Shooting Times & Country 12-Jan-2022

A couple of days after Christmas, I realised we have a bit of a problem. “It’s funny,” said a very educated relative of my girlfriend’s at breakfast. “You spend so much time talking about woodcock and standing at that window watching geese but you were out pulling the feathers out of pigeons yesterday.” Many would think she had a valid point. Except that, at the heart of it, the various ways I engage with all those species are bound up in the same thing – watching them, shooting them, plucking them and eating them are all born out of a deep-rooted hunting instinct. I love teal because they’re beautiful and because of the magical way they can drop on to a pond before you’ve even realised they were there but also because…

New two-year general licences have been issued for England. They cover the same range of species as the previous ones — however, there are other changes. The general licences allow the control of bird species that would otherwise be protected, such as woodpigeons and carrion crows. The licences were considered uncontroversial and effective and were used by farmers, shoots and conservation bodies. However, their legality was challenged by Wild Justice, whose action in the spring of 2019 placed the chicks and eggs of threatened species at needless risk. A series of temporary licences followed and now countryside organisations have welcomed the news that the current licences will last for two years. Part-time pest controller Alan Scholes told Shooting Times: “The situation has been ridiculous, with no one knowing what the law was…

Investment giant Aviva Investors has become the latest company to salve its corporate conscience with a tree-planting scheme in the Highlands. The London-based firm, in partnership with Par Equity, has bought a large area of moorland at Glen Dye in Aberdeenshire and intends to plant trees on it. The planting will be a mix of native trees and ‘productive conifers’. Daniel McHugh, Aviva’s chief investment officer, real assets, said: “This is the first of many investments we expect to make in this space, and the intention is for our carbon removal programme to be considered a best-in-class initiative.” However, a local source, speaking anonymously to Shooting Times, suggested that challenges may lie ahead. “Glen Dye is a stronghold of mountain hares,” they pointed out. “First we have to ask what will become of…

A plan intended to block trail hunting has been branded ‘ill thought out’ and potentially harmful. Conservative backbenchers Sir Roger Gale and Henry Smith have proposed amendments to the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, which is currently before Parliament. Their plan is to end the use of animal-based scents for trail hunting. Writing on the Conservative Home website, North Thanet MP Sir Roger said: “My amendment calls for the intentional or reckless participation in laying or following an animal-based scent for hunting activities to become an offence, liable to a fine, imprisonment, or both.” However, those with a better grasp of rural life were quick to point out that this could have significant unlooked-for consequences. Under Sir Roger’s proposal, the only dogs that could be trained to follow animal-based scents are those being used…

CHECK Keep a look out for wildfowling bans as the weather hardens. A sudden change towards colder weather is a real possibility at this time of year and if that weather is prolonged, it can lead to a suspension of wildfowling. Club secretaries should make their members aware of any suspension, but you should also keep a close eye on the BASC or Defra websites. CHECK Speak to farmers ahead of lambing. A few pedigree flocks will be starting to lamb now and the height of the lambing season is rapidly approaching. Therefore now is the time to approach farmers about fox and corvid control; whether they need it and if so how they want it done. Rocking up in the middle of a busy lambing with a lamp and a rifle may…

Illegal hare coursers will soon be hit with a range of new powers and penalties after Defra announced a crackdown. The move follows a successful campaign by gamekeeper and Shooting Times contributor Ed Coles (inset). Ed, whose shoot is frequently hit by illegal coursers, has been campaigning for tougher penalties and more police powers to crack down on the organised crime gangs. Now, Defra has announced that it will bring forward a suite of legal changes to strengthen the provisions of anti-poaching legislation and that prison sentences will be available for the worst offenders. “Crops have been destroyed, people threatened, hares killed” Under the proposals, the two key pieces of 19th-century legislation used to tackle poachers — the Game Act 1831 and the Night Poaching Act 1828 — will be updated by creating…