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[Music]
Welcome to Fieldsports Britain. Coming up forget Starsky and Hutch, Cagney and Lacey,
Crockett and Tubbs - we have our own fox shooting double act it is Gilchrist and Lupton.
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee.
We've got more gundog training tips thanks to Skinners Pet foods.We've got news stump,
we have got hunting youtube, but first we're after some trade secrets from ferreting aficionado
Simon Whitehead.
Simon Whitehead is a professional ferreter - that's part pest controller, part clown,
part poet and part transportation engineer. When he's not sorting out the local rabbit
population he's writing for Shooting Times or keeping us entertained around game fair
arenas across the country.
Today we find him in Norfolk on a new piece of ground that needs the Whitehead touch.
It's not crop damage they're worried about, it's people breaking their ankles in rabbit
holes on these overspill car parks. And he takes the job very seriously.
You have got to be clinical, you have got to be single minded and a bit selfish, because
all I want to do is catch these rabbits. So if it means putting 100 nets down, 200 nets
down, if it means getting the dogs out, if it means me shooting at night and staying
here all night or trapping it. That is what I will do to get the job done. Because at
the end of the day we are working for a reputation and that reputation will take decades and
decades to build, but if you don't do your job you will destroy it in about 30 seconds.
Joining Simon today are Digger, Torchy, Sean, Milly and, of course, Simon's patriotic ferrets.
Like all working animals they have their strengths and weaknesses. Simon chooses which ones to
work depending on the ground.
But with ferrets it is your glass half full, your glass half empty, because if we are working
under roads you don't want a ferret that is going to stay there all day with a rabbit
where as I do here. So you tend to know how the ferrets work. Some work and some don't
work no matter how well the brain. So you are continually having a turn over of stock
to pick the best one to breed from.
After a couple of cappuccinos (all media ferreters drink cappuccino these days - didn't you know?),
we're caffeined up for the first assault of the day - a bank riddled with holes. Simon
directs the troops. All escape routes are covered in purse nets - and woe betide anyone
who lets a rabbit escape. Simon does not like runners.
The rabbits start popping out and some get a helping hand - with ferret still in tow.
It seems to be a point about there where you press which seems to make their jaws open.
You have got to be humane with the rabbits and deal with them and then sort the ferret
out.
Milly is supposed to be on Simon's side of the fence for any mopping up, but seeing all
the fun's on the other side, she gets involved ...
Milly has got it. She has got it.
Another healthy rabbit is added to the tally which will be about what today Mr Whitehead??
Well, I want every rabbit here really, but I know it is not going to happen. But we are
going to try. Don't know ... what do you reckon Shaun, 40? Between 30 and 40. Then you might
see Whitehead smile. Any less and you will see a grimace. Is that about right?
I don't mind. How ever many we catch the important thing is they don't escape.
We don't mention that word, not escapees.
Oh dear, spoke too soon and we have an escapee. Digger gets a yellow card. Simon knows, however,
that nets work both ways.
Back netted. It has come out of there, slipped digger and come down there, so ... get him
out dispatch him. We will have to tell Digger now that we have recinded his yellow card
so he is safe for another day.
Having worked the bank we cross to the hedge line. With so many holes we play the numbers
game hoping to film that bunny rocketing out of the the bury. This one has a quick peek
- and decides the other way is better. Oops. Bad decision.
Having had some bolting bunnies to start with, they now seem to be holding tight. The ferret
finders work brilliantly. Simon locates the ferret then extricates the rabbit. He is well
known for his Inspector Gadget-like arms, reaching rabbits others fail to grasp, though
even he needs some extra length now and again.
Yeah ... I am going to try in there ... let me get a stick.
So that stick will go under and you will feel the fur and when you draw it out you will
have a bit of fur on the stick so you will know there is a rabbit in there. Your arm
will reach that far, with a stick you can reach that far, just in case there is another.
With a bit more digging Sean offers to have a quick go at the bank but soon regrets it.
We lose a rabbit and he gains a golf club.
He is grumpy now because he missed a rabbit so he has got his golf club, second rabbit,
God forbid it, will give him a golf ball, then a T and if he does it four times we will
get his membership and he won't be ferreting.
Lunchtime and Torchy show us his swing.
Look at this. Yes.
That is what happens when cousins make love.
Because of the government's lack of care.
That is the result, that is the result.
What this is the government cut back of the care in the community. They would be locked
up with duvet wall paper, but now we have got to take him out.
Aunty Dr and Uncle Ken.
OK Sean lets leave it there.
Now we said we were going to bring you a few tips and tricks of the trade. Here's one to
play with. The Donk Board. It's a bit like pinball for rabbits. If successful, it keeps
the bunnies in play.
