Woodcock have a reputation of being unpredictable in their movements, here today and gone tomorrow. So you could be forgiven for feeling that whether or not you shoot them makes…
Mike Swan
The secrets of successful duck flighting
There is hardly a more exciting sound in the world of shooting than the rush of air through duck wings as they drop in at evening flight. Every time I…
The man-made idyll of grouse moors
Coming from the soft south, I didn’t see a live grouse until I was 19. That was in the summer of 1974, when I took off to the Cairngorms for…
How to use a Larsen trap correctly and effectively
A Larsen trap is an extremely visible form of pest control but using one needs be done correctly. A passer-by who spots a dirty Larsen trap with a dejected-looking calling…
How to keep predators out of your pheasant pen
Wise keepers make life as difficult as possible for those pheasant pen predators intent on finding a tasty meal. Birds are usually lost in two ways: Mass kills of poults…
How to use snares for fox control
How to use snares for fox control correctly and legally
Shooters need to try harder to improve biodiversity credentials
Shooting is good for conservation, right? Yes it is, and if I were not convinced of that, I would not still be part of the GWCT advisory service. Helping shoots…
Can you id that duck?
Identifying different duck breeds The question “What’s that one then?” should never be heard from the person who shot a bird, so knowing what the odd unusual duck looks and…
Ducks and geese – not such a fine romance
Have you noticed how often ducks coming to a flight pond come in twos, especially later in the season? It’s no accident — by this time of year the breeding…
What happened to the coypu in England?
At up to 3ft long including the tail, and weighing perhaps 9kg, the coypu is fairly impressive for a rodent. It is not quite a capybara or a beaver, but…
How to create an ideal habitat for snipe to thrive
Growing up in Surrey, snipe were rarely on my horizon. The heaths are mostly too dry for them and the arable farmlands were the wrong habitat. Clandon Park, where I…
IS firearms licensing a public service?
David Jamieson, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, wants a fee increase so police are not “subsidising gun ownership” I am pleased to see that BASC’s Bill Harriman is suitably…
How shooters can protect the woodcock
Sportsmen and women are being asked to refrain from shooting woodcock until 1st December, in new guidelines issued by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT). This is due to…
Top feeding tips for your shoot
With the pheasant release process well under way on most shoots, careful feeding of our growing poults is a main task for the majority of low-ground keepers as July turns into August. As the birds begin…
An evening flight of greylag in West Wales
It was a still, bright October evening at Llanrhidian in West Wales, and Tom and I had decided to try for a shot at evening flight. Being in the outer reaches of the Bristol…
How to manage release pens correctly
Time and again as I wander into the depths of a wood in my role as a Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) game adviser, I come across an embarrassment. The combination of tatty fencing, battered…
A changing attitude to conservation brings positives for wildlife
Mike Swan discusses how our evolving attitudes to conservation has seen people wanting to do more for wildlife