Hen harriers remain one of the most endangered breeding birds in England. Yet despite poor weather throughout the recent breeding season, 2015 has brought six successful harrier nests, fledging 18 new chicks. Unfortunately a seventh nest failed towards the end of the season as a result of natural causes. The…
Grouse shooting
Ex-RSPB conservation director says driven grouse shooting should be banned
The RSPB has taken a neutral position on the matter of driven grouse shooting. However, in his book Inglorious – Conflict in the Uplands, which is to be published tomorrow – just two weeks before the Glorious Twelfth – Dr Avery says that the sport should be banned. The controversial…
Pigeon or grouse – which is the more sporting bird?
Among the lucky shooters who have shot both grouse and pigeon, there is a long-standing debate about which of these birds takes the more skill to shoot and provides the most testing sport. During a conversation with a friend at The CLA Game Fair, I came up with a fairly adventurous…
How should you prepare for the grouse shooting season?
A: It is so nice to hear that you, along with many others, are getting into grouse shooting again. The last five or six grouse shooting seasons have been excellent. This is mainly due to good management and good investment by the shoot owners, meaning the moors have become much more…
Roxburghe Hotel Kelso review
I can’t resist humming the theme from Mike Hodge’s Get Carter whenever I head north on the East Coast Mainline. When I make the journey, sometimes with a shotgun in the guard’s van (not for use in retribution for my brother’s murder, of course), I travel full of curiosity for…
Red grouse feature on CLA Game Fair official show guide
The winning image was particularly relevant for this year’s event, located at Harewood House in Yorkshire, a county which has large populations of red grouse on its heather moorlands. Owen is highly regarded for his atmospheric watercolours portraying animals and birds such as stags, woodcock, grouse and snipe. He is…
From Shooting Times – Saturday 10 January 1931
“At Faversham County Petty Sessions, Walter James Fisher, of Maidstone was summoned for trespassing in pursuit of game, taking game without a licence and firing a gun within fifty feet of the centre of the road at Newnham, on October 15. Defendant pleaded guilty. Superintendent Hoare said that the wife…
The grouse shoot that works with the RSPB
The syndicate grouse shoot at Bowland, Lancashire, works with the RSPB and has successful hen harriers. It is a shining light for our sport, writes Kate Gatacre
BASC calls for evidence, not speculation, in hen harrier case
The British Association for Shooting and Conservation has called for common sense and an evidence-based investigation following the failure of satellite tags fitted to two hen harrier chicks in Lancashire.
Hard-core antis make the RSPB’s actions look moderate
Just as American film- makers use actors with British accents to play bad guys, it may suit the RSPB to equip villains with Range Rovers and tweed
Bagging your sporting rights
You pick up a sporting magazine and an advertisement catches your eye. It’s offering shooting rights. You’ve always dreamed of managing a little grouse moor or pheasant shoot, and inviting a few friends to join you in starting up a syndicate. These opportunities don’t come along too often, so this…
Scientists prove grouse shooting and hen harriers can co-exist
Researchers at Aberdeen University have proved that hen harrier chicks could be reared in captivity and released into the wild elsewhere, protecting both bird numbers and grouse shooting
Video: Grouse shooting in the 1970s
This video contains previously unissued footage of grouse shooting in the 1970s. It shows one man aiming at grouse with a loader at his side as well as dogs picking up the grouse from the heather. This short five minute video gives a real sense of being on the grouse…
10 ways to be better at grouse shooting
Boost your chances on the Glorious Twelfth with these tips that will make your grouse shooting better
Marks & Spencer grouse sales on hold
Marks & Spencer has announced that it will not be stocking red grouse this season. The retailer told The Times that it will resume stocking the bird once it has received “independent confirmation” that its supplier estates comply with a code of practice it is developing with the RSPB and…
How to make a complaint about a shoot
Our sport is possibly one of the most evocative of any pastime, and good memories from the season linger throughout the summer, sometimes enduring for years when a chance reminder brings the moment back to life again. On the whole, we are very positive about our sport, and the casual,…
Which instructor will improve your game shooting technique?
Edward Watson: Nobody, no matter how good their game shooting technique, should ever forget that practice is the best way to improve maintain a polished game shooting technique. It is so important that everyone who has a game shooting lesson comes away happy to have spent the money and, most…
Best shooting instructors in the UK
Whether based at West London Shooting School, E.J. Churchill, Royal Berkshire Shooting Ground or Barbury Shooting School, the UK is home to some of the world’s best shooting instructors. Many of the top 10 shooting instructors listed below have been at the top of their game for almost as long…
PACEC report: Value of shooting is £2.5bn a year
The new PACEC report reveals that shooting accounts for 10 per cent of all spending on outdoor activity, supports 74,000 full-time jobs and manages 10x more land for conservation than nature reserves