Fish and Game

This week Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner are ambushed with listener questions they haven't seen in advance.First up: why is fishing and shooting full of experienced people confidently giving beginners completely contradictory advice? They get into the usefulness, or otherwise, of simply shouting "more lead", dads convincing children that talking scares the fish, jargon as a barrier to entry, why bluffing is usually a terrible idea and what actually makes somebody worth inviting back.Then "Nick in the Woods" asks what game really wants from a woodland. That leads into woodland edges, coppicing, rides, warm banks, scallops, cover, roosting, woodcock, deer management and how to create a useful mosaic without forgetting that woodland may also need to produce timber and support everything else living in it.There are also sausage rolls, fishing flies, the correct use of a hankie and a final reminder that all your careful woodland management may be for nothing if the grey squirrels get there first.In this episode:Why "just give it more lead" isn't particularly useful adviceJargon, etiquette and learning without pretending you know everythingHow to be the sort of guest people actually invite backWhat pheasants need from woodland: light, cover, warmth and edgesCoppicing, rides and balancing game, deer, forestry and wider wildlifeWhy grey squirrel management mattersUseful links:How to Be Asked Again by Rosie NickersonGWCT: Woodland Conservation and PheasantsBASC: Preparing for your first driven day's shootingFish & Game on InstagramSupport SideCountry on PatreonDISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

Jake is a bit crook this week, so Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner are joined by Richard Prideaux to talk about something everybody assumes they have covered until it all goes wrong: staying safe outdoors.Richard spent years working in mountain rescue, outdoor safety and risk training, but this isn't about turning a day's fishing or shooting into a special forces operation. It's about working out what can realistically go wrong, what actually matters and what you can do about it before you leave the house.  They get into the difference between likelihood and consequence, why experienced people can become more complacent than beginners, the idea of thinking "left of bang", telling somebody where you're going, first aid, group dynamics and why sometimes the safest thing you can do is tell one of your mates to stop being an idiot. There is also a beater who is specifically told not to go near a mine shaft and promptly goes to look at it, 25 people and 17 dogs wandering over to have a look, spaniel emergencies solved by mars bars and Richard explaining why the last time he nearly died was on a boat and definitely wasn't his fault. In this episode:  Why experience can sometimes make you less safeLikelihood, consequence and how we actually judge riskThinking "left of bang" before something goes wrongWhat to think about when shooting, stalking or fishing aloneThe mine shaft incident and the problem of secondary casualtiesFirst aid for people and dogs in the fieldWhy group dynamics can make sensible people do stupid thingsNear misses, shortcuts and learning from other people's mistakes Useful links:  - Support SideCountry on Patreon Part of the SideCountry Network.DISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

Why doesn't Britain have its own MeatEater?This week Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner are joined by SideCountry producer and conservationist Amy Green to compare British field sports media with one of America's biggest hunting brands.They look at why MeatEater reaches beyond people who already hunt, how adventure, ecology, food and storytelling make field sports feel more accessible, and whether British shooting still presents itself through too much tweed, tradition and exclusivity.  The conversation also gets into wild food, rough shooting, conservation, the difference between explaining and defending field sports, and whether British media has forgotten to show why people enjoy doing this stuff in the first place. In this episode:- Why MeatEater works beyond an audience of hunters- The difference between British and American field sports media- Whether UK shooting looks too elitist and inaccessible- Why adventure, ecology and food make a better story than just the kill- What British field sports could learn from MeatEater- Why shooting media may spend too much time defending itself- Talking to the neutral majority rather than committed opponents- Showing where wild food actually comes from- How Fish and Game could tell better stories about the countrysideUseful links: - Support SideCountry on Patreon- Fish and Game on SideCountry- MeatEater- MeatEater Shows- Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing- SideCountry Part of the SideCountry Network.DISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

