ONE dark, dank morning in late March, I hauled myself out of bed at 4.30am and hit the road from Dorset to Bedfordshire, where I had an appointment to go out stalking for a Chinese water deer with Paul Childerley, a world-recognised expert in this unusual, non-native species that has successfully colonised parts of the country.
Although I love being out on assignment, I was nervous, as, despite having been shooting since I was 13, I'd never fired a rifle before. Well, except for when my dad-a retired gamekeeper-let me have a go at zeroing in his .22-250, but I don't think that really counts. Plus, using one with which to hunt a wild animal is entirely different and I was anxious not to let myself or the magazine down.
I need not have worried, however, because, when I arrived at Mr Childerley's smart shoot lodge at Beckerings Park-amid the thousands of acres he manages for game shooting and deer stalking here and elsewhere I knew I was in safe hands.
Indeed, we have much in common, as Mr Childerley's father was also a keeper. After training at Sparsholt College in Hampshire, he began his own keepering career by working for his father, Martin, at Campden House estate in Gloucestershire, before becoming a beatkeeper at nearby Stowell Park, then securing a headkeeper's job in Bedfordshire in 1998, where he later took on the lease and now runs the operation.
However, it wasn't until the 50 year old started work on this 1,600-acre farm that he encountered Chinese water deer. Already a skilled stalker, thanks to the hours he spent learning fieldcraft as a mustard-keen youngster 'you can't beat going out after roe bucks at dawn in the Cotswolds with my dad when the woods are alive with birdsong he found these enigmatic Asian deer required a new approach.
This story is from the October 16, 2024 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 16, 2024 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A Nose for Nature -With an uncanny ability to detect elusive species in the wild, dogs are poised to play a vital role in conservation and biosecurity.
Ꮓiba seems to be the perfect colleague: hard-working, efficient and fun to be around. However, Ziba isn't a person; she's a conservation detection dog, especially trained to sniff out the presence of rare bats and birds. The sixyear-old German shorthaired pointer is one of an increasing number of dogs helping to conserve wildlife. Similar to sniffer dogs employed to detect drugs or explosives, these detection dogs are using their extraordinary sense of smell to identify anything from great crested newts to pine martens.
Duck and Cover - With a comical and heart-warming call, the eider or 'cuddy duck' is a convivial bird that was highly favoured and protected by Northumberland's patron saint, says
Anyone who has spent time on the rugged, castle-fringed coast of Northumberland will be familiar with the call of the eider duck. The male emits a fluty 'ahoooh' that sounds amazed and a little censorious. The female responds with a throaty cackle-Dame Barbara Windsor to the drake's Kenneth Williams, if you like. There's something good humoured, fond and comforting in the eiders' calling. It evokes feelings of nostalgia even in those hearing it for the first time.
Not to be sneezed at
The ritual and performance of snuff, the 'titillating dust' that has fuelled creativity and enhanced social situations since the 16th century, is still popular today, discovers
Where her tears fell, asters grew
Small-flowered asters, with their quiet beauty and clouds of starry blooms, are the final shout of autumn, advises
You had me at Merlot
The British wine industry is growing at a rate of Nebuchadnezzars, altering the palate of the countryside market, finds
And they're off!
Four historic country houses with long-standing racing credentials come to the market in prime sporting areas of Berkshire and Oxfordshire
Hooked on classics
A new generation of designers is learning the language of Greek and Roman architecture, finds
England at its best
The Exmoor National Park Authority is celebrating its 70th birthday. Kate Green recounts what makes this 'high country of the winds', of deer, dark skies, tough ponies and resilient farmers, so special
Once upon a time in the west
Having returned to the fabled Grimersta lochs and streams of Lewis for the first time in 40 years, our correspondent finds himself reliving the glory
Meet the tusk force
The Chinese water deer, with its distinctive tusks and delicious venison, has thrived here since escaping from deer parks in the 19th century. Paula Lester stalks one for her supper
