So you’re a keen airgunner and you’ve set up a safe range at home for a spot of garden airgunning. But now you’re keen to expand your horizons. Maybe carry out a bit of pest control for a local farmer. But how do you go about getting a formal airgun…
Pest control
Pest control can be undertaken for a variety of reasons – to prevent crop damage, protect wild birds and their habitats, keep vermin numbers down.
We have a variety of experts writing on the subject and if you have a query about pest control you’ll find some good advice here.
Rabbiting
Videos
Ferreting
Fox
Rats
Guns
Taking a look at ammunition for vermin
Vermin cartridges review: Give game and song birds a chance to survive by shooting the vermin that prey on them.
Just how deep do rabbits burrow down?
When you’re out walking near a rabbit warren, have you ever wondered just how far the tunnels go down? Just how deep is the average rabbit burrow? A rabbit warren is basically a home for a large colony of rabbits, that interconnects the different tunnels. The answer to how deep…
This is how to take somebody night-time foxing for the first time
To those of us who do it regularly, a night out foxing is no big deal. For many others who have never, or rarely, been before, it can be a really memorable occasion. As a result, one of the things that Paul, my regular shooting partner, and I like to…
Tackling corvids to protect lambs
The long layoff from shooting during lockdown has been a frustrating time for many of us. Most of my shooting entails the control of grey squirrels, and it seemed difficult to justify a drive of 10 or so miles to keep my feeding stations going when we were all being…
How to control foxes when they’ve become lamp shy
Lamping may be one of the most efficient ways to kill foxes but if you miss then, you'll have created a much fightier foe. Liam Bell outlines other options for fox control
How to use an air rifle to clear pheasant pens of rats
One evening that really sticks in my mind is a ratting session with my friend Kev Hawker in February. As the pheasant season had drawn to a close, we were allowed to shoot inside the release pens on a local estate and the early signs suggested that we were in…
Airguns and summer squirrel shooting
Squirrel shooting with an air rifle can be very tricky over the summer months. The trees are covered with dense foliage which makes your quarry almost invisible in the treetops. Lure of the pheasant feeder The colder months are an easier time for squirrel shooting with an air rifle. Hungry…
How to use a Larsen trap correctly and effectively
A Larsen trap is an extremely visible form of pest control but using one needs be done correctly. A passer-by who spots a dirty Larsen trap with a dejected-looking calling bird (decoy), standing on a heap of splattered droppings and flyblown carcass remains is not going to come away with…
No guarantees with this most wily foe the fox
It will come as no surprise that foxes are the UK’s biggest predator of both ground-nesting birds and released game. Because we don’t have large apex predators to assist with their control, as they do in some other parts of the world, it is down to us. Reasons to control…
I live in the city. Am I allowed to shoot pests in my garden?
Shooting pests on the patio in the city A reader wants to make short work of squirrels and rats. Can he? Q: The only wildlife I see in my city garden are grey squirrels and the odd visiting rat. There are a few parks nearby which are also home to…
Shooting crows with rifles
Crow shooting isn't just for those who possess a shotgun. Bruce Potts investigates the relative merits of centrefires and rimfires for a safe and humane despatch
New laws on trapping – keepers must tread carefully
It will soon be illegal to use a Fenn trap to catch a stoat, but where are we in our quest for its replacement? The list of traps we now have at our disposal is on the Government website for all to see. These traps have been through rigorous testing…
Cartridges and calibres for pest control
Wondering what is the best calibre for foxes? Rabbits? There are so many different species of pests – you can’t band together a rabbit and a fox – that you can’t have a single calibre for them all. So instead I am going to take a look at the various…
Don’t fall foul of the new trapping laws
Trapping laws and predator control The first days of March have brought respite from the winter storms. Rain and wind seems to have lashed the estate for an eternity and the very thought of spring seems weeks away, but this can suddenly change. The days are stretching out and two…