A gundog is not, as Sam points out, a dog with a gun.This week Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner get into the dogs that make a day in the field possible, from pointers and setters to spaniels, Labradors and the assorted pets that somehow find themselves in a beating line.They look at the different jobs gundogs have been bred to do: finding, flushing, pointing and retrieving game, and why the perfect dog for one job might be completely wrong for another.But this isn’t really about perfectly trained demonstration dogs. Most people have a dog that spends far more time being part of the family than working on a shoot, so how much should we actually expect from them?There are spaniels that won’t retrieve, Labradors that can apparently straighten corkscrews, dogs that know when there’s absolutely nothing in the cover you’re trying to send them into, and the occasional reminder that a badly behaved gundog can ruin a drive remarkably quickly.They also talk about picking up, beating, peg dogs, steadiness, recall, trusting a dog’s nose and the work that goes into building a partnership between dog and handler.And eventually it comes back to the reason most of us have them in the first place. They might be muddy, stubborn, expensive and occasionally embarrassing, but a day in the field is almost always better with a dog.In this episode:What actually makes a gundogThe different jobs of pointers, setters, spaniels and retrieversFindy dogs, flushy dogs and fetchy dogsThe difference between a working dog and a family pet that also worksWhy expectations matter when your dog only shoots a handful of days each yearHPRs and the hunt, point, retrieve combinationCockers and springers in the beating lineLabradors and the art of picking upPeg dogs and what makes a good oneWhy recall and a stop whistle matter so muchSteadiness around game and other dogsWhat makes a useful beating dogWhat makes a good picking-up dogLearning to trust your dog’s noseWorking dogs in water and on wildfowling daysWhy some dogs are simply better suited to certain jobsThe reality of owning a spanielWhy the relationship between dog and handler matters more than perfectionThe memories you build with working dogsWhy a day in the field is nearly always better with a dogUseful links:– Support SideCountry on Patreon– The Game Fair: Dogs and Gundog Events– The Game Fair: Home International Gundog Competitions– Royal Kennel Club: Field Trials and Working Gundogs– Royal Kennel Club: New to Field Trials?– Royal Kennel Club: Gundog Training Days– The Gundog Club: Graded Training SchemePart of the SideCountry Network.DISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

How do you get into country sports when you didn't grow up around them?Listener James has recently moved from a major city to rural Wales with his young family. He wants to get involved in country life but has no shooting or fishing background and nobody locally to show him the ropes. So where do you start? Apply for a shotgun certificate? Buy a fishing rod? Book a shoot day? Join an organisation? Or simply find somebody who knows what they're doing?Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner reckon the answer is much simpler: don't rush out and buy all the kit. Go beating.They explain what a beating line actually does, how to find a local shoot, what you need for your first day and why listening to the keeper and watching the people either side of you is considerably more useful than trying to learn all the lingo beforehand.But beating is also about much more than moving birds towards a line of Guns. For somebody new to an area, it can provide an instant community and a route into dogs, clays, game shooting, pigeon shooting, fishing and the wider rural world. It can also involve flags, radios, sausage rolls, chocolate-based bribery and, apparently, free sloe gin from 9.30 in the morning.There are also stories of children disappearing into bogs, beaters quietly starting to support the pheasant after enough Guns have missed it, and the particular satisfaction of coming home wet, tired and covered in brambles after a day spent outside with good people.And, as James has now proved, they really do read the emails.In this episode:How to get into country sports when you have no previous experienceWhy you probably shouldn't buy a gun or fishing rod straight awayWhy beating is one of the easiest ways into the shooting worldWhat a beater actually doesHow to find a local shoot and introduce yourselfWhat to wear and what to take on your first dayUnderstanding the beating line and listening to the keeperTaking children and family alongBeaters' Day and getting your first experience on the gun lineHow beating can lead to dogs, clays, pigeon shooting and other country sportsWhy chocolate, sausage rolls and port can make you surprisingly popularThe social side of joining a shootFavourite memories from the beating lineUseful links:- BASC: Beating- Fish and Game: From Zero to Salmon - sort of- SideCountry NetworkDISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

What does The Gentlemen actually get right about a driven shoot?Season two of Guy Ritchie's Netflix series opens with a grand shooting party at the Horniman family estate. There are aristocrats, international guests, matching guns, loaders, helicopters, business deals and some fairly questionable CGI birds.Spoiler warning: this episode discusses the opening episode of season two of The Gentlemen.But if this was your first glimpse of driven game shooting, how much of it resembles the real thing?Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner go through the shoot scene and separate the television flourishes from the surprisingly authentic bits.They look at why shoot days are such social occasions, the difference between an invitation from a mate and the shooting equivalent of a corporate box, and why the gamekeeper remains in charge regardless of how wealthy or important the Guns might be.There is also etiquette, loaders, picking-up teams, gun choice, hot pegs, the final bag and what someone going on their first driven day should actually expect.And because a Guy Ritchie crime drama cannot be allowed to pass without consequences, Sam finishes with a quiz asking Jake and Avian to distinguish between varieties of pheasant and varieties of weed.In this episode:What The Gentlemen gets right about driven shootingWhat television inevitably gets wrongWhy a shoot day is about more than pulling the triggerInvitations, networking and the shooting equivalent of a corporate boxWhy the gamekeeper runs the dayShoot etiquette and knowing how to behaveGuns, loaders and picking-up teamsGreedy shooting and sporting behaviourWhat happens at the end of a driven dayWhat to expect from your first shootWhy syndicates can be a good way into game shootingCGI birds and suspiciously summery shoot daysWeed or pheasant?Useful links:Netflix: The GentlemenThe Code of Good Shooting PracticeSideCountryPlease note: If you are new to game shooting, seek appropriate instruction, listen carefully to the shoot briefing and always follow current firearms law and safety guidance.Part of the SideCountry Network.DISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

