Innehållsförteckning för January 2017 från Sporting Gun

SMS for SOS > I refer to your Shooting Answers section in the December issue. Under the heading of Wildfowling (page 60), the question of safety out on the marshes was raised and the problem caused when you might need to call for help and find there’s no mobile phone signal. Readers may be interested to learn of the emergency SMS (text) service operated by the major mobile phone operators. This enables mobile phone users to register a phone with www.emergencysms.org.uk, which enables text messages to be sent to the emergency services if there is a threat to life or serious injury, and there is no mobile signal. As a fell walker, I was made aware of this by the mountain rescue teams in Cumbria, but its use is equally…

Place: Auchterhouse Country Sports, Burnhead Farm, Auchterhouse near Dundee DD3 OQN. Tel 01382 320476. Easy to find: Yes. Take the A90 outside Dundee, turn left onto the A923 then, after three or four miles, hang a right into the village of Muirfield. The ground is about a mile outside the village with very clear signage at the entrance. ➑ Disciplines: Everything’s here for game, rough and clay shooters. There’s a dozen or more Sporting stands, a very useful high tower, Compact Sporting layout and four ranges catering for English and Olympic skeet shooters. The ground also has a couple of down the line layouts and one for automatic ball trap. ➑ Traps: The ground is fully automatic with all stands hooked up to a Claymate Counter system, which, if you’re…

It was just the weather for ducks! With constant steady rain and the odd downpour thrown in for good measure, Friday had been dismal. Taking time to filter down to the low ground, the valley was just beginning to flood the next day. With the water came the ducks, although with the levels peaking in the early hours of Sunday morning, they wouldn’t be there for long. And just a few hours later, the flow was almost imperceptibly moving back towards the river. On this tiny inland marsh, the first flood of winter is often the most productive in terms of attracting ducks. Masses of earthworms, insects, grubs and bugs are washed out and float together with weed and reed seeds in a rich duck soup. The timing could definitely…

“Once you open it you will be spellbound and drawn into the world of vintage hammer guns” From the first few paragraphs in Diggory Hadoke’s third book on hammer guns it is clear that he is obsessed by them. Even by the end of the preface most readers will start to share his passion for hammer guns, such is the infectious power of Hadoke’s prose and enthusiasm. With sentences such as, “Hammer guns are not an affectation, they are the best guns ever made and are still better to use than anything else available,” I challenge you to read this book and not be moved to want one of these “handmade works of art”, as the author calls them. This book charts Hadoke’s life-long passion for hammer guns combining historical…

QI was wondering if it is okay to keep a shotgun in my mum’s house. I originally only had one gun that I kept at home using a simple trigger lock that the constabulary were happy with. I decided to buy a second gun so upgraded my security to a cabinet. I live in Hampshire and my mum owns a farm in Devon where I shoot. But, is it okay to keep my second gun at her home using the trigger lock to keep it secure and keeping the key at my home? I consider it safer to keep the gun at her home rather than transporting it each time in the boot of my car. David says: You need to raise the matter with your licensing department. Somehow I…

Q In your opinion, are plastic wadded cartridges better than felt? My farmer says he isn’t bothered what I use over his land. Price aside, I do find the plastic version of my favourite Eley load kills better than its felt stablemate. Is this the same across all the makes or are some felt cartridges actually superior to those with plastic wads? Peter says: When plastic wads were first introduced back in the 1970s there was no doubt that they were superior to felt wadded loads. Nowadays though, you would be hard put to tell the difference, but anyone with an environmental conscience would probably choose felt.…

Q Is it my imagination or are we seeing more ticks than we used to? Neil says: Unfortunately it seems we are. Ticks are indeed spreading, though they remain scarce in some areas. They are blood sucking parasites and, in the world, second only to mosquitos for spreading disease. A recent study, conducted by MSD Animal Health and Bristol University, turned up some interesting facts. First, gundogs, neutered and old dogs, tended to have more ticks, presumably because of their exercise patterns. The tick population virtually mirrored the deer map, so that in Wales, for example, where there are less deer, far fewer ticks were seen. And this all gives us clues as to why ticks are on the rise. Deer numbers have exploded in the last 40 years. Dog…

