Researchers attending the Oxford Symposium on Lead ammunition have published a report stating that evidence now supports a ban. Several conclusions were drawn from the report, which used findings from studies carried out by conservation groups including the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) and the RSPB. The WWT says that…
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EU to review gun laws after Paris attacks
EU ministers met at a crisis meeting on Friday and, at the time of writing, were expected to suggest new rules making it more difficult to acquire weapons and to track them more easily. The European Commission has been working since 2013 to create common minimum standards across the EU…
Olympic shooting team announced for Rio 2016
The Team GB Olympic shooting squad for Rio 2016 was announced last week. The chosen six are: Elena Allen, Amber Hill, Tim Kneale, Ed Ling, Jennifer McIntosh and Steve Scott. The British Olympic Association revealed the identities of the squad at a press conference at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre in Berkshire. The newly minted Olympians will travel to…
Drawing birds into drives – and keeping them there
We shoot a few boundary days in October, but to me, October is more about getting ready for the shooting season proper — when the weather is cold and the leaves are off the trees — than it is about serious shooting. Strange though it may seem, one of the…
High Court overrules Natural England in gamekeeper buzzard licence battle
Today, Friday 13th November 2015, has been a lucky day for gamekeeper Ricky McMorn. The Judicial Review at the High Court has quashed Natural England’s refusal to grant him a licence to control buzzards, a battle that has been going on for four long years. Giving his judgement today Mr Justice…
Gun Licences: The future
Chief Constable Andy Marsh has been at the centre of several major news stories in recent weeks. He called for Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) report, which highlighted failings in the application of firearms licensing in England and Wales. He has also given his backing to the Law Commission’s plans to bring the current law on firearms, which is contained…
Christmas gifts for shooters
Up to £20 https://images.app.goo.gl/9e5ZFWGV8TsMxqhF8 Flight speed of game birds apron £20 Stockists: Magazines Direct Fulham Interiors Hunter Alan Paine Kaye Parmenter Purdey Merlin Unwin (Jose Souto) John Field
Call for restraint shooting woodcock
In an effort to protect the woodcock population, several countryside organisations, including the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, are following the recommendation of conservationists by asking shoots to schedule any shooting until at least after November’s full moon, which falls on Wednesday 25th November. This will allow the declining resident woodcock population…
Surprise someone with a gift subscription to Sporting Gun
Wondering about the perfect Christmas present for a shooter (or yourself)? You’ve found it! Subscribe today to take advantage of this limited offer from just £14.49. Not only do you get a 37% discount off the cover price, you also receive a useful Gerber Multi-Tool worth £49.99. Plus, there are five more reasons to…
Pheasant takes a selfie
Flytipping is a scourge of the countryside. To crack down on the illegal dumping of waste in County Durham, the council installed hidden CCTV at known hotspots. But when they checked the cameras they discovered a culprit unlikely to be brought in front of the beak. A curious pheasant had…
Fierce competition at the Game to Eat Student Chef of the Year
Jack wowed the judges with his whole roasted partridge accompanied by beetroot three ways, a mushroom duxelle, pickled wild mushrooms, red vein sorrel and a red wine jus. Jack, who is relatively new to cooking game, said: “I spent last week perfecting the timings of the partridge and I do…
Sixty pheasants slaughtered in gruesome attack
The birds were decapitated and their heads impaled on fence posts at the Wasing Estate on October 10 after the attackers used catapults to knock the pheasants from their perches in the middle of the night. The estate belongs to documentary maker Joshua Dugdale, who is Prime Minister David Cameron’s cousin.…
Hunter mistakenly shoots two moose in Norway zoo
The hunter, who has not been named, was hunting near the Polar Park Arctic Wildlife Centre in Trom, northern Norway, when he shot two moose who live in the zoo by mistake. The group was hunting moose with specially trained dogs on October 7. One of the dogs went under…
How shooting boosts tourism
To give a breakdown of how shooting supports tourism, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has produced this informative visual infographic. You’ll notice some impressive statistics Shooting tourists generate visitor nights by more than four million annually Almost ten per cent of the amount spent on outdoor recreation annually…
Welcome to the new look Shooting Times
Says Joe Dimbleby, Editor of Shooting Times: “I hope you enjoy the changes, which aim to refresh while staying true to the magazine’s incredible heritage. The keepering column will rotate with four keepers in different parts of the country: Liam Bell in the Midlands, Jamie Osborne in the South, Lindsay Waddell…
Agricultural shows report a record season, despite demise of CLA Game Fair
According to the Association of Shows and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO), which represents many of British’s food farming and countryside events, both big multiple-day shows and smaller events are reporting a successful season. The Cheshire County Show has had a steady increase in attendance figures recently and this year’s were spectacular,…
Managed heather moorland helps Scottish honeybees thrive
Across parts of Scotland honeybees and honey producers are flourishing thanks to the red grouse, going some way to counter concerns of a bee decline across the country – with the poor summer this year not helping the situation. Heather is central to the red grouse’s diet There are encouraging…
New gamebird figures challenge RSPB claims
New BASC research has challenged RSPB claims that the shooting industry releases 50million birds into the wild each year. Real figure closer to 34.9million The paper, Impacts of gamebird release, says the real figure lies closer to 34.9million birds and describes the significantly higher estimate as being “based on unreliable…
Scottish wildlife crime falls by 20 per cent
A 20 per cent decrease was welcomed by Scottish Land and Estates who said that this momentum needed to be maintained. The government and police should continue to devote resources to the issue, especially in offences linked to organised poaching. Douglas McAdam, chief executive of Scottish Land and Estates, said:…
Scottish Government accused of threatening rural economy and conservation
Douglas McAdam, chief executive of Scottish Land & Estates, gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Climate Change Committee and said further due diligence was needed to prevent ‘perverse outcomes’ from the legislation. “The Scottish Government has failed to undertake an economic impact assessment” In its written evidence…