High Birds And Holidays

Though shooting pheasants and ducks began in the 1500s, it was a tour of Europe that brought about driven sport, reveals Alex Keeble

Country Diary

How have we reached a point when people claiming they are RSPB employees demand to search a 75-year-old keeper’s car for ‘evidence’?

Blind Bit Of Difference

Is colour really a factor in gundog ability? Ellena Swift looks at the oft-repeated claim that chocolate Labradors make poor retrievers

Climate Change? It Means More Snipe

Two decades after the first hair-raising squeak of the snipe on the Galloway hills, Patrick Laurie is still flummoxed by the feisty birds

Reasons To Rough It

Few things can beat a day on the grouse moor amid the majestic beauty of the Pennines and Richard Negus falls under their spell

Some Bunnies Have All The Luck

Determined to improve his rabbiting skills, Ed Wills joins a ferreting expedition and, after a shaky start, finds a more relaxed approach pays dividends

Play To The Whistle

It’s all too easy to reach for the whistle when a voice command fails but you must make sure the basics are in place first, says Ellena Swift

Time To Steel Ourselves

It’s a long-running debate among shooters — should we move away from lead shot in favour of steel? Matt Cross examines the options

Bittersweet And Beautiful

Autumn is the perfect time to linger in the golden sunlight, relish the scents and colours, and look forward to the shooting season ahead

Rain Is A Trial Too Far

The pointer and setter trials were plagued by dreadful weather and a lack of birds, leaving no clear winner, reports David Tomlinson

Only Time Will Teal

An invitation to shoot a flight pond is always a delight but will they come in or will Patrick Galbraith have a wasted journey to Scotland?

Remington Model 700 Mountain SS

Remington’s Model 700 is one of the most copied guns in the world — and not without reason. Bruce Potts tests the latest stainless steel design

Moby Dick The Mackerel

There are some big mackerel in Lyme Bay and local fishermen report some mighty runs. So where the hell are they, wonders Nick Fisher

Secrets Of Grouse In A Windswept World

An annual pilgrimage to the Highlands takes Richard Hardy into a mysterious landscape where rocketing grouse can be flushed by eager terriers

Make Your Voice Heard On Future Of General Licences

Shooting bodies call on members to take part in a new consultation on general licences just announced by Defra and Natural England

Upland Keeper

With the EMBER study and edicts from Natural England, damage is being done that means we are at risk of losing our cherished uplands

Going Back To Getting It Right

It happens; one moment things are going well and then suddenly, we can’t hit a thing. Tom Payne looks at how to find form again

Wildfowl Arrive In Huge Numbers

A full moon and north-westerly winds bring arrival of migratory ducks and geese to northern areas of UK

Full Marks

Connecting with a bird is tough enough but marking where it falls — particularly if it’s pricked — can be even harder.

The Long And Short Of It

Looking after reptiles and amphibians is an important part of the conservation process. But you can help them to survive

Country Diary

Harvest should be a time of celebration — but in deepest rural Suffolk it means the arrival of criminal gangs intent on illegal hare coursing

The Lure Of High Water

Tom Sykes sets an ambush for ducks on an inland flooded field and explains some of the tactics he has employed to shoot it successfully 

Going Down A Storm

As gale-force winds descend on Cumbria, students from Newton Rigg College deliver a challenging partridge day. Curtis Mossop reports 

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them

Massive Galloway stags can weigh as much as 25st — a throwback from wapiti blood introduced in the 19th century, says Patrick Laurie

My Worst Shoot Day

As far as I am concerned, a proper day’s shooting comes with uncertainty.

Gove Gifted With A Brace Of Birds

Defra secretary Michael Gove said that enjoying game meat is just one of the many benefits created by sustainable shooting activities

No One Expects The Spanish Acquisition

As well as releasing up to 5,000 wild grey partridges, a shoot hatches eggs from Spain to provide fantastic sport, as Tony Jackson discovers

Capital Sport In Narnia

A day’s shooting provides the raw materials for flies for Will Martin and friend to try their luck at London’s best-kept fishing secret

The Kindest Cut Of All

Sometimes burning heather can be impractical or even dangerous, but cutting it can rejuvenate precious moorland, says Patrick Laurie

Gamekeeper

More than 30 years on, a day’s loading on a grouse moor brings to mind a glorious shot at a blackcock and a headkeeper’s displeasure