“What we know from experience is that widespread use of these [Section 7 permits] places an additional administrative demand on the Licensing Department which far from resolving the problem for our licence holders ultimately exacerbates it.” That’s from a letter sent to me by Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Andy Taylor, writing with the advice of the licensing manager Zoey Evans, in February 2010. If that was the case in 2010 why, in 2016, is TVP handing out S7 permits like sweets at a kids’ party? The answer is simple – lousy management. Let’s see how it works in practice. Joe’s shotgun certificate (SGC) expires in mid January 2017. In mid July Zoey wrote to say she was sending out the reminder six months in advance. She blamed this on what…

Nobody wants to see their Labrador or spaniel injured – especially during the shooting season. Unfortunately, the demand made of working dogs at this time of year drastically increases the risk of strains, sprains or worse. I was pondering this while sitting in a hospital physiotherapy unit, awaiting treatment for a neck problem exacerbated by too much shooting. The physio was working wonders on my neck. I asked her if physiotherapy could help an injured dog. I was surprised to learn that physiotherapy is a growing speciality in veterinary medicine. Indeed several therapists offer treatments specifically tailored for working dogs. One such specialist is Dr Gail Williams – a qualified veterinary physiotherapist. Gail’s chief expertise is farm animals, horses and gundogs. She knows gundogs inside out. When she’s not treating…

I have been asked on more than one occasion why I share, through these pages, my misdemeanours when out working my cockers. It has been suggested that it makes me look like a bad handler or even a bit stupid… well I have thick skin so I can put up with a bit of leg pulling. However, as the saying goes “there is some logic in my madness”. Through my work I get around quite a bit and people know me and know my dogs, I am not one of those “faceless” writers that hides away from the public gaze. So, on the occasions I am shooting or working the dogs everyone knows what they are and what they can do and I have not, through my writings or videos,…

Now here is a question … what cover do you think is the hardest for a gundog to work in? This is an interesting one in that it raises several other pertinent questions, such as: Do you mean when it is hunting? Do you mean when it is retrieving? Do you mean when it is marking birds down? Well, in truth, I guess I mean all of the above. A multi purpose gundog of any breed should be able to deal with anything that is put in front of it. But depending on what part of the country you live in, or whether you travel to work your dog, it may not come across certain types of cover and develop the different styles that are needed to deal with it…

As I expected the big lad is making himself at home when he is in the house. There is one place where he gives particular sycophantic attention to the boss and that’s when she is preparing food in the kitchen. He may look as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth, but a chicken carcase did last week when her back was turned! He is, as I speak, making a valuable contribution to this article so forgive any spelling or punctuation errors, he does tend to nudge me just at the wrong moment. I used to write these with a dram in my hand but no longer, a well timed prod from Alfie and the golden nectar ends up somewhere other than the desired spot!…

EASY RECIPE Pheasant stuffed with mozzarella Ingredients: Pheasant breasts Mozzarella cheese Pancetta strips Salt and pepper Garlic powder Seasonal vegetables This is a nice recipe that’s quick to prepare and tastes fantastic. Take skinless pheasant breasts and lay them on a chopping board, skin side down. Remove the mini fillet from the underside of the breasts and put to one side for another meal. Season the pheasant with a little garlic powder and salt and pepper. Slice the mozzarella ball into chunks and place on one of the breasts. Lay the other breast on top of the cheese and season the outside. Wrap the pheasant with pancetta, then place in a foil parcel and on a backing tray. Put the parcels in the oven, around 180°c, for about 35 minutes…

MPs support grouse shooting in ban debate THE GOVERNMENT has “no intention” of banning driven grouse shooting, but pledged to bring to justice those guilty of raptor persecution, in the recent Parliamentary debate on the issue. The debate was triggered by a petition to ban grouse shooting brought by former RSPB conservation director Mark Avery, as well as a counter-petition supporting the sport. Mr Avery claimed that habitat management related to grouse shooting increases flood risk and greenhouse gas emissions, often leads to raptor persecution and that the sport itself is “economically, ecologically and socially unnecessary”. His petition was supported by the League Against Cruel Sports and celebrity conservationists Chris Packham and Bill Oddie. The overwhelming majority of the MPs who spoke at the debate were supportive of grouse shooting…

I’m lucky that I get to work in some weird and wonderful places. No two rabbiting jobs are the same. Although a good percentage of our workload is on farmland, we do carry out rabbit control in all manner of areas with various land uses. It wasn’t unusual to receive a call about removing rabbits from an airport. There wasn’t a vast amount of rabbits present, but their digging was a danger to aircraft. On visiting the site, it was decided the only way to do the job safely was at night, when the runway wasn’t in use. Shooting wasn’t a viable option due to the lack of backstops and it would have taken a few nights to have had a notable impact, even if it was safe. The burrows…

To win a clay competition on Sporting targets you will need to hit about 80 or 90 per cent of the targets set up by some clever chappie to challenge you, in singles or pairs. Compare this with the usual performances achieved in gameshooting, where anyone killing one in three pheasants is considered a pretty good shot. And one in two marks you down as someone pretty special indeed. Of course, in the game field, every target is different in terms of height, direction, curl of flight and speed, but there are some transferable skills from clays to game and, by the same token, from game to clays. As we have discussed before, don't let anyone tell you that clays and game are inherently different as, for example: ''clays slow…

BROWNING SX4 The new Super X4 is built on Winchester technology that has been tried and tested through years of experience to guarantee high performance. The new SX4 is lighter, faster cycling, smoother swinging and more ergonomic than its predecessor. The SX4 autoloading shotgun is built for speed. Price: from £719 Website: www.browning.eu JACK PYKE GALBRAITH SMOCK The smock has a baffled neck zip, removable drawstring hood with adjustable peak, large front pocket with covered weatherproof zip and two lower angled pockets also with weatherproof zips. It is made from brushed tricot with lamenated membrane and comes in forest brown camo, mid brown and moss green. Available from small to XXXL. Price: £78 Website: www.jackpyke.co.uk WALTHER PRO MULTI TAC KNIFE This is a workshop in your pocket. With…

Firearms law can seem bewildering to the average shooter, but not knowing the law could deprive you of your sport, or worse, your liberty. BASC’s latest handbook, Law and Licensing, is a concise guide that covers topics from shotguns through to rifles and airguns. It even has a section on the law relating to knives. BASC’s Director of Firearms, Bill Harriman, distills his immense knowledge on the subject into 96 pages, making a very accessible book. This book is more useful than making a random search on the Internet because you know that the information given is from a verifiable source. It covers every aspect of shooting all in a pocket-size book, which has a useful index for quick reference. Harriman’s experience as a legal advisor and firearms forensic examiner…

“The magical sound of whistling wings was a relief as the early packs began to decoy” Chris Green and I have been very good friends for a number of years, but we rarely get the chance to shoot together. This is due to the large distance between us, Chris being in Cornwall and me being in the North West. Chris has always been keen to venture up to MBWA (Morecambe Bay Wildfowlers Association), which he did for the first time last year on our way up to shoot the Tay in Scotland. Although we had an enjoyable day it’s fair to say that Morecambe didn’t deliver the goods, due to the poor fowling weather and lack of birds. After a failed attempt to show Chris the potential of my local…

Q While looking for my first gun I have seen a Miroku MK70 in my local gun shop and I am tempted to buy it. Problem is, it has a right-handed stock and I am left-handed. Can the stock be modified to suit me? Mike says: Very small tweaks can be made to a stock by heating and bending it, but there can always be a tendency for the wood to revert to its original shape. Current thought among coaches is that alterations are best made by re-cutting the fit between the head of the stock and the action. As far as turning a right-hander into a left-hander is concerned, it is generally accepted as being a step too far. A final thought for you. Have you had a master…

QI am thinking of buying a 3½in semi-auto to replace the side-by-side I use with 2¾in chambers. If I get the semi-auto, will I still be able to use shorter cartridges in it, or will the pattern be affected? I shoot 2½in shells for pigeon decoying. Will the magnum recycle them? Tom says: I have a fairly large gun collection which I use in a variety of different situations and don’t just stick to one particular musket. I would always recommend a 3½in chambered gun, be it a pump or semi-automatic for foreshore wildfowlers, especially if geese are on the menu. The larger chamber size is a real advantage when teamed with the likes of Gamebore Mammoth shells when flighting geese. Modern semi-autos should still cycle small shells but you…

QI can’t connect with driven birds once they’ve passed overhead. Can you give me some tips on how to shoot them behind? John says: Some people would say that any bird that makes it over the Gun line has beaten you and should be left to fly another day. I can see the sporting reasons behind this, but what it doesn’t take into account are those birds that have been pricked, and which might escape the pickers-up and their dogs if not found quickly. As such you need to know how to take a second shot when the situation presents itself. Oddly enough, it isn’t as difficult as you think – in fact it’s a pretty straightforward shot approached the right way. The key is being able to dismount the…

QI have been offered a very lightly used but old Remington semi-auto in a private sale. Problem is, it is a five-shot and its current owner holds it on a firearms certificate. Is it possible to have it modified to a three-shot, so that I can hold it on my shotgun certificate? Mike says: Five-shot semi-autos first had to be held on firearms certificates under the knee-jerk legislation which followed the Hungerford massacre of 1987. At the time, gunsmiths modified thousands of five-shot semi-autos to three-shot so that they could continue to be held on shotgun certificates. The modification called for two things to be done: the magazine tube had to be crimped so that it could contain only two cartridges, and the tube had to be locked into the…

Q What do you think of all the chews and stuff that are available to keep dogs’ teeth clean? Neil says: I used to believe that something was better than nothing but I am now reliably informed that this is not always the case. Many products claim to “reduce tartar” (the horrible hard stuff that occurs when plaque is mineralised). This does not necessarily mean, however, that the important tartar, which is located immediately adjacent to the gum, is affected. Even worse, an eminent veterinary dentist and acquaintance of mine tells me that the recent popularity of Antler chews has resulted in a terrible spate of molar fractures, the like of which has never been seen before. The fact of the matter is, they are just too hard and dogs’…

QI have a John Macnab Highlander shotgun which I bought, secondhand, several years ago. I wonder if you could tell me what it is worth now? Mike says: The gun is no longer available new, but when Sporting Gun tested it back in 2004 we noted there were several grades selling at between £1,900 and £3,000. Current second-hand prices range from around £1,000 to £1,600, depending on grade and condition. I note that one gun currently advertised is described as “English”, which the John Macnab range never was. The Highlander was made in Italy by Sabatti, and, in design, it is a typical Italian gun – albeit with dimensions made to suit the UK market. As far as the value of your gun is concerned, only a gunsmith could give…

Q Which crops in your neck of the woods give you and your pal the most consistent sport between planting and harvesting, and why? Peter says: Oilseed rape would probably win this poll, purely because pigeons will feed on it, at some stage of its growth, for 10 months of the year. Having said that, when crop rotation comes into play, pigeons will barely touch rape when it is grown on certain fields. It usually comes down to what is grown on the “killer” fields, fields that produce the goods year after year. This may be any one of the “big four” – rape, peas, beans and, increasingly in my neck of the woods, borage.…

QI shot driven pheasants in woodland last weekend and made a real pig’s ear of it. We were pegged out for all six drives in narrow rides, which left me only seconds to get a shot off. Most of the other guests also struggled. What, if anything, were we doing wrong? John says: This one has cropped up in this column before so, at the risk of repeating myself, I will cover the salient points of “snap shooting” again. 1. You must stay alert and totally concentrated. Let your gaze fix a little ahead of the tree line. 2. Assume the ready position with the gun muzzles held high. 3.Trust in the fit of your gun. 4. Look hard at the bird and ignore the gun totally when the time…

