Guard dogs to guard dogs

With theft on the rise, let’s make life as difficult as possible for the culprits — and what they hate most is a noisy dog, says Ellena Swift

Getting a tune out of a Disco

Land Rovers have a certain notoriety but are hard to beat, insists Poppy McKenzie Smith

CZ 455 Mini Sniper .22 rimfire £842.99

A perfect blend of hunter and target rimfire, this is a great little rifle that instils confidence with every shot, says Bruce Potts

A Low Blow To Calm A Squirming Grayling

Formerly reviled by trout anglers, the sweet-scented ‘lady of the stream’ makes for a fine sporting challenge, says Edward Barder

Ding dong merrily on high

For Patrick Laurie, heading out to try to bag a duck for the Christmas table is as much of a tradition as putting a fairy atop the tree

Moving the goalposts

It’s not the classic time for pigeon roosting but in a far from normal year you should take your chances when you can, says Tom Payne

Polar's express style

An evocative description by BB of a typical small shoot on an overcast November day, with enjoyment surpassing the relatively modest bag

The good life

Deer and duck turn up in numbers to add some timely variety to the freezer

High time for a cull

Stalking as a team is an excellent way to get on top of deer numbers but it can be difficult to know whom to invite, says Graham Downing

Game cookery, Roman style

Philip Womack delves into antiquity to discover how our forebears prepared, cooked and served game meat, from boar to dormice

Easy come, easy go

A new permission across three boggy woodlands offers an excellent chance to go hunting for migrant woodcock — but nothing lasts forever

Country Diary

A woodcock or two over dogs is one thing — but is it right for Guns to shoot the migrants on days when there is plenty of reared game?

A little light work

The ratting season is in full swing, when the farmyard offers easy pickings and decent night-vision kit helps Mat Manning clean up

High and dry

Richard takes his son, Charlie, to bag grey squirrels with an airgun, but while wildlife abounds, the boy learns about its unpredictable nature

Scraping a living on sheer brazen cheek

Life was hard for the poor in the 19th and 20th centuries, with many living on their wits — and other people’s game, says David S D Jones

Why all the very best Shots rough it at first

What is it that makes the best stand out from the rest on a shoot day? Simon Reinhold explains how to become the best possible Shot

Surprise on a surreal caper

A ‘hybrid hunt’ in Scotland results in an extraordinary encounter for Soldier Palmer

Seek him here, seek him Yair

In the UK, it is possible to cast for salmon in every month of the year, so Sam Carlisle heads to Scotland for the last day on the Tweed

Jumping jack flash

No longer on the quarry list, the smaller relative of the common snipe is a colourful addition to our countryside

Check mate

Tawny is the queen of the ferreting game and knows all the right moves, allowing Simon Whitehead to harvest the bunnies

A last mad dash in the dying day

When the migrants arrive to boost our homegrown birds, woodcock abound in Galloway and are ripe for the taking in the ‘blue dark’

A double dose of pest control

Dealing with unwelcome visitors is top of the agenda as Simon Garnham encounters a lone predator and a gang of barley thieves

A bit of a knees-up

Why do we shoot better some days than others? Is it pure luck, mental confidence — or simply the lack of a hangover, wonders Colin Willock

Stolen hours with the gun

Enchanting woodland and abundant wildlife create a perfect afternoon for Jamie Tusting

The Seal Of Approval

A plan to flight wigeon — so symbolic of winter fowling — provides excitement and a reminder that others relish the little duck’s flavour too

Are You Being Too Forward?

We’ve all heard some well-meaning amateur shout ‘you’re behind them, mate’ — but they may be entirely wrong, says Simon Reinhold

A Sporting Life In Africa

A trip to Britain serves as a reminder of the many uses for a really good, stout stick

Thanks for all the memories

Even in a year of frustrating restrictions, there is some consolation in reflecting on glorious shooting days

Fleeing from a baying pack

How does it feel to be the hunted, rather than the hunter? Richard Negus takes to his heels in front of bloodhounds to find out

Sporting smorgasbord is the luck of the Irish

The fieldsports paradise of Ireland offers something for everyone, making it a match for anywhere in the world, argues Barry Stoffell