The Government has highlighted the importance of shooting and said it has no intention to licence driven grouse shooting after responding to an online petition. The petition, which received the support of the RSPB, said that licensing was a “middle way” between an outright ban and doing nothing, which would…
News
English training collar ban consultation is launched
The Government has launched a consultation to seek views on a proposed electric training collar ban for cats and dogs in England, as suggested several weeks ago by the Kennel Club. The club earlier claimed that a ban on the sale and use of the devices was on the way,…
Scotland seeks to solve salmon crisis
The Scottish Government has pledged £700,000 to tackle declining wild salmon stocks. With survival rates for salmon at sea having dropped to just five per cent, ministers say that the money will help to fund new research and activities and mitigate damaging factors such as predation, illegal poaching and salmon…
London Wing Shooting Fair takes flight
The inaugural London Wing Shooting Fair, to be held at the Business Design Centre in Islington, is just days away. Co-founder John Kelley was inspired to create the show following the success of the London Fly Fishing Fair, which he launched at the same venue last year. He hopes that…
Game meat sent to those in need
Thousands of people struggling with food poverty have had a hot meal of pheasant or partridge to eat over the past two years thanks to the charitable work of the Country Food Trust. The initiative, set up by its chief executive Tim Woodward in 2016, produced more than 20,000 ready-to-eat…
English shock collar ban being considered
A consultation has been launched in to a possible ban on the sale and use of electric dog training collars in England. This follows Scotland’s commitment to ban the use of the devices last month. Their use has been prohibited in Wales since 2010. The Kennel Club pre-empted the official…
Orvis launches campaign for female flyfishers
Fieldsports brand Orvis has launched a new campaign to encourage more women to take up flyfishing and “advance gender parity” in the sport. The 50/50 on the Water initiative seeks to get more women on to the river by lowering potential barriers to the sport and celebrating their role within…
Review of firearms licensing in Scotland drives call for improvements
HMICS has powers to look into the “state, effectiveness and efficiency” of both the Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority (SPA). It said that while firearms licensing in Scotland has become more consistent since the formation of Police Scotland in 2013, there are still many areas requiring improvement. A…
Big plans for game market
An initiative has been proposed with the intention of promoting the consumption of game and maintaining shoot standards. Expected to launch in mid-April, the British Game Alliance (BGA) is being headed by Tom Adams, former director of shooting for GunsOnPegs. Mr Adams told Shooting Times that the BGA, which is…
Obey law or risk losing lead
Shooters have been warned that disobeying regulations on the use of lead shot could result in further restrictions. Lead shot is banned on the foreshore in England and Wales and wetlands in Scotland and it is an offence to shoot any wildfowl or waders with lead shot at any location…
Badger culls may expand, then end
The Government is to review its 25-year bovine tuberculosis (TB) strategy, with suggestions that it will expand its badger culls, before moving away from the practice in later phases of the plan in favour of other approaches. The 25-year strategy outlines a range of ways in which to combat bovine…
Shooters oppose unjust airgun law
Further restrictions on airgun use in England and Wales would be “disproportionate” and “bad law”. That is the firm response from shooting groups as the Home Office draws its review of airgun licensing to a close. The review was launched to consider whether existing legislation is sufficient to prevent children…
Labour Party proposes a ban on “intensive rearing”
The Labour Party’s proposed animal welfare plan, which includes a pledge to “promote high standards with regards to game shoots”, has had a mixed reception from rural groups. Published on the heels of the Government’s own proposed Animal Welfare Bill, the 50-point plan seeks to improve the treatment of wild,…
Are you ready to enter The Handicap Challenge 2018?
We are excited to announce that with our kind sponsors, Sunseeker London, we will be offering a fantastic prize of £500 in cash for each magazine’s Top Gun for the Royal Berkshire Shooting School’s Handicap Challenge 2018. Participants can shoot the Handicap Challenge course at the Royal Berkshire Shooting School…
Help keep shooting on Welsh land
Shooters are being asked to help decide the future of fieldsports on Natural Resources Wales (NRW) land after new proposals for firearms use were revealed. These came about following a review allegedly launched under pressure from animal rights campaigners. NRW carried out the review into the use of firearms on…
Brood management trials approved for hen harriers
Natural England has issued a two-year licence approving brood management trials for hen harriers as part of Defra’s recovery plan. The six-point Hen Harrier Action Plan was published in early 2016 — after two years of calls from conservation groups — and was created to help the recovery of the…
New angling rules for salmon
The Environment Agency has announced new plans to help protect plummeting salmon numbers across English rivers and the river Esk in Scotland. Proposals include halting the taking of salmon from the majority of net fisheries by next year and the introduction of a mandatory requirement to return all salmon caught…
Honorary President of National Gamekeepers’ Organisation receives Royal Victorian Order (LVO) from Her Majesty The Queen
Awards in the Royal Victorian Order are in the gift of Her Majesty, who made the presentation in person. David Clark said: “It is a great honour to have been made Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order, for which I would like to thank Her Majesty The Queen. I will…
Game sales are sky-rocketing
The popularity of game meat is rocketing, with sales in the UK rising by 8.6 per cent in the last year and some Scottish game dealers reporting a five-fold increase in demand for grouse. A new report by independent market researcher Mintel says that general UK sales now stand at…
Golf club criticised by locals following decision to cull Canada Geese pests
West Essex Golf Club has instructed pest control experts to shoot increasing numbers of geese found on the greens. However this decision has drawn a furious response from local residents and some club members. Members have been told that marksmen will mount an “aggressive campaign and try to shoot 3…