Shooting Times & Country – 17 July 2019

Game shooting

30 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

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@TrooperSnooks

Lucasadministrationhadensured
wigeoncameoffthequarrylistin
2030,tealfollowingtwoyearslater
andanoutrightbanonshootingany
duckorwaderputinplaceby2040.
Mallardremainonthequarrylist,it
is thought,duetoa clericalerror.

Youcanstillshootgeese,however.
Thankstoclimatechange,pinkfeet
andwhitefrontceasedmigrating
toBritainandScotlandintheearly
2050s,sofowlersarerestrictedto
greylag,CanadaandEgyptiangeese.
Thefashionforelaboratechokesin
wildfowlinggunscontinuesapace.It
is a regularsightonthemarshtosee
fowlersventureforthwithchokesthat
exceedthelengthoftheirbarrels.
Thankfully,steelshotis bothcheap
and readily available, largely a bi-

productfromtherecyclingofcars—

didI tellyouhowmuchI missthem?

Plasticwadswerebannedin

2027.Aftertrialswithcardboard,

cornstarchandmolefur,allwads

nowusea biodegradablematerial

formedoutofrecycled£10notes.

Physicalcurrencywasbannedafter

a concertedPRcampaignbya group

ofvegans,fundedbyLush,who

claimedthatthecoatingonthenew

Carolean£5and£10 notes was made

frombadgerfat.

AllUKresidentsarenowfitted

withanelectronicchipthatcontains

theirbankdetails,DNArecords

anda trackingdevice— purelyfor

personalsafetyreasons,weare

told.Today,in2079,veganismis no

longer fashionable. Its popularity

tooka nosedive 10 yearsago

whena government-backedstudy

conclusivelyprovedthatit was

responsiblefortheworryingupturn

inmiddle-classchildrensuffering

ricketsandosteoporosis.

BASC,theCountrysideAlliance,

theNationalGamekeepers’

Organisation,NationalFarmers’

UnionandtheGWCTamalgamated

in2057.Inanunexpectedturnof

events,BorisJohnsonbecamethe

leaderofthisnewruralsupergroup

followinghisretirementfrompolitics.

Sadly,after 22 yearsofwrangling,

a namefortheorganisationhasyet

tobeagreeduponthatpleasesall

parties.Forallthis,thehard-pressed

BASCCANGONFUGWCTcontinues

fightingtoprotectourshooting

sports— whatremainsofthem.

I’mofftowalkMabelnow.She’s

61 yearsoldandfinally maturing into

a good little dog.

“Theoutlandishcostofa dayonthe

hillafteraurochsprecludesmost British

residents from participating ”

Borisis thehunting,

shooting,fishing

alchemistatthehelmof

ournewruralsupergroup

BASCCANGONFUGWCT