Ever since firearms were invented, they have been disguised as other objects, particularly walking sticks. This is unsurprising, as both a stick and a gun barrel look very similar, even when viewed over short distances. Hence the walking stick gun. There is a wonderful German walking staff in the Wallace…
Features
The key issues of shotgun restoration
Shotgun restoration: Shotgun restoration requires time and money.
Our reviewer tries out two top thermal imaging scopes. What did he discover?
The cost of a top thermal-imaging scope could easily exceed that of your day scope or rifle. At the high end of its range, Pulsar offers two distinct options: the Trail XP50, which bolts to the Picatinny rail on a rifle for dedicated night operations, and the Core FXQ50, a…
What happened when a dog walker enjoying a stroll on private land complained about the gameshooting there …
A clash in a local paper demonstrates the need to respect each other's space
What is the age to stop shooting? When are you too old?
I can remember when I was young how, sometimes, looking at the Guns, I would wonder how the stiff-limbed, pot-bellied old buffers lined out in front of me, some of them propped up on shooting sticks, were capable of mounting and swinging their guns. And doing it, moreover, for the…
Second-hand 4×4 trucks: what can you buy for under £12,000?
With the rising cost of brand spanking new vehicles, and the prospect of big bills from handing back a leased truck, the second-hand 4×4 trucks market could be the sensible option for acquiring a pickup. We’re going to take a theoretical £12,000 and see what’s on offer. If anyone would…
Trophy hunting: when it’s well-managed, it’s a force for good
When I first moved to the UK from South Africa, I knew how much of a contributor to wildlife conservation regulated big game trophy hunting is. And of all the wildlife conservationists I’d met and idolised growing up in southern Africa, most of them were pro-hunting, or recognised that hunting…
Best royal Shots – who would be on the A team?
Fieldsports have long been a passion of British monarchs and their families. But who are the best royal Shots? Shooting-obsessed monarchies the world over have been customers of our best gun and rifle makers, seeking the very finest sporting kit with which to engage their preferred quarry. If we were…
Is the river otter a victim of its own success?
One of the biggest wildlife success stories of the past 30 years has to be the reintroduction of the river otter to the UK. When river quality started to improve after organochlorine farm chemicals were banned in the 1980s, the Otter Trust got to work releasing animals at selected sites…
Finding your fields of sporting Elysium
On the rare occasion I tune my truck radio from the local station to a national broadcaster, I am struck by the length and magnitude of the traffic reports I hear. While I blithely trundle along near-empty Suffolk lanes to get to whichever farm I am working at, the voice…
Are there really as many wild boar around as reported?
The history of wild boar in the UK During the reign of King William I, the enactment of the Forest Law (1087) laid down that those guilty of killing a stag, roebuck or wild boar were liable to the punishment of blinding, and the hunting of these “beasts of the…
The art of gun case restoration
Gun case restoration: Although gun case restoration is a long process it is well worth the effort.
Selfish Shots can be found everywhere, even on the foreshore
Stories of selfish Shots There is a story about a business tycoon who held the lease on a famous grouse moor. One day, he rang the keeper and asked for a day’s shooting to be laid on for a certain date in the near future. Slightly flustered by this sudden…
All about the mink and why mink rafts are an effective form of control
With all the news about new rules for trapping stoats, and changes to general licences for corvid control, it’s easy to forget that there are other predators out there that we need to address – like the American mink Why we need to control mink When we think about mink…
A new dawn for curlew recovery
In January 2016, I began planning a 500-mile walk across Ireland, Wales and England to try to find out more about the plight of the Eurasian curlew. I had read the British Birds paper from December 2015 (The Eurasian curlew — the most pressing bird conservation priority in the UK?,…
Why has Natural England introduced new controls for corvids?
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 Wild Justice that threw a spanner in the works, helping to strip vital protection from endangered curlew, lapwing and other…
A good pair of binoculars is vital whether you’re a keeper, stalker or wildfowler. So we’ve put some to the test.
The Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC) has, since its inception in 2014, captured the imagination of farmers and landowners. Testing binoculars Binoculars are obviously vital instruments for counting farmland birds. The BFBC provided an opportunity to trial some of the latest optics that are not only suitable for birdwatching, but…
Why keepering is a wonderfully rewarding job from beginning to end
Gamekeeping jobs – tips for finding one Network, network, network —if people don’t know you are looking to move, they are not going to let you know what’s coming up. Work on your CV — keep it updated and relevant. Check job sites daily and apply as soon as you…
Why funding the GWCT is vital
Scientists are riding to the rescue of humankind. The UK’s scientific community is playing a globally recognised role in developing vaccines to combat the pandemic. Public and private money is being poured into research and manufacturing facilities. So why are we in the shooting community leaving the GWCT short of…