The Royal Berkshire Shooting School (RBSS) has raised £190,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital and Marie Curie at its 20th annual charity clay pigeon shoot. The event, which has been chaired each year by Andrew Taee, fundraising patron for both charities, saw 25 teams of four Guns compete in a…
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Use of airguns in England and Wales under review
The Government is being urged not to introduce additional legislation restricting the use of airguns in England and Wales, which is under review after a child was wounded in Bristol. The Countryside Alliance (CA) said that though it is right that gun laws should be revisited when tragedies occur, “we…
Scottish estates urged to seek rates relief
Scottish landowners are being urged to take advantage of rates relief to avoid paying “eye-watering” new sporting fees. Scottish Assessors has issued notices to around 6,500 landowners after repealing rates exclusions on shoots and deer forests brought in by the Land Reform Act. The rates will apply to any landholding…
UK declared bird flu-free
The UK has met the international requirements to be called bird flu-free, but the Government’s top vet has urged all poultry keepers to remain vigilant. Between December 2016 and June 2017, there were 13 cases of H5N8 avian influenza confirmed in UK poultry. Restrictions on movement put in place by…
BASC appoints new chief executive
BASC has appointed a new chief executive, due to join the team in February 2018. Ian Bell, a brigadier in the British Army, will take up the role at BASC when his current deployment as Commander British Forces Germany comes to an end. Mr Bell has a huge enthusiasm for…
Owners shocked to see wanton damage to family shoot in badger cull zone
I would like to make other shoots aware of what may happen if they are in a badger cull zone after what has happened to our small shoot. Wandering poults Last Sunday, my four-year-old daughter and I went down to our shoot, which has been run by our family for…
Scottish keepers restore wild grey partridges
Wild grey partridges have been returned to the Tomatin moors in Inverness-shire thanks to local gamekeepers and some unusual help from bantam chickens. Wild greys had not been seen on the moor since the late 1990s, but in 2011 the team at Clune estate set out to bring them back.…
Wildfowling Club of the Year award now open for entries
The purpose of Shooting Times’s new award is to highlight the incredible contribution made by fowlers across the UK. Wildfowling Club of the Year award now open for entries Editor Patrick Galbraith explained: “Wildfowlers are possibly the finest ambassadors that shooting has. Their conservation work, appreciation of the landscape they…
Salmon facing myriad threats
A huge decline in the number of young wild salmon returning to British rivers could lead to a national shortage, according to the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT). For 16 years, the GWCT, along with the Government’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, has monitored the number of…
Gamekeepers old and new rewarded for their work
Trainee keeper Jack Depledge from North Yorkshire has won this year’s National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) Frank Jenkins Memorial Trophy. The award, which is sponsored by Musto, is given to the best full or part-time gamekeeping student or apprentice of the academic year and is named for the late Frank Jenkins,…
War of the words as hen harrier tag goes quiet
Rural groups have rejected claims that grouse moor managers were responsible for the disappearance of a hen harrier. RSPB Scotland says a satellite-tagged bird, named Calluna, vanished over an Aberdeenshire grouse moor near Ballater when transmissions from the tag ended abruptly on the Glorious Twelfth. First day of the season…
Scottish gamekeepers back new Lyme disease measures
The Scottish Parliament is considering improvements to testing and treatment for Lyme disease, thanks to a petition supported by gamekeepers and grouse moor managers. The Tick-borne Illness Campaign Scotland seeks to limit the spread of Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. It calls for medical professionals in Scotland to be…
What’s in store at the Midland Game Fair 2017
While every local and regional fair is unique in its own way, only a handful have a standing of national significance among shooters. The Game Fair — held this year at Hatfield House — is one; the Midland Game Fair 2017 at Weston Park, Shropshire, on 16-17 September is another.…
Time for tougher penalties for fly-tipping, says CLA
The CLA has proposed tougher measures to tackle the increasing problem of fly-tipping in the countryside. It suggests a new five-point action plan, which includes seizing vehicles of offenders to act as a deterrent, and enforcing fines for those whose waste is found in fly-tipped locations. The CLA also suggests…
Massive £240k raised for charity by Eadie clayshoot
A clay shoot and auction, organised by Gerard Eadie’s Shoot Charitable Trust, has raised almost a quarter of a million pounds for charity. The annual shoot, the 16th organised by the boss of double-glazing specialist CR Smith, was held at Auchterhouse Country Sports near Dundee last month. Forty-one teams of…
DEFRA boss Michael Gove praises shooters
Environment secretary Michael Gove has once again celebrated the role that game shooting and land management plays in preserving the countryside. Mr Gove addressed an audience at last month’s All Party Parliamentary Group for Game and Wildlife Conservation, in a meeting chaired by esteemed countryman Sir Nicholas Soames. Importance of…
European conservation award for GWCT
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has received a prestigious European award, recognising its work in wildlife management and conservation. The Jan Van Haaften IUGB (International Union of Game Biologists) Award for Wildlife Management in Europe was presented to members of the GWCT last month in the closing ceremony…
Glorious start to the grouse season
It’s been a terrific start to the grouse season in northern England, though reports from Scotland have been mixed. Last month, estates reported big broods and perfect conditions along with the possibility of record seasons in some places. But Shooting Times checked back to see whether the Glorious Twelfth had…
Grouse shooting is good for business
Grouse shooting in North Yorkshire is expected to contribute more than £100,000 to hotels, restaurants and pubs throughout this season. Nine estates alone surveyed by the Nidderdale Moorland Group will be hosting 150 driven shoot days over the next four months and it is estimated that this will result in…
Lead faces threat of new Euro ban
The use of lead shot is once again in jeopardy as the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) considers restricting its use. Last year, before leaving office as DEFRA secretary, Elizabeth Truss MP rejected calls for a ban on lead shot by the Lead Ammunition Group, but it has now now under…