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.

Errant gundogs

Household damage due to grey squirrels is on the rise • New figures reveal just how much of a nuisance the exploding grey population is becoming, with one insurance claim costing £30,000

UK market proves buoyant

Good news for stone curlew

To do this week

Virus carried by ticks confirmed in the UK • The UK Health Security Agency has announced a case of tick-borne encephalitis in England for the first time, worrying deerstalkers

Ospreys to be reintroduced

Consultation on licensing

NEWS IN BRIEF

LETTERS

Shooting Times

AHEAD OF THE GAME

Country Diary • Our curlew need solutions today, not in the future, and focusing on what we can change instead of what we can’t is the first step forwards

Upland keeper • The onset of spring brings with it new arrivals and a feast for the senses on the ground and in the air throughout the day and night

Stalking Diary • There’s comfort to be had in passed-down stories of a bygone age as uncertainty continues to grow over the future of our rural way of life

JOTTINGS FOR WILDFOWLERSA CLASSIC SERIES REVISITED • The curlew has become a conservation icon, but it’s clear that legislating against shooting them has done nothing to help numbers

Are pheasants really eating our adders? • With gamebird releasing in the firing line for the UK’s decreasing adder population, Graham Lorne wonders if the claims stack up

Hunting on a road less travelled • Stalking in an area of Botswana that has been closed off since the 1960s illustrates how much buffalo can offer to both hunters and the local community

There’s something primordial about it • Hunting is a sport that transcends borders, reveals Miles Malone as he guides a keen German visitor on a memorable muntjac stalk

When the bird’s not as easy as it looks • Tom Payne finds out why those simple ‘sitters’ are often the ones most frequently missed and advises on how to put things right

A sporting life in Africa • It’s a waiting game for some much-needed rain as the prolonged drought takes its toll

Making all the wrong noises • While genetics can play a part, unwanted whining or barking is often due to mistakes made in training, explains Ellena Swift

Crate expectations • Transporting your dog in a vehicle isn’t merely a question of finding a comfortable bed, it must comply with the law too, says Jamie Tusting

Outdoor education • Jim Old enjoys a rewarding early-morning stalk in Hampshire, but he discovers the hard work really starts after the trigger is pulled

Like a sort of bereavement • We often grow fond of the things that share our sporting lives, says Laurence Catlow

Settling the score on pests • With the greys causing damage and plenty of orders to fill, Leon Challis-Davies gets into the woods and whips up a Mexican treat

At the front of the pack • Mat Manning tests Hikmicro’s Raptor RQ50L binoculars, which offer full-colour daytime viewing with thermal, infrared and a rangefinder

The basics matter • With competitions on the horizon, it could be the simplest picks that prove the hardest for even the most seasoned dogs, says Ellena Swift

Adding some mud to the curriculum •...