Table of contents for July 2020 in Sporting Gun

It was a case of thanks a million when the Duke of Cambridge joined the Country Food Trust on social media recently to celebrate it passing the landmark of delivering more than a million game ready meals to people in need since it was founded five years ago. Tim Woodward, the Trust’s chief executive, said that it had been an “incredible journey”. “One million meals is a major landmark for us in our aim of helping people in food poverty, but also a moment to contemplate the sheer scale of the need for food within our country.” That need has never been more apparent than during the coronavirus crisis. Mr Woodward said that it had become clear during the pandemic that “more and more people have fallen into food poverty”.…

Irish government bans pigeon shooting The Irish government has banned pigeon shooting in the Republic until 1 September. The move, which came into effect at the end of May and was announced by Josepha Madigan, the minister for culture, has caused uproar in the country’s farming and sporting communities. The National Association of Regional Game Councils said that the move had removed farmers’ “most effective form of crop protection from woodpigeon damage”. Challenge for budding journalists Country sports enthusiasts who are equally adept as communicators have been encouraged to engage with the BASC Young Shots Journalist initiative. The idea is to articulate their love of shooting to the wider world through the medium of journalism. Successful candidates will spend the year learning about the different forms of journalism – writing,…

This little corner of Yorkshire is blessed with beautiful scenery and game shoots by the bucket load. Take an hour-long car ride and I guarantee you’ll happen on yet another breathtaking high-bird drive just around the next bend. But what of the woodpigeon? There’s no shortage of them a few miles away in the fertile vales of York and Mowbray but the higher ground here only seems to come good around harvest time. The place can then produce decent enough pigeon decoying over laid corn, swathed rape and wheat stubbles. But after they’ve been ploughed and drilled things tend to tail off. The birds either take to the woods or move to better pastures. You rarely hear of anyone notching up a useful bag or having a red-letter day. What…

I stayed at the Wynnstay Hotel, Machynlleth, which is a 20-minute drive from Dovey Valley Shooting Ground. Charles, the owner, is a shooter and is happy to put you in touch with the right people to get a sim day or a game day. The food here was excellent and with open fires and a good bar you can’t go wrong. Please be aware that because of the COVID-19 situation the hotel probably won’t be open until July. Wynnstay Hotel, Machynlleth, Powys SY20 8AE Tel: 01654 702941 or charlesdark@mac.com Visit: wynnstay.wales…

• The best way to avoid being skylined is to ensure a tree, hedge or some such is behind you to blank out your silhouette. Failing this, stay low while you do an initial check of the terrain and slowly stand up and look further out if it is all clear. • If you are approaching a field through a gateway (or just passing one), it’s a good idea to get clear of it as soon as possible or you will stand out like a sore thumb against the night sky. • If the lie of the land dictates that you need to mount an ambush from the side of an open hillside, the best method is to crouch or sit down to minimise your profile. This does, however, require that…

None of us at the moment can get out and shoot as we normally would. There are, however, a few things that we can do to keep our eye in. Hopefully, by the time you read this we will be back out shooting again but, regardless, this advice could still prove beneficial in between trips to the shooting ground. “You will shoot better if you are fitter” You will shoot better if you are fitter and I am sure everyone is going out for some sort of exercise. I am not going to say that we should all be going out for a five-mile run but if you are fit and well you should be pushing yourself a little. Even going out for a walk does not simulate what we…

For the three shot loads we can calculate the kinetic energy provided. We do the calculation in metric units. Our 12-bore, 30g lead cartridge has an initial or muzzle velocity of 1,450ft/sec, because it says so in the manufacturer’s advert and technical literature. This velocity is 442 metres per second (m/s). The mass has to be done in kilograms or 0.03kg. • Kinetic energy for 30g lead = 0.03kg x 442m/s x 442m/s = 2,930 ÷ 2 • Kinetic energy for 26g bismuth = 2,540 – 87% of lead energy • Kinetic energy for 21g iron = 2,050 – 70% of lead energy…

It is fair to say that we are living in strange times. The way we conduct our lives has changed dramatically and some of the changes of recent months may in the future become ‘the norm’. I have worked from home for more than 25 years, so this aspect of my day-to-day life has not been vastly different. Due to the nature and demands of my work I rely heavily on technology, especially the internet. It was a revelation when my village eventually received super-fast broadband. How I run my business has had to adjust over the years and the advance in technology has been the main factor. Welcome I have long since embraced digital platforms such as YouTube and Instagram as a way of not only showcasing my photography…

