May 15, 2024
Entries for the Purdey Awards for Game and Conservation 2024 close on Friday, 31 May. The awards have been held annually since 1999 to promote outstanding conservation work carried out by estates and shoots throughout the UK and to recognise the individuals responsible for it. Entrants for the awards range from very small areas of…
May 15, 2024
John Swinney, who led the SNP from 2000 to 2004, has been sworn in as Scotland’s seventh First Minister. On winning the leadership of his party, the MSP for Perthshire North said it was “the beginning of a new chapter in our party’s history — a chapter that will be about uniting, coming together and…
May 15, 2024
A golden eagle that mysteriously vanished in the Borders during the autumn is now believed by police to have been shot. Police investigating the disappearance of the missing bird, named Merrick, are confident she died due to “human interference”. She was satellite-tagged, having come to the area in 2022 through the South of Scotland Golden…
May 15, 2024
West Mercia Police has confirmed that paper submissions for firearms and shotgun certificates will continue to be accepted, to the relief of the shooting community. Initially, West Mercia Police had announced that, from 1 May, printed shotgun and firearms applications would no longer be accepted. In its previous announcement, the force said: “The new process…
May 14, 2024
The Health and Safety Executive is allowing more time to review the 8,159 responses to its consultation last year before finalising its restriction proposals by September. In March 2021, the Government tasked the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) with a two-year review into the outdoor recreational use of lead ammunition, which was expected to conclude…
May 08, 2024
I come from a gamekeeping family. My father was a keeper and I’m proud to say my son has followed in his footsteps. So it gave me great pleasure to attend all three of BASC’s gamekeeping conferences in March and talk to gamekeepers of both generations. In Yorkshire at our northern conference, Environment Secretary Steve…
May 08, 2024
More than 40 Natural England (NE) staff have attended three BASC wildfowling workshops held at Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) reserves since the beginning of the year. The Introduction to Wildfowling workshops, which have also attracted members of local fowling clubs and a Crown Estate representative, have sought to improve NE staff’s overall knowledge and…
May 08, 2024
The British Deer Society (BDS), has unveiled its new plan, Together for Deer. The plan aims to safeguard deer welfare, mitigate threats and promote sustainable coexistence in the face of complex and growing environmental challenges. The BDS, which is the only charity dedicated solely to the preservation and welfare of UK wild deer, says the…
May 01, 2024
For nearly 200 years, the industry-leading manufacturer of fine shotgun cartridges for game and clay shooters, Eley Hawk, has been a market leader in modern shotgun cartridge innovation. Such experience has enabled the brand to develop a wide range of product innovations designed to meet the demands of game shooters worldwide becoming the benchmark for…
May 01, 2024
I tend to develop a Zen-like focus when fishing lochs and llyns for wild trout that excludes everything that is not relevant to flies and fish. This can lead to heart-stopping moments when interruptions appear from outside my zone of concentration. I can still feel the shock of the moment the water exploded in front…
Sponsored by Skinner’s, this week’s dog of the week is Teasel, Cedar, Bramble and Fern. Teasel the black labrador, Cedar (yellow) and fox-red Bramble have been doing some working tests but they all love to retrieve — even Fern the French bulldog, who thinks she is a labrador too. For your dog to be included, email [email protected] a picture and tell us all about them. Featured dogs receive a 15kg bag of food, via Skinner’s.