The countryside is a wonderful place to work, and the men and women who toil away at forestry, farming and gamekeeping play a vital role in its upkeep and the diversity of wildlife that lives in it. Countryside-based jobs are thought to give you greater satisfaction and feelings of well-being…
Shooting
Conservation in action
Small shoot owners know that the benefits of a wildlife-friendly shoot stretch far beyond shooting
Shooting job opportunities abroad
Last summer I was discussing the releasing of duck in Hungarian. Speaking through a translator, my host asked me whether we in England reared and released duck for shooting. I confirmed that we did indeed, and went on to explain that on the college shoot that my students run we…
Best shooting instructors in the UK
Whether based at West London Shooting School, E.J. Churchill, Royal Berkshire Shooting Ground or Barbury Shooting School, the UK is home to some of the world’s best shooting instructors. Many of the top 10 shooting instructors listed below have been at the top of their game for almost as long…
PACEC report: Value of shooting is £2.5bn a year
The new PACEC report reveals that shooting accounts for 10 per cent of all spending on outdoor activity, supports 74,000 full-time jobs and manages 10x more land for conservation than nature reserves
Getting the pheasant pen ready
Neil Baldock is a gamekeeper working on a low-ground shoot in Wiltshire. The farm comprises of 600 acres of mixed arable and small woodlands that were planted specifically for shooting. There is a large duck pond and the topography can only be described as rolling. The shoot has been running for…
Our sport has a reputation to uphold
The line in the email subject box said: “Watch this, NOW!” The sender was a shooting colleague and he’d sent me a link to a YouTube clip. Curiosity got the better of me so I opened the link. I wish I hadn’t! No, it wasn’t a computer virus — it…
How to spot TB in deer
The first recorded instance of tuberculosis having been transferred from a cat to a human was reported recently. I wonder if this surprised any of us whose work involves animals. I have to say, it didn’t surprise me. TB, or to be exact, bovine TB, is what is classed as…
Harris Tweed
“It’s not all old. Brand new in 1970,” Donald John Mackay replied when I asked him whether his loom is an old one. “This’ll be it for me. I bought it in 1984, but I won’t need another.” Coincidentally, 1970 is when Donald started weaving. “My aunty set me up…
Changing attitudes to firearms
“A great deal, of late, has been said and has been written against shooting. It has been denounced as unnatural, cruel, useless, and absurd.” I like that, but the words are not mine. They were written in 1876 by Wildfowler, the nom de plume of Lewis Clement, who was to…
Gamekeepers’ conservation evidence is valid
When the "conservation" community dismisses the evidence of those with direct experience of the natural world, it is, effectively masking the truth, writes Lindsay Waddell, chairman of the National Gamekeepers' Organisation
What Scottish independence means for fieldsports
I can honestly say not one person has asked me about independence,” says Robert Rattray, hand dramatically over his heart. As the head of CKD Galbraith’s sporting lets agency in Perth, Robert is someone you’d expect to be asked about the future for Scotland’s £360million fieldsports industry, should the nation…
Old-school, slower bullets contaminate less meat
Research has shown that though deer shot with lead-cored jacketed bullets do show increased levels of lead, even as far away as the haunches, though it is still less than is found in farmed domestic meat and less than in mussels and other seafood. But there is a way to…
CAP reforms could mean more peas for pigeon
Reforms to farm funding announced by environment secretary Owen Paterson could mean a boost for pollinators and pigeon shooters, but have been greeted with dismay by a number of wildlife and conservation groups. The minister’s announcement set out how the £15billion of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds would be distributed…
Partridge and pheasant shooting at Bowhill, Scottish Borders
Shortly before the first drive started, a sparrowhawk emerged from the highest cluster of oak trees and twinkled her wings in the bright sunlight. Against a cloudless blue sky, the little hunter passed directly over my head at a fantastic height, pausing once to wheel and turn before vanishing behind…
Ladies-only shooting: Girls with guns want more than fun
The outlook for women in the shooting world is looking reasonably rosy these days. It’s not merely a matter of there being more patronisingly pink skeet vests, fuschia-trimmed tweeds and shotguns with flouncy flowery engraving on sale in shooting shops, nor is it simply the case that there is an…
Using a Blind for crow decoying
A layout blind is an incredibly versatile bit of kit when it comes to deployment in the field. The blind itself is made from waterproof camouflage sheeting similar to a ground sheet. My blind has a mossy oak shadow grass pattern printed on it, which is a good base colour…
Partridge & pheasant shooting at Bandirran Estate, Perthshire
From the moment of arrival at the converted mill, which is now the shoot room at Bandirran Estate, a sense of calm confidence pervades the air. This estate, which is owned by the Lowson family, has no need to worry about the quality of the sport it offers because it…
Shot Gun Certificate appeals
The recent announcements by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) and the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association (CPSA) about their standard members’ insurance can only be welcome news to shooters. They will shortly extend their coverage to include costs incurred appealing police decisions in respect to the refusal or…
Queen’s Head Hotel Berwick review
Tucked away in the centre of Berwick, the Grade II listed six-bedroom Queen’s Head Hotel has been under the stewardship of Garry and Jo-Anne Greenaway for the past 14 years. We found the hotel easily enough after a pleasant three-and-a-half hour drive from Nottinghamshire, the fact the road running immediately…