“It’s nice to have something a little different and not to follow the rest of the flock” Rizzini is a gunmaker steadily making inroads into the British guntrade. It has some very attractive models at good value-for-money prices. This is my favourite in the range: the RB EM. The RB EM is a round bodied boxlock gun with a bold scroll engraving pattern that reminds me of the traditional Holland Royal pattern. The engraving is similar to a broad acanthus scroll, and covers the action fully. The furniture, top lever, safe thumbpiece, trigger guard and fore end iron are all finished black and contrast the coin finished brushed silver of the action frame. The gun can be ordered as a special with colour hardening if preferred. In fact this gun…

“Will has produced what he describes as five star accommodation for flora and fauna” I’ve heard a great deal about Will Garfit’s 1988 Laurent Perrier Award winning 70 acre shoot, and last January I managed to finally see what all the fuss was about. The opportunity arose through luck and the necessity to take some photos of Peter Theobald roost shooting. We’d been trying to set a date for a while with no luck when Peter mentioned that he’d be up near Cambridge shooting at Will’s final day of the season. He asked whether we’d be allowed to take some photos after the shoot day in the woods, which Will kindly agreed to and was generous enough to invite me along to photograph the entire day, which was a huge…

I learned a lot from this experience, plenty has been written on what to do when a dog gets stolen but not so much if a dog gets lost on a shoot day. I am very grateful for all the help and advice I received from my social media “friends”, some of which I have listed below: » Make sure all the dog’s microchip details are up-to-date on the Petlog website – www.petlog.org.uk. Upgrade to the premium account (£16) and if you have to register your dogs as being lost, Petlog will automatically inform all of their agents such as vets and dog wardens etc. Also, make sure you upload a picture of your dog so it can be identified properly if found. » Stay near the area the dog…

Ingredients 1lb minced venison 1 onion skinned and finely chopped 1½oz of rice Handful of parsley Two eggs separated 4oz of butter 1tbsp of cornflour Juice of 1 lemon Knob of butter How to cook Put the venison in a bowl with the onion, egg whites and seasoning and knead all the ingredients together. Have some of the finely chopped parsley ready on a plate. Scoop about one tablespoon of the venison at a time and roll into balls, then coat each ball with parsley. In a large saucepan melt 4oz of butter and brown the venison balls in the pan. Cover with hot water and cook slowly for an hour, remove from the water and put aside – keeping them warm. Beat the egg yolks then mix with the…

Ingredients Serves: 2½lb (1.2kg) shoulder of venison 1 bottle red wine ½pint (275ml) game stock 4tbsp olive oil Mixed peppercorns Juniper berries For the vegetables 6 large baking potatoes 3oz (100g) butter 1 small cauliflower 1 small cabbage 2 large carrots Fresh parsley 5fl/oz (150ml) whipping cream COOKING METHOD 1 Bone, roll and tie a shoulder of venison and marinate overnight in red wine with rock salt, juniper berries and mixed peppercorns – white, black and Sichuan (if you can find them). Remove the venison from the marinade and seal on all sides using olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Transfer in the same pan to a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and roast for 30 to 40 minutes for a 2½lb shoulder. Roasting time will depend on the…

GUNS adj — adjustable ble — boxlock ejector blne — boxlock non ejector brls — barrels c/w — complete with cyl — cylinder db — double barrel dt — double trigger ej — ejector ex con — excellent condition fac — firearms certificate fc — fixed choke gc — good condition grd — grade hg — hammer gun imp — improved ltwt — lightweight m/c — multi-choke mod — modified o/u — over and under ono — or near offer ovno — or very near offer p/x — part exchange pa — pump action rf — rimfire rnds — rounds (ammunition) sa — semi-automatic sb — single barrel sbs — side by side sle — side lock ejector slne — sidelock no ejector sst — single selective trigger tge —…