What exactly counts as a British deer?Is it a red stag on a whisky bottle, a muntjac standing beside the A11, or a Chinese water deer that appears to have grown a pair of fangs?Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner take a look at the six species of deer living wild in Britain, with Sam bringing some first-hand experience from farming red deer.They work through red, roe, fallow, sika, muntjac and Chinese water deer, including where they came from, where you are likely to find them and the surprisingly complicated business of what to call males, females and young.Then the conversation turns to deer management. Why have numbers and ranges increased so much? What happens when neighbouring landowners take completely different approaches? And how do forestry, farming, road collisions and sporting management all fit together?Sam explains how management works on deer farms and in the Highlands, while the three discuss the differences between managing deer for sport, controlling numbers and producing healthy animals for the food chain.There is also the curious economics of venison, why wild deer can sometimes be worth surprisingly little at carcass level, some very straightforward ideas for cooking it, and a final test of whether Jake and Sam can tell the difference between a deer term and a medieval insult.In this episode:The six species of wild deer found in BritainRed and roe deer, our two native speciesFallow, sika, muntjac and Chinese water deerRoe deer and delayed implantationWhy muntjac seem to be everywhereStags, bucks, hinds, does, calves, kids and fawnsWhy deer numbers and ranges have increasedDeer damage to woodland, crops and new plantingDeer and road traffic collisionsHighland versus lowland deer managementThe importance of managing females as well as malesFarmed deer and wild deerThe changing market for British venisonSimple ways to cook venisonDeer terms or medieval insultsUseful links:British Deer Society: UK deer speciesBritish Deer Society: Why manage deer?British Deer Society: Deer open seasonsBritish Deer Society: VenisonGOV.UK: Deer impacts policy statement for EnglandSideCountryPlease note: Deer seasons, legislation and management requirements vary across the UK and can change. Always check current guidance for the species and location concerned before carrying out deer management.Part of the SideCountry Network.DISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

What makes the grey partridge so special, and why is its French cousin now a far more familiar sight on British shoots?JOIN THE PATREON HERE: https://sidecountry.co.uk/supportWith the partridge season underway, Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner take a look at one of Britain's classic game birds.Jake has already been lucky enough to shoot both red-legged and wild grey partridge this season, which leads into the differences between the two birds, why grey numbers declined so dramatically and the habitat and predator management required to restore wild populations.They also get into the shooting itself, including walked-up versus driven partridge, why they somehow appear faster than pheasants, identifying greys and red-legs on the wing, and the particular challenge and privilege of shooting a sustainable surplus of wild English birds.Then there are cartridges, small-bore guns, early season shooting in shirt sleeves and Jake briefly believing he had mastered the .410 before normal service quickly resumed.Finally, they turn to the table and ask whether young partridge might actually be one of the finest game birds to eat.In this episode:Grey versus red-legged partridgeWhy red-legs are known as French partridgeThe decline and conservation of the wild greyHabitat, chick food and predator managementWhat a covey isWalked-up and driven partridge shootingWhy partridge can be deceptively difficult to hitIdentifying quarry before taking a shot12-bores, 20-bores, 28-bores and .410sSteel cartridges and lighter early season loadsWhy the season begins on 1 SeptemberWhy partridge deserves a place on the dinner tableUseful links:BASC: Shooting seasonsGame & Wildlife Conservation Trust: Conserving the grey partridgeGWCT: Partridge Count SchemePlease note: Grey and red-legged partridge seasons and regulations vary across the UK. Wild greys should only be shot where monitoring shows a sustainable surplus. Always follow current legislation and the instructions given at the shoot briefing.Part of the SideCountry Network.DISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

