Hunting & shooting "almost universally good" for conservation

Of course we knew it already, but it's good to have it confirmed by 40 of Britain's leading scientists in a book so important it's being called "the Domesday book of British wildlife".

Silent Summer provides a complete picture of Britain's wild animals and plants, charting the decline of many of our farmland birds, hares, voles, butterflies and other insects, due largely to the sweeping changes in farming and loss of habitat since 1957. Sir David Attenborough says in the foreword: "This book... gives us a benchmark. It is invaluable now and in the future it will be irreplaceable."

And "controversially" Robin Sharp, Chair Emeritus of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, says that "field sports ... have been almost universally good for the hunted species and the non-hunted, non-predators that thrive in the same habitat".

"...those who hunt and / or shoot provide significant conservation benefits," he says, going on to call on hunters and shooters to make more effort to explain the benefits of their activities to conservationists, policy-makers and the public.

"Overwhelmingly the target species for field sports have fared well over the last century ... More game-keeping, game crops and habitat management would undoubtedly achieve even more."

Something you might want to point out next time some animal rights numpty is whining on about saving the planet by going vegan and banning everything in sight.

The Telegraph published an excellent review of the book here.

Tooth & Claw

What is Tooth & Claw? Sure it's a book, an image library and a website. But it's also a campaign, and an idea.

I've had a sneak preview of the book, and it's stunning. 200-plus pages of some of the best wildlife photography I've seen, by Peter Cairns and Mark Hamblin. Here are wolves, sea eagles, foxes, seals and wild cats like you've never seen them before.

© tooth&claw.co.uk

We all love to look at beautiful photos of wildlife. It's like that moment when you're waiting for pigeons and a sparrowhawk screams past. Or you're watching through the binoculars and see a fox pouncing on a vole. You feel privileged to see one of nature's athletes doing what it does best.

But the breathtaking images are merely the window dressing for something much deeper. The book sets out to make us reassess how we feel about predators. Like the foxshooter's lamp, it shines a million-candlepower beam on something that was previously hidden in the dark.

The authors fearlessly tackle subjects from foxhunting to keeping pet cats to reintroducing predators like sea eagles, wolves and bears to Britain's countryside. They talk to people on all sides of the debate - preservationists, conservationists, scientists, shooters, keepers and hunters.

And which side are they on? Frustratingly, they don't let on. What comes through is their belief in talking openly and honestly about the way we live with predators.

That's not easy to do in an area where everyone starts from an entrenched position and an attitude of "you're either with us or against us". But that's what Peter Cairns and Mark Hamblin have done, and they've done it very well.

© tooth&claw.co.uk

I think this book marks a turning point in the way we talk about predators in Britain. Some of the old school will find it hard to take, but I believe that the debate it sparks can only be good for shooting, shooters, the countryside, and for the predators themselves.

Find out more (and order a copy of the book) at the Tooth & Claw website.

Wolf Brother

I've been reading Wolf Brother, by Michelle Paver, a remarkable story about a boy living a hunter-gatherer life in prehistoric times. You'll love it or hate it; I loved it.

One of the striking things about the book is the level of detail about primitive skills and technology. Michelle took her research very seriously, not only studying archaeology and anthropology, but actually living with modern day hunter-gatherers such as the Sami of Lapland and the Inuit of the Arctic.

In her author's note she writes: "What does spruce resin taste like? Or reindeer heart, or smoked elk? ...Fortunately it's still possible to find out, at least to some extent, because parts of the Forest still remain. I've been there. And at times, it can take about three seconds to go back six thousand years. If you hear red deer bellowing at midnight, or find fresh wolf-tracks crossing your own; if you suddenly have to persuade a very edgy bear that you're neither threat nor prey..."

Michelle has also studied wolves very closely, and the book includes a great deal of detail about how wolves communicate, and what humans can understand from their body language, behaviour and sounds.

Perhaps what gripped me more than anything was the insight into the beliefs and thought-processes of hunter-gatherers - again drawn from Michelle's studies and direct experience of so-called 'primitive' people today. Much of what she writes underpins the modern sportsman's thinking. It goes to the heart of what it is to be a 'hunter', in tune with the natural world, and helps explain the paradox of caring for wildlife and also killing it.

Here's a taster:

It took Torak two full days to butcher the carcass. He'd made the buck a promise, and he had to keep it by not wasting a thing. That was the age-old pact between the hunters and the World Spirit. Hunters must treat prey with respect, and in return the Spirit would send more prey... After a final round of soaking and drying, he had a reasonable skin of rawhide for rope and fishing-lines... While the hide was drying, he cut the meat into thin strips and hung them over a smoky birchwood fire...

You can read more about Michelle Paver on her website. The book, Wolf Brother, is available at bookshops or at Amazon. You can also download the entire book in a series of podcasts here. It's the first book in a series that isn't yet finished - book 4 is complete, but there are more to come. I can't wait!

Meet Chips

Regular readers will know I'm a fan of the book Each Day A Small Victory by Chips Hardy.

Tobias from the book's publishers, Can of Worms Press, is holding three book signings over the next few days, and has kindly extended an invitation to any Sporting Shooter readers who'd like to go. I'm planning to go along to the Fulham Road event.

Click on the invitation above to see a larger, legible version.

Chips Hardy

Today I interviewed Chips Hardy, author of 'Each Day a Small Victory'. He came to the West London Shooting School, where we were doing a company clay day - and I led him a merry dance trying to find somewhere quiet enough to record an interview. We ended up doing the interview in my car, which seemed to be the only place where there weren't dogs barking, helicopters flying over, or people chatting loudly!

It was fascinating to hear about his research for the book, and he told me about a curious incident that happened while he was writing it. It had been a while since he had done any work on the book, and one day he was driving along when a stoat ran into the road in front of him, stood up on its hind legs and chattered at him. Then it ran to the stone wall at the side of the road, and ran alongside the car, still chattering. Bearing in mind the central character of the book is a stoat, he took this as a sign that he should get on and finish writing it!

I'll include my interview with Chips in the next podcast - watch this space!

These animals ain't cute!

I've been reading a remarkable little book - 'Each Day a Small Victory' by Chips Hardy. It's a kind of cute animal tale with a twist - it ain't cute! Far from it. This is anthropomorphic nature red in tooth and claw, with a twist of black humour.

The anti-hero of the book, Max, is a stoat whose only aim in life is to find his next meal, while avoiding becoming someone else's. In that sense, it's the most honest animal story I've ever come across, and it's a great read.

Chips clearly knows his countryside very well indeed - there is plenty of detail about the various animal characters and their habits. Apparently he is a British Comedy Award winner, and has produced and written for TV and theatre. I'm planning to interview him shortly - should be fascinating!

The book has some stunning illustrations (above) by Oscar Grillo, who has worked on Monsters Inc and Men in Black, among others.

The publisher's blurb says this book spearheads a new genre in literature, which they're calling 'rural noir'. I suspect it could prove to be a one-off. Either way it's set to become a classic. Read it. Just don't give it to any sensitive young nieces or nephews unless you know what you're doing!

'Each Day a Small Victory' by Chips Hardy. Published by Can of Worms Press, hardback, £12.99. (See the comment on this post for a link to the publisher's website).