If I was thinking of buying a new gun I would be tempted to do it right now, as prices could well go up quite steeply in the not-too-distant future. It’s because of the decline in value of Sterling, which is bound to affect all imports soon. At the time of writing, £1 was worth only 1.2 Euros, and there was talk of further falls. The fall against most other world currencies, including the US Dollar, was nearly as bad. So why have gun prices not already gone up? There are two likely answers. The first is that the new guns in the shops were most likely imported much earlier in 2016, before the Brexit scare hit the Pound on world currency markets. The second is that wise importers of…

“The fine fitting and finishing of a Purdey is a hand operation” In reviewing my progress so far in stocking my fantasy gunroom with fine guns I have never owned, I note that I have made an important omission: I have not yet nominated a British-made “best” gun. And note that I say British rather than English, because I am tempted to include a Scottish gun – maybe a Dickson Round Action. But not this time, because I am going to really spend my money and go for a gun by what American writers refer to as the “Holy Trinity” of London gunmakers – Boss, Holland & Holland, and Purdey. Boss All three makers have guns that attract me. For Boss, it would have to be its famous over-and-under. The…

Last month we talked about the ancient practice of duelling with swords, in particular rapiers. In the 17th and 18th centuries, duelling for honour was by no way a new thing; the Vikings had perfected the art with rigorously enforced rules over 1,000 years earlier, and indeed one could call the Roman gladiatorial engagements duels of a kind, even if they were often a bit one-sided and honour a little absent! However, as time passed, firearms slowly but surely became the weapon of choice, especially in Britain. There were two main reasons for this. The first was that you had to be well trained and physically fit to stand any chance of winning a duel with swords; a requisite sadly lacking in Georgian society. Secondly, and possibly even more importantly,…

How many real mates can you count on? You know the sort – true and trusted pals who never blab on social media about what you’ve been getting up to, or planning on doing? Always there to help when you need a lift, without being asked. A best mate won’t say a word when you leave a house of ill repute in the early hours, or knock on the pox doctor’s door a week later. Not that I’ve done either. But I’m sure you get my drift. Is it possible to have more than a handful of real friends? I doubt it. Or maybe I’m the odd one out. This morning I clicked a Facebook “friend” request only to discover the lady asking is already pals with 435 other folk…

1 Name: Graham Buck Location: Lancashire Graham Buck has shared this photo of his 14-month-old cocker, Paddy, on his first trip over laid wheat from the summer. Graham said: “The weather was partly cloudy with a good westerly breeze on our backs. “Paddy made some really good retrieves over a very large flattened area, which made it easier to mark the birds. “I finished the day with 65 and only a few lost birds, which made it even more enjoyable. “Having lost my previous cocker, Ernie, to IMHA at only 23-months-old a year ago, I have really pushed Paddy to get to this stage at such a young age, but he’s responding well. “On days like these you realise why we all put the time and effort in with our…

A couple of my permissions lie right on the estuary of the River Crouch, in Essex, and are some five to six miles, as the pigeon flies, from the nearest roost woods. Pigeons only really hit these farms when all nearer alternatives have been exhausted, usually meaning that stubbles have long been ploughed in and drillings up and away before birds venture this far out. Occasionally though, unusual circumstances tempt pigeons to make the long journey out to feed. Significant situation This autumn is a case in point, where a change in farming policy has meant the two farms in question have adopted a direct drilling regime. Any dedicated decoyer will immediately recognise the significance of this – stubbles with food on them will not be turned in. When those…

One year on since my first article for Sporting Gun brings around the 2016 Driven Grouse day at The Northern School of Game and Wildlife’s moor at Wet Sleddale, near Shap. As I wrote in the November issue, the grouse success around the country has been patchy; however Tony Williams, gamekeeper at Wet Sleddale and college lecturer, felt there was sufficient stock to withstand one driven day. The day saw all of the new gamekeeping students, several of the second year students like myself, the guest Guns and the gamekeeping staff gathering once again on Wet Sleddale, which (coming as a surprise to many) held an absolutely glorious day! Introductions and instructions We began the day by splitting into four teams: beating; top flank; bottom flank and picking up. Once…

