Human I am not just referring to the vertiginous climbs required to access the heather, which have been known to put paid to a chap’s ambitions to walk-up a grouse before the undertaking has even started. No, I am talking about the need for total control of both man and dog.…
News
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…
Wild rabbit slow cooked* with rosemary, olive oil and garlic
With a bunch of mates coming round for dinner and a lot of rabbit in the freezer from a recent foray with the airgun, we wanted to cook up a hearty meal that wouldn’t be over-complicated. As with most people, time wasn’t in abundance so we needed a recipe that…
Oh to be quicker on the reload
Twice I’ve been robbed of the blue riband of clay-busting. No, not the British Open Sporting. As if. We’re talking uber-competitive here: of reputations won and lost; of enormous sums wagered; of tight A**e Corner. okay, its real name is Tight Corner but, given that it costs a smallish fortune…
How you can improve your clayshooting at the CLA Game Fair 2015
Do you want to learn, compete, watch famous international Shots, have your gun checked or shop for new equipment? This year the Clay Line at the CLA Game Fair has been renamed the Shooting Line and it’s where you can enjoy demonstrations and try your hand at several competitions. Fancy…
Holyrood could seize private land through Scottish Land Reform Bill
Scottish ministers will have the right to force the sale of private land through the Scottish Land Reform Bill, it emerged last week. Among the many proposals contained within the new legislation, which includes the return of business rates for shooting estates, this is certain to be one of the…
RSPCA may lose “credibility” after activists join council
The RSPCA is at risk of losing its credibility following the election of two radical activists to its ruling council and by putting political campaigns ahead of animal welfare, say MPs. The Mail on Sunday reports that MPs are concerned the charity is growing far removed from its traditional role…
Scottish deer – a political animal
Earlier this year, Aileen Macleod, Scotland’s minister for environment, climate change and land reform, published a review of the Scottish National Party Government’s policy on deer and deer management — Scotland’s Wild Deer: a national approach. I feel an affinity towards the document because on the front cover it shows a…
10 of the best. Our round-up of game fair fashion
A game fair has its own dress code. Not scruffy, not formal. Just in between. We’ve picked out a number of pieces that not only look the part but will also come in useful long after the game fair season has ended. Wearing a collar just adds that extra finish…
Peas and pigeon shooting
It has been a very strange — and disappointing — couple of months with regard to pigeon shooting. From the start of the year I was having a pigeon-shooting bonanza, with good numbers being shot over winter rape and birds decoying brilliantly. The trend continued into the spring drillings. I…
Hurry! Only six days to lobby your MP to support an amendment to the 2004 Hunting Act
If MPs vote in favour, the 2004 Hunting Act could be amended by the end of this year. It would bring policy in England and Wales into line with that of Scotland, where more than two dogs can be used to flush foxes to the gun. At present only two hounds…
Scotland passes airgun bill despite big drop in airgun crime
The Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Bill was passed last week, despite newly published Government figures showing a 73 per cent drop in Scottish airgun crime since 2006-2007. Anyone who owns an airgun could unwittingly be committing a criminal act should they fail to obtain a licence after April next year.…
The growth of female shooting syndicates
If current trends continue, women could have an important role to play in the future of shooting. At the end of the 20th century, many women were put off picking up a gun by lack of opportunity, lack of suitable equipment and the perceived prevailing attitude of general disapproval. These days,…
Get a discount on your CLA Game Fair tickets
The advance ticket discounts for this year’s event, to be held at Harewood House in Yorkshire from Friday 31 July until Sunday 2 August, end at midnight on Monday 20th July. A one-day adult ticket for the Friday costs just £30 online, giving a £5 saving on the gate price…
Shooters reject Weetabix claims on lead shot contamination
Shooting groups have questioned comments by Weetabix’s head of quality Keith Turnbull, warning farmers to avoid contaminating wheat grain with lead shot. In an article for the Combinable Crops & Sugar Beet Newsletter, Mr Turnbull said he receives wheat containing lead shot. He urged farmers to “stop this contamination occurring…
Scottish Land Reform Bill could soar the price of shooting and stalking
Ordinary deerstalkers and gameshooters could be the first to suffer following the publication of the Scottish Land Reform Bill last week. The bill, which aims to widen the ownership of land throughout the country, includes proposals to end the exemption on business rates for shooting estates, which landowners have not…
Airguns and summer squirrel shooting
Squirrel control using an air rifle can be a real bind during the summer months. Dense foliage can make it virtually impossible to spot your quarry in the treetops, and the abundance of natural food means it’s difficult to pinpoint them to any specific area. It was so much easier…
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…
Looking after the mother with new puppies
When your bitch has whelped, it’s all too easy to become preoccupied with the puppies. The anxiety associated with an imminent whelping, the stress of having to deal with the whelping process and the care of the newborn puppies can easily focus attention on the puppies and distract attention from…
Would you know how to give first aid to a gundog?
Out in the field dogs can potentially face leg, paw and joint injury, eye injuries, soft tissue wounds and penetration wounds, heat stroke, seizures and cardiovascular problems. To counteract this, the Kennel Club and veterinary specialists, Dick White Referrals are offering a new training course on Saturday 11th July in Suffolk.…