| My daughter Abi turned thirteen recently
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| | to live in a farmhouse right in the
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| and as head of the family she thinks it's
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| | middle of one of these estates. Pheasants
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| about time her parents became
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| | were as common as pigeons and sparrows
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| vegetarians. She has been a convert, with
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| | are in town. It was not at all unusual to
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| occasional lapses, for around two years.
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| | see two or three elderly gents stroll
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| I'm certainly not against the idea. We
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| | past our house, stepping stiff-legged
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| hardly eat meat anyway; just the odd
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| | over barbed wire fences (ouch), with
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| bacon sandwich and an extremely rare
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| | their broken shotguns cradled over one
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| steak (rare in the numerical rather than
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| | arm and their labradors at heel.Now, you
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| the French culinary sense), but it would
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| | might think I'm out of sympathy with the
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| be good to lose that feeling of guilt
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| | hunting fraternity, and you'd be right,
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| experienced when a cow looks at you over
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| | up to a point, although it's true I did a
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| the fence with those mournful
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| | lot of fishing in my early teens, and I
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| eyes.Actually the cow is not at all sad -
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| | once owned a beautiful .22 BSA air rifle
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| it's probably wondering if you are going
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| | with an oiled stock and a rifled barrel.
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| to pass it some of that long green grass
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| | I gave up fishing when I discovered
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| on the other side of the fence, but the
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| | girls, and I exchanged the rifle for my
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| guilt is real enough.Of course, not
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| | first guitar and never looked back.As a
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| everybody feels that way. In another life
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| | young teenager, part of my reading was
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| I used to be a musician and I remember
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| | about the safari hunters of Africa and
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| driving to a gig with a black American
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| | India, last of a dying breed. One of the
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| blues singer called Johnnie Mars. I
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| | most interesting of these was Jim
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| pointed out some ducks which were flying
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| | Corbett. He became well known as a writer
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| low over the band bus in formation.
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| | and his best book was probably 'The
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| Johnnie looked up and said yep, he
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| | Man-Eaters of Kumaon'. He had respect and
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| thought they were mighty fine, and after
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| | even love for the man-eaters that he had
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| a moment, 'Especially with roast
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| | to shoot. He was not just a hunter; he
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| potatoes'.This was said without a trace
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| | was also a naturalist and an early
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| of irony. He told me later, with the same
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| | conservationalist, who warned against
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| straight face, that he was well known in
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| | 'the indiscriminate hunting of the tiger,
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| East Poland and Latvia, which reminded me
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| | which if not controlled would eventually
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| irresistibly of Dorothy Parker's line
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| | deprive India of the finest of her
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| about being famous in two continents -
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| | fauna'.About this time I discovered two
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| 'Greenland and Iceland'.Anyway, as I
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| | great American writers; Hemingway via
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| said, I'd like to become a vegetarian,
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| | 'The Green Hills of Africa', written in
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| but I think you have to pick the right
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| | 1933, and William Faulkner through 'The
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| time. It's like giving up smoking,
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| | Bear'. Written in 1942 as a long short
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| something I finally managed to do ten
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| | story, 'The Bear' is Faulkner at his
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| years ago after many attempts. One day,
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| | prophetic best. It's about a group of men
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| all the conditions were right and I
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| | and boys who go on a hunting trip every
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| stopped, just like that.That's how I
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| | year', and each time they have to drive
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| imagine it would be when giving up meat,
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| | further to find the wilderness as the
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| although as far as I know, meat is not
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| | Mississippi Delta shrinks. At the time
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| addictive. There'll be no retrievals of
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| | the story was written, conservation was
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| half used packs of bacon from the bin, or
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| | not at all fashionable, nor was it twenty
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| furtive trips to the corner shop, ('Just
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| | years later when I read it, but it made
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| going to take the dog around the block,
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| | me realize that there could be a link
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| dear. Won't be long').These ruminations
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| | between hunting and conservation.I have
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| (isn't that what cows do? - Ed) were
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| | no desire to hunt or shoot any animal,
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| brought on by the fact that we've
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| | but I'm hardly in a position to criticize
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| recently moved house. We're now twelve
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| | anyone else while I still eat meat. The
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| miles further north and within sight of
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| | arguments in favour of hunting are not
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| the Moray Firth. (In Scotland an estuary
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| | easy to refute. For instance, it's
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| is called a firth, so for example we have
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| | claimed that without foxhunting, farmers
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| the Firth of Forth - see?). Anyway, in
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| | would quickly eradicate the fox and that
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| those few miles, we've moved out of the
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| | in Scotland the Red deer population would
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| Highlands and onto the coastal plain,
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| | soar without adequate control.Maybe, but
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| which drops gently down to the sea, about
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| | I can't help thinking Oscar Wilde got it
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| six miles away, giving us a clear view of
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| | right when he wrote about 'The
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| the few solitary cottages and farmhouses
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| | unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable'.
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| in the area, plus the remains of Duffus
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| | Besides, as a solution to the deer
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| castle and the Lossiemouth lighthouse.All
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| | population problem, I'm for the
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| this is very different from the
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| | re-introduction of the wolf, absent from
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| Highlands, with its hills and valleys,
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| | the Scottish Highlands since before
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| rough ravines and forests. Almost a
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| | Bonnie Prince Charlie went home to Italy.
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| different country, almost a different
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| | This is a serious and considered
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| people. Before the Jacobite uprising in
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| | proposition, now championed by the Green
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| the 18th century and the subsequent
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| | Party, and it feels right to me. It works
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| destruction of the clan system, the
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| | in Montana - why not here in the
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| 'wild, wykked hieland men' used to swoop
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| | Highlands? In the meantime, at least I've
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| down onto the coastal plain, steal all
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| | moved out of earshot of the shotguns on
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| the cattle they could cope with, burn a
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| | the estate.James Donaldson CollinsJames
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| few cottages and disappear back into the
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| | Donaldson Collins is an artist and
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| hills.Well, the clans are no longer a
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| | writer. He lives in the Highlands of
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| force, and instead there are large
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| | Scotland with his wife, daughter and
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| shooting estates, sometimes owned by old
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| | three dogs. His interests are
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| established families and sometimes by
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| | conservation, history, science fiction,
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| wealthy newcomers. Clients pay the
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| | chess and snooker. He also claims to play
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| equivalent of the price of a good second
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| | guitar like a ringing a bell.
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| hand car for a few days shooting. We used
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