Save money on Shooting Times by taking out a subscription here. What seems likely to be Scotland’s final unlicensed muirburn season has got underway. The season officially opens on the…
Matt Cross
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Scottish Gamekeepers Association attacks BASC over deer plans
In a scathing blog, SGA Chairman Alex Hogg questioned the motive behind the BASC plan. Alex said: “If this is about opportunism and winning new shooting grounds for members, then…
Anger builds as New Zealand venison is marked ‘Highland Game’
Sybil Macpherson took to Facebook after spotting the product in her local Tesco. In a post showing the pack Sybil said “I was both surprised and disappointed to read the…
65% of country’s shoots will be ‘lead free’ by end of 2023, according to survey
The Savills Game and Conservation Benchmarking Survey found that the vast majority of shoots had already got rid of plastic shotgun wads and that most were expecting to transition away…
Countryside groups ready for court action if fox control bill prevents humane practices
Shooting Times understands that countryside groups are in receipt of advice that they potentially have strong challenges to legislation under the European Convention on Human Rights and that they have…
Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association reaffirms opposition to lead shot ban
The Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association (SGA) has restated its opposition to a transition away from the use of lead shot. Now in a message encouraging members to engage with the Health…
Welsh Government announces plan to ban snaring
Ban snaring There had been signs that the Welsh Government might make a move to ban snaring when it issued a consultation earlier this year which said that, “It is…
Shooting faces ‘enormous task’ after Scottish Government announcement
The Scottish Government has published its programme for government and shooting now faces ‘an enormous task’ to secure its future in the country. Fox control Among the planned bills was…
Illegal and unethical ‘falconry’ exposed
Shooting Times was made aware of the underground practice of ‘urban falconry’ after a link to a Tik Tok video was sent to the magazine by a reader who believed…
What the British Game Assurance plans for this season
As it approaches what may be its most challenging season yet, the British Game Alliance has rebranded itself as British Game Assurance (BGA). It hopes the new name will better…
DEFRA document raises fears of blanket ban on lead ammunition
In a move that suggests it is looking to bring forward a ban on the use of lead ammunition, Defra has launched its online consultation on the substance and its…
Anti-hunting activist who exposed info of gun owners says actions ‘not criminal’
The anti-hunting activist who put an estimated 80,000 to 90,000 gun owners at risk has said they do not believe they have committed a crime. Their comments came as cyber…
Antis publish searchable map of gun owners
The website, which Shooting Times has been asked by authorities not to name, has in the past ‘doxxed’ those involved in hunting and the badger cull, publishing home addresses and…
Wet weather and late harvest hit grey partridges
Wet weather applies several different pressures on grey partridges. As well as chilling chicks, it also forces hen birds to forage for longer periods and to stray further from their…
Goose shooting season – hopes high for a successful year
Migratory wildfowl are yet to arrive in the UK in numbers and due to COVID-related disruption, data on their breeding numbers is relatively poor this year. However there are reasons…
SNP and Scottish Green Party enter coalition – what does this mean for conservation?
The Scottish National Party (SNP) is the largest party in the Parliament. However it is short of an outright majority and will need the support of the seven Green MSPs…
Climate change – shoots use nature-based solutions to tackle problem
Restoring petland has been identified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as one of the key tools to sequester Carbon and it is an opportunity shooting estates…
Grouse shooting – Shots predict quiet season ahead
The grouse season has got off to a quiet start with most moors not shooting at all on the 12th and many expecting no significant shooting for the whole season.…
Shoots ‘very busy’ for season ahead
With most of the UK shooting season put on hold last year due to COVID, speculation has been rife about how shooting would bounce back. However there is no evidence…
Grouse shooting endorsed in major new academic study
A newly published 242 page report by a team from the University of Nottingham entitled “Sustainable Grouse Shooting? A Summary of the Evidence” looked at the cases for and against…