CATEGORIES
Enjoying shooting's Golden Age
But when exactly was it? Did the Edwardians experience our sport’s finest hour or did it occur between the wars?
A murderous siege from above
Booming corvid numbers were causing a farmer to be anxious about his young lambs, so Mat Manning went over to put his mind at rest
Take Good Advice But Buy With Your Heart
Investing in a gun might seem daunting but if you know what you’re looking for and what you want, it’s a good start, says Simon Reinhold
Good Things Come To Those Who Wait
Foxes are threatening to wipe out nesting waders so an ambush is set up — and techniques learned in the Royal Marines prove invaluable as Reynard takes his time
When garden birds were fare game
From house sparrow to blackbird and even fieldfare, our cherished birds were once used to supplement bare larders, says Graham Lorne
White knuckles and wide eyes
As we learn there is to be little let-up on lockdown, we need a bit of escapism so Patrick Laurie shares some of his top reads
Jump at the chance
Some dogs are keener to jump than others but a cautious approach may well be the best and safest option, suggests David Tomlinson
Country Diary
Now we are into late spring it is all systems go in the farming world, keeping one eye on the weather and the other on the new dairy herd
By hook or by rook
How easy is it to shoot the famous ‘four and 20 blackbirds’ and is rook pie a ‘dainty dish’? Jamie Tusting is determined to find out
Where can you find a pigeon paradise?
You need lots of arable, plenty of woodland and an abundance of birds but which is the best pigeon shooting county, wonders Tom Payne
Beauty to make you cry
As lockdown continues, there is plenty of delight to be found outside and much birdsong to be savoured
A captive audience
The sanctuary at Peakirk provides an education in wildfowl, says Petrel, while the Borough Fen duck decoy is a nostalgic reminder of times past
Native Life In A Vanishing Landscape
To many the fox is a baby, with dishy eyes and a soul, but to those who deal with the aftermath of his predations, he’s a devil and tinker
Tackling a tide of rats
Early morning flighting on the marsh reveals unwelcome companions —rats destroy nests, eggs and ducklings, so Tower-Bird goes on the attack
Sanity is restored
As the coronavirus crisis continues to weigh upon the population of County Kerry, the countryside offers a glorious escape for one besieged shooter and his setters
Play the long game with cover crops
The next shooting season will certainly look different but it is vital to keep everything ticking over, including your crops, says Liam Bell
Keeping an eye on you
How well can deer species see and why does the blaze orange of European hunters not expose them? Graham Downing investigates
Keeping in the swing
Many of us have a lot of time on our hands at the moment so why not get some shooting practice in at home suggests Simon Reinhold.
It's a bug's life
Paying a bit more attention to creepy-crawlies could reap great benefits for your shoot
Extinction rebellion
The huge Irish elk was a fearsome foe for our forefathers — one of many, says Richard Negus
Apocalypse now
Rabbits have no respect for the lockdown and are running riot, so Simon Whitehead heads out to put a dent in their numbers
A little local difficulty
Experienced roe stalker Richard Hardy finds the new kids in town, muntjac, present a whole new challenge
Casting Shadows Fish And Fishing In Britain
In his cultural history of fishing, Tom Fort charts the rise and decline of eel trapping in Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland
Toyota Hilux £20,423
The Toyota Hilux has been shifting loads for 52 years and its latest incarnation lives up to that workhorse reputation, says Ed Coles.
Slipping out of our grasp
There is a real risk that we will lose thecapercaillie forever,
War and peas
Frustratingly for farmers, there is nothing that woodies like more than young peas — Tom Payne heads to Norfolk to tackle the issue
Waterloo sunset
Now illegal under the Hunting Act, hare coursing has a rich history, from the Romans up to the Blair government, says Sir Johnny Scott
Ireland's goat talent
County Kerry has a healthy population of feral goats that cause much damage but luckily they’re tremendously tasty,
Highs, lows and hilo
There is nothing like the joy — and despair — of a quiet day fishing in the sunshine to escape the troubles of the world, Jamie Tusting.
Anyone can make a mistake
There is a fine line between a shot that kills and one that wounds, so why do so few people stalk with a dog, wonders Richard Negus.