Jack Pyke Fieldman Boots

I’ve never really been one for wearing lace-up boots for hunting but, after a couple of weeks' abuse, I’m really impressed with the new Jack Pyke Fieldman Boots. These rugged boots bridge the gap between my lightweight summer stalking trainers and wet weather wellies, and I'm looking forward to really putting them through their paces during the winter months. They have a 200g Thinsulate lining so I'm expecting them to keep my feet warm when the temperature starts to drop.
Although very robust, these chunky leather boots are surprisingly lightweight. They offer substantial ankle support while still providing sufficient movement to accommodate the sort of contortions shooters often find themselves getting into in the field, and the Vibram trek rubber soles provide great traction on slippery ground. According to Jack Pyke, they’re fully waterproof and the in-built antimicrobial treatment will keep them odour-free – only time will tell on those two scores.
It's only early days but my size 11 Fieldman Boots are very comfy. I've not experienced any of the rubbing that often has to be endured when breaking in new boots, and they're getting even more  comfortable with every outing as the gradual wear and tear makes them even more supple. I expect them to become a regular item in my hunting clobber, and also reckon they'll give decent service on fishing trips that don't entail sloshing through too much water.
These boots are packed with features and retail for £110, which is I think is great value considering they come with a 12-month guarantee. For more info, visit www.jackpyke.co.uk

New book on its way

I'm pleased to say that my new book, Air Rifle Hunting Through the Seasons - A Guide to Fieldcraft, is due for release before the end of October.
Whereas my first book, Hunting with Air Rifles - The Complete Guide, gave a broad overview of the sport, from choosing hardware and clothing to zeroing your scope and targeting live quarry, the emphasis of the new book is very much on fieldcraft and hunting techniques.
I've split it into seasonal sections covering hunting scenarios (more than 30 in total) to be encountered through spring, summer, autumn and winter. Each section covers changing hunting opportunities through the shifting seasons, how I pre-empt quarry behaviour and the techniques and equipment I use to make the most of my time in the field. There are also tips on preparing quarry for the table, and a selection of my favourite recipes for each season.

 

Published by MacNidder & Grace, the hardback book includes more than 100 colour photographs and, although still in the final stages of design, should come out at around 150-pages. Dorset artist Matt Donovan has produced some great illustrations to introduce each of the seasonal chapters (see below).

In memory of Barry Hutchins

The world of airgunning lost one of its greats with the passing of Barry Hutchins earlier this month.
A well-known and well-liked character on the shooting scene, Barry lived just a few miles from me and I was lucky enough to be able to call him a friend.
He was an avid collector of airguns, including several amazing custom jobs and a couple of the finest-looking springers I have ever seen.
But Barry was best-known for his contribution to the online shooting forums including Airgun Universe and, most recently, Planet Airgun. Barry's banter, not to mention his work behind the scenes, earned him countless loyal friends - many of whom joined him at his famous weekend gatherings.
I joined Barry and his gang on one of their shooting camps last year, and the atmosphere was terrific. To see friends brought together by their shared interest in shooting enjoying a weekend of camping, plinking and hunting - not to mention one or two dubious meals - was a joy in itself. Barry's tireless efforts to organise the gatherings, and tidy up afterwards, were typical of his selfless nature and he will no doubt be sorely missed at the next get-together.
Apart from organising and attending airgun shooting events, Barry was also famous for documenting them with photographs. He was rarely seen without his camera, and his pictures appeared in shooting magazines as well as on the web. They are a lasting legacy to the great man.

Time for trout cakes

With the longer days finally coinciding with some sunny weather, I've been making the most of the opportunity to snatch the occasional trout fishing trip after work.
Although I'm not blessed with the finest running water sport in my neck of the woods, there are plenty of day ticket trout fisheries within a short drive.

The classic evening rise is something of a rarity on such venues, but the trout in these heavily-stocked waters are usually eager to grab at a gaudy lure fished on an erratic retrieve. I'm not sure whether such patterns really do resemble anything in the aquatic world or whether trout just hit them out of annoyance. Either way the result is the same, and even small stocked rainbow trout will put a decent bend in a light fly rod.

Trout Cakes

One problem with stocked trout in small stillwaters is that they can taste a little muddy. Their pellet-boosted diet tends to result in flesh with a far earthier flavour than that of trout that caught from clear running water where they'll have fed on insects. But trout cakes make a tasty meal of even the earthiest stockies.

