I have a ritual when I read Shooting Times. I bypass the editorial and news pages, leaving them for later attention. When I remove the wrapper, I leaf straight to the letters pages, which provide me with an insight into the world outside my parochial Suffolk. Truths that I believed sacrosanct are questioned and challenged within the correspondence. These two pages open a window to a wider world, highlighting that while we may be a small island, we are a notably diverse one when it comes to wildlife.
John Gough’s well-written letter on the topic of muntjac in the 29 March issue was a prime example of regional variance. Mr Gough’s experience and feelings towards muntjac seemed alien to my own. He clearly likes the butty little creatures, preferring that they aren’t described as vermin and that they should be culled
