an over-flexible stock, which made…