December 27, 2023
The National Association of Regional Game Council (NARGC) has brought a High Court challenge against the government of the Republic of Ireland’s decision to ban the hunting of four types of migratory duck. The challenge relates to a decision made last August by the minister for housing, local government and heritage, Darragh O’Brien, which has…
September 13, 2023
Four duck species – the greater scaup, common pochard, common goldeneye and northern pintail – have been removed from the list of legal quarry for the forthcoming shooting season in the Republic of Ireland. This comes weeks after the UK Government announced its own intentions to review quarry lists, initially in Scotland. BASC subsequently conducted…
March 03, 2023
Ducks are the wallflowers of the bird world. I have met plenty of ornithologists who will write entire books dedicated to the glories of willow tits, hen harriers or curlew yet should a pintail fly by, it is treated to barely a glance. And I see all too many game shots display an unseemly nonchalance…
January 28, 2023
It was my wife’s uncle who knocked on my door that January morning in 1998. He had just been asked by the owner of a large manor house if he could remove some of the mallard that frequented the manor’s moat and ponds. The problem was that the essentially wild duck often nested in the…
January 22, 2023
The inspiration behind this confit duck dish As a gesture of goodwill, a friend of mine gifted me a wild duck shortly after Christmas. As I haven’t been out wildfowling this season, I wasn’t going to decline and soon put the bird to good use. For a wild duck, a good confit duck is something…
January 15, 2023
Last Sunday evening, I had a call from my old friend Freddie. I could hear the excitement in his voice and knew almost instantly what the call was going to be about. “Can you be in Yorkshire on Friday morning?” he asked. Without really thinking, I replied with a definitive ‘yes’. It’s always the case…
January 11, 2023
In this week’s episode Geoff Garrod is shooting over late season drill, and hoping to thin out a crow population that is causing damage to winter crops. Then Tom Payne plans to roost pigeons in the snow, but because of the weather he turns his attention to flighting ducks instead. Finally Mark Ripley sets his…
December 30, 2022
Shooting Times has long been a magazine that airs differing opinions. The shooting world, after all — despite what some of our detractors might think — is a pretty varied place. A recent piece by Gethin Jones, a fellow Welshman, aired an opinion that stuck in my craw — it wasn’t just ‘differing’ but, to…
December 25, 2022
Three mallard appeared in the grey skies inland from Breydon. They flew straight, every second becoming larger. I picked up my gun and peered through the reeds until my eyes watered. With the wind to their left flank, they seemed to lean into the gusts. “Are they too high?” I wondered. I reached for the…
November 23, 2022
In this week’s episode Chris Castle is in Aberdeen to flight ducks. After a morning of decoying geese, Chris and his pals return for an evening of testing sport. Then Mark Ripley heads to Hungary, setting up in a high seat and waiting out in the forests for the ever elusive wild boar. FULL KIT…
Sponsored by Skinner’s, this week’s dog of the week is Betty. At three months old, Betty is described as a “wonderful, crazy, happy girl, full of fun”, and she will be joining rough shoots next season. She loves to chase everything but hasn’t quite grasped the “leave” command yet… 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.