Show Notes
Meet the Hosts of Fish and Game! - Fishing, Shooting and What to Expect from Fish and Game
Short summary SideCountry founder Richard Prideaux introduces Avian Sandercock, Sam Turner and Jake Woolf. They compare their fishing and shooting backgrounds, explain what has brought them together and set out a podcast built around learning, community, conservation and getting more people into the countryside.
Episode description Meet Avian Sandercock, Sam Turner and Jake Woolf, the three hosts of Fish and Game, as SideCountry founder Richard Prideaux asks how they came to fishing, shooting and the countryside - and what they intend to do with a podcast.
Avian talks about his Cornish roots, lifelong fishing and the small club shoot that brings his local community together. Sam explains how farming, fly-fishing, clay coaching and simulated game days fit into his working life. Jake traces a route from falconry and gundogs to shooting at Branches Park, KuduRiver Gundogs and the TWENTY10 Club.
Along the way, the three give an honest assessment of their fly-fishing ability (or inability) and discover that enthusiasm may be more useful than elegance.
This short introduction sets out the ground Fish and Game intends to cover: coarse, game and sea fishing; driven and walked-up shooting; deer stalking; gundogs; falconry; conservation; habitat and land management. More importantly, it explains the spirit of the show - breaking down unfamiliar language and barriers to entry, learning in public and showing the people, places and work that surround a day in the field or on the water.
In this episode - Who Avian, Sam and Jake are, and the parts of Britain they call home - Their very different histories with fly-fishing, coarse fishing and sea angling - Why fishing and catching fish are not necessarily the same activity - The overlap between fishing, shooting, food, conservation and land management - The importance of community in club shoots, sim days and days on the river - Jake's route from falconry and gundogs to KuduRiver and TWENTY10 - How Fish and Game plans to explain terminology and make unfamiliar sports easier to approach
Presented by Avian Sandercock, Sam Turner and Jake Woolf, with Richard Prideaux. Edited by Avian Sandercock. Produced for SideCountry by Amy Green.
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More from Fish and Game
A gundog is not, as Sam points out, a dog with a gun.
How do you get into country sports when you didn't grow up around them?
What does The Gentlemen actually get right about a driven shoot?
What exactly counts as a British deer?Is it a red stag on a whisky bottle, a muntjac standing beside the A11, or a Chinese water deer that appears to have grown a pair of fangs?Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner take a look at the six species of deer living wild in Britain, with Sam bringing some first-hand experience from farming red deer.They work through red, roe, fallow, sika, muntjac and Chinese water deer, including where they came from, where you are likely to find them and the surprisingly complicated business of what to call males, females and young.Then the conversation turns to deer management. Why have numbers and ranges increased so much? What happens when neighbouring landowners take completely different approaches? And how do forestry, farming, road collisions and sporting management all fit together?Sam explains how management works on deer farms and in the Highlands, while the three discuss the differences between managing deer for sport, controlling numbers and producing healthy animals for the food chain.There is also the curious economics of venison, why wild deer can sometimes be worth surprisingly little at carcass level, some very straightforward ideas for cooking it, and a final test of whether Jake and Sam can tell the difference between a deer term and a medieval insult.In this episode: The six species of wild deer found in Britain Red and roe deer, our two native species Fallow, sika, muntjac and Chinese water deer Roe deer and delayed implantation Why muntjac seem to be everywhere Stags, bucks, hinds, does, calves, kids and fawns Why deer numbers and ranges have increased Deer damage to woodland, crops and new planting Deer and road traffic collisions Highland versus lowland deer management The importance of managing females as well as males Farmed deer and wild deer The changing market for British venison Simple ways to cook venison Deer terms or medieval insults Useful links: British Deer Society: UK deer species British Deer Society: Why manage deer? British Deer Society: Deer open seasons British Deer Society: Venison GOV.UK: Deer impacts policy statement for England SideCountry Please note: Deer seasons, legislation and management requirements vary across the UK and can change. Always check current guidance for the species and location concerned before carrying out deer management.Part of the SideCountry Network.