It can be difficult to know what is going on across our sport. We can each see our own bit — our shoot, our team, our branch, our glen. But…
Matt Cross
Features writer
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What can you do to keep your gundogs safe from being stolen?
It was a sobering experience. The grinder buzzed, sparks flew and in a few seconds the padlocks parted. A friend knocked on my door one morning. He had lost his…
Demand for venison is crashing
Tree- planting targets and good woodland management is being put at risk as the demand for venison crashes. Game dealers in the south and east of England have begun to refuse…
New underkeeper apprenticeship launched
A new apprenticeship scheme for underkeepers has been given the green light. Unveiling details of the scheme, Adrian Blackmore, director of shooting for the Countryside Alliance, said: “We seized the…
Drones suspected in springer puppy snatch
An Irish gundog enthusiast who has been the victim of a horrific crime has spoken exclusively about the experience to Shooting Times. Rachel Doyle, from Enniscorthy in County Wexford, found…
Wildfowlers face worrying future
Wildfowlers in two of the sport’s most important heartlands may be unable to shoot because long-standing ‘consents’, which allow sustainable wildfowling on European protected sites, have not been renewed by…
GWCT calls for vital funds to continue essential work
A letter to members of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) from chief executive Teresa Dent CBE, has illustrated the extent of financial support urgently needed by the Trust.…
Shoots press ahead despite uncertainty over COVID-19
The likely effect of COVID-19 on shooting in the UK is becoming clearer as the initial panic starts to subside and more shoots decide how they will approach the coming…
COVID-19 makes shooting season ‘a huge gamble’
Shoots around the country have been wrestling with decisions about how many birds to put down, how many days to offer and whether to shoot at all. One gamekeeper told…
What really happens to stolen gundogs?
The social media post has become all too familiar: a picture of a dog, an appeal, a phone number, the details of the crime. The comments, too, are depressingly recognisable…
Cancelling the shooting show cost Liverpool city £5 million
Cancelling the British Shooting Show Liverpool cost the city £5 million, according to an email obtained by Shooting Times. The show was cancelled in October after the intervention of city…
Night of the long dogs
Taking lurchers lamping At the end of the beam, Blue turned hard, just inches behind the rabbit. It turned too and again Blue went with it, heeled over like a…
Is it time to move away from lead shot to steel?
We were deep in a ditch on the Orkneys. There was a tumbling grey northern sky above us and an icy wind. The peninsula’s greylag goose population was not playing…
Lead shot shown to be major cause of bird deaths
Spent lead shot significantly weakens the immune systems of wild birds and is a major cause of death, according to a newly released scientific paper. The paper entitled Immunotoxic effects…
The EU is moving towards an outright ban on lead shot
The European Union has taken a major step towards a full ban on lead shot. Wetlands The EU has been in the process of implementing a ban on the use…
What’s best for shooters? Ear plugs or ear muffs?
Hearing loss is a serious issue for anyone who shoots. It can be temporary or permanent, it can build up slowly over years or be caused by a single incident.…
Exclusive: Shooting Times investigation PROVES puffin hunting claims are a lie
British hunters are NOT travelling to Iceland to kill puffins as claimed by campaigners. After speaking to sources in Iceland we can reveal that all of the photographs used to…
General licence update
A new set of general licences has been issued by DEFRA, following the outcry over their revocation by Natural England after pressure from campaign group Wild Justice. The new licences…
We asked a Natural England representative to answer your questions on the practicalities of the new general licences. Here’s what she said ….
1) Despite repeated attempts at scaring, a farm suffered serious damage to a pea crop throughout the growing season. Can the farmer arrange for the [wood] pigeons to be shot…
The truth about pigeon damage
Perhaps this is a good time to pause and ask a question: do we really need to shoot woodpigeons? If the general licence fiasco has reminded us of anything, it…