Shooting Times & Country

Since its launch in 1882, Shooting Times & Country Magazine has been at the forefront of the shooting scene. The magazine is the clear first choice for shooting sportsmen, with editorial covering all disciplines, including gameshooting, rough shooting, pigeon shooting, wildfowling and deer stalking. Additionally the magazine has a strong focus on the training and use of gundogs in the field and, because it is a weekly publication, the magazine keeps readers firmly up-to-date with the latest news in their world.

On the record

Avon Vale Hunt future in doubt after video emerges • The hunt has been suspended by the British Hound Sports Association after footage obtained by ITV News shows a fox being thrown to hounds

Anger over students’ stunt

Pressure on police builds

To do this week

Scottish estates found to promote well-being • Scotland’s estates “bring people together”, playing a crucial role in rural communities and businesses as well as in the wider national economy

New award launched to help this iconic Dales bird

Government-funded foxing

Cashing out: decline in vital rural lifeline

A surprise ptarmigan

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY

LETTERS

Country Diary • The springtime song of skylarks resonates with this season of life — it would be a tragedy if these birds were missing from our shores

Upland keeper • When a piece of land is gifted to a wildlife trust, many would expect it to become a haven, but that will only happen if it is managed properly

Stalking Diary • As spring comes to the rolling countryside, the pace of life changes for both the animals that call it home and the hunters who love it

JOTTINGS FOR WILDFOWLERS • With the weather not quite in Mike Swan’s favour for his last outing of the season, he looks back fondly on foggier flights on the marshes

Breaking the glass ceiling • Female handlers are holding their own in this once male-dominated sport, says Ellena Swift

You don’t know teal you try • Shooters who spurn duck flighting are missing out on marvellous sport, especially when it’s over a lake on lush land once ruled by Queen Boudicca

We must never rely on the golden pellet • It’s easy to be tempted by a high bird in the heat of the moment but you should know your limits and not risk wounding, says Mike Swan

You’d never want to be without one • Charles Hartley cuts through the multitude of gilets on the market and puts four to the test, from old favourites to new acquaintances

Not a sport for novices • As the season closes, Graham Downing joins a select band on an extremely special shoot

Hunting the king of the forest • Matt Cross visits Estonia for an all-female driven moose hunt and finds the event a masterpiece of organisation

No escape for rats • Mat Manning sets up with the Pard DS35 70 day and night scope and heads out to rid a friend’s chicken run of unwanted guests

Priced out by pros? • Professional handlers are taking over field trials, which are getting increasingly expensive for the amateur owner, says David Tomlinson

A SPRING IN YOUR STEP • Dog walks are good times to spot the changing year

Best of British with a twist • Leon Challis-Davies heads out for the last shoot of the season to deliver his stunning partridge dish to a team of hungry Guns

Even more precious than before • There may have been fewer birds, but this winter — and with it the shooting season — has brought great joy and a lasting sense of peace

The wildest of quarry • Knowing your species and your patch is fundamental to wildfowling, but Jim Old struggles with both during his visit to the Norfolk marshes

Time for some R&R • From flat out in the field to flat out on...