Keenly contested, this corporate clay shooting competition takes place on the Saturday morning of the CLA Game Fair and gives competitively spirited British companies the chance to participate in one of the most well-attended shooting events in the country sports calendar. Beating off competition Each team of four tackled two flushes…
News
2015 hen harrier breeding season set to be most successful since 2010
Hen harriers remain one of the most endangered breeding birds in England. Yet despite poor weather throughout the recent breeding season, 2015 has brought six successful harrier nests, fledging 18 new chicks. Unfortunately a seventh nest failed towards the end of the season as a result of natural causes. The…
Thoughts and photos from the CLA Game Fair 2015
The sun shone and then the heavens opened. Repeat. A typical August weekend in England then. Our thoughts on the weekend, in brief: Harewood House made a magical backdrop … excellent coverage on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme with Jim Naughtie well attended … conversation with Rory Stewart MP…
Landowners and wildlife. Friends or foes?
Even before the panel took their seats, there was a keen atmosphere in the theatre with a packed audience arriving early to be sure of a seat and a ringside view. The debate didn’t disappointment, with questions from the floor, following introduction and comments from the panel members, ably chaired…
Reporting live from the CLA Game Fair
8am – Press briefing – much needed coffee, a welcome by Henry Robinson the CLA President. 10am – a conversation between Henry Robinson the CLA President and Rory Stewart MP, Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the Game Fair Theatre. 11am – off to the Pugs and Drummers…
How to be a better Shot
It’s amazing how quickly the season comes around. Now is the perfect time to get yourself properly prepared for the forthcoming season. The worst thing you can do is to leave it to the last minute, and it is remarkable how many people do just that. In this piece I…
Ex-RSPB conservation director says driven grouse shooting should be banned
The RSPB has taken a neutral position on the matter of driven grouse shooting. However, in his book Inglorious – Conflict in the Uplands, which is to be published tomorrow – just two weeks before the Glorious Twelfth – Dr Avery says that the sport should be banned. The controversial…
Working hill pony wins gamekeeper prize of £2,200 rangefinding binoculars
Tyree of Dalnacardoch from the Dalnacardoch Estate in Perthshire has scooped this year’s award for Working Hill Ponies at the GWCT Scottish Game Fair at Scone Palace and won the Estate’s stalker and gamekeeper, Duncan Fernie, a valuable pair of Leica binoculars, ideal for Highland hill stalking. Rangefinding binoculars perfect…
Five Things You Mustn’t Miss At the CLA Game Fair
Come and see us Don’t leave the Game Fair without saying hello to us (stand T1505). We would love to meet you. Pick up a terrific offer of three months’ subscription to Shooting Times for £19.50 with a direct debit. Each new subscriber will receive a bottle of Naked Grouse whisky…
Shooting UK Events: Pigeon Shooting Masterclass a great success
The opportunity to spend a day in the company of one of the leading pigeon shooters of our era does not come round too often.
Venison shoulder
Use venison for a perfect alternative to chicken, pork or beef. Ingredients 1 venison shoulder Fennel seeds Caraway seeds Chopped lemon thyme Cornish sea salt Milled black pepper Method Place the venison shoulder in a roasting tray, season wel then sprinkle over the chopped thyme. Crush the fennel and caraway…
Charge of the air brigade
For discreet but deadly despatch of small pests you can’t beat pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air rifles. Almost silent and astonishingly accurate, these have become the favoured tool of many rural and urban pest controllers. I keep one beside my office window. Complete with scope and moderator. It has done sterling work…
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…