My son has a ‘museum of curiosities’ in his bedroom. His exhibits are eclectic and varied. Among others, he boasts a Cretaceous sea cucumber found in a local sugar beet field, a red stag head from a beast shot in Westmorland, a piece of Cambrian seabed lugged down a Welsh mountain and a stuffed weasel.
He has added a piece of cricket bat willow to the collection. It’s about 2ft in length and the bark has been entirely stripped, leaving lines of chisel-like gouges in the pith. The ends are cut at neat 45-degree angles, seemingly snicked by a sharp and skilfully swung billhook.
A marked smell emanates from the branch. At first sniff, there is a hint of badger-like muskiness. After a deeper draught, medicinal notes take over, reminding me of the wart cream I used to smear on the muzzles of yearlings. I found this stick deep within a fecund wet woodland on a fine old estate in Essex. It was one of many hundreds of sticks and logs that made up a beaver’s dam.
Archie Ruggles-Brise is the 11th generation of his family to own and manage the Spains Hall Estate near Finchingfield. For a man who owns an estate and has this many syllables to his name, Archie is both remarkably straight-talking and practical. He understands farming and is both qualified and experienced in all matters riparian — he was the head of the Tyne Rivers Trust.Gnawing teeth
This story is from the July 14, 2021 edition of Shooting Times & Country.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 14, 2021 edition of Shooting Times & Country.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside