Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
[Music]
Welcome to Fieldsports Britain. Coming up....Mark Gilchrist is after 4 and 20 blackbirds to
bake in his pie or may be bbq in his new series Hunter Gatherer.
It has got me in it so it is bound to be doomed.
Is this the bravest fox in Britain? We have a special report.
We've been sent a box of fox calls to give away free. And we have a DVD competition prize
too.
First, Roy Lupton is keeping his options open. He is Outfoxing with a little bit of roe stalking
thrown in for good measure.
Finally, finally the UK has some sunshine to brag about as well as a Wimbledon champion.
But we don't want to be relaxing with a glass of chilled pinot collapso and a grass-coated
burnt sausage. We want to be Out Foxing, especially when the grass that's not stuck to our ***
has been freshly cut and foxes are on the lookout for a cheap meal.
It is that time of year again. We have got about 26, 27 degrees absolutely roasting but
the good thing is all the fields are getting cut. Everything is being cut for hay. Everything
has been cut today here. So we are going to have a quick stalk around and it could be
a bit of a mixed bag and I am hoping that we might pick up quite a few foxes later on
when they start coming out and we might also pick up a roe buck or two as well. So fingers
crossed we may have a successful evening. Right let's get on.
We haven't been on this bit of ground for a couple of years. Last time, Roy had roe
does dancing all around us during the rut - but it looks like our first stalk of the
evening might have to be sacrificed as Roy has spotted a fox jumping through the long
grass.
A fox was just walking along to our left hand side. I have just done a little bit of ... squeaking,
but it is a bit of a crunch time because we are coming up to where there are normally
a few roe getting about so I don't really want to make too much of a noise and a kerfuffle
and start really heavily calling. We will just slowly stroll up and see if the foxes
are up there now. That is a shame as he was probably just heading out to the field that
has been cut.
This is the time of year in the UK when bucks are bold and foxes are foolish - perfect for
anyone out to shoot both. We keep steady and 20 paces further along our fox pops out into
the open. Lady luck may be with us after all. With a bit of prompting, eventually Roy also
notices the fox. It drops where it stands on the ride.
Best made plans and all that. It was a shame we had t shoot it then because as I say we
were just coming up into the main area where the roe are but that same fox had us walking
out all of a sudden where we had been just very quiet and just slowly strolling up and
he walked out straight in front of us there. First one in for the evening and away we go.
It is a *** which has obviously had cubs. This time of the year the vixens tend to be
out hunting a little bit earlier. She was obviously mooching around trying to find a
few meals for the cubs. But the cubs at this stage are going to be quite well on. So I
would have thought come the evening the cubs are going to be out crossing about on the
field and hopefully we can account for them then.
Shooting the fox may have blown Roy's chance of a deer but it's not a complete dead loss.
Sometimes you get a sense there must be deer here, because if I were a deer I'd be happy
here.
We make our way through another small wood. At the end of the ride we see a doe grazing
across the road - typical!
We have got deer in all the surrounding fields, but none where we have got permission. So
... this place has normally got quite a few on it, but it has been ruined over the last
couple of years because there have been a lot of sheep grazing on here. So I am sure
the deer are around but not in the same numbers they used to be.
But then Roy's x-ray vision kicks in and a glass across this high standing grass reveals
a young buck looking our way.
So because we are losing light and we want to get onto the fields to set up for the foxes
coming out before it gets dark we are going to try and push our luck, walk along the top
here and hope that he goes down and then stops and presents us with a shot. Normally in these
circumstances it always goes wrong, but you never know David might have turned into a
good luck charm rather than a jinx.
We work our way around. Making steady progress, Roy gets above the animal and even gets the
sticks up but the gamble doesn't pay off - the buck heads to the shelter of the wood and
not down the slope.
All is not lost and we head back up towards the ride we just came down - we get a glimpse
of him in the clearing but he's gone again.
That is a shame. We have come back up the ride he came up and he must of switched back
and gone back to the stand that he was on. There is probably a bigger buck in the main
part of the wood and he doesn't want to encroach upon his territory too much. So we are going
to go down that way to get onto the foxes anyway. We might still come across him again.
What to do? We walk back around and, luckily, in the 10 minutes or so we've taken our buck
appears to have settled down to munch in a field further down the valley.
Again the height of the grass is an issue.
What we are going to do every time he puts his head down and starts feeding we are going
to make a few steps in. If he puts his head up we are camouflaged quite well against the
back stop of this wood. Even though we are walking along the edge of it we are just going
to see if we can get right up on him. He is down again feeding so we will try and take
a few steps towards him. We are probably only about 70 yards away. But I just want to try
and get it so we have got a clearer path for the bullet.
Are you on it?
So stupidly I didn't bring my dog to track it, but luckily in this long grass I just
tracked it as it ran and it went forward and hopefully dropped just between those two trees.