To serve two generously

You will need:

One 2lb/3lb trout

1lb potatoes

One knob of butter

One large onion

Half a lemon

Breadcrumbs

Fresh herbs

Salt and pepper

Peel potatoes then boil for 25 minutes or until they start to flake. Drain potatoes, add butter, salt and pepper and mash until smooth. Leave to cool.

While potatoes are boiling, cook trout under a medium grill for five minutes on each side. Peel off skin, flake meat from the bone and leave to cool.

Place cooled trout pieces, mashed potato and finely chopped onion in large bowl. Add chopped herbs (parsley works well), grated lemon rind and a grind of salt and pepper. Roll up your sleeves and mix thoroughly with your hands. Scoop mixture into burger-sized balls, roll in breadcrumbs and press into patties.

Grill for five minutes on each side until golden-brown. Serve with fresh salad, a squeeze of lemon and a generous glass of white wine.

Airgun days at Honeycombe Shoot

The Honeycombe Shoot on the Somerset/Dorset border has opened its gates to airgun shooters.
At £50 per day, it isn't cheap but the place is a hunter's paradise. The daily rate gives insured shooters the run of the 4,000-acre sporting estate for rabbit, pigeon and squirrel shooting - not to mention an abundance of corvids.
The shoot is set in beautiful countryside on the outskirts of Sherborne, and features diverse habitat from mature deciduous woodland to open pasture. Gamekeeper Mike Appleby provides clients with first-class pheasant, partridge and woodcock shooting as well as deer stalking according to the seasons. He's clearly a forward-thinking 'keeper and has cottoned-on the growing demand for high quality air rifle hunting.

I managed a brief visit on behalf of Airgun Shooter magazine last week and have to say I was very impressed. There was lots of quarry - unlike some of the 'shot-out' commercial airgun shoots - and an absolute abundance of wildlife, which is testament to the careful management of the shoot.
The daily rate provides full access to the shoot, which is easily accessible, thanks to the well established tracks. You also get to use the Gun Room, where you can start the day with a hot drink and a chat with Mike, who has an intimate knowledge of the ground and will guide you to the best spots.
To find out more about airgun shooting at The Honeycombe Shoot, contact Mike Appleby on 07966 521707 or email mikekeeper@aol.com

NiteSite NS50

Readers of Airgun Shooter magazine will have seen my recent head-to-head test of three alternatives to conventional lamping/night vision kit. The test was my first encounter with the The NiteSite NS50 - a gadget that has caused quite a stir since its recent launch. I was very impressed, both in terms of price and performance, so I thought I'd include a version of the review here.

The NiteSite NS 50 is one of the most impressive night shooting gadgets I have ever used. This ingenious system provides the benefits of Night Vision hunting without the hassle of having to change scopes and re-zero or splashing out on a dedicated NV combo.
Although I have dedicated Night Vision optics of my own, I hardly ever use them because they’re heavy, cumbersome and can’t compete with the precision of a conventional telescopic sight. But with the NiteSite, you get to enjoy the performance of your usual daytime scope along with the stealth of NV.
The NiteSite works by fitting an infra-red (IR) camera onto your scope’s eyepiece, which then relays the sight picture to a monitor mounted on top of the scope. The image on the monitor, which includes your scope’s crosshairs, then acts as your sighting device.
Packaged in a tough, foam-lined plastic case, the NiteSite kit includes the nifty little camera, the monitor (which has a three-inch LCD screen) and battery pack – plus cables for fitting all three together. The package also includes battery charging gear, quick-fit adaptors to fix the monitor to the top of your scope (to fit one-inch and 30mm tubes) and two eyepiece adaptors that will connect the camera to the eyepiece of most scopes.
One of the most impressive things about this system is how easy it is to use and how quickly you can fit it to your daytime hunting combo and take it off again. To get up and running, all you do is fit the correct-sized clamp to your scope tube and then slide the fixture at the base of the screen into it – making sure it’s facing you – and then tighten the clamp. Next, you push the eyepiece adaptor tube over the rear lens of your scope, pop the camera into it, ensuring that it’s fitted centrally, connect the cables and switch on. It only takes a moment.
You can fine-tune the picture on the monitor by adjusting the eyepiece connector to ensure perfect ‘eye relief’ to the camera. And, if the crosshairs appear blurry, you can focus the lens by making quarter turns with your finger. This focusing won’t need to be repeated if you stick with the same scope.
The NiteSite is switched on by turning the switch on the top of the monitor module. On the opposite side from the screen is an infra-red illuminator, with a selection of power levels that you can turn up or down with a twist of the switch. The first switch-on was a revelation for me – sat in the house with the lights switched off, the NS50 produced probably the sharpest NV image I have ever seen. I couldn’t wait to get it out in the field.
The camera and monitor/illuminator modules are comparatively light - lighter than most NV units - but the battery pack is a hefty one. It weighs-in at around 1.5 kilos and you certainly know when you’ve got it strapped over your shoulder, or stuffed in a large pocket of your shooting jacket. However, that chunky battery pack holds enough power for more than five hours of continual use. It then takes six hours to recharge when flat.
Although the battery is bulky, it doesn’t really affect the performance of the NS50. The head-up shooting position required to view the monitor will affect your marksmanship, though. I found that, without the usual contact with the cheek-piece, standing shots were tricky, although ‘kneelers’ could be taken after taking time to familiarise myself with the new setup.

