The coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on every industry imaginable, and the shooting industry is no exception. Game fairs, clay competitions and training courses have been postponed or cancelled, and the advice from our rural/shooting organisations is to cease all recreational, non-essential shooting.
Not only is this absolutely essential in order to comply with government advice on social distancing and non-essential travel, but it will also minimise the risk of putting more strain on our emergency services, either through injury or unnecessary police call-outs if a member of the public reports ‘shots fired’.
The only exceptions to this advice would be for the legal shooting of mammals and birds where absolutely essential to protect food crops and livestock and following the request of the farmer or landowner affected. If you are a gamekeeper, or a pest controller protecting food crops or livestock, clearly you cannot work from home; essential travel to work is permitted during lockdown, so long as you are able to adhere to social distancing guidelines while working, so these individuals should be safe to continue with caution. However, it may be advisable to get a letter from the employer/landowner to show to police if pulled over and questioned travelling to or from the place of work.
As ‘non-essential’ shops, it was to be expected that gun shops would close their doors, and clay grounds/shooting schools have followed suit to comply with government advice. Plenty of retailers are still offering online and delivery services though, so if you need to stock up on kit (excluding guns and ammunition, of course) do check the relevant websites.
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Esta historia es de la edición June 2020 de Sporting Shooter.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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RSPB gives mixed message on shooting
Having recently attended the RSPB’s virtual AGM, Conor O’Gorman discusses the outcome of the charity’s year-long review of game bird shooting
Causeway for concern
Alan Jarrett’s renewed interest in reading takes him down memory lane to an offshore island duck flight that very nearly ended in disaster
Through a purple patch
The Garrows Estate is taking a conservation-focused approach to restoring the wildlife populations and biodiversity on the Scottish heather moorland.
When the wheels fall off
Losing form on a day’s shooting can be infuriating, especially if you’ve been shooting like a god up to that point. Simon O’Leary looks at some common causes and how to remedy them
Beaches, books & bad behaviour!
The annual Kay family vacation to Northumberland offers a chance to give the cockers a blast on the beach – although they don’t always shower themselves in glory, as Ryan Kay recalls...
Using the Stop whistle
Now you’ve instilled the basics, it’s time to up the ante with some more tricky distance work. Howard Kirby explains how to take the core Stop whistle command to the next level
The humble teal
They may be tiny, but as far as Rupert Butler is concerned, the appeal of this little duck is huge. He recalls some of his most memorable nights in pursuit of these aerial acrobats
Fab all-rounder
Mike is impressed with the Fabarm Elos B2 Field Notte, which offers great value for money, is suited to fieldwork or clays and is future-proofed for use with steel in all choke constrictions
CALL OF THE WILD
Dom Holtam reconnects with one of the purest forms of shotgun shooting as he walks-up woodcock over pointing dogs in the Scottish Highlands
A yen for the Fens
Tony Jackson recounts a memorable duck flight over an area of Fenland in Norfolk with his friend and author, the late Alan Savory
