CATEGORIES

The Anser to their prayers

Fowlers are giving Orkney farmers beset by greylags a fighting chance, says J R Patterson

More than meets the eye

Vision plays a huge role in how well we shoot and eye dominance issues can be resolved — if we know who to ask, says Simon Reinhold

Opportunity knocks for a new shoot

It’s important to do your homework before taking on any new ground, says Liam Bell

Gunroom

A 250-year-old cartridge fashioned from the pages of a famous novel tells its own remarkable story of the American Revolutionary War

Keeper of the month

Beating the drum for the benefits of game management is hugely rewarding, Miles Bentley tells Will Pocklington

Going beyond the wall

At season’s end wildfowl are at their most plentiful below the high tide mark, but this doesn’t mean the shooting is easy, says Richard Negus

Gamekeeper

Walking the estate as part of a pair of Guns is a rare opportunity to view both the sport and the landscape from a different perspective

Country Diary

This is a time for increasing optimism — spring is almost with us, the dairy venture is off to a flying start and even predators have their uses

A fitting end and a hard-won bag

It’s been a season like no other and, with the end drawing near, Jamie Tusting decides it’s a good time for a woodcock walkabout

When The King Shot Thousands Of Rabbits

Once valued for fur, meat and sport, rabbits later became such a problem they were discussed in Parliament, says Simon Reinhold

Trigger's blind faith

The story of a black-and-white beating spaniel shows how a keen sense of smell can compensate for a lack of sight, says David Tomlinson

Upland keeper

Fieldsports organisations are frequently engaged in ‘fighting fires’ in various issues as they crop up, but we need to take a longer-term view

Sharpshooter

The rise of plant-based ‘meat’ is yet another sign that game shooting needs to defend its position and ensure the antis don’t gain a foothold

Laying a foundation for sporting success

Combining the best drives of two Essex syndicates is a real game changer that results in some very fine birds, says Simon Garnham

Skill, patience and resolve

Flighting pinkfeet in the sub-zero dawn offers plenty of chances, but marauding barnacle geese provide an unwelcome distraction on the freezing creeks

Broads bonanza for peculiar little deer

Classed as vulnerable in its native Yangtze delta range, Chinese water deer are far from vulnerable in Britain, says Sam Carlisle

Make do and mend

COVID-19 put paid to Ellena Swift’s planned programme for Keepa and Lizzie so it’s a good time to give both dogs a refresher course

An escape by a feather

In need of a lockdown project to alleviate boredom, Adam Hart ventures out at dusk to try woodcock flighting in Wales

A sporting life in Africa

The great white shark landed by Swahili fishermen is the talk of Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast

How To Avoid 2021's Corvid Control Trap

Dealing with common predators is a tricky issue under the system of general licences so here are some of the potential pitfalls to avoid

They stoop to conquer

Once the sport of emperors, falconry has changed over the centuries — but it has also stayed much the same, says Richard Negus

Stealing a marsh on the flightiest of foes

Small, fast and skittish, the common snipe is a challenging adversary that demands an instinctive and controlled approach, says Tom Payne

Fairness, first and foremost

We may look down on ‘unsophisticated’ American hunters, but they embraced respect for the quarry before we did, argues Sam Carlisle

Game Cookery

Yearning for the delicious, fresh flavours of south-east Asian cuisine, Rose Prince makes venison fillet the extravagant star of this tataki dish

Where do we go from here?

Many game shoots are facing the dilemma of what to do with leftover birds, says Liam Bell

Wigeon under a winter moon

When goose fever sets in, an evening flight beckons, but the wily birds are upstaged by the spectacle of wild duck making one of their mysterious midnight journeys

Cull before the storm

For decades, the popularity of stalking has been growing but that might not last for ever and deer numbers continue to rise, warns Graham Downing

Anschutz 1782 stalking rifle £2,080

Well-figured wood, matt blued finish and guaranteed accuracy make Anschütz’s latest model highly desirable, says Bruce Potts

Wisdom of the greats

Tom Payne reveals the tricks to great shooting he has learned from watching some of the true masters of our sport in action

The aristocrat of the marsh

A distant relative of the poodle, the Irish water spaniel combines supermodel looks and composure to match with the ability of an Olympic swimmer