The NS50 really excels when used from a rested position, and is perfect for static ratting; when you can sit and use crates, pallets, sacks or strawbales to support the gun. During the test period, I used the NiteSite to tackle rats that were targeting the chicken run in my garden. Sat at a table, with the gun mounted on a bipod, the NS50 made easy work of 15-metre to 20-metre targets. At this range, I only used the built-in IR illuminators at their lowest two levels and the picture on the screen was incredibly sharp – so sharp that I could watch small spiders clambering about on a stack of logs some 20 metres away.
I reckon the NiteSite would be an awesome tool for sniping rabbits with a bipod mounted gun, when it’s dry enough to sprawl out on the grass during the warmer months. Using the IR illuminators at the higher power levels certainly produces an acceptable sight picture at the manufacturer’s stated 50 metres and beyond.
With no conventional light-source, the NiteSite provides concealment on a par with dedicated NV optics. The only compromise is the fact that light from the screen does illuminate the shooter’s face, although only to a negligible degree.
The NiteSite NS50 package retails for £399; not cheap but I reckon it represents great value for money. Its big brother, the NS-200, costs £599 and is suitable for use out to 200 metres.
To find out more, see www.nitesite.co.uk

Give it some welly

Hunter recently sent me a pair of boots to test in the field. Now these are not cheap boots, and Hunters are often regarded as the toff’s welly of choice; more associated with prestigious game shoots than my typical airgun pest control assignments. The Balmoral Sovereign has an SRP of £299 (which could buy you a decent airgun or a complete set of economy fishing gear) but shop around and you can actually get them for under £200. That still sounds like a lot of money but my old Hunter Galloways are still going strong after eight years of serious abuse. If the Balmorals last that long, I think they’ll represent great value.
I’ve always found that Hunters fit me well, on the foot and on the leg. With the Balmoral Sovereigns, the fit is even better, and there’s a full-length, zip-up side gusset so they’re easy to pull on and off. The fit on the ankle is great and these boots come with two sets of cushioned insoles; you use the thick insole for a snug fit with lightweight socks in the summer and the thin insole to make extra room for thick socks and good blood circulation when it’s cold.
The boots’ shell is tough rubber (available either in brown, which I've got, or olive green), the leg is lined with leather and the foot is lined with neoprene for comfort.

The all-terrain Vibram outer soles are incredibly grippy on mud, and have provided great traction on slippery clay river banks. However, the same could not be said on granite during a recent trip to Dartmoor. The treads didn't grip very well at all one the smooth stone and I ended up on my backside on one occasion - thankfully I wasn't carrying a gun...
After four months of unsympathetic field testing these rugged boots are showing no sign of wear and have not let in a drop of moisture, even when wading with the water level close to the top. They are surprisingly supple and have done an admirable job of keeping my feet warm and dry this winter. Something of a heavyweight in terms of footwear, they may not be the best choice when soft footfall is required for stealthy stalking but they certainly keep out the elements. I'm very impressed - just be careful on the granite...