The Rural Workers Protest had been planned to take place in Scotland’s capital, however COVID restrictions forced organisers to think creatively and the protest moved online. The event was jointly…
Matt Cross
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Shooting groups defend progress on lead transition
Non-toxic shot progress Shooting organisations have defended the progress of the five-year transition away from the use of lead and single-use plastics in shotgun ammunition. The plan to make shooting…
National Gamekeepers’ Organisation calls for focus on gundog theft
The call comes after police officers recovered between 70 and 80 stolen dogs in a single raid in Carmarthenshire last week. Dog theft increasing Theft of dogs, including gundogs, is…
Brexit frees Britain from European laws limiting use of lead on and around wetlands
The free trade agreement between the UK and the EU will not bind the UK to European laws that limit the use of lead on and around wetlands. And in…
Gamekeepers suffer abuse on a daily basis – so what’s to be done about it?
The moderators were quick to pull the comment down, but I doubt they managed to do it before at least one of the many gamekeepers in the group had read…
“A love of the outdoors and a desire to be self-sufficient brought me to stalking”
Stevie was stuck; there was no getting around the soft ground so, to reach the deer, he had to go through it. The small hard composite pads on the end…
How Northumbria Police are tackling rural crime
Dealing with illegally coursing hares and deer If tables could tell stories, the one in the Northumbria Police rural crime team office would have some extraordinary tales. In the days…
Is shooting more popular than ever?
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…
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…