What exactly is fly-fishing?Is it the refined art of matching the hatch and delicately presenting an artificial fly to a feeding fish - or is it simply “fluff chucking”: standing beside a body of water, waving a rod around and hoping the fish do not laugh at you?Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner attempt to get to the bottom of it after Jake has won himself three days of salmon and sea-trout fishing in Scotland.There is only one slight problem: he hasnever really fly-fished before. So Sam and Avian are attempting to give him a crash course in the sport, covering what a fly rod actually does, dry flies and nymphs, matching the hatch, rods, reels, leaders, casting and the difference between trout and salmon fishing. They also get into why people become so obsessed with it: the escape, the challenge, the satisfaction of a perfect cast and the strange appeal of deliberately making catching a fish more difficult.Jake discovers that his salmon trip will involve bigger rivers, bigger rods and Spey casting, while Sam and Avian explain why a few lessons on a small trout lake may be a better starting point than heading straight for Scotland.There is also Jake’s plan to make fishing a family pursuit - with the added possibility that getting Mrs Woolf interested may make future permissions considerably easier.Plus sucky fish, Shakespearean nymphs, casts that sound like horse whips, cupboards full of unnecessary tackle and Avian’s ever-present sage advice.In this episode:What fly-fishing is and how the cast worksDry flies, nymphs and matching the hatchWhy fly-fishing feels more like huntingThe difference between trout and salmon fishingRods, reels, lines, leaders and basic beginner kitWhy timing matters more than strength when castingOverhead casting and Spey casting explainedWhere beginners should go to learnWhy a good instructor can save a lot of frustrationGetting children and families involvedWhy you probably do not need to buy quite as much tackle as you thinkThis is just the beginning of Jake’s journey from complete beginner to salmon fishing in Scotland.Useful links:GOV.UK — Rod fishing licencesGOV.UK — National rod fishing byelawsFisheries Management Scotland — Catch and release guidanceScottish Government — Wild salmon conservationPlease note: Fishing licence and permit requirements, close seasons, catch-and-release rules and salmon conservation measures vary between countries, rivers and individual fisheries and can change. Always check the current rules for the water you intend to fish.Part of the SideCountry Network.DISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.

What exactly counts as wildfowling? Is it any pursuit of wild ducks and geese, or does it only become wildfowling once you are cold, wet, deep in estuary mud and questioning your life choices?Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner attempt to get to the bottom of one of Britain’s oldest and most demanding forms of shooting.They look at the traditional world of foreshore wildfowling: early starts, evening flights, shifting tides, slippery mud, quarry identification and the importance of joining a club whose members know how to get safely onto and off the marsh.The conversation also covers the dogs, guns, cartridges, calls, decoys and clothing involved; why a synthetic semi-automatic may be more useful than Grandfather’s best gun; and whether a muddy Labrador is easier to clean than a spaniel.There is also a look back at the formidable punt guns once used by commercial wildfowlers, before attention turns to the most important question of all: what should you do with a duck or goose once you have brought it home?Plus duck cooked over coals, smoked goose, wildfowl burgers, questionable jerky experiments, Teflon Labradors, baritone chickadees and the familiar suggestion that a badly cooked Canada goose may be less appetising than the brick beneath it.In this episode:What wildfowling is — and whether mud is an essential part of the definitionWhy traditional wildfowling is closely associated with marshes, estuaries and the foreshoreHow clubs manage access, sporting rights, mentoring and local safetyThe importance of understanding tides and learning an unfamiliar marsh from experienced membersRecognising legal quarry before taking a shotWhy Labradors are so closely associated with wildfowlingCalls, decoys and attracting ducks and geeseWhy electronic bird calls cannot be usedChoosing a robust shotgun and suitable non-lead ammunitionWhy an inexpensive synthetic semi-automatic may be a practical choiceThe history and extraordinary scale of punt gunsClothing, communications and emergency planning on the foreshoreWhy newcomers should not venture onto unfamiliar tidal ground aloneKeeping both wildfowler and dog warm in difficult conditionsCooking duck and goose over fire, in a wok, as burgers, smoked or made into charcuterieWhy Avian may finally have talked himself into trying wildfowlingBASC introduction to wildfowlingBASC wildfowling permits, handbook and code of practiceBASC guide to quarry species and open seasonsUK Government guidance on hunting and shooting wildlifeThe Crown Estate — wildfowling and foreshore sporting rightsPlease note: Wildfowling law, quarry lists and local restrictions can change. Always check current government guidance and the rules of the club or land over which you are shooting.Part of the SideCountry Network.DISCLAIMERViews are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.