Irish Extra April 2020
Gold Medal Foxes, First Fish & MORE Lead Threats
While the foxes are having Cubs, eggs are hatching and Bees are making Honey ferrets will be coming into season. This annual event means for me a trip to my local vet Anne who has the delightful task of injecting a dozen or so Jills to take them out of season. When I was in short trousers everyone bred their Jills in summer through the belief that they would die if not mated. There is a certain amount of truth in this but with modern ferret medicine and really no requirement for anyone to add to the annual summer glut of young ferrets born each spring I feel the Jill Jab is a good choice. The product known as Delvestrone takes the ferret out of season within a few days and is pain and hassle free. For many years I used the services of a vasectomised Hob which is also a good choice should you have one available as I have found long term use of Delvestrone over a few seasons can have consequences on a Jills future prospects of conceiving.
Well done to Stephen Dunbar, Northern Ireland on the recent achievement of a Gold Medal Fox.
From Larry Taaffe, CIC Ireland “One of the most difficult levels to achieve in the Category for carnivore is a Gold medal for the Red Fox or Latin name Vulpes Vulpes. Stephen Dunbar presented his red fox Skull to CIC Ireland for measurement gaining a total of 25.52 points to achieve his Gold medal. This is only the second Fox in Ireland to achieve this level, very rare indeed. Congratulations and our thanks to this hunter for presenting his trophy to CIC for assessment. Further to Stephen receiving his Gold Medal from CIC, They were inundated with requests for further information from Irish Hunters seeking to have red fox trophies measured and Larry Taaffe from CIC Ireland kindly provided the following information.
- The skull should be boiled and cleaned, preferably also done with peroxide as well to minimise contamination transfer.
The skull must be 30 days drying after the boiling/ preparation date before it is offered for evaluation.
3. The measuring details for carnivore, Red Fox, are as follows.
Width, taken at the widest part if the skull. - Length, taken between the furthest points, forward, usually the teeth, to the furthest point at the back of the skull. This measurement is taken on a horizontal line between those points just indicated.
The CIC Trophy Evaluation System (TES) is an international system created for monitoring and comparing hunting trophies from various species with species-specific, unified measurement parameters.
The CIC Trophy Measuring Rules and Regulations give the framework for the TES and all the participating experts to guide their work. In the document you can find all the details what you need to know about the system.
The TES has a number of linked elements with different functions:
- Trophy Evaluation Board (TEB). This platform is the governing body of the TES. The Senior International Trophy Judges from the CIC member countries participate in the TEB meetings to discuss the development and maintenance of the TES. The TEB makes technical decisions which are then forwarded to the CIC Executive Committee for consideration and approval.
- Senior International Trophy Judges (STJ): These experts are nominated by the Head of Delegation of the Delegation they belong to and represent their country in the Trophy Evaluation Board.
- Certified CIC Measurers (CCM): These experts are entitled to measure trophies on behalf of the CIC. Each CIC evaluation they complete includes the submission of the trophy data in the Trophy Evaluation Database.
- The Handbook: The CIC Handbook for the Evaluation and Measurement of Hunting Trophies (the Handbook) includes all information related to the CIC method of evaluation for hunting trophies.
- Trophy Evaluation Database (TED): This is the central database, which is supplied by the STJs and CCMs, where all the trophy measurements recognized by the CIC are stored.
First Salmon of the season!
Well done, another Irish success for Angler Richard Todd who landed the first Salmon of the season on the river Drowes in the North West of the country, a fantastic fish weighing in at 11lb.
From the NARGC, Ireland
Having recently returned from Helsinki, Finland where Dan Curley and myself, Michael Fenlon, were guests of the European Chemical Agency (ECHA), we urgently need your help to save our beloved deer stalking.
The European Chemicals Agency is an agency of the European Union which manages the technical and administrative aspects of the implementation of the European Union regulation called Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals.
The ECHA want to ban the use of all lead in shooting and fishing across Europe. The ECHA personnel are scientists and while they understand many things, we must show them that we, as deer stalkers, are the experts and scientists of our sport.
We must gather as much evidence as possible, in order to try to convince the ECHA that steel ammunition will have adverse effects on the humane dispatch of deer spices and other small game. It may also have a catastrophic impact on humans.
As many of you will know, copper coated lead bullets are by far the most efficient and humane way of dispatching deer. For years, many of us have always retrieved the bullet from the deer. We would weigh it to see how much weight was lost, if any. Generally, we would find that very little weight was lost in the bullet.
The NARGC are seeking your help in obtaining as many retrieved bullets from deer carcasses as possible.
We are looking for used bullets as well as the following information:
- Calibre
- Make of Round
- Grain Weight Before
- Grain Weight After (when retrieved)
- Photographs (if available)
- Any other evidence you may have
Please send all bullets and information in a jiffy bag to:
Michael Fenlon
Clonough
Inch
Gorey
Co Wexford
Y25 FT65
The more evidence we gather the better and therefore we are hoping to receive a large number of bullets.
We alone can not win this fight and therefore I must stress the importance of your input.
Many thanks,
Michael Fenlon
On behalf of the NARGC Deer Sub-Committee
Dates for your Diary
SATURDAY 4TH APRIL 2020
DOWNPATRICK TERRIER/LURCHER/WHIPPET CLUB DOG SHOW AND RACE DAY
SUNDAY 5TH APRIL 2020
KILLURE WORKING TERRIER, LURCHER AND WHIPPET CLUB, CO WATERFORD
SUNDAY 12TH APRIL 2020
SPORTING WHIPPET CLUB NI WHIPPET DOG SHOW AND RACEDAY, CO ANTRIM
SUNDAY 19TH APRIL 2020
AVONDHU FOX HOUNDS DOG SHOW, FERMOY, CO CORK.
SUNDAY 26THAPRIL 2020
CO ANTRIM LURCHER, WHIPPET, AND TERRIER CLUB, DOG SHOW AND RACE DAY, BALLYMENA, CO ANTRIM