Why proper conduct is key

Game shooting is a force for good in the British countryside but shoots must consider how they can demonstrate this to those who would curtail our sport, says lan Coghill

- lan Coghill

GAME SHOOTING has never been more popular. Hundreds of thousands of honest, hardworking, decent people take part every week of the season. Most of them don't even shoot: they beat, pick up, drive the game cart and have their lives enriched in a myriad different ways by simply being part of it. Unfortunately, success and increasing demand bring greater scrutiny, and it is obvious that shooting will be attacked as those who wish us ill see the opportunity of a new Government. If we take the Labour Party at its word, and I'm happy to, properly conducted game shooting is safe in their hands. But the key part of that sentence is 'properly conducted', and there is the rub.