What I want to do is just have a run up, check the blood and then we will move into him.
Some stalks can be physically taxing, uncomfortable, others straightforward, all have their own
rewards. This has had a bit of everything. Roy has had to think on his feet, second-guessing
this buck, getting it wrong, then using the natural cover and understanding the buck's
behaviour to move in close enough for a clear chest shot. Deer have a special technique
to catch a potential predator with its proverbial pants down and Roy has shown how to by-pass
it.
A lot of the time when you are stalking up on them like that, they will dip their heads
as if they are going to feed just long enough for you to start moving and bolt their heads
right up again. And that again is obviously millions of years of evolution in waiting
for predators or looking for predators stalking up on them. So just wait a couple of seconds,
once they have got their heads down before you start moving.
Roy cleans the animal and skins it for the landowner. It's now much later than we'd hoped
so no more daylight foxing. It's out with the lamp.
But first it's the bright lights of the local kebab shop protract us moth-like.
What we are going to do is put the caller out in the middle of the field and we are
just going to have a scan around with the tack light and see if we can pick up the eyes.
I have got the red LED in again. Although the cubs shouldn't be lamp shy. I just like
using the red LED to kick off just in case we come across any wise vixens or dogs that
are still out there. So we got the *** a little bit earlier on. We are going to start
off there and hopefully the cubs might be venturing out and they might be on that freshly
cut field there, just looking for some mice what have you and as I say we are just going
to put a few light rodent distress call out first. See if we get any customers there.
So hopefully we will get some visitors.
Having had a fox in daylight, it seems a foregone conclusion that we'll call some in at night
especially on this freshly cut hay crop - but the first stand delivers nothing. The odds
move out dramatically at the second stand, with mist lifting off the lake. Our visibility
is reduced but it does make the Nightmaster 800 look like a light sabre though!
The foxes could be having a party 50 yards away and we wouldn't know what is going on.
We are getting that time-for-bed feeling -feeling slightly light headed, not from too much sun
and Italian plonk, but from the thrill of a successful bit of daylight foxing and a
buck we had to work hard for.
Roy making the most of his evening there. If you want to see more roe stalking click
on the screen which has magically appeared up there behind me. Now, looking more bronzed
than "The Hoff" it's David on the fieldsportschannel news stump.
[Music]
This is Fieldsports Britain News.
Despite recording scenes like this for the film The Mask, actor Jim Carrey has apologised
to American gun owners for calling them heartless motherf*****s. He has also pulled out from
publicity surrounding his new movie, Kick *** 2, after saying it is too violent
Shooting organisations from all over the world could learn from US waterfowl conservancy
Ducks Unlimited. To spread the word, and thanks to a corporate partner, Basspro, its colours
are on board the second placed Tony Stewart's car in the Daytona Coke Zero 400 NASCAR race.
With deer, apparently it is not always flight not fight. This turned up in our inbox from
Belgian hunting website Hunting.be. Don't know how old it is, but it shows the dangers
of walking dogs near angry does.
And finally, maybe the silly season has started early, and maybe it took more than a few takes,
but this man certainly knows how to catch fish. Douglas Owen catches his dinner completely
organically. Trout For Dinner 1 is a YouTube sensation.
You are now up to date with Fieldsports Britain News. Stalking the stories. Fishing for facts.
[Music]
Thank you David. Strangely dissimilar to Baywatch. Now let's spread a little love around the
fieldsports channel community. It's Hallo Charlie.
[Music]
Here is what the world is up to this week.
Hallo Charlie. We are in ... and we are about to go shooting. We have got water pipit, Lal
and his brother Shaun, there is Claude and you will just see what you going to have happen
today. We are hoping to get some, but we will see. At the moment it is quite quiet, but
it should heat up just now.
Hallo Charlie. This is Cameron shooting rabbits out in Rochdale.
Hallo Charlie. This is Max from Hertfordshire, beautiful sunny evening. Just broken up for
holidays so I thought I would go out for a start of the holiday's wander with the air
rifle and I have had some success. Saw it a way off and popped it at 34 yards. Hopefully
the first of many for the holidays.
Send us your own Hallo Charlie. Film yourself on your mobile phone with just a sentence
saying hallo Charlie who you are and what you are up to. Then share it or email it via
Youtube, Facebook, Dropbox or Yousendit, Younameit to Charlie@fieldsportschannel.tv
Right urban foxes. We love a good urban fox story, because we love the look on Brian May's
face. When we were shown this footage coming up we just had to find out more. Now for fear
of a public backlash we have agreed to protect this homeowner's identity.
