GRAIN-RAIDER CRACKDOWN

I absolutely love being out and about in the woods with an air rifle at this time of year. The gradual thinning of the leaves is starting to make it easier to spot quarry up in the treetops and the significant reduction in daylight hours greatly increases the chances of encountering diurnal species foraging for food.

And, as ever, it’s food that’s creating the real quarry hotspots. We had a very heavy crop of acorns and beech mast this autumn, and that natural larder has kept species such as grey squirrels, woodpigeons and jays very well fed over the last few weeks. That rich harvest is starting to dwindle now and pests are starting to look elsewhere for sustenance. A few frosts have also piqued the appetite of woodland critters, and now is the time when feeding stations loaded