Produce the evidence Your magazine asked us to send feedback about the proposal by the shooting organisations to phase out lead ammunition over the next five years. I for one feel betrayed and manipulated by our so-called representatives. BASC used to say “no change without evidence”. They say they now have evidence but I am not convinced. This is not the same as lead water pipes, lead paint or leaded petrol, for which there were good grounds for changes. From what I have read and understand, evidence has not demonstrated the widespread and routine poisoning of our wildlife from lead shot. I gather that the farmland battlefields of France and Belgium yield quantities of lead ordinance from World War I with no demonstrated deleterious effect on the wildlife there. I…

James Jean The James Jean in washed denim is made of cotton and spandex offering a two-way stretch, which provides comfort and ease of movement. The trousers have a straight leg and five pockets. Price: £99.95; schoffelcountry.com Laksen Cottonwoods Leigh Vest Lightweight and durable, this vest is made from 98% cotton and 2% Elastane, with quilted, faux suede shoulder pads and two cartridge pockets offering easy access to cartridges or other necessities. Price: £158.99; farlows.co.uk Browning Savannah II Trousers These lightweight trousers complement the Savannah II vest and are also made from Ripstop material for durability. The legs can be zipped-off to form shorts. Sizes from S to 4XL. Price: £80; browning.eu Browning Savannah II Shooting Vest Designed specifically for a clay-shooting competition. It is lightweight, has loops on the…

Collectors in general start collecting either through nostalgia or an inspirational moment. My own collecting habit started when I was 14 years old. A friend of mine invited me back to his house after school so he could show me his air pistol. It was a simple push-in barrel model by Diana, but an hour and 14 dead spiders pinned to the inside of the shed roof by fluffy-tailed air-darts later I was hooked. It wasn’t just the firing of the pistol that inspired me, it was everything. The smell of dieseling oil, the feel of the pistol in the hand, the thrill of the chase in hunting down the hapless spiders. Even the deformed lead slugs dug out of the fence-post at the bottom of my friend’s garden fascinated…

The head of the Countryside Alliance has spoken out against what he described as “fake news” relating to rural matters. Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Alliance, was exercised in particular about the coverage of a new scientific paper on gamekeepers by a team of academics from Exeter University. The paper, entitled Understanding diverse approaches to predator management amongst gamekeepers in England, was published in the journal People and Nature. As its title suggests it studies the underlying reasons behind gamekeeper decisions in managing predators, a contentious issue for many people, especially those outside the rural fraternity. Mr Bonner was exercised in particular about the coverage of the study in The Times. The report said that gamekeepers were under pressure from landowners to kill birds of prey. However, Mr Bonner…

• The shoots on offer include three packages: Bronze is the entry level, giving you a taster of the full day and costs £99 per person, minimum of eight Guns. You are welcomed with bacon sandwiches and then head up to the hills for two drives. • Silver adds another two drives (four in total) and lunch served in the field and costs £159 per person, minimum of eight guns. I took this option. • Finally, you can go all out and take the gold package, which costs £195 per person, minimum of eight Guns, and is a five-drive shoot and includes breakfast, elevenses, lunch and a dinner back at the shooting ground. Clays, food and refreshments are included, but you will need to bring your own cartridges. YOU WILL NEED:…

Venison and Stilton parcels A tasty package meal Ingredients 1 venison fillet about 1lb in weight Oil 3oz blue Stilton cheese 1/2 tsp dried tarragon 4 tbsp cream pepper 5 sheets filo pastry 2oz melted butter lime juice to serve Method Bash the steak with a rolling pin until it’s about an inch thick. Heat some oil in a frying pan and quickly seal the meat in the hot oil. Allow to cool, then cut into four pieces. Grate the cheese and mix it with the tarragon, cream and black pepper, then spread the mixture over the steaks. Brush one sheet of filo pastry with butter and wrap around one steak to make a leak-proof parcel. Place on a baking sheet and brush with butter. Repeat with the rest of…

Stand in the right place on a winter’s morning as they fly out to their feeding grounds, or when they return to their roosts for the night, and you’ll probably hear them coming long before you see them. Initially it will be just a distant murmur, then it grows into a faint cackling and clamouring that signals that the geese are on the move. At first it may only be a small advance party of a few birds that passes overhead and you can hear the wink wink wink call of individuals, but before you know it the sky is filled by V-shaped skein after skein, the sound filling the air, as hundreds, perhaps thousands, of birds stream past. It’s an emotional experience and one of the world’s great wildlife…

One of the few advantages of the lockdown has been that many outstanding projects have finally been completed. One of these was to build a permanent drying box to make biltong. Biltong is tasty dried and cured meat that originated as trail food in South Africa at a time when cold storage was not available to preserve it. Vinegar had already been used since the 16th century in the curing process, and the use of spices such as pepper and coriander to combat bacteria has also been long understood. Combined, they enabled the early Boervoortrekkersto produce stocks of dried food to take with them as they journeyed into the interior of southern Africa. It can be made from just about any meat, but it does need to be better quality…

