CATEGORIES

Scotland's secret sport

THERE are some secrets in angling that are genuine secrets. They manifest as rumours and half-truths passed between anglers and over time morph into legends and hearsay

Where the river is still king

Multi-lane lakes may level the playing field for top rowers but in Britain, when regatta season rolls around, rivers reign supreme

Deserving of a bigger buzz

Solitary bees are often ignored in favour of their honey-producing brethren, but their incredible importance as pollinators cannot be overestimated

Art in the field

David Williams-Ellis’ sculptures of fish and fishing celebrate the past but he hopes they will also help change the future

Given the cold shoulder

Smart motorways were designed to ease congestion but significant safety concerns prompted the Government to apply the brakes a move that has now been made permanent

Things are looking rosy

For those cursed with clay soil, roses are the perfect garden addition. Colourful, richly fragrant, adaptable and almost endless in variety, they define the word summer’

Adventure out west

A dearth of jobs in his home territory forces Pat Cringle to try his luck across the pond, but an odd summer leaves him homesick for England

Consider the right covercrop

The use of game crops other than is on the rise, and Liam Bell runs throug some of the more popular options available

A place for the industry to gather

Dave Whitby examines how the real cost of running a driven shoot has changed over the decades - things are actually cheaper nowadays

Instructor of the month

For Anita North, trust, focus and enjoyment are the keys to success

Bucking the trend

Dave Whitby examines how the real cost of running a driven shoot has changed over the decades - things are actually cheaper nowadays

Backlash over minister's anti-shooting comments

Fieldsports organisations have condemned the stance taken by Welsh minister Julie James MS during a debate on the benefits of shooting

Moratorium on turtle doves

Fifty years ago, there were estimated to be more than 125,000 pairs of turtle doves breeding in Britain. Today it is a mere 2,000, making this dove one of the most endangered of all our farmland birds

Country Diary

The first sighting of a white stork in the area for more than 10 years is welcome proof that dairy farms aren’t a black hole of biodiversity

JOTTINGS FOR WILDFOWLERS

Spring is in the air, and a fresh perspective on shooting has led to a change in tactics and a few more ethical considerations when fowling

Stalking Diary

A night on the thermals is spent watching the comings and goings of a fox den, and the chance encounter of a dog fox bringing in its dinner

It's sim-ply the best fun

Sim days have become a crowded market, and Simon Reinhold advises on how to avoid amateur mistakes when setting up your own

Casting a fly in unlikely places

The main barrier to our sport is accessibility, says Will Martin, who investigates our cities' waterways

Aim for its nose

The early spring bank holiday proves just the time to have a go at the bunnies once again and put some advice into practice

Gunroom

A 19th-century sporting carbine from BSA was well loved by its owner, and subsequently tells the story of the man who carried it into battle

A matter of breeding

While a gundog that's bred for working will likely be the best choice, David Tomlinson has met some unusual candidates that also did well

US Southern Side-by-Side event draws a good crowd

The last weekend in April saw a gathering of the faithful at Deep River in North Carolina to celebrate everything side-by-side, with British dealers prominent among the exhibitors

Assurance scheme for wild venison launches

The Government has launched a new wild venison quality assurance scheme, which aims to support the sustainable management of deer

Gamekeeper

The aims of grouse moors and the RSPB should be the same when it comes to vulnerable species, but is the gap of trust too far to bridge?

My first deer

The story of two fallow bucks taught Chris Rogers an important lesson

Can you train a dog with an app?

With a young labrador joining the family, an initially sceptical Marcus Janssen puts Ben Randall’s Gundog App to the test

Relaxing breaks in the Cotswolds

Jasper Fellows discovers the friendly atmosphere and beautiful sight lines of Edgehill Shooting Ground

High jinks and high seats

Tony Bracci gets to grips with some unusual jobs on his new shoot, with plenty of surprises afoot

As if from nowhere

After a lean spell, Peter Theobald can't believe his luck when the pigeons return unexpectedly to his patch, and in satisfyingly large numbers

Home and dry

Jasper Fellows investigates the benefits of off-range training and discovers the bright future of digital training aids