Restoring petland has been identified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as one of the key tools to sequester Carbon and it is an opportunity shooting estates have eagerly taken up. The Sphagnum mosses which make up peat lock up carbon dioxide much more quickly and for…
News
Grouse shooting – Shots predict quiet season ahead
The grouse season has got off to a quiet start with most moors not shooting at all on the 12th and many expecting no significant shooting for the whole season. The now traditional 12th of August political and media bunfight was also much more muted than has been the case…
Shoots ‘very busy’ for season ahead
With most of the UK shooting season put on hold last year due to COVID, speculation has been rife about how shooting would bounce back. However there is no evidence that demand for shooting has waned during the pandemic and Guns seem ready to return to the field in numbers.…
Grouse shooting endorsed in major new academic study
A newly published 242 page report by a team from the University of Nottingham entitled “Sustainable Grouse Shooting? A Summary of the Evidence” looked at the cases for and against driven grouse shooting. Its conclusions will come as a serious blow to critics of moorland management for grouse. Examining the…
Vainglorious Twelfth
As reported in Shooting Times a couple of weeks ago, this year the grouse season is proving anything but glorious after a cold spring and summer reduced bird numbers, resulting in many shoots cancelling grouse bookings this year. Shooting Times understands that a London private club where grouse has…
Hen harrier chick numbers soar on managed moorland
Reports of successful hen harrier nests from around the country raise the prospects of another record-breaking year for hen harrier numbers. Land managers have reported 24 successful nests on moorland in Northumberland, North Yorkshire, County Durham, Cumbria, Derbyshire and Lancashire. Of the 24 successful nests, 19 are on moors managed…
Consultation on general licences in Northern Ireland has been dropped
The Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) abandoned the consultation process after it came under fire for bias. The consultation had looked at proposals to remove herring gulls, both species of black-backed gull and rooks from 2021/22 general licences for Northern Ireland. However, countryside groups pointed out fundamental…
Grouse shooting: efforts to pressure companies into abandoning the sport prove unsuccessful
In an attempt to use the press to ambush Yorkshire Water, anti-shooting campaigners have been promoting the claim that the company is ending shooting leases on land it owns. The Yorkshire Post ran the story under the headline, “Yorkshire Water to end grouse shooting tenancies on two of its moors…
Missing dogs to feature on packaging in new DogLost campaign
The numbers of dogs stolen and missing has escalated in the past few years. Thieves have been particularly targeting working dogs which are known to be well socialised and good natured. The price of puppies has risen incredibly, making working dogs more valuable than ever. (Read our advice on keeping…
Seonaid McIntosh fails to qualify for Women’s 50m Three-position Rifle final
Seonaid McIntosh took to the range for Team GB’s final shooting event of the 2020 Olympic Games. Over the course of the qualification event the Scottish top shot scored an impressive 1167/1200. Unfortunately, thanks to phenomenal shooting from so many ladies on the day, Seonaid fell short of the 1171/1200…
Kirsty and Matt miss Trap Mixed Teams final by narrow margin
Throughout the shooting events at this year’s Olympic games we have seen exceptional athletes pushing each other to the very edges of their abilities. At each event the tiniest of margins have separated those that go home with a medal and those who don’t. This was perhaps no more evident…
Anti- Festival of Hunting motion rejected by council
On the evening of Wednesday 29th July 2021, Peterborough City councillors voted down a motion which would have prevented the East of England Agricultural Society hosting the Festival of Hunting at the East of England Showground. Councillors voted 30-25 against the motion which had been submitted by Councillor Ansar Ali.…
Fieldsports bodies maximise voice with Aim to Sustain
Aim To Sustain launched at the Game Fair 2021, comprising BASC, the Countryside Alliance, the British Game Alliance (BGA), the CLA, the Game Farmers’ Association, the Moorland Association, the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation and Scottish Land & Estates. Liam Stokes, chief executive of the BGA, described Aim to Sustain as: “……
Matt Coward-Holley wins Team GB’s first shooting medal with bronze
Matthew Coward-Holley has claimed Men’s Trap bronze and secured Team GB’s first shooting medal at Tokyo 2020. (Read here for an explanation of trap shooting.) Matthew competed in a very tense final, with all competitors seeming to struggle with the pressure and the heat, dropping more targets than might be…
Grouse season looks bleak this year
The Glorious Twelfth is under three weeks away now but the grouse season in 2021 looks set to be rather less glorious this year. Keepers at The Game Fair were reporting hens still sitting on the nest just three weeks ago. To clarify the situation, Shooting UK spoke to Lindsay…
Tokyo Olympics – a round up of events so far
After all the delays, all of the uncertainty and all of the heartbreak we are finally here. The Olympic flame is alight in Japan and the XXXII Olympiad, Tokyo 2020, has begun! The stars of the shooting world have arrived in Tokyo to battle it out for those precious Gold…
Reporting back from The Game Fair 2021: What we saw, did and enjoyed
The crowds were out in force early on the first day of the Game Fair 2021 with everybody ready to meet up and have a good day out out and catch up with long-lost friends. In fact, Friday was the busiest-ever opening day the Game Fair has experienced in its…
Guntrader website hacked
Guntrader, the UK’s largest online marketplace for guns, has been hacked and its users’ personal data including postal and email addresses and phone numbers has been offered for a token fee on a hacking forum. According to experts who have seen the data which was stolen, the hackers have records…
Amber Hill to miss Tokyo 2021 Olympics due to positive Covid test
British Shooting has just announced that Team GB shooter Amber Hill has withdrawn from the Tokyo 2021 Olympics after testing positive for Covid-19. This is devastating news for Amber who has worked for years to earn her place on the Olympic team. Reaction Amber said: “There are no words to…
Firearms licensing GP letter saga continues
Firearm and shotgun certificate applicants have hit out at a ‘crazy system’ of inconsistent requirements and charges for doctors’ letters. Police forces have been increasingly insisting that applicants provide a letter from their GP to confirm there are no health concerns that should prevent them from holding a firearm or…