Especially if we are shooting the ... rabbits it makes sense because we can't get a stock
net through there. So the rabbits are going to feel safe. So with this board hopefully,
they will run up, hit it, it goes ***. Two seconds later we know it is going to come
out. It is going to come out that side or this side. We are going to put a lovely great
stock net along there across the top and the bottom to try and persuade them to come out
and get Milly to stretch her legs.
The Donk Board is ideal for this hedge as netting would be a real pain. Anyway, let's
give it a go. And, for a but of fun, we've put a camera on Milly.
Our first rabbit does bolt but hits one of the few nets and Milly soon hits it.
Catching a rabbit in a net you have got to be careful of the back claws. You can get
a claw through and will cause serious damage to your hand. So make it quick and make sure
you keep an eye on those claws. Because those claws are razor sharp. They are razor sharp
those claws.
Then we get a couple that give Milly something to chase - the rabbit is out in the open field
and beats Milly to the fence. This is similar to baseball. It heads back down the fence,
hits the Donk Board, knocks it over and makes a home run.
The second runner follows the hedge - is turned back by the Donk Board - comes back again
and finds a hole...
So close ... and exciting stuff.
Milly loses the camera and finally makes contact with a rabbit. It has the scars to show that
it's been trying to wait it out at a stop end.
It is in a dead end that is what is being presented to the ferret and it is trying to
get it to turn.
The boys persist. Each dig delivers a rabbit. It's labour intensive but that's the way Simon
operates. For him, this is not sport. He needs to disrupt the population dynamics of these
bunnies and that means a multi-pronged approach.
Country people have proved it time and time again. By hiding, ferreting, shooting and
other methods together, what you don't get with one you will get with another. It is
about upsetting their natural cycle, their balance, their breeding stock their numbers.
It is about destroying their territory because otherwise they are going to regroup and start
over again.
In all we bag 31 rabbits with the ferrets. Simon's now going out with the night vision
and air rifle to upset things even more.
Simon Whitehead: he takes no prisoners, never plays golf, and always gets his rabbit.
Well we have of course made lots of ferreting and lurcher type films if you can see that
screen up there on youtube and you click on it you can go through and watch some of them.
Now it is over to David on the Fieldsports Channel News Stump.
[Music]
This is Fieldsports Britain News.
Shooters are helping the Red Squirrel Trust in Wales. BASC has hooked up with the organisation
to shoot grey squirrels in Gwynned. The two organisations already work together in Anglesey
which now contains the largest and most genetically diverse red squirrel population in Wales with
more than 500 animals Squirrel Nutkins living a grey-free life.
Staying with squirrels and there are more than fifty shades of grey, with this one from
near Edinburgh at one extreme of the spectrum. The albino squirrel has had an outing in the
Daily Mail, which reported that it is called Albert. At the other end of the scale, black
versions of the grey squirrel, common in East Anglia, may recolour grey squirrels permanently,
according scientists, because the black gene is dominant.
George Digweed has kicked the new clay season off in style with a hard-fought win in South
Africa.
He won gold after a sudden death shoot out against fellow brit Mark Marshall. After the
win George said that this season looks set to be one of the most hard-fought ever, and
he's relishing the challenge
It's bad news for duck in the USA. A state game & parks commission is expecting a population
crash because duck hunter numbers are falling. From a high of more than 2 million in the
1970s, only 1.3 million duck hunting ‘stamps' - as the licence is known - were sold in 2012.
This means less money for conservation of waterfowl habitat.
Police are investigating after a fox was attacked by hounds on a busy main road in the Carmarthenshire
Hunt country. A passenger on a bus took this photograph and posted it anonymously to the
Spotted Carmarthen Facebook group. The Carmarthenshire Hunt was 20 miles away at the time, with police
protecting it from antis.
The Zambian hunters organisation says it welcomes the country's one-year ban on hunting in the
country. The Resident Hunters Association of Zambia says the ban will ‘bring sanity
to the hunting industry' after what it calls ‘a lot of confusion in the wildlife sector'
And finally, Daddy-O's Frozen Yoghurt store in Medford, New Jersey got a shock this week.
A deer crashed through the window, knocked over some chairs and then crashed out again.
You are now up to date with Fieldsports Britain News. Stalking the stories. Fishing for facts.
[Music]
Thank you David. Now that crazy, limey shoot boy Mark Gilchrist tends to fly solo when
he is out at night with a gun, but this time he is taking with him legendary ace Roy Lupton.
You ever get that feeling it's going to be a long night? - it doesn't start well - low
fuel in the Argo means a trip to the nearest petrol station. Then Mark starts talking about
fashion and fabric conditioner.
