Remembering Mike Barnes: a life in shooting and conservation 

The British fieldsports community is mourning the loss of Mike Barnes, the editor and publisher whose influence on shooting media spanned four decades.

Mike began making his mark in shooting media in the 1980s, when he took the helm at Sporting Gun. He went on to found Shooting Gazette in 1989, then Fieldsports Journal in 2006, the latter celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. 

He later joined Hampshire-based distributor GMK as marketing director, where he produced Insight magazine, bringing the same professionalism and passion to trade publishing that he had applied throughout his career.

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A lasting impact on conservation

Mike’s commitment to the countryside extended well beyond the printed page. He was a founding trustee and ultimately chairman of GWCT’s Allerton Project in Leicestershire, helping to develop it into one of the most influential and scientifically important farms in the country, before becoming a trustee of GWCT itself.

The GWCT’s Dr Alastair Leake, head of the Allerton Project, spoke warmly of Mike’s contribution: “Mike was a wonderful friend to the GWCT over many years. Hugely knowledgeable and passionate about game and wildlife, he used his honed communication skills and the pages of the Shooting Gazette to share with the whole countryside the learnings from the project. 

“Above all, Mike had the ability to lead with both wisdom and empathy. The staff remember him with great fondness for his kindness, courtesy and endless curiosity.”

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Remembered in the field

Those who shot alongside Mike carry equally vivid memories. Friend Dylan Williams recalled accompanying him on days in Devon, Morocco and memorably at Loddington for wild grey partridges. “He personified a gentleman in all he did and just loved the countryside and all the people within it,” Dylan said, adding: “He was a true custodian of rural life and will be sadly missed.”

Mike leaves behind a legacy measured not only in the titles he built and the conservation work he championed, but in the lives he touched. He is survived by his wife Lynne and son Tom.