There is a village called Boarhunt in Hampshire, but the term has had no local significance for centuries — until recently. This is hardly surprising as wild boar died out in Britain several hundred years ago, and all attempts to reintroduce them have, so far, been signally unsuccessful.
This being so, there is a certain amount of mystery about the origin of a genuine wild boar that gave itself a few months ago to a Hampshire village policeman, who found it strolling in his back garden. Accepting captivity with a surprising lack of protest, the beast was found a home in a wildlife park close to where I live.
Another wild pig was known to be at large in the same locality as the first one. This second beast, less cunning or less wise, was also less fortunate. After being seen in various places, among them a shoot where it shared the pheasants’ food and a motorway across which it was prone to jaywalk, it fell to the rifle of a man whose culling activities are normally confined to the local wild deer.
Thus ended the first act of the play; not quite the drama nor a farce but perhaps a tragi-comedy. Act two opened with the arrival of a yearling sow as intended consort for the boar, which preferred the cosseting of captivity to the hazards of freedom.AL
Instead of settling down to a life of wedded bliss, within a few hours of her arrival, the bride broke out of her married quarters without so much as a consummation by squeezing under a supposedly pig-proof gate. She capped this Houdini act by somehow negotiating the perimeter fence of the wildlife park itself. Beyond lay freedom and the assorted fruits of the Hampshire countryside.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 26, 2021-Ausgabe von Shooting Times & Country.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 26, 2021-Ausgabe von Shooting Times & Country.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
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