CATEGORIES
Good riddance 2020
COVID-19 chaos, soaring puppy prices, shoot day disruption and field trial cancellations — David Tomlinson reflects on a year to forget
A bit of a curve ball
An old curling pond near the coast ticks every box to make it suitable for flighting — apart from one vital component, as Jack Bell discovers
Unending muse of the wildest places
Not every sporting artist actually participates in fieldsports but it seems the best work is created by those who do, says Richard Negus
The freedom of the city
The success of the Manchester Syndicate’s urban shoot shows what can be achieved in the most unlikely of places
Playing catch up with Covid
It’s very frustrating but you can’t just start packing more shoot days in says Liam Bell
No time to rest on our laurels
As fewer shoots are taking place this season, this offers a chance to jump ahead with those conservation projects for the close season
Winter and all content
Most of our canine companions love snow but freezing conditions can pose a challenge for gundogs in the field, says David Tomlinson
More in hope than expectation
There are few greater pleasures than heading out with your dog for a day of mixed sport, says Mike Swan
Mallard in the flood
As a tiny brook turns into a raging torrent with the winter rains, it gives Goldeneye and his shooting partner a glorious opportunity at the duck
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
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
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
Keeping the faith of our fathers
Reformation, repression, recession – just some of the obstacles faced by the owners of historic houses with private chapels
Picking up the perfect bottle
A decent beer is a wonderful thing but perhaps not a serious enough libation to salute every shoot day. So which are the best wines to uncork for lunch?
The enduring appeal of the side-by-side
Often considered a ‘traditional’ sporting weapon, a relic from a previous era, the side-by-side still has plenty to offer the modern gun – once you’ve busted the myths
Art in the field
Dee Taylor combines the pop-art of Lichtenstein with the colour of the racecourse to winning effect, as he explains to Janet Menzies
Subaru XV
It once occupied the gap between the Forester and the Impreza, but does it still? The key, finds Charlie Flindt, is in the suspension
Ring out the old, ring in the new
Deeply rooted in our culture and heritage, church bells are the sound that welcomes in the New Year
Guerini Forum 32in 20-bore
Michael Yardley compares the respective shooting qualities of 30in and 32in models. How would this deluxe Forum fare? And which barrel length does he prefer?
Callie Coles
Hunting may have skipped a generation but now this keen hunter is delighted to be passing on her love of the sport to the next generation