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.

A widening gulf

Ban on trophy hunting imports approved by MPs • A controversial bill that would make it illegal for hunters to bring ‘trophies’ back into the UK has been passed by the House of Commons

Star spaniel’s Crufts success

Let’s join forces, says BASC

To do this week

New bill to criminalise estates without proof • Updated Scottish legislation means an estate could be punished for the actions of a rogue employee or for evidence ‘planted’ by activists

Meagre catches reported on Scotland’s great rivers

Oldest hunt closes its kennels

NEWS IN BRIEF

Shooting Times & Country

LETTERS

Country Diary • The fields flood with heavy rain and, like a kind of conjuring trick, in come the endlessly beautiful golden plovers and unpredictable pintail

Upland keeper • With moorland managers turning to cutting, there is a very real concern that firefighting skills and traditional knowledge could be lost

Stalking Diary • Many conversations shared during The British Shooting Show suggest that our sport is in the hands of knowledgeable and committed folk

JOTTINGS FOR WILDFOWLERS • The Protection of Birds Act 1954 set wildfowlers on a quest to promote duck numbers, with conservation proving to be the most effective way

The sorry push to vilify a fine creature • Once highly valued, Scotland’s red deer are regarded by some as little more than destructive playthings for toffs, says Patrick Laurie

A sporting quarry to make you quail • An opportunity to shoot bobwhites over pointers in North Carolina is too good to pass up, and you underestimate the challenge of the little birds at your peril

Facts and figures — but does it add up? • With a think tank suggesting that grouse shooting is a drag on the rural economy, Matt Cross gets out his calculator to do the maths

Never reveal your sauces • Recalling the days of eating ripe game‘Rotten fish sauce’ doesn’t sound appetising but it served to disguise the taste of high game, as Sir Johnny Scott reveals in his latest book

How much is that doggy? • When the pandemic hit, people found themselves stuck at home and decided to get a puppy; the market still reflects this, says Ellena Swift

Cutting edge of fieldcraft • Barry Stoffell describes his journey from hobby knife-maker to full-time craftsman

The dog name game • Purdey may well be popular as a gundog name but, says David Tomlinson, your dog must always be clear who is being called

ON THE PULL • Are harnesses the answer if a gundog pulls on the lead?

A breakfast on wings • Leon Challis-Davies misses his shot on geese, but his delicious dish successfully introduces someone new to the great taste of wild game

In the line of duty • In his first experience of driven shooting, Jim Old mucks in with the Guns-turned-beaters and flushes the last pheasant of the season at Ed Coles’ Pampisford Estate Shoot

Time to sharpen up • It’s vital that gundogs understand what’s being asked of them, says Ellena Swift, and now is the best time to ensure that’s still the case

Scope for a better partridge count • Young Charlie, having inherited a spotting scope, is keen to help with the annual count — if last year’s...