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.