Working out in a gym or at home, if you have the equipment, can be beneficial. Everybody’s workout will be different depending on your fitness level and ability, but we can break it down into three general areas: 1 Cardiovascular – to get your heart pumping. Running, cycling and swimming are good for this. Exercising your heart can improve duration and recovery rate to build up stamina 2 Core exercises to strengthen core muscles to improve flexibility and stability that are important in shooting. Yoga, pilates, swimming and general workouts build good core strength 3 Specific gym exercises with shooting in mind. Focus on those that work the shoulders, using light weights and multiple repetitions to build up stamina, rather than heavy weights with few repetitions to build up bulk.…

Anyone with a gundog to train in these extraordinary times must be finding it challenging. I certainly am. Due to the limitations on travel I have had to rethink my training strategy. With my normal training ground not an option, I have been making do with my garden, local playing fields and a small, rough-grass field, where it seems everyone in the village has decided to walk their dogs. Despite living here for more than 28 years, I have never seen so many dogs about and have had to be careful picking my time to get out with the cockers. It has been difficult to keep them interested, especially in the warm weather, but I have been working on young Percy’s steadiness and Ted has once again proved what a…

Getting good at shooting an air rifle is only half the battle. Staying good is the other half and it does not happen by chance – it requires constant attention. As well as getting to know your combo, hunters need to maintain a motor/muscle memory in order to get the best out of hunting. Knowledge of how your set-up performs is the first step. Then learn how your trigger ‘feels’ and how to shoulder your gun correctly so that your face meets the cheekpiece in the same place every time, and that eye-to-scope alignment is consistent. These processes need to be practised so that they become intuitive and you no longer need to think about it. Shooting from different stances and positions, at different distances and angles should be practised…

Our friends in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland still have their movement restricted. There is no doubt that everyone will have lost something during this crisis, whether that’s a loved one, a job, income or hope. Things will be very different from now on. Some shoots have written off the 2020 season while others are offering limited days. Clay grounds in England are beginning to reopen having spent part of their peak season in lockdown. I am optimistic that we will recover and start to rebuild what the virus has destroyed. We need to support each other, as we have done during lockdown, and help rebuild our sport. I am sure many of us are looking forward to starting to shoot again. I certainly am and I intend to get…

Vote for BASC council BASC has urged its members to exercise their vote in the council’s forthcoming election. Ten candidates are to contest two national seats, while a single candidate is standing for the Northern Irish seat. BASC is one of the most prominent shooting organisations in the UK and the council is its governing body, elected by the membership. The vote comes at a time when pressing issues such as the status of the general licences and the phased move away from lead shot has put BASC in the spotlight. The deadline for voting is 10am on Wednesday 8 July. Moorland Association elects new head Mark Cunliffe-Lister is the new chairman of the Moorland Association. Mr Cunliffe-Lister, who runs the Swinton estate in Masham, North Yorkshire, was elected last…

Marian Spain has been confirmed as the new chief executive of Natural England. She was recently appointed after taking the role on an interim basis in December 2018. Her appointment is not without its critics, however, because of her role in the temporary revocation of the general licences in April last year. She was said to be vague about the purpose of the licences and how many people were involved in pest control when questioned by the parliamentary Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee. The revocation of the licences caused much confusion in the countryside and hindered pest control at a crucial time of the year before they were reinstated in June. George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, said he was looking forward to working with her and getting rural life…

My, what big teeth you have. They are b***** sharp too! Lotte’s adult teeth have arrived along with resulting chaos: torn dog beds, shoe laces, cushions and anything else she can get a hold off that is remotely chewable. The problem is I can’t get hold of the little beggar fast enough before she vanishes into a cubbyhole and chews with destructive relish. Still, to be expected at this age. On the tracking side, she is a little tyke. She really is getting the idea; even pheasant droppings have lost their interest if a deer leg is around.She has been given her first tracking collar and has, of course, chewed part of that too. I like the tracking collars as they take all the weight from a dog’s neck to…

DISTRIBUTION Migratory. Breeds in eastern Greenland, Iceland and Svalbard; winters in north-western Europe, flying south in September/ October and returning to the breeding grounds from mid-April. UK DISTRIBUTION Overwintering birds are found in eastern Scotland, north-west England and East Anglia. IUCN RED a LIST STATUS Least Concern, with populations increasing. HABITAT Estuaries, farmland, grassland and wetlands. FOOD Almost seems entirely vegetarian. Summer fodder consists mainly of tundra plants, while winter grazing focuses on grasses and crops, including grains, winter cereals, sugar beet and potatoes. Agricultural damage can be extensive in places. BREEDING Monogamous; most pairs stay together for life. NESTING On cliffs, rocky outcrops or islands, often close to seabird colonies, which offer some protection from predators such as Arctic foxes. A low mound of vegetation is made with plant…

