CATEGORIES
Extended training
With the game shooting season coming to an end, Ryan explores a few extra training opportunities that can help you and your gundog be better prepared for next season
B'eating on the job
Beating is a very healthy way to spend a few hours in the open and work up an appetite. Adam Smith reveals some of nature’s bounty suitable for snacking while tapping
New Year Resolutions
Meet our new technique guru, Simon O’Leary of Hownhall shooting school, as he offers a few general tips to help make the most of those last few weeks of the season
Chilled out?
Don Brunt provides some tips on clothing, eye wear and cartridge storage to ensure you can still make the most of your shooting in sub-zero temperatures… brrr!
Battling the elements
A sneaky fox is trying Deano’s patience as he plays the waiting game on farmer Joe’s balcony. Will he stick it out in the worsening weather, or will this be the one that gets away?
A MIXED BAG
A trip north to Anglesey provided the Rough Rovers with two days of exhilarating sport, and a fantastic variety of game to take home at the end of it, writes Phil Moorsom
The big cat mystery
Are there really pumas and leopards living and breeding in the UK countryside? Tony Jackson takes a look at the evidence!
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Alex Hatton joins a charming little syndicate shoot for its first day of the season, and takes pleasure in working his dog and mucking in on this ‘walk one stand one’ team effort
When It Rains, It Pours Pigeons!
Andy Crow braves a deluge to protect his winter rape crop and is rewarded with a stunning afternoon’s pigeon shooting
Welcoming Winter
For Tim Bonner, the first frosts of winter and the November full moon mark the start of the most exciting part of the sporting year: the arrival of woodcock
The Highs And The Lows
From stratospheric partridge in the spectacular Welsh valleys, to a lone pheasant and a few corvids in Cornwall, Phil Moorsom recounts taking a risk on two very different shoot days
Diamond In The Rough
Diamond in the rough Tony Jackson reminisces about a wonderful little rough shoot he used to rent, and hails the merits of the wild, varied and exciting sport these hidden gems can provide
A Licence To Kill
With our sport under increasing pressure, how long might it be before bag limits become law? Adam Smith takes a tongue-in-cheek look at one imaginary scenario...
Unexpected Pheasants
Walked-up days and challenging pheasant shooting don’t often go hand in hand in Phil’s experience, but a new estate in Somerset manages to deliver both, to the team’s delight
The Duck Factory
A visit to the potholes and prairies of Canada is almost a pilgrimage for any worshipper of wildfowl, and, this summer, Alan Jarrett got the chance to explore this geese-filled heaven!
Sea Ducks And Seafood
A trip to Maine’s coast provides both wingshooting and culinary delights for US hunter Jarrod Spilger
Make Every Shot Count
On smaller shoots, where you might only get a handful of shots during the day, you need to do everything you can to maximise your chances of success. Steve Rawsthorne tells you how..
A Brilliant Buy
This month, Mike is looking at a nearly new Beretta 686E Evo Sport 12-bore – a reliable, proven gun that offers a lot of bang for your buck, whether you are a clay or game shooter
Wonderous woodcock
You need your wits about you if you want to connect with these most prized little birds. Steve Rawsthorne explains how to shoot them both effectively and responsibly
WHAT BINOCULARS SHOULD I CHOOSE?
Dom Holtam sifts through the jargon to help us understand binos better – and how to choose the right ones
Is it time for change?
Amid widespread fears for the future of shooting, Tim Weston takes a look at the proactive ways we can face these challenges head on
Gone with the wind
A fantastic day over lupin stubbles is in the offing, and there are plenty of birds in the area, but will the weather conspire against Andy Crow?
A MAGICAL MOMENT
With his mind firmly on careful habitat management and sensible shooting, Alex Hatton talks us through his quest for that ultimate hunter’s dream… a right and left woodcock
An Unexpected Pleasure
A day’s pigeon shooting with some friends on a bean stubble turns into a surprise 150-birder over some barley stubble in a neighbouring field.
Top Tip-Offs
The birds are out and things are hotting up on Deano’s patch, but with night vision and a thermal spotter at his disposal, he’s keeping pace with the influx of hungry carnivores
Let's Talk Politics
Autumn marks the party conference season, and BASC has been working hard across all parties to promote the virtues of our sport and ensure it continues to survive and thrive
The Imitation Game
This month, Mike reviews a very exciting prospect – a gun that looks like a Silver Pigeon for less than £600! But will the remarkable price tag have an impact on its performance?
Woodcock In Crisis...What Can I Do?
Our resident woodcock numbers are dwindling and, as responsible shooters, we know you will want to do what you can to halt that decline. Mike Swan tells us what we can do to help
'Fall Back' To The Mud Flats
The turning back of the clocks at the end of October signaled the start of some exciting sport for Alan, as naive early migrants, as yet unwary of decoys and calls, flock to our shores.
Henry, Down The King's Head
Not, as you might suppose, a critical review of his mate’s misbehaviour at the local, instead another sad tale of cruel misfortune from Adam Smith’s keepering days