Whenever the newspaper headlines are grabbed by incidents of raptor persecution, it becomes painfully clear that certain individuals within the shooting community need to be weeded out and disposed of. Raptor persecution is rightly pitched as a stain on our sport, but the attention paid to one aspect of conflict in conservation is powerfully overbalanced by the enormity of another. Badgers don't attract the headlines half as much, but our failure to have sensible, meaningful conversations about this species creates a profound divide in the countryside. It's become very clear that we need to talk about badgers.
It's no so long ago that badgers were a rarity in my part of the world. If and when a badger turned up dead on the side of the road, cars would stop to take photographs of it. But in the space of 30 years, badgers are now the most common roadkill you see around these parts.
Perhaps the impression is magnified by the fact that badgers often remain on the roadside more some time after they've died, and very few animals will scavenge the carcasses. In fact, I think the most enthusiastic consumer of badger carcasses is other badgers.
More badgers than foxes
I finally took the plunge and bought a thermal spotting scope last Christmas. It's an amazing piece of kit, and it certainly transforms the way I see the countryside. However, I have been seriously surprised by the number of badgers I've seen on the fields below the house. It's clear that many places now have far more badgers than foxes, and it seems like badgers are actually driving the collapse of foxes in some areas.
It's not so much a matter of direct competition for food or territories, but badgers do hog the best fox earths and fox cubs are often being pressed out into more marginal places. I have seen badgers and foxes share the same holes, but the general rule is that badgers are in charge and foxes are forced to go elsewhere.
Esta historia es de la edición June 21, 2023 de Shooting Times & Country.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 21, 2023 de Shooting Times & Country.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
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