CATEGORIES

FAIR Iside 20-bore

This lightweight, Italian side-by-side won’t break the bank – but it had no trouble breaking clays. Michael Yardley is impressed

Battle for the uplands

The cessation of grouse-moor management will end a way of life – and perhaps call time for a number of our iconic species, too

Barnstorming businesses

The cows and threshing machines have gone but a diverse range of businesses is breathing new life into our derelict farm buildings

Putting Britain on the map

Ordnance Survey owes much to the remarkable work of William Mudge, who died 200 years ago this month.

1750-1930 Creating the foxhunting interior

Great halls, libraries, art and furniture have been used to venerate venery, creating the perfect environment for reflecting on the day

Time to bring on their A game

We all know that some shoots struggle to make use of excess shot birds but game dealers are rising to the challenge, believes Jeremy Hobson

TB vaccine is given cautious welcome as cull phased out

The Government has changed its policy on controlling bovine tuberculosis but a new vaccine has yet to be fully tested.

Send for the duck docs

Disease among our wildfowl is thankfully rare but how prepared would Great Britain be to deal with such an outbreak, wonders Stanley Duncan

Righting a terrible wrong

The value of hard-won hillcraft is brought into sharp focus when stalking a hind amid the snow-covered mountains of Cumbria almost ends in disaster.

Remington McMillan stocked special .308

Remington is at the forefront of rifle design and has hit the mark with the tough, accurate 700 McMillan Sporter, says Bruce Potts

Masters of the sky

There are a lot of people who turn their nose up at driven duck but done properly it is a glorious sight to behold, says Charles Grisedale

Let us spray

It is vital to protect crops and this must govern your decisions out in the field, says Liam Bell

Keeping him sweet

Has your gundog ever collapsed on a shoot in challenging conditions? It could be suffering hunting dog hypoglycaemia, says David Tomlinson

Gaudy, proud and so painfully vulnerable

A blackgrouse lek — the mesmerising display he puts on to attract a female — is something most people will never see, says Patrick Laurie

Covering all the bases

The right game crop will allow shoots to deliver more than just good sport

Wet and wild

Mike Swan suggests simple ways to transform your shoot into a haven for birds and insects

Travelling light to flight

The weather is atrocious and the ground’s a quagmire but the pigeon still need to be controlled, so Tom Payne goes flighting

Tracking a troublesome fox

With a neighbour’s newborn lambs under threat, Simon Garnham details his night-time pursuit of the predator

The lie of the lunde

Using hounds to flush a fox to guns is standard practice in Scotland and is an activity that seems likely to increase, says Megan Rowland

Taken down a peg

A good beating dog is essential to a successful day on the shooting field but advice on training is in short supply, says David Tomlinson

The fantastic four

Four gold heads from the same estate that yielded three in 2018 were highlights of the 2019 Scottish roe review, says Iain Watson

Reeling in a record-breaker

Helping to land a friend’s personal best pike makes for a memorable outing on the Great Ouse

Going back to school

Many shooters forget that a flighted pigeon is a difficult target but it can be great fun once you have re-learned the basics, says John Humphreys

Lead Shot Use — The EU And Beyond

As the shooting industry prepares to phase out lead over the next five years, Diggory Hadoke looks at how other countries have fared

Licence to kale

Sea kale is the coastal gift that keeps on giving, but don’t go mad — you only need to take a little at a time, says John Wright

Waxing lyrical

Instantly recognisable by their bright blazes of colour, waxwing are among our prettiest birds — but you may have to travel to see one

Gamekeeper

Managing woodland areas for game birds is a difficult balancing act, but careful planning and meticulous work will be richly rewarded

Country Diary

Choosing a top 12 of birds — one for each month of the year — might be a mere flight of fancy, but it shows how endlessly fascinating they are

In the teeth of the storm

Raging February winds make it a day to savour for Simon Garnham on a three-phase expedition geared to capitalise on the conditions

Hot dogs

Dog theft is all too common — but what happens to stolen gundogs, asks Matt Cross