There are many different opinions about what will and won’t work when it comes to shooting crows. Over the years, I have taken a lot of these with a pinch of salt and gone out of my way to test different theories to see if some popular beliefs bear scrutiny.…
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
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What’s the law on pigeon shooting? You can’t just go and shoot them – you need to know where, why and what
I will always remember my first pigeon. I was standing under the old oak in the middle of the farm with my father. It was a left-to-right crosser and I wandered home whereupon my mother cooked it for my tea. It was a long time ago in so many ways.…
The rabbits are back
Rabbits have always had a reputation for being able to reproduce at a rapid rate, but there weren’t many signs of that happening on my patch last year. Thankfully, things are looking very different this summer and I am delighted to report that these resilient creatures are, once again, breeding…
The benefits of using a quiet air rifle for pest control
While I’m the first to admit that a shotgun is usually the best option for controlling corvids over open ground, there are plenty of times when using an airgun for pest control is a more appropriate choice. The former will usually help you to make the necessary big bags when…
Looking for a permission for foxing? Here’s how to go about it
How to get a permission for foxing Dress to impress: wearing clothing that looks like you belong in the countryside will get you far more accepted than turning up at a farm in your best Nike gear. Be professional and polite: have insurance or, better still, BASC membership and business…
Terrier breeds: are they born anarchists?
Most, if not all of the terrier breeds bring a smile to our faces, whether the smug condescension of the handler of well-trained gundogs or the rictus of embarrassment that comes from having thought your dog’s behaviour could not get any worse before you discover that it just has. Quite a few owners of…
Best air rifles for under £500: what made the list?
One of the greatest appeals of airgun shooting is its affordability. For a few hundred pounds you can pick up an air rifle that should give years of reliable service. Many Guns start their shooting career with an air rifle and garden airgunning has been a popular pastime during the…
Hunting lamps: we pick out the best around
The vast majority of us still rely on trusty hunting lamps to get the job done and ‘traditional’ lamping remains by far the most cost-effective way of dealing with nocturnal vermin. With this in mind, I was delighted to put a selection of hunting lamps to the test this month.…
Ratting with a thermal setup
Although I am willing to embrace new technology if I think it is justified by the improvement it brings to my results in the field, I am not a fan of newfangled kit that’s complicated to use and ultimately makes for a less enjoyable shooting experience. For this reason, I…
Airguns and summer squirrel shooting
Come the summer months when the trees are in leaf you’re likely to find squirrel shooting with an air rifle rather trickier than in winter on bare branches. The dense foliage covering the tree canopy can make greys almost invisible. So what’s to be done about it? How can you…
Lamping kit – how has it changed?
Fox shooting technology has come a long way since I first drove around a field in circles hoping to spot a fox in the headlights. That was in the early 1970s, and we thought we were at the cutting edge with our lamping kit when we bolted a wooden handle…
Archie Coats’ pigeon shooting: what has changed since his heyday?
As I turned the pages of Pigeon Shooting by Archie Coats, I came across the phrase ‘rabbit clearance society pigeon poking programme’ — quite a mouthful and certainly something you wouldn’t hear in the 21st century. However, it got me thinking about how things have changed for the modern Gun.…
Long range foxing – how to go about it
Long range foxing early in the morning From where I sat, I could see the entire lambing field. All had remained calm until I noticed the ewe closest to the cover stand up and stare intently at the bushes. I was already watching the area after I noticed the blackbirds…
All about the mink and why mink rafts are an effective form of control
With all the news about new rules for trapping stoats, and changes to general licences for corvid control, it’s easy to forget that there are other predators out there that we need to address – like the American mink Why we need to control mink When we think about mink…
This is the kit you’ll need for going out foxing
When it comes to equipment for foxing, there’s so much conflicting advice around that I thought it would make sense to look at what’s actually used out in the field. In this enterprise I have chosen to focus on four experienced fox shooters, including me, Paul, my usual shooting partner,…
Why has Natural England introduced new controls for corvids?
Things had calmed down after Natural England helped stoke anger over the general licences two years ago, but it has heaped coal back on the fire. Back then it was Wild Justice that threw a spanner in the works, helping to strip vital protection from endangered curlew, lapwing and other…
Outwitting rats with thermal imaging scopes
Brown rats are prolific and resilient opportunists. This is in no small way due to their intelligence. Rat brains are remarkably similar to humans’ in both structure and function. They learn through observation, response to stimulus and have a high-functioning memory. This means that while a few sessions of lamping,…
Why predation control needs an integrated plan
Let’s start by noting the words ‘predation control’, rather than predator. In managing game and wildlife, how many predators you kill is of no great relevance; rather it is the predation that you prevent that matters. As a consequence, shooting odd random predators is of no great moment. What is…
How to control rabbits in and around solar farms
Rabbit management on solar farms Over the years, solar farms have popped up all over the country in a bid to utilise renewable energy. The sites vary in size, along with the amount of energy they generate, but rabbits often favour them, though they clash with the smooth running of…
How to avoid 2021’s corvid control trap
With the season all but over, my mind as usual turns to planning for the next. In just a few weeks, the pheasants will be setting up their territories, strutting their stuff and doing everything they can to keep their harems together. The corvids will be getting frolicsome too. Rooks…