I work with all levels of dog handler, from first-time owners to well-seasoned competitive handlers. I often refer to other sports and use them to explain a theory or aspect of training that handlers may struggle to grasp. Not everyone is up to being a dog handler However, one thing…
Shooting Times
Drama at the Rural Oscars
Rural businesses from across England and Wales were celebrated at the 12th annual Countryside Alliance Awards at the House of Lords two weeks ago — a happy event that took a sombre turn as the Westminster venue was sealed following a terror incident. As the ceremony drew to a close,…
MPs vote to amend fox hunting ban
MPs will be asked to vote on amendments to the 2004 Hunting Act, which would allow more than two dogs to flush foxes to guns, in the House of Commons on Wednesday, 15 July. Prime Minister David Cameron said that he would give MPs the chance to debate the issue…
Lead ammunition: where’s the science?
No sound evidence, no change” is the firmly held position of every British shooting organisation on lead ammunition. This means that any regulations must first and foremost be supported by absolutely solid scientific evidence. “No change” is all about regulation. Does the evidence point to an incontrovertible need for more…
English and Welsh roe heads review 2014
Last November, new guidelines for the European species within the CIC’s Red Book — the “bible” of international trophy measuring — were published for internal use. The changes, in principle, will provide greater consistency of measuring throughout a species’ range and provide the trophy judges with clearer technical information. These…
Scottish airgun bill under fire
A bill for the licensing of airguns in Scotland has met with fierce criticism from shooting and countryside organisations and its effectiveness and enforceability questioned by the Law Society of Scotland. The Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Bill would, if passed in its current form, require anyone wishing to own…
A tick-ing time bomb
Turnstone writes: Two days ago I set about skinning and dressing a roebuck, a two-year-old, shot the previous evening. I have a suitable beam in a general tool-shed from which I can suspend and work on carcases and the animal was duly suspended. The little deer was still in the remains…
Outbreak of foot and mouth confirmed: latest
Initial results are suggesting the strain of foot and mouth (FMD) found in cattle at Milton Park farm, near Egham in Surrey, is from the same strain as last month's outbreak in Normandy and Pirbright, Surrey, about 10 miles away.