I have been using the Viper-Flex Elite quad sticks for some time and have found them by far the best shooting sticks on the market today. They give the shooter a rock steady shooting position, in fact it is almost the equivalent of shooting from a bench. Viper-Flex has now introduced the “Journey”. These sticks work on exactly the same principle as the Elite with the added benefit of lighter carbon-fibre material. The real benefit is for those who travel to their shooting at home or abroad, the Journey breaks down to a manageable 65cm length that will easily fit in suitcases or travelling rifle cases. On hearing of the new sticks from John Hammond of hammondsporting.co.uk I thought that lighter would mean less stable, but this is not the…

“Muck Boots’ reputation precedes them and they are generating a lot of interest – deservedly so” The Muck Boot company is a fairly new kid on the block. Starting in 1999, the company was set up in America with the sole purpose of building the “most comfortable, high performance footwear on the market”. Its words not mine. But the company is doing a good job. It could see there was a need for a more comfortable boot that could withstand muddy, wet conditions. A boot for all occasions Its original design was successful and the company quickly grew. The horse world quickly found out about the boot and I know many farmers who swear by them. They have specific designs for the horse world, farming, gardening, dog walking, work boots…

GOT A QUESTION? CONTACT: sportinggun@timeinc.com  or Sporting Gun, Time Inc (UK) Ltd, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF MEET THE TEAM GUNDOGS: GRAHAM WATKINS A professional gundog trainer for more than 35 years and runs Gamegoer Gundogs. VETERINARY: NEIL MCINTOSH A practising vet in Scotland. TUITION: JOHN BIDWELL 6 times World FITASC champ and pro shooting coach. LEGAL: DAVID FROST Author of Sporting Shooting and the Law. TECHNICAL: MIKE GEORGE Engineering author with a deep love of gunmaking. PIGEONS: PETER THEOBALD Author of Woodpigeon: The Ultimate Quarry. STALKING: GEORGE WALLACE Former National Gamekeepers’ Organisation’s firearms consultant. FERRETS: ED COOK Professional rabbit catcher working over 30,000 acres. PEST CONTROL & WILDFOWL: TOM SYKES Passionate wildfowler and pest controller…

QI have always used side-by-side 12s when gameshooting but recently bought a 28-bore. The stock has been altered to match that of my other guns and it shoots to the point of aim, just like the rest. I can hit straight driven pheasants but anything crossing is missed high. Why? John says: All I can suggest is that next time out you pay attention to your leading hand — especially the position it assumes on the barrels. It could be that your cupped thumb and/ or fingers are encroaching onto the top of these narrow tubes and interfering with your view of the bird. If that’s the case there will be a natural tendency to lift your head a little from the stock to peer over the “obstruction”. This isn’t…

QI have joined a wildfowling club and I’m now enjoying my first full season on the marsh unaccompanied. So far I’ve bagged three mallard and the same number of wigeon, plus a teal. As yet I haven’t managed to get under the pinkfeet, but I’ve had the chance to shoot at some shoveler duck on tide flights. I haven’t fired at them because a pal says they are tasteless on the plate. Is this true, or do you have a recipe I can try? Tom says: Certain species of wildfowl have a reputation for being poor meat for the table. Most of the birds I shoot are fine, but there are some tricks you can try if you are unsure. For instance, it can help to soak the meat in…

QI have a 12-month-old Labrador bitch just coming into heat and she seems to have forgotten all her training and has become very clingy. Is this normal? I did go out for a bit of training tonight and she ran around like a headless chicken. Graham says: When a bitch comes into season she is flooded with hormones and as a result you may see significant changes in her behaviour. I would advise that you do not do too much – if any – training with her during this period and (obviously!) make sure she keeps away from any male dogs. It is not unusual to find that once she has finished her season she might well take on board your training exercises far quicker than before – some trainers…

