The very simple designs are often the best ones and this applies to a new game processor. I went to meet Dougie Bell, who invented the pheasant crowner, and John…
Lindsay Waddell
How civil servants affect our protected bird numbers
Despite what some may think it gives me little pleasure to once more take our civil servants to task for their decisions. However, as long as they continue to make…
What traps will you use when the Fenn is no longer legal?
Keepers who have not already started changing are now giving serious consideration as to what trap they are to use next year when the Fenn is no longer legal. It…
Land management is hampered by officials with little knowledge
When a senior member of Natural England asks a grouse keeper how many birds he releases and it’s not 1 April, you have a right to worry. It is not…
How the American signal crayfish invaded British waters
Man’s stupidity when it comes to moving things around knows no bounds. He decided to bring the North American version of the crayfish to Europe and then to Britain to…
Is heather burning doomed?
About a year ago I wrote about looming problems with heather burning, saying that it would become a thing of the past on large areas of the northern uplands. It…
How the grey partridge can survive and thrive
If I did a straw poll of those who have worked with the selection of winged game we have in the UK, the grey partridge, Perdix perdix, would come top of the list. This…
Burning heather: an issue of moorland management
Why do we burn heather moorland? The practice of muirburn – or burning heather, as it’s more commonly known by the practitioners -is extremely old. It was originally done to…
Reviving bird species isn’t always good news
Reviving certain species of birds is not good news for some of their more lightweight relatives, says Lindsay Waddel
The way others see us
It takes many good deeds to build a reputation, and only one bad one to lose it. Some in the shooting world need to consider that point
Gamekeeping: Ground predators
Cunning and fieldcraft will catch more predators than hundreds of traps alone
Upland Keeper: Scottish licensing
Under Scottish licensing changes, allegations of crime will put livelihoods at risk
Keeper: Moor restoration
When it comes to moor restoration, there is proof that radical solutions work
Spring counts: Red grouse
This year's stock counts on the moor reveal an unusual trend in red grouse hens
Upland keeper: Nesting birds
Sadly, a lone curlew seen in Teesdale did not, after all, herald the onset of spring
Upland Keeper
With grit in short supply and traps washed away, the season’s end is hard work
Upland keeper
Grouse moor pickers-up cover mile upon mile of tough terrain in their vital job
Upland keeper
Being a flanker on a grouse day is all about the elements - including surprise
Upland Keeper
The Law Commision's wildlife review could be hugely beneficial, or a great risk
Upland Keeper
If buzzards can take a young osprey, what’s to stop them taking a sparrowhawk?