Shooting may be a country sport, but most shooters don’t live in the countryside. Depending on your definition, about 83 per cent of the UK population lives in built-up areas.…
Alasdair Mitchell
Are copper bullets the way forward?
Using copper bullets for stalking? But isn’t copper toxic?” asked a friend. He is a staunch defender of lead ammunition. In a discussion about centrefire rifle ammunition, I suggested he…
Will our new government support shooting or bend with the breeze of public opinion?
At the start of 2020, let me make an observation about the way the main political parties have treated the shooting community. In the run up to the election, it…
Should gamekeepers be tipped … or be paid properly in the first place?
Once, after a rather informal and very enjoyable day’s shooting, I attempted to give the gamekeeper a tip, but botched the handover. My fingers were numb and, as a consequence,…
Why is the BBC forcing shooters to pay for the likes of Chris Packham?
The BBC is under fire for its plans to strip people aged 75 or older of their free TV licences from next year. The corporation claims it can no longer…
Why I’m finally giving steel ammunition a proper test this season
Biodegradable shotcups suitable for steel ammunition have been available for a while. Gamebore has some 76mm wildfowling loads with its Silver Steel Bio-Wad fibre shotcup, while Eley Hawk has recently…
What happens when a gamekeeper loses his job?
I would hazard a guess that many a captain of industry who also runs a shoot listens as carefully to his gamekeeper as he does to his finance director. Not…
Game meat is free range so does that mean it’s organic?
Only a tiny proportion of game meat is officially “organic”. Game meat is free range or wild, healthy and nutritious but the label “organic” was captured by the organic farming…
What can Guns do about plastic?
I’m talking rubbish again. After my account in Shooting Times of wildfowlers organising a litter-picking day at Lindisfarne , a reader pointed me to an item in the Daily Telegraph. The…
Are police forces making life more difficult for shotgun licence applicants?
We either stand together or get picked off one-by-one. The relevance of this for shooters was highlighted by P. Cree writing recently, detailing how he had told fellow shoot members…
Do we rely on scopes too much?
I once went out on the hill with an old stalker who bemoaned the use of bipods. This struck me as odd, because I would have thought using bipods meant…
It’s time the firearms licensing system was overhauled – don’t you agree?
Have you seen your doctor recently? If you have, I do hope it wasn’t for anything significant. I don’t know about you, but I consider a visit to the doctor to be what marketing…
Shooting isn’t the only victim of scientific bias
It's no surprise that shooting sports aren't the only victim of "right thinking" gone wrong. Scientific bias even mars scientists.
Some banks refuse to open accounts for rural businesses
We can't let banks refuse to open accounts for rural businesses, argues Alasdair Mitchell
Is hunting with a bow acceptable?
Hunting with a bow requires impressive stealth – but the jury's still out on its acceptability, says Alasdair Mitchell
Hard-core antis make the RSPB’s actions look moderate
Just as American film- makers use actors with British accents to play bad guys, it may suit the RSPB to equip villains with Range Rovers and tweed
Why we should all fear the infection of the growing Green Blob
The Green Blob. What a wonderful term. It was used by former Tory environment minister Owen Paterson as a generic term to describe the shapeless mass of “unelected busybodies” comprising…
Could you take your city job to the countryside?
An internet connection is all you need, says Alasdair Mitchell. Whilst rural broadband speeds don't facilitate working from rural settings, satellite broadband could be good enough.
Sharpshooter: The RSPCA
The RSPCA's request for confidential cull worker details exposes its weaknesses
Viewpoint: Charities
Alasdair Mitchell on why he thinks The Charity Commission should call certain uncharitable charities to order