This is my eighth season being a headkeeper on an estate in the Cotswolds. Having entered the gamekeeping profession full-time at the age of 23, my initial knowledge came from…
Shooting Times
Help keep shooting on Welsh land
Shooters are being asked to help decide the future of fieldsports on Natural Resources Wales (NRW) land after new proposals for firearms use were revealed. These came about following a…
A lesson on gun fit
The season was drawing to an end when I received a call from Shooting Times Editor Patrick Galbraith. Patrick mentioned that he wasn’t entirely happy with his shooting over the…
Shooting rats in broad daylight
The vast majority of my winter rat shooting is done during the hours of darkness. My usual routine is to arrive an hour or so before dusk so I can…
How to choose a puppy
Choosing a gundog puppy that’s right for you Once you have decided on the breed of gundog puppy you want, the colour and the sex, you should try to see both…
How to stop your gundog from being hard-mouthed
Hard-mouthed: My English springer spaniel was retrieving what I thought was a dead squirrel and was bitten by it. She reacted by shaking it and when it was dead she…
How often and how much should I feed my dog?
How many times should I feed my gun dog everyday?
Why airgunning is the most noble of shooting sports
Setting up airgunning as the noblest of shooting sports probably sounds like a tall order to many — it certainly does to me. Airgun shooters wear funny clothes, we get…
Brood management trials approved for hen harriers
Natural England has issued a two-year licence approving brood management trials for hen harriers as part of Defra’s recovery plan. The six-point Hen Harrier Action Plan was published in early…
New angling rules for salmon
The Environment Agency has announced new plans to help protect plummeting salmon numbers across English rivers and the river Esk in Scotland. Proposals include halting the taking of salmon from…
Game sales are sky-rocketing
The popularity of game meat is rocketing, with sales in the UK rising by 8.6 per cent in the last year and some Scottish game dealers reporting a five-fold increase…
Abbey Ling named Clay Shooter of the Year
Abbey Ling was voted Clay Shooter of the Year at the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association (CPSA) Awards, held at The Belfry Hotel & Resort this weekend (Saturday, 3 February). After…
Scotland bans electric dog training collars
Electric dog training collars are to be banned in Scotland, after the Scottish Government made a U-turn on its previous decision not to prohibit their use. Scottish environment secretary Roseanna…
GWCT launches SAMARCH salmon project
The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has launched a new project, SAMARCH (Salmonid Management Round the Channel), to provide vital research on rapidly declining salmon and sea trout populations.…
Massive support for Commonwealth Games petition
The Shooting Times petition to put shooting sports back on to the programme for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has been signed over 50,000 people at the time of writing.…
Her Majesty The Queen attends Cocker Championship at Sandringham
An £800 pair of dummy launchers proved key in the training of young bitch Abiann Flawless, which landed the ultimate accolade at the 88th Cocker Spaniel Championship, held on the…
Defra boss shares rural vision
Rural groups have welcomed the commitment to British farming shown by Defra secretary Michael Gove as he set out his vision for the future of the industry in a speech…
Fury as councillors end shooting on Ilkley Moor
Bradford Council’s Labour Group has refused to renew the grouse shooting lease on Ilkley Moor in a move shooting groups claimed was made to appease the animal rights lobby. Bradford…
Up to what range are my .22 bullets still effective?
On the ammo box it says .22 LR subsonic are dangerous up to 1½ miles - can one of these bullets kill a long distance away?
New Northern Forest to be planted
The Government has announced plans to create a new Northern Forest spanning more than 120 miles between Bradford, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool. With backing from Defra secretary Michael Gove, the…