Q: I would like a springer or working cocker spaniel to train as a gundog, but my father is not keen. My grandparents had a show-strain cocker who was a…
Shooting Times
Is it time to move away from lead shot to steel?
We were deep in a ditch on the Orkneys. There was a tumbling grey northern sky above us and an icy wind. The peninsula’s greylag goose population was not playing…
How do I teach hand signals when training a gundog?
At what stage of a Labrador gundog's training do you introduce hand signals?
What is a perruque head on a deer?
At the end of the rut a yearling buck on my ground was still in dark velvet and showed no signs of drying. The buck has an ear-high four-point head…
Lamping on a public footpath – just how legal is it?
Q: A friend was walking his dog on a prescribed footpath at night and came across two men lamping for foxes. An argument ensued as to the right to be…
Breda 3.5SM Kyrptek Mandrake
This month’s gun on test is a 12-bore with a pretty impressive name: Breda 3.5in Super Magnum in Kryptek Mandrake camouflage. Researching the camouflage pattern revealed it’s designed for hunting…
Should I get a Chesapeake Bay retriever?
Retriever (Chesapeake Bay)
Lead shot shown to be major cause of bird deaths
Spent lead shot significantly weakens the immune systems of wild birds and is a major cause of death, according to a newly released scientific paper. The paper entitled Immunotoxic effects…
How to give your gundog puppy the best start in life
Over the coming months, many gundog bitches will cast off the lissom figures they acquired during the shooting season. They will take on a more matronly demeanour of pregnancy as…
Why is the BBC forcing shooters to pay for the likes of Chris Packham?
The BBC is under fire for its plans to strip people aged 75 or older of their free TV licences from next year. The corporation claims it can no longer…
5 tips for airgunners
Mat Manning offers five key tips for airgunners to improve their fieldcraft 1. Go on a reconnaissance mission Reconnaissance around your shooting permissions will help you to target the right…
What’s best for pest control – a spring-powered or pre-charged airgun?
Q: I’d like to buy an air rifle for controlling rabbits and grey squirrels in our garden but I don’t really want a pre-charged model because I can’t be bothered…
How to dress for a day’s formal gameshooting
Essentially shooting dress has not changed for 150 years. Flick through Lancaster’s The Art of Shooting from 1889 and the chaps are wearing exactly the same kit as us. Or…
Are children allowed to use rifles?
Children using rifles – is it legal? Q. I am planning a fun day for the village on my farm, where I have a range that is suitable for .22…
Why won’t my springer spaniel deliver game to me?
Q: I have a 10-month-old springer out of a rescue kennel. He is obviously working stock, good looking, full of life and hunts like a demon. He was completely wild…
Classic Guns – Tikka LSA 55
Bruce Potts pays homage to the LSA 55 - Tikka's first bolt-action rifle made in 1967
Choosing the right bullets for deer stalking
Stalkers have an abundance of bullets to choose from, but how do you select the right one? Bruce Potts outlines what you need to consider
Isuzu D-Max Utah Huntsman Plus reviewed out in the field
I was waiting eagerly for the Isuzu Huntsman to turn up, and at first glance it has the air of a stealth fighter about it, particularly in this colour with…
Your first day in the field
In the fourth part of our Shooting Times series on how to become the Shot you’ve always wanted, in association with Hull Cartridge, Tom Payne is looking at how to…
For deer stalking, is .243 calibre too small?
Deer stalking: Is .243 calibre too small for anything other than roe deer and foxes?