CATEGORIES

A shoot from scratch

Even the most ragged and commercially unviable ground will have the potential for establishing a small shoot, as Mike Swan explains

A force for good

Well-managed trophy hunting offers revenue and incentivises people to conserve Africa’s endangered wildlife, argues Marcus Janssen

Volkswagen Tiguan £35,900

The new and improved version of this popular SUV is well equipped to make the step up from family car to off-road giant, says Ed Coles

Finding Your Fields Of Sporting Elysium

If you know where to look, pockets of shootable countryside are still available to those without a banker’s bonus, as Richard Negus reveals

Right place, right time, right line

A spot of pigeon decoying over the last of the year’s spring drillings provides the perfect opportunity to see if a hard lesson from the past still holds true

Patience reaps rewards

A few rabbits is one thing, but when scores of them start burrowing in under a holiday cabin, Mat Manning is sent for to thin them out

King of the mountain

The alpine dachsbracke is a fine asset for any hunter fortunate enough to own one

From cover to cover

The range of crops is seemingly endless and selecting the right one for a shoot is vital. Jamie Tusting sorts the maize from the seed mix

You see, wishes do come true

The garden-raiding muntjac are back, to his mother’s dismay, but Ed Wills is delighted

Rattled by some unusual sightings

It doesn’t matter whether you spend all your life outdoors, there are still some surprising sights and sounds that you will never ever forget

The fallen giants of gun retailing

The household names of Harrods and Army & Navy were stalwarts of the firearms trade, as Simon Reinhold reveals

Go braque to basics

A host of French gundog breeds remain a mystery to British owners, but David Tomlinson believes the Bourbonnais is a potential star

Gamekeeper

After a year of uncertainty due to Covid, shoots are receiving bookings and, even more importantly, prompt payments for the coming season

Making hens meet

Soldier Palmer recalls his efforts to restore grey partridges in Scotland and his realisation that the old-fashioned ways are very hard work

Stalk or stay put?

During a final cull outing, a roe doe and her yearling are perfect candidates, but they present the stalker with a difficult dilemma

Conflict, culls and colonies

Tales of huge numbers of wild boar are probably exaggerated and there is no reason why a UK population cannot be sustainable

Country Diary

Discussions about the future of the UK’s farmland yield fascinating results, but there are clear dangers in the countryside access debate

Have dog, will travel

Owners are prepared to clock up the miles to get back out in the field after a year of lockdown, as David Tomlinson discovers in Suffolk

Birds are full of beans

Signs of spring are everywhere and the pigeons are greedily coming in to feed — but not necessarily in the right place for R W Salisbury

Earning his crust...

A gap in Charlie’s busy schedule allows father and son to revisit the lake where the boy caught his first fish to have another go at the carp

A beautiful story

There are a number of important reasons that we keep deer heads, says Graham Downing, not least because they are an essential record

Is This The End Of The High Life?

The move from lead to steel is likely to force Guns to rethink their range, says Mike Swan

Wildlife Will Pay High Price For Criminal Acts

As gamekeepers join firefighters to tackle blazes caused by discarded BBQs, tampering with legal traps has devastating effect on wild birds

Polishing your form

Perhaps always carrying a gun is a step too far — but continual gun handling and aiming will make you a better Shot, reasons Scolopax

Sweet music to herald the spring

The new season is a time to celebrate growth and regeneration — and an opportunity to prove that we’re still feeling young at heart

When is it a time to kill?

Whether you rear your birds or buy them in, the fox will never be far away from them so don’t lower your guard, says Robert Bucknell

Time for hip shake-up

The current scoring scheme is the best health resource available but a few tweaks could make it more efficient, argues David Tomlinson

On cloud nine with the perfect high seat

High seats are an invaluable part of the deer management toolkit and Barry Stoffell says it’s not too hard to knock one up yourself

Next season in sight

If it isn’t lost to Covid, next season will come round quickly so make sure you’re ready by putting in that vital practice, says Tom Payne

Reaching the heights in a plum job

With damage by munties apparent in the woodland, a morning stalk fails to find the culprit but a plum orchard yields the perfect opportunity