Most of us will have had a quick look round our release pen by now. Rotten posts and rusty wire will have been noted and earmarked for work parties. Electric fences will have been checked for breaks and shorting, and gates, pop-holes and run-ins given the once over just in…
Gameshooting
Whatever you want to know about gameshooting, we’ve got it covered.
You might be new to shooting and looking forward to your first season. Maybe you are wondering what to wear and about the etiquette of shooting.
Or you might be a seasoned shooter who’s been about and about in the field since a youthful age.
Whatever your credentials, we’re here to help with relevant, up-to-date advice, whether your quarry is grouse, pheasant or partridge.
We regularly review different guns for gameshooting
We regularly review different guns for game and look at how ammunition performs.
Our writers visit shoots around the country and report back. We cover both driven shooting and walked up.
Perhaps most importantly, we’ve plenty of advice on how to improve your gameshooting and be a better Shot.
If you want to be kept informed with regular updates, you might find it useful to sign up to our free weekly newsletter, which features all the latest shooting articles and news.
Conservation benefits
All game shooters share a love of the countryside, of great scenery and of wildlife.
Looking after habitat to create an environment where game birds flourish has huge spill-over benefits for both flora and fauna. Effective woodland management, controlled crop spraying, set-aside headlands in fields and all manner of other actions help to ensure that many song birds and mammals flourish in a way that does not happen when such places are regularly
disturbed by humans.
Do you want your shoot written about?
Finally, if you’d like your shoot to be covered by one of our writers then contact us by emailing steditorials@futurenet.com
Here’s an example of the sort of shoot write-up we do.
Improve your shooting | Shooting etiquette | Pheasant shooting | Grouse shooting | Partridge shooting | Pigeon shooting
How to keep poults in the best of health
Keeping poults healthy The problems being caused by avian influenza (AI) in the UK and abroad have once again underlined the importance of biosecurity and best practice. (Read more on avian influenza.) Not only in the prevention of notifiable viruses and diseases such as AI, but in the prevention and…
What constitutes a big bag in shooting? 150, 200, 300
What constitutes a ‘big bag’ in shooting. Is it 150, 200, 300 birds? A big bag in shooting For all the talk, what counts as a big bag in shooting? To some extent, it’s a matter of perception — and that’s not making light of the issue. Some of the…
Why a bit of moderation in shooting right now might not be a bad thing
Could a shortage of imported gamebirds for this coming season signal structural change in driven game shooting? In years to come, will we look back and recognise this season as the turning point — the first time in decades that the inexorable trend of releasing more and more pheasants was…
Should I shoot game birds with a side-by-side or over-and-under?
Side by side shotguns are loved by traditionalists. Many Guns start shooting with a side-by-side shotgun (which they have possibly inherited) and then switch to an over-and-under. But why? (More on switching from a side-by-side to an over-and-under.) Side-by-side or over-and-under? It is much easier shooting with an over-and-under. For…
Why more and more women are enjoying driven shooting
It will probably not come as any sort of surprise to learn that shooting sports are predominately the pastime of men. The most recent Home Office figures reveal that 94% of shotgun and firearms certificate holders in England and Wales are male. The 6% minority, however, equates to more than…
A clean kill is what should be aimed for every time
What marks you out as a Gun who knows what they are doing? What separates a good Shot from a bad one? If you ask a member of the picking-up team behind you, who see all but who rarely comment, it will be the care and interest a Gun shows…
Pheasant shooting on a budget
Is there such a thing as pheasant shooting on a budget? Well, yes there is. You can always buy a left-over day on a shooting website and snap up a bargain. However, you may not know any of the Guns you are shooting with if you go down this route.…
Ground game: should we be allowed to shoot it on driven days?
The morning briefings on the driven shoots to which I get invited tend to follow the same pattern. “Shoot what gives you pleasure, but be sparing with the hens — they are our breeding stock. Leave woodcock and grey partridges and no ground game.” It’s not a difficult set of…
How to find good-value driven shooting
Pursuing good-value driven shooting doesn't mean you need to skip on quality, as Ian Grindy discovers
Improve your driven shooting – here are 10 reasons why you might be missing
Driven shooting: Understanding why you miss will improve your driven shooting.
Pheasant shooting must-reads
There’s an early morning nip in the air and the pheasant shooting season has begun. So here are some useful pheasant shooting must-reads covering everything from guns and ammunition to what to wear shooting. 1. What’s the best cartridge load for driven pheasants? Instructor Adam Calvert offers the benefit of…
Tips to make you better at walked-up pheasant shooting
Have you been invited walked-up pheasant shooting for the first time? If so, congratulations because it’s a sought-after invitation. However it can be a daunting prospect for the beginner. On a walked-up shoot you don’t have total control of the birds and you don’t know how they will be presented,…
Pheasant shooting tips
Looking forward to going out into the field in the next few weeks? I’ve compiled a list of pheasant shooting tips for you to follow, so that you can check your technique and that you are doing things correctly. (You might also like to read what to expect on your…
Driven pheasant day: How to tell which is your bird and which is your neighbour’s
Ian Grindy shows you how to work out if it's your bird or your neighbour's and discusses etiquette on driven shoots
Do beaters, loaders and pickers-up get paid fairly?
Some beaters, loaders and pickers-up rely on shoots as their main source of income throughout the season. However this money cannot replace a regular salary (and it’s been hit hard by Covid restrictions) and in any case shoot earnings have to be declared and are taxed accordingly. Few complaints Although…
Are ex-layer pheasants worthwhile or a waste of time and money?
At first glance, buying ex-layer pheasants for £2.50 each appears to be excellent value for money when compared with buying in a seven-week-old pheasant poult at £4. But there are, of course, huge differences between the two and there is a reason why one is almost double the price of…
How to tackle January pheasants
Many of the best Shots whose opinions I most respect won’t shoot a pheasant in October. For the very lucky, August and September are for grouse, October is for partridges and only in November do they start thinking about pheasants. By the time January comes round, it is supposed that…
Why the best Shots start out as rough shooters
Very often you will see a person’s true character when you drive game over them on a peg. It’s difficult for anyone to hide it. If you are greedy, lack respect for your quarry or have a tendency to moan, it’s likely to show. We can learn a lot about…
Why the wild pheasant is the greatest test
’I remember the first time I was invited to a day of wild pheasants. It was a cold January morning and I stood on the edge of an old woodland filled with oaks and ash that sloped away into a deep valley where the other Guns stood waiting, nervously shifting…