CATEGORIES

A rabbiting right-and-left

Let Storm Ciara do her worst; Simon Whitehead and friends don’t care a jot for the weather so long as they can keep catching bunnies

Outcry Over Lead Phase-out

Members say they should have been consulted by UK’s shooting organisations over plan to phase out lead shot over five-year period

A £10 Gun And A Lifelong Love

Following in the footsteps of sportsman Colonel Peter Hawker brings an undimming appreciation of the beauty of the marsh

Be led by instinct

Tony Bracci addresses some common problems shooters have with forward allowance, or lead

Dogs and myths spun

Jon Snowdon addresses the misapprehension about the role of the stalking dog that many people seem to have

La dolce vita

Charles Dark tells Philip Reynolds about his Italian influences – and his ambition to make a small corner of Wales a ‘must’ for sportsmen

Hard days' flight

Gamekeeper Adam Cope treated his helpers to a day on the peg for all their hard work over the year. Richard Faulks was there to watch proceedings

The ultimate quarry

Peter Theobald delights that he is still learning about the ways of the wily woodie after 50 years

They call it puppy love

Fran Ardley takes you through the early stages of dealing with a new arrival in the house

Home advantage

Geoff Garrod explains why roost shooting is a sporting challenge like no other

Woodland wander-land

Tom Sykes has an afternoon potter around the estate and makes a start on corvid control

The art of 'war'

Nick Ridley tells of his admiration at seeing teams of terriers in full flow on ratting missions

Work, rest and play

With the shooting season over, your dog deserves some R&R — but extracurricular activities should be part of training, says Ellena Swift

Well worth the cost?

At the season’s end, giving a gun a cursory clean rather than getting it stripped and cleaned properly is a bad idea, warns Diggory Hadoke

The season ends with Mob rule

A surprise invitation and a fast hen mean the season closes on a remarkable high

The new revolution

The stalking community is preparing to stop using lead — but how do the alternatives compare? Megan Rowland trials them on the hill

Why this fine sport needs our support

With leases being terminated, fewer new recruits and the 21st desire for instant gratification, is wildfowling in trouble, asks Mike Swan

The beast coming to a wood near you

The rougher hills of Galloway are being rootled by hairy snouts but the spread of wild boar is cause for celebration, says Patrick Laurie

Left up the creek

An Essex saltmarsh splash look like a great spot for a last-gasp outing on teal but they prefer one to the other, as Simon Garnham discovers

The aristo-ratters

It was once a celebrity accessory but, through the hard work of Harry Parsons, the Sealyham has become a formidable rat hunter again

Keepers slam shake-up to Scottish general licences

Fury as greater protection is given to rooks and gulls in major changes to general licences in Scotland, with restrictions in many upland areas

The age-old dilemma

Retirement is something that comes to every gundog and a survey is aiming to shed more light on the subject, reveals David Tomlinson

Gamekeeper

Hedgerows are vital to the ecology of the countryside, providing a haven for wildlife, and we should be doing more to regenerate them

Pond project takes flight

Richard Negus returns to Lodge Farm to find the Barkers’ new pond turning into a real haven for wildlife

Don't skimp on cleaning your gun

When it comes to gun care, it pays to spend a little extra on the right product, says Barry Stoffell

Law of the jungle

There is nothing like pigeon roosting to sharpen up your shooting, says Simon Reinhold, and North Vietnamese Army tactics help to build a bag

Country Diary

Deer managers have a difficult enough job to do as it is — without meddling suits in warm, dry offices trying to mess with the seasons

End of lead shot in sight

The industry’s organisations join forces to ban the use of lead and single-use plastic in ammunition

Anger at £90,000 cost of ‘stoat dogs'

Orkney project to protect ground-nesting birds racked up £90,000 bill to buy six dogs and train handlers

All is not yet lost

Our licensing system means that it is easy to check provenance of a firearm but a new database will be even better, says Diggory Hadoke