Billabong or something like that, apparently it is the height of fashion.
Really, where?
Apparently it has that lovely Lenor fresh smell. Then they just get covered in ...
***.
Something disgusting that stinks.
It's so cold tonight that it's all about layers. A promising night's foxing can quickly be
ruined without proper thought and consideration for one's attire.
But it's amazing what a fox in your sights can do to shut the cold out. One down.
Perfect shot. Look at that. Perfect. That is that dog. I thought there would be a dog
here. There we go. One down.
We're pretty exposed out here on the marshlands. With no night vision or urban light pollution,
we could be on the moon. Happily this moon has foxes. Roy gets on to another.
Two foxes.
Mark marks it using the latest version of his app. Every fox and rabbit we pick tonight
will get logged: the date and location will not only be added to the database but the
info will also automatically be sent to the farmer. It's a shame it doesn't record size
as well, as it's a big dog fox.
Another dog. I am not surprised at that size. He's huge isn't he.
Farmer complained that he could hear them the other night and I managed to miss one
the other day. A spot about 800 yards from here which is where we are going to go next.
So I think we might stand a chance of getting another three or four. Onwards and upwards.
Our next call produces a great response. A *** comes charging in. She's too close for
the rifle and yet a change of position keeps her in the game. Roy is chuffed and Mark is
genuinely impressed.
That *** just would not stop she came steaming straight in. We even shouted at her to try
and stop her, but she wasn't having any of it and literally just passed in front of the
argo about 15 yards off. If we had a shot gun we could have easily dealt with her as
she ran past us. But luckily she ran passed and just over the brow. We pulled the argo
back round and came just over the brow and caught sight of her again and just gave her
a little bit of squeak and where she was so curious and obviously very hungry she gave
us a second opportunity. Brilliant, yes absolutely brilliant especially with the white light.
I love going out with the night vision and it is great going out with the red filter.
When you have got foxes which are not lamp shy what so ever and they are coming in and
when you have got the white light out. You just can't beat it because you see so much
more.
As soon as you put in your mouth I thought ... well you have got more toys than me. I
don't want to come across as all jealous, but I thought another gimic but no I am pretty
impressed with it.
Midnight comes and goes. It takes a while before our next fox, but it's another nice
one. And now it's surely time to call it a night?
Shall we see if there are any more on the way back.
Oh yes, we are not letting David go to bed.
He is bleating on though isn't he?
It is childish - you are in the wrong job. You are in the wrong job. I want to work in
an office. At ITV we clocked off at five o'clock. I need a tea break, my bottom hurts. Can I
have a sandwich? Come on David.
David has asked for it to be known that Gilchrist finally dragged himself out of his pit the
following day at 11am when Roy phoned him. Roy was crying inside the whole time - and
they had a proper seat with leg room.
Right. On with the film and, well, that's where it pretty much ends: four foxes on the
deck with some cracking shooting from Roy. Gilchrist taking out a few extra bunnies with
his night vision when the opportunity presents itself.
A good night really. There are a few more we are going to have to come back and get
another time that just wouldn't play the game. I think we need to get a rest and there were
There are definitely a few more foxes out there to go and play with. As I say there
are one or two there who are lamp shy. We will get the night vision set up for those
and hopefully account for those without too much bother. I am absolutely bloody frozen.
Let's get home.
Didn't they do well and if you want to see more foxing films, click on the screen up
there behind me.
Now we are off to look at some kit with Kit Special.
Kit special this week looks again at sporting guns that we love the most. Here's a quick
review of the secondhand guns on the new website GunsDirect.co.uk that its users have viewed
most often.
Starting with fullbore rifles - and it is not the rifle so much as the price. It's a
Parker-Hale in .243 screw cut for moderator for just £200. Founded in 1880 on the promise
of delivering more accurate rifles, Parker Hale was for much of the 20th century a mighty
of the Birmingham gun trade.
Most popular shotgun is a £150 AYA. The Spanish-made boxlock non-ejector with 28-inch barrels is
choked 3/4 and 1/4. There was a time when the Birmingham gun trade blamed Spain for
its decline.
Top airgun choice on GunsDirect.co.uk is, like last week, a BSA Mercury in-------- .22
for £145. BSA, one of the titans of the Birmingham trade alongside Parker Hale, is now owned
by Spanish company Gamo. Aha! Or as they say in Birmingham these days ‘Ole'.
That is it. Feast your eyes, fish into your pockets. Thanks for watching. This is Kit
Special.
From hardware to our furry friends. We are learning gun dog training tips thanks to the
experts sponsored by Skinners Petfoods makers of the Field & Trial range of dog food.
