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.

Silent majority

Gamekeeper found guilty for dumping goshawks • The shooting community is in uproar after an appalling wildlife crime has once again cast a shadow over the country’s gamekeepers

English gunmakers continue to thrive across the pond

Sