Back in business

When the farmer calls to say piglets are being killed in the farrowing field, Deano is called in to deal with the cuprit – but not before getting police clearance first

- DEAN HARRISON

Like everyone, I have been avoiding shooting for the past few weeks. While I treat fox shooting as more than just a sport, it’s not my form of employment so therefore is not essential, however, ‘essential’ it may feel to me or the gamekeeper. Spring is one of the most important times for me normally. I make a big effort to get as many of the breeding pairs as I can, and it’s very frustrating not being able to get out as it will have an impact on the local wildlife – and come harvest time I will have a lot more young foxes to deal with than normal. If the lockdown has eased by then, I’ll be concentrating on the water meadows and anywhere else there are no standing crops. June, on the other hand, would normally be my quiet time, benefitting from my efforts in the spring, but I will be busy this year!

I speak to Joe, the farmer, on a regular basis as he’s a good friend and of course he is always on my case if there are rabbits or pigeons on his crops – but I could do nothing about it. Even my dog Saxon could not understand it – I was home but we were not going shooting!

Three weeks into lockdown, Joe called me. “How are you?” he asked.

“Doing the walk of death around my house!” I replied.

He laughed. “Well, I have a job for you. The pigman running the farrowing field has noticed the sows are starting to get very aggressive with him and he lost some of the piglets last night... sure sign there is a fox coming in.”