Amnesty for unwanted guns A firearm surrender programme run by all the UK’s police forces is under way. The scheme, which began on 12 May and runs until 29 May, allows anyone to hand over a gun at a police station without fear of prosecution. Superintendent Graham Barnett, from Surrey…
News
No poults, chicks or eggs will come from France to the UK for this rearing season
Shooting Times understands that meetings between French and UK authorities, as well as representatives of the shooting and game farming industries, have been trying to find a way forward; however all proposed solutions have run into a brick wall in the form of EU and UK law. These laws prevent…
Gamekeeper tells court of how he caught police officer’s killer
A video shown in court recorded the moment that gamekeeper Gavin Tucker challenged 22 year-old Callum Wheeler after finding him behaving suspiciously on private land near where the body of Julia James had been found just 24 hours earlier. The interaction between Tucker and Wheeler, who was carrying a holdall…
Airgun Shooter issue 161 is out now
To subscribe to Airgun Shooter Magazine, just follow this link: https://bit.ly/3i8YF9J Mat Manning lifts the lid on the Daystate Alpha Wolf – the new head of Daystate’s family of electronic superguns – in the latest issue of Airgun Shooter Magazine. It’s certainly a gun that demands attention, but Mat wants…
Countryside citizens express anger over mass trespass
Justifying the event, author and land reform campaigner Guy Shrubsole told The Big Issue: “Regular access to nature is vital to people’s physical and mental health, yet so much of England’s countryside is shut off behind fences and intimidating signs.” The organisers of the ‘Right to Roam’ protest claim that…
HSE announces plan to effectively ban lead ammunition
The sweeping restrictions have been proposed in a ‘restriction dossier’ from the agency. Announcing the proposal, the agency said: “An unacceptable risk has been identified for both hunting with lead shot and from sports shooting.” They also said: “There are no realistic ways to limit the amount of lead entering…
Mass trespass on estate in Devon
On 8th May a mass protest organised by protest body Right to Roam trespassed on the Duke of Somerset’s South Hams estate. Participants picnicked and marched through the estate. It is reported that the action represented the start of a month-long, nationwide campaign by the pressure group, which wants to…
Ed Coles’s hare coursing law changes pass final hurdle
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill received Royal Assent on the 28th of April and now is law. The Act amends some existing legislation by increasing the maximum penalty for the historic crime of ‘trespassing in pursuit of game’ under the Game Act 1831 and the Night Poaching Act…
BGA launches new associate membership scheme
Joining the scheme will allow shoots to advertise as ‘associated with British Game Assurance’. This allows shoots to explore accreditation without the financial outlay or requirement for audit visits. A move towards self regulation through British Game Assurance (BGA) has been heavily promoted by both shooting groups and the government.…
Plant sunflowers and show your support for Ukraine
Sunflowers have become a symbol of Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion. Ukraine produces more sunflower oil than any other country on the planet. Seeing a field of sunflowers turning in the sun is a memorable sight and now you can help Ukrainian farmers directly by buying sunflower seeds and…
Bird flu outbreak tails off, but challenges still remain
New cases are still being reported in France, however the rate of increase in the crucial Pays de la Loire region has continued to slow. Only three new cases were reported between the 19th and 26th of April in the Vendée department and only one new case was reported in…
Over the counter rodenticides posing threat to Britain’s wild birds
Brodifacoum and Bromadiolone are types of poison called second generation anticoagulant rodenticide (SGARs). These poisons were introduced in the late 1970s as rats and mice evolved resistance to existing poisons such as Warfarin. Brodifacoum and other SGARs work by blocking the action of vitamin K and by weakening capillaries. Together…
Poacher caught out by incriminating WhatsApp messages
Thirty-eight year old Mark Bond, of Westwood Road, Maidstone, was found guilty of killing a fallow deer and causing unnecessary suffering to a dog after a trial at Maidstone Magistrates Court. Among the evidence offered at the trial were video and voice notes sent via WhatsApp. These included one where…
Is Scottish salmon farming business linked to Russian intelligence services?
The secretive businessman Yury Lopatynskyy who was born in Ukraine and brought up in the United States, has close links to the Russian financial system and is believed to have made his fortune in Moscow after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Among his portfolio of investments is a large…
The Queen at 96: Our Queen of the countryside
The Queen once said that if she had not become Queen she would have liked to be a lady living in the country with lots of horses and dogs. As we celebrate the Queen at 96, we have found ten reasons why the Queen is a true champion of country sports…
More bad news for shoots as feed and fuel prices continue to rise
Wheat, the key feed for gamebirds, has continued to rise in price as the war in Ukraine enters a new phase. Feed typically makes up just under a quarter of the cost of each bird and is the second most important cost per bird after the cost of buying the…
Is Wales moving towards a ban on all fieldsports?
The Welsh government appears to be growing increasingly hostile to fieldsports and deaf to concerns over conservation impact. A post which was widely circulated on fieldsports groups across a number of social media platforms claimed that the Welsh government and Natural Resources Wales had decided to phase out all fieldsports…
2022 bird flu outbreak – what we know so far and latest updates
April 14 The french bird flu outbreak continues to slow, but new cases are still being reported. New cases in Vendée, the most important department for gamebird production, showed a marked slowdown between the 5th and the 12th of April with outbreaks recorded at 13 new premises, the previous…
Study showing falling hare numbers disputed
A study funded by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species found fewer hares on grouse moors in the Peak District than on areas managed for conservation. The authors then went on to openly speculate without any evidence that culling of hares was the cause. The authors wrote: “We reflect that…
Bird flu outbreak slows in certain areas, but grows in others
Meanwhile, shortages of pheasant eggs and chicks are beginning to affect British shoots. The outbreak is focused on the Vendée department in North West France; this department and the neighbouring Loire Atlantique are vital to the supply of game bird chicks and eggs to the UK. Weekly data published by…