QI have a Classic Doubles M90 which had a bad stock crack repaired quite a few years ago. The repair has now started to give way, and I really need a new stock. I can’t find one for sale anywhere, so can you help? Mike says: The M90 was made in Italy by Marocchi, and it hasn’t been available for some years. One answer would be to have a new stock made by hand, but this would cost more than the gun is worth. Before committing yourself to any expensive course of action, I would ask a stocker if the woodwork can be repaired again. I don’t know how long ago the original damage was repaired, but there could well have been advances in adhesives and techniques since then. It’s…

The 16-bore has definitely come back into the shooting consciousness of the UK, I suspect more than most other bores. It will continue to be a niche rather than mainstream, but those using them perhaps prefer to be in a select minority anyway! I wouldn’t say Rizzini is leading the way with 16-bore O/Us – others have done it before. But Rizzini is one of the few producing the guns in any number at the moment. Its guns are well worth looking at if you want something different, even in 12 and 20-bore. Price: The Rizzini RB EM is £2,850 with either 28in or 30in barrels. There is a supplement for 32in barrels of £268. It can also be ordered with a solid top rib as an option and fixed…

“Ten per cent of dogs can smell chocolate through three layers of wrapping paper” They say that 47 per cent of statistics are made up. My accountant friend tells me the other 78 per cent are a bit dubious, too. But you can trust me, I’m a vet… here is my festive round up. Firstly, 100 per cent of Christmas trees are dangerous. Puppies, being easily impressed and conducive to new ideas, try to climb them, too often bringing the whole lot down on top of some poor unsuspecting guest. They chew the needles and these are particularly liable to cause gastric irritation. And there is more – fairy lights are inevitably attached by exposed cables to an electrical supply and 18 per cent of puppies will try and chew…

As the shooting season draws to a close it is time for us to reflect on what has gone well with our gundogs, but more importantly what has gone wrong and will need working on during the spring and summer months. For a few of us the search for a new shooting companion will start in earnest and the cycle of rearing and training a pup or bringing on a part-trained dog will start all over again. At Gamegoer we breed the occasional litter and it never fails to amase me how many people contact us to ask if we have a particular colour of dog or that they are looking to buy a Labrador or a cocker spaniel – there is a big difference between these two breeds and…

Lately we have taken out a number of deer from a small park to reduce the numbers in the area. I am always vigilant during the preparation of any deer carcases we handle and probably more so if they are from confined areas such as parks or farms – some of these are young animals from both this and the previous year. For some of these deer, we organise a carcase preparation day for stalkers who are interested in the process and what they should be looking for when they want to sell them onto the food chain as qualified “Trained Hunters”. Deer, like all other animals – including farm stock, do pick up parasites and some of these can be observed during the inspection that is required before the…

GUNS FOR SALE Browning C2G 205, vgc, cased, £2,300. Tel 01352 780001 (Flintshire). Beretta Silver Pigeon, 30in barrels, O/U converted to a double trigger configuration, very little use, £895 ono. Tel 01914 154516 (Tyne and Wear). Baikal moderated single barrel .410, 3in chamber, 35in barrel, including 9.5in moderator, oiled woodwork, no pitting in barrel or cracks in woodwork, vgc, collection, £125. Tel 07500 362544 (Denbighshire). BSA Lightning XL,.22 for sale with scope, hardly been used, £165. Tel 01228 674537 (Cumbria). Browning Ultra XS Prestige Titanium, mc, 12-bore, Sporter, left-handed, lovely wood, 32in barrels, adjustable comb, pristine condition, eye injury forces sale, £2,500 Tel 07774 081031 (Bristol). .222 CZ Model 527 bolt action rifle, fewer than 50 rounds fired, screw cut, Schmidt and Bender 6x42 scope, plus sling very good condition,…