Shooting Times & Country 19-Jan-2022

I recently had the great pleasure of visiting the Chichester Wildfowlers’ Association. Some of you will know that the harbour there was much loved by Noel Sedgwick, one of the great former editors of this magazine. As the sun went down, I pictured him, whisky bottle in his pocket, looking out over the same sea many decades ago. Steve Borland, the club member I was with, asked me on the way back why I thought there are fewer wildfowlers now. It’s complicated. In truth, youngsters don’t like working hard for their sport in the way they once did — most people no longer have to. But I wonder also if wildfowling clubs are as friendly as they could be. I’ve met some brilliant people but I’ve also met a few who believe…

The firearms licensing system appears to be on the point of breakdown as Covidrelated disruption and changes to guidance create chaos in police firearms licensing teams. Late last year, North Yorkshire Police announced it would not accept new firearm and shotgun certificate applications and instead will focus exclusively on renewals. At the time of writing, Thames Valley, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Hampshire Police have adopted the same policy. A number of other forces appear to be informally operating on the same basis, with readers from several different areas reporting that their applications were not being processed by their local force. “This is a failure to discharge the police’s statutory duty” One newly appointed land manager told Shooting Times that their application for firearms and shotgun certificates for use in connection with their job…

The Government has comprehensively rejected a petition calling for a ban on the shooting of ‘critically endangered woodcocks [sic]’. The petition — which was heavily promoted by birdwatching groups and anti-shooting campaigners — had attracted nearly 15,000 signatures as we went to press. Woodcock are listed by the IUCN as of least concern. This means they are ‘widespread and abundant’ rather than at ‘extremely high risk of extinction’as the petition’s author claimed. Breeding woodcock have declined in the UK but the overwhelming majority of birds are migrants and numbers of winter visitors remain very strong. Responding to the petition, a Defra spokesman said: “Recent population trends for woodcock are likely to be influenced by the extent and quality of habitat rather than shooting. There are no plans for a ban.” The Defra response…

Gamekeepers, farmers and other land managers are being asked to take part in the GWCT’s Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC), which runs from 4 to 20 February. “Gamekeepers and farmers are vital in helping to ensure the survival of many of our cherished farmland bird species such as skylark, yellowhammer, corn buntings and wild grey partridges,” said the GWCT’s Dr Roger Draycott, who runs the count. In 2021, 2,500 counts were completed — the largest total yet. The BFBC has been running since 2014 and has become one of the most important sources of data on the country’s farmland bird populations. “Now we are challenging the UK’s land managers to beat their own record and make 2022’s count bigger than ever,” added Dr Draycott. To take part in this year’s count, visit the BFBC…

SHOOT The end of the wildfowling season is often the best time to bag a white-fronted goose. They are normally the last of the migratory geese to show up, arriving when hard weather hits Europe in the late winter. The UK has two different white-fronted goose populations, one of which is protected, so you must ensure you are shooting in an area where no ban nor voluntary moratorium is in place. RATTING Dust off that spring-action air rifle, dig out a tin of pellets and go on rat patrol. Shooting rats around buildings is best done with a low-power airgun to minimise risks. And with colder weather having knocked down most of the cover, now is your best chance of spotting a roaming rodent.…

“When managed properly, fire can be good — both for maintaining biodiversity and for carbon storage,” says expert Adam Pellegrini of the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences. The claim that controlled burning is harmful and causes damaging releases of carbon dioxide has been used increasingly to criticise traditional upland management, especially muirburn on grouse moors. However, an authoritative study has demonstrated that fire can boost the amount of carbon locked up in soil. Dr Pellegrini, the study’s lead author, explained: “Ecosystems can store huge amounts of carbon when the frequency and intensity of fires is just right. It’s all about the balance of carbon going into soils from dead plant biomass, and carbon going out of soils from decomposition, erosion and leaching,” If fires are frequent or intense, typical in dense…