The Urban foxes debate gets people red in the face hot under the collar - Last summer
there was even a week's worth of programmes dedicated to it on British Freeview TV. Channel
4's Foxes Live did little to open the debate and I was left feeling I was the one that
had been thrown to the dogs after Brian and the gang sat teeth bared with noses wet and
coats shiny under the studio lights� Oh those tumbling locks. But, foxes are a problem
even if some won't choose to believe it.
Look at this footage taken by a couple in Sussex. This brazen fox starts coming into
their utility room through the cat flap helping itself to the cat food during the night - it
then starteds breaking into the dog food, having a snooze and the.. the mucky pup. In
case you are wondering, this footage is captured on a trailcam after several nights of mystery
visits and the titbits on the floor are there to assist with capturing the culprit on camera.
This anonymous home owner, having heard stories of urban fox attacks is now concerned for
the safety of his cat, his dogs and even his wife... We're carefully keeping his identity
a secret for fear of reprisals from Brian and other angry rock legends.
It concerns me really because at the end of the day how far are they going to go are they,
we have got a couple of cats, are they going to attack the cats, are they going to attack
the dogs. And above all that I really don't want them to become vicious and come in the
house and attack Kate. It would be awful for her I don't know what she would end up catching.
OK. There really is no point in trying to conceal the identity of world champion shot
Mr George Digweed. But can he believe that a wild animal has the confidence to enter
such a foreign environment especially when there's so much natural food about?
To actually come into a house in a village has certainly opened my eyes up to where they
will go and what they will do. I am sure there is plenty of rats and mice and that sort of
thing about. There will be a lot of young rabbits about that are fairly docile and easy
to catch. I find the whole thing astonishing that it can come into the house especially
the house of someone who shoots about 250 a year doing a pest control job.
The obvious question is: what is going to happen to the bravest fox in britain? As yet
George hasn't decided.
George Digweed proving difficult to keep under wraps. And if you want to win a signed copy
of George's Digging for Gold DVD, please visit our Facebook page where you have to count
the number of crows and jackdaws in this photograph... film of the big day to follow soon.
Next Mark Gilchrist has a new series about hunting and cooking- it's evolution in progress
- Hunter Gatherer.
It's the summer solstice - the longest day, and Mark is on a date with girl friend Natalie
who's going to experience her first romantic evening out rabbit shooting. It's a good job
Mark has his and hers outfits on test from new kids on the block ShooterKing from Belgium.
Natalie is going to need it.
Two is company, three is a crowd and four o'clock in the morning is when Mark wants
to see us next. That's in six hours' time, when Mark is going to have a go at the local
corvid population.
They bring quite a lot of disease into the cattle feeders. It is all stored in open bins
and then they mix it up and feed it to the cows and they carry disease and also the farmer
doesn't want to feed 150 crows every morning.
He is being joined by Zeiss pro stalker Alex Hinkin who is setting up on the other side
of the farmyard.
And most of your stuff is going to come over like this or back from behind you. Like that
yes. But as soon as you start banging they will start moving towards the farmyard.
Ok where are you from here?
Other side of those trees.
Now the point of Hunter Gatherer is to eat what we shoot... hmm... not sure how that
got there... We are a bit late with this one. The traditional date for shooting young rooks,
or branchers, is the 12th May. We know stuff is late coming-on this year, but this is really
pushing it - So what do blackbirds baked in a pie taste like?
Well they are supposed to taste like pigeon. If they were dead everyone would eat them.
So I am naturally quite sceptical. I made rook pie as in branchers in a pie for Sporting
Shooter two or three years ago. It was pleasant I suppose, but I wouldn't rush out to eat
it again. But if there was nothing else to eat I would eat it.
As the nursery rhyme goes it's 4 and 20 blackbirds, so what does that really add up to?
Well 4 and 20 is probably 80 so we have some way to go before we can make a pie. I don't
think we are even going to have enough for a small casserole if we carry on like this.
With the way the morning is going probably best to stick to 24.
13 unlucky for some. 14, 15 we might get the 80 yet. 16, 4 and 20.
It's been a slow start but Mark is able to get his eye in. He is loving this work.
Oh yes. Oh. Tell me you have got that one David. Oh yes. Oh yes. Oh man. I know you
didn't film that because you ...
As well as his smart ShooterKing jacket which we all know looks too good for Mr Gilchrist
and will get as cleaned as regularly as his guns - i.e. not at all - he is also giving
a Mossberg pump action shotgun from York Guns a work out. These days, the pump action seems
to come second place to the semi auto. Mark does not really understand why. It's a practical
way of getting shots down the barrel, especially in a hide- situation. It requires a modicum
more skill than a semi-auto but there s less to go wrong. Pumps don't jam like autos can.
