Sporting Gun UK – May 2019

Great subscription deals at http://www.sportinggunsubs.co.uk may 2019Sporting gun 9

eventS

9 and 16 April

EJChurchillYoungGunsAcademy

EJ ChurchillShootingGround,

HighWycombe,

Buckinghamshire

http://www.ejchurchill.com

21-22April

KelmarshCountryShow

KelmarshHall,

Kelmarsh,

Northamptonshire

http://www.kelmarshcountryshow.co.uk

26 April

RedSquirrelConference

UniversityofExeter

http://www.redsquirrelconference.co.uk

27-28April

East AnglianGameandCountry Fair

EustonHall,

NearThetford,

Suffolk

ukgamefair.co.uk

4 May

NGOTeamFlush

SixMileBottomShoot,

Suffolk,

http://www.nationalgamekeepers.org.uk

11-12May

NorthernShootingShow

YorkshireEventCentre,

Harrogate,

NorthYorkshire

http://www.northernshootingshow.co.uk

snapshots

TheuseofFenntrapsforstoatswillbecome
illegalintheUKinjustundera year.Jonathan
Reynolds,theGame&WildlifeConservation
Trust ’s(GWCT)headofpredationcontrol
studieshasrecommendedthatgamekeepers
becomefamiliarwiththetrapsthat will be
lawfulafter1 Aprilnextyear.
DrReynoldswasspeakingataneventheld
bythetrustrecentlyatitsAllertonProject
inLoddington,Leicestershire.Heexplained
thereasonswhyFenntrapsfailedtomeet
theAgreementonInternationalHumane
TrappingStandardsandwhyitssuccessors
couldprovemoreeffective.
Hesaid:“It ’simpossibleinthisdayand
agetodefenda trapinwhichanimals take
morethanfiveminutestodie.”
TheswitchfromFennswillbea major
inconvenienceformany,butDrReynolds
suggestedthatit shouldnotbethe
disasterthatsomewerepredicting.Similar
pessimismhadgreetedtheintroduction
oftheFenntrapinthe1950s.TheGWCT
submittedDOCtrapstoDefraforapproval
back in 2006 to ensure that at least one trap

Fenntraps willbe

illegal in a year

Ned & Ted By Keith Reynolds

Predators on the rise

Fenntrapswill

bebannedfrom

1 April 2020

Therehasbeena dramaticriseinthe
populationandrangeofmanyofBritain’s
predatorsoverthepast 50 years.
A studyconductedbyExeterUniversity
highlightedotters,whicharesaidtohave
“almostcompletelyrecolonisedGreat
Britain”.Pinemartenshavemovedbeyond
theScottishHighlands,whilepolecatshave
migrated from Wales throughout southern

Britainandnumbershaverisento83,

sincethe 1958 gin-trapban.Badgernumbers

havealmostdoubledsincethe1980s,while

evidenceshowsthatstoatshaveprospered.

ProfessorRobbieMcDonald,headof

Exeter ’swildlifesciencegroup,said,“legal

protection,conservation,removalof

pollutantsandrestoration of habitats,” were

a contributory factor.

SharpshooterMattHance

mattHancewasthesharpshooterat

therecentWatchfinderRoyalFlush

competitionhostedbytheRoyal

BerkshireShootingSchool.Hewasone

of 27 shooterswhoqualifiedforthe

final. His winning score was 86x100.

typewouldbeavailableinthefuture.

GWCTadvisorAustinWeldonsaidthetrust

hadusedDOCtrapssuccessfullylastyear

andhewouldincorporatethenewrulesinto

the latest trust predation training courses.