Fit for purpose? I was recently looking through a back edition of Sporting Gun ( January 2020) when the Editor’s review of the Le Chameau Field Jacket caught my eye. Working from the neck down, I think the collar far too shallow as what is needed is a collar that comes high enough to cover the mouth area but with the facility to be buttoned down at its end, depending on which shoulder the Gun shoots from. Second, all the press-studs down the length of the main zip should be covered to protect the stock of the gun. I also note that the cartridge pocket has a further pocket inside; I can foresee a hand scrabbling for more cartridges in the heat of the moment and going into the wrong…

FRAN ARDLEY GUNDOGS Owner of Tarncrag Gundog Training, with more than 10 years’ experience. NEIL MCINTOSH VETERINARY A keen shooter and a practising vet in Scotland. TONY BRACCI TUITION Bisley Shooting Ground’s deputy shooting manager and master gunfitter. DAVID FROST LEGAL SG’s legal expert and author of Sporting Shooting and the Law. PETER THEOBALD PIGEONS Pigeon-shooting expert; author of Woodpigeon: The Ultimate Quarry. ROBERT MORGAN ANTIQUES Arms and armour valuer at Holts Auctioneers. ED COOK RABBITS Professional rabbit catcher working over 30,000 acres. TOM SYKES PEST CONTROL & WILDFOWLING Sporting photographer, wildfowler and pest controller. MARC BULL COVER CROPS Marc is our plant expert and is the Midlands and Eastern adviser at Bright Seeds. IAN SWEETMAN GUNSMITHING Ian Sweetman is the owner of I S Sweetman Gun & Rifle Makers…

TUITION No straight answer I see some people shooting with a bend in their front knee and some with a straight leg. What is the right method? Tony says: Everyone develops their own style of shooting, and what works for one person may not work for another. Whatever way you choose it should not be detrimental to your shooting. With the front leg slightly bent it pushes your weight forward, which helps to achieve a consistent mount. Keeping the front leg straight but lifting the back foot’s heel off the floor to push your weight slightly forward can achieve the same result. The detrimental aspect here is if your weight is too far back it will encourage head lifting and result in poor mount. Many novice shooters will lean back…

Elbow up, or elbow down when the airgun is in the shoulder? Again, explore your technique and make sure that you practise the one with which you are most comfortable. For me, lifting my elbow creates a nice pocket for the butt of the stock to sit into, and dropping my elbow creates my chest muscle to pop the gun forward an inch or two – though it is still very comfortable. It is important to be aware of how such factors could be impacting on your technique – and it can be hard to monitor all these different facets once the gun is in the shoulder. Use what works for you, but be consistent in practice and in the field. Note: The rake on the pistol grip of the…

Beretta has a long and illustrious history of making guns, but it’s not a company content to rest on its laurels. It has put everything it knows about competition shotguns into the DT11 to make a truly state-of-the-art clay-buster. It is a beautiful blend of old and new technology. The carbon-fibre components, Steelium barrels and adjustable stock are all high-tech components that have been built on years of gunmaking experience, but Beretta has not lost sight of one of the most important factors in a completion gun and that is handling. Without that shooting becomes hard work and a lot less pleasurable. This gun isn’t cheap, but it is good value for money. It uses modern materials such as carbon fibre and mixes that with good old-fashioned gunmaking know-how. Combining…

GUN TYPE: SHOTGUN Make and model Nikko Indy Shadow Choke Skeet and skeet Barrel 27½in Price £600 CONTACT DETAILS Name Russ Bowman Tel 07719301891 County Northants GUN TYPE: SHOTGUN Make and model Nikko Shadow Semi-auto Choke full and modified Barrel 27in and 26in Price £400 CONTACT DETAILS Name Russ Bowman, as before GUN TYPE: SHOTGUN Make and model Nikko Indy shadow trap gun Choke full and full Barrel 30in Price £600 CONTACT DETAILS Name Russ Bowman, as before GUN TYPE: SHOTGUN Make and model Miroku MK38 Grade 5 Choke Multi (seven) Calibre 12-bore Barrel 32in Price £2,100 ono CONTACT DETAILS Name Ged B Tel 07734 589681 County Greater Manchester GUN TYPE: SHOTGUN Make and model Beretta 471 EL Choke ½ and ¼ Calibre 20-bore Barrel 28in Price £2,850 CONTACT DETAILS…