I have always had an affinity with the wading birds that kept me company during the summer when I was working on the moor. I now oversee one of two…
Lindsay Waddell
Hard times for gamekeepers: how things have changed in 100 years
I had a very dear aunt who made it to — and past — her century of birthdays. Her recollections often made me think about the changes she had seen…
Game: when eating it was regarded as an expensive luxury
If you have little or no knowledge of shooting beyond the past 20 years or so, you may think game has always been plentiful and relatively cheap. Not so. One…
The problem with political intervention in wildlife management
Politicians should really keep well away from matters when it comes to wildlife management, for the simple reason that very few, if any of them, know enough about it to…
What we need to do about peat
It’s rather difficult to know quite where to start with the carbon debate, when, according to my research, we have been losing carbon into the atmosphere from our soils since…
What is rewilding?
I expect most readers of Shooting Times will have a similar opinion of Chris Packham as mine, but I thought he plumbed new depths when he tried his latest PR…
A sense of belonging to the countryside community is good for our well being
It’s ironic that two of those who contribute to Shooting Times, without any collusion I have to say, have chosen a similar theme for their pieces. I am referring to…
New laws on trapping – keepers must tread carefully
It will soon be illegal to use a Fenn trap to catch a stoat, but where are we in our quest for its replacement? The list of traps we now…
Why every shooter needs a pheasant crowner
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…
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…
Stoats can no longer legally be caught with Fenn traps. So what can you use now?
Keepers are now giving serious consideration as to what trap to use now the Fenn is no longer legal for stoats. It is fair to say they are far from…
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