Things had calmed down after Natural England helped stoke anger over the general licences two years ago, but it has heaped coal back on the fire. Back then it was…
Robin Scott
How to find affordable rough shooting
Robin Scott investigates how to find affordable roughshooting and what it costs
Is comprehensive insurance really necessary for sporting guns?
Should you get gun insurance? No, says Robin Scott. It would be worth splashing the cash each year if I had a gun that was eye-wateringly expensive or rare. I…
How to deal with Guns who are after bag quantity, not quality
Be discreet, says Steve Nutall of Border Fieldsports Why are some Guns still after shooting big bags? I’m not just talking driven pheasants and partridge, here. Even some so-called wildfowlers…
Finding the one – your perfect gun
Buying and selling guns is part and parcel of the enjoyment of shooting. It’s all about finding “the one”. All I can say is count yourself lucky if the first…
Has commercial driven game shooting reached a watershed?
We all know the price paid by game dealers for shot birds has been historically low for many seasons, and maybe it always has been. Back in Victorian times the…
A deerstalker was doing something completely legal. So why were the police called?
There will be exceptions, but most countryside and wildlife police officers that I’ve come across have gained the trust of many shooters. The best appreciate that the support of the…
Prejudice against rural people?
Cricketing hero and champion charity fundraiser Sir Ian Botham has broad enough shoulders to shrug off the kind of brick bats bowled at him during a recent BBC Radio 5…
Should our police be armed?
When you’re up against today’s breed of religious nutter, who’d want a job as a tactical cop in a firearms response team? Slotting an escaped bullock or a gun-wielding loner in…
Your cartridges are going to cost you more
Thinking of buying new cartridges to replenish your dwindling stock? If so, perhaps you should do it sooner rather than later as cartridge cost is set to go up. The…
Shooters contribute £2.5 billion to the economy annually. So why aren’t they applauded?
Shooting’s massive contribution to the British economy has already been well stated. But it never hurts to keep repeating. Without the £2.5 billion shelled out by shooters each year, many countryside communities would be in financial…
Keepers test the new Subaru Forester on the shoot
In partnership with Subaru A couple of weeks ago Subaru got in touch to ask if I would like to take the wheel of their new flagship Special Edition Forester in…
Are Labradors born to be greedy?
Scientific research is a marvellous thing. I mean, who would’ve thought butter is not bad for us after all and two good gluts of red wine a day keeps the heart healthy and the arteries open. Amazing.…
A new series on starting shooting
Funny old world, isn’t it? In spite of society throwing its hands up in horror at the mere mention of guns, shooting as a sport has never been more popular.…
Are we fixated on the amount of choke?
I’ve never been able to make up my mind on what’s the right amount of choke to have in a gun. Tight guns bring certain advantages when shooting any of the five…
Have your say on firearms licensing
It’s heartening to hear that MEP Vicky Ford appears to be listening to BASC and the Countryside Alliance (CA) over proposed changes to the EU’s Firearms Directive. Ms Ford is…
Etiquette: How to get invited back to shoot
Receiving an invitation to go shooting of one of the sport’s great pleasures. Hopefully you’ll receive several during the season. But have you never noticed a falling-off in the offers…
The wonder of rough-shooting
Nobody doubts shooting is more popular than it ever has been. It contributes a mind-blowing £2billion to the UK economy annually. And more than 600,000 people use their gun on a…
Newburgh Priory: Mixed game shooting in North Yorkshire
Gaze across the lake to the ancient stately home during a duck drive and ponder the possibility that Oliver Cromwell’s head could be buried in one of its walls, planted…
What is the future of the red squirrel?
This week is Red Squirrel Week (Sat 26 Sept – Sun 4 Oct) It’s a travesty that we’ve allowed grey squirrels to out native reds in much of England and proliferate…