A pheasant gets up, the shot goes off, the bird is down, your dog completes a perfect
retrieve but then it all goes wrong. How much displeasure should you show to a dog?
Spaniel, Micky, decided he was going to help him with his lord and unfortunately went to
grab it. Den being the sensitive dog that he is gave it up very, very easily. It is
not what I wanted because I have got a wounded bird I want it back quickly I don't want dogs
mouthing it. So as a result Micky got a ticking off. He is quite a sensitive dog. You tailor
your ticking off to your dog. Some dogs need a firm hand. Some dogs a growl would be more
than enough. So the art in training a dog is knowing what type of dog you have got and
what level of pressure it requires. Too much pressure and you will get the dog worried.
Not enough pressure and you are always ticking the dog off.
Now I would say that Micky had a really big ticking off there from the outside. So that
is not a big ticking off particularly.
The question is, if it is a serious ticking off the dog is worried when off you go again.
If you can see in the video Micky then hunts on quite happily afterwards. So actually hopefully
it is lesson learned, but I haven't squashed his drive or enthusiasm I have got him that
upset.
A little bit later on, like a naughty child, you gave him his retrieve.
I gave him his retrieve. The thing is he worked hard all morning he watched the other dogs
having retrieved he is a capable retriever so I wanted the reward for his efforts was
a nice straight forward little pheasant that he went out and picked very nicely and brought
to hand.
Ricky Moloney runs Ribblesdale Labradors. This series on gundog training tips is brought
to you by Skinners Petfoods, maker of the Field & Trial range of gundog feeds. Visit
www.SkinnersPetfoods.co.uk
From dogs to all kinds of hunting on Youtube. It is Hunting YouTube.
This is Hunting YouTube, which aims to show the best hunting, shooting and fishing videos
that YouTube has to offer.
Viewer Laif Mearns contacts us from Australia to recommend a video by Ben Smith that, he
says, speaks for itself and embodies what most Australian hunters experience. He's ***
on there. Outback Hunting Trip 2012-2013: Pigs and Goats is a cracker. Thank you Laif.
Back to the old country, The Decoy Boys, two friends in the north-east of Ireland (Co Monaghan
and Co Louth), are out in this film at the end of the pheasant season with a red setter.
Staying in Erin, James McKiernan of CountrySportsCavan sends in his latest film showing crows, jackdaws
and sheep, and revealing that he isn't actually allowed to shoot here - but he is proud of
his new scopecam, so that's all right then. He says he is not going to put up another
film until we feature this one in Hunting YouTube. So here it is.
Fishing in Iceland, what better company than the remarkable entrepreneur, angler and environmentalist
Orri Vigfússon? Icelandic Angling Club by Fish Berserk takes us to his four rivers:
(once again, forgive the accent) Selá, Hofsá, Fljótaá and Laxá in Adaldalur.
Now we're off to the USA for TN Wild Side - PJ's First Fish. This is a story about a
little boy who gets a surprise on a summer morning. It just took a few minutes, but it
may have changed his life and his parents say it may have changed theirs too. Wild Side
Guide Craig Owensby takes us there.
Let's go arty. Shotgun impacts in slow motion by TheSlowMoGuys•is the result of one of
their subscribers who wanted to see slow motion clay pigeon shooting. With the help of Barry
the farmer and his shotgun, it is amazing to see the spread of the lead shot, and the
speed that it moves even in slow motion. And it is a shocking waste of fruit.
More arty stuff here. Jan Renaer sends in a Dutch documentary about shooting, shot in
HD at 7,000 images per second. Fieldsports Channel generally manages a best of 5,000fps.
It's only a trailer for a longer documentary but it's beautiful.
Finally, viewer Angel Sancho recommends his own film which he calls "a nice video about
hunting without guns". We are in Spain, hunting perdices rojas (red-legged partridges) with
a halcón peregrino (peregrine falcon) and an azor (a goshawk).
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
Another film you could watch is the latest in our new series, School Challenge TV. This
week, it takes a look at Schools Challenge events coming up in 2013. And there is a feature
on clay pigeons, clay pigeon traps, and the technology behind them. It is a YouTube Show,
alongside shows such as Top Gear, and there is a link to it on the screen.
Well we are back next week and if you are watching this on Youtube don't hesitate to
hit the subscribe button which is somewhere on the outside of the screen. Or go to our
webpage www.fieldsportschanne.tv where you can click to like us on Facebook or follow
us on Twitter or scroll down to the bottom of the page and put your email address into
our constant contact form and we will be in touch with you every week about our show which
is out at 7pm UK time on Wednesdays. This has been Fieldsports Britain.