I am not trying to be rude, but I think a lot of people think they need to fire lots
of shots really quickly. Anyone that is buying a gun because its fast cycling is never going
to make a bag of anything. So I think people think they are getting something good if they
can get through the shells really quickly. But if you see a really good shot like Andy
Crow firing three shots, he will probably go *** ... *** ..... ***. The shots are
probably that far apart because if you are doing it any quicker you are guessing where
your next shot is going. You very rarely go ***, ***, *** and get three kills, because
you are just not taking the line of the bird properly. I think that is why people go for
autos over pumps. I must say I am quite fond of a pump.
Mark has also got a silenced Mossbeg .410 on test too and we'll be playing with that
in an upcoming episode. He is pretty pleased with that too.
With tummies rumbling and nearly 80 birds on the floor it looks like crow for breakfast
... or maybe not - the garage-bought disposable bbq just isn't making it... plus we're feeling
pretty sorry for Natalie - yes, remember Natalie? - she's trying to get some sleep in Mark's
van and to be honest she'd prefer she had some cornflakes and a coffee.
Ok so it was quite a good morning. It wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. We picked
76, I thought we would get 120, 150 so it is a bit disappointing from that point of
view. We were going to round it up with a bbq with a young rook, but we failed on quite
a few levels. Firstly, that is a jackdaw and not a rook and David just can't light a disposable
bbq, which between us is quite a poor effort for hunter gatherer if we one can't hunt and
gather the right thing and two can't make fire. I think the series might be doomed.
Fear not we will eat branchers next year and even crow at some point. Maybe some of you
can tell us what it tastes like and the best way to cook it?
Thank you Mark. Next time we will cook something I promise. Right - the best of YouTube this
week - it is Hunting YouTube.
This is Hunting YouTube, which aims to show the best hunting, shooting and fishing videos
that YouTube has to offer.
Let's start with a trailer for a hunting DVD - but a good one. Predator Hunting Suppressed
six pack (The Kill Shot) is the highlight of the video you can buy, showing a pack of
seven, actually, not six coyotes charging a call.
Staying in North America and grackle hunting is a popular sport with airgunners. Varmint
HunterHP is using, as an keen airgunner would hope and expect, a .22-calibre Gamo Varmint
Hunter HP
We remain with Americans but we move to Slovakia in this film where Sean Finley, outdoor concierge
(great job that) with the High Adventure Company is escorting clients from the Metropolitan
Club in Washington DC on driven pheasant shooting and a spot of culture behind the old iron
curtain.
Now for our first fishing foray this week, it's an unusual method sent in by James Marchington.
A man with a pet mink - well there has to be one - Joseph Carter says he is training
his furry friend Monchu how to catch fish in the wild. Born and raised in a mink farm,
this is his second fishing trip and the little beggar strikes gold. Mr Carter reckons it's
all down to the training.
Staying with fishing and I am struck by Dieter Danowski - not literally I am glad to say
for he is here spearfishing a 16kg Spanish mackerel in Queensland, Australia. He shoots
this one at Sunken Reef, near Yeppoon.
Australia offers sport of all kinds and this video, Swamp Hogs, is a bowhunting film recommended
by a viewer called Robert from Brisbane. Thank you Robert. Shot in the Northern Territory,
this is a pleasantly expensive production. Robert writes: "It's some great pig hunting
here in Oz. There's even a big-*** croc in this."
Red Stag & Fallow Buck Hunting New Zealand May 2013 with the floridly-named Ample Hunting
shows two weeks of great deerstalking.
And finally we are back in London for of one of the many gunmaking firms called Rigby.
There was John Rigby, which passed into American ownership a few years ago, there was another
John Rigby in London which last year agreed to stop using the name, and there is now a
Rigby owned by the people who own Blaser Rifles. Look at all the Rigbys - where do they all
come from? This film marks the relaunch of Rigby as a London gunmaker and is a production
by the shooting writer Michael Yardley.
You can click on any of these films to watch them. If you have a YouTube film you would
like us to pop in to the weekly top eight, send it in via YouTube, or email me the link
charlie@fieldsportschannel.tv
We are back next week but first, it's competition time. It's our super Chinese panda give away.
This is my daughter Daisy who has been looking after the Panda. Show the panda Daisy. Now
we asked you how you like Pandas. We like them with onion rings and we also asked you
when the panda appeared in our Chinese programme. Lots of you sent in your entries and Daisy
will now pick a winner and Daisy it is you. No it's not it is Dave Brennan. Pandas are
clever skating behind that photographer on tele says Dave. Well Dave, Panda coming out
to you.
Now a slightly more useful competition, we have got fox calls from Steve Larsson in Australia.
I won't attempt to blow them now. You can have a click on the screen how to do it. We
have got more Facebook competitions coming up later this week including tickets to the
CLA Game Fair that you can win and talking of the Game Fair we have got our big screen
at the Gunmakers pub at Gunmakers Road. Drop by for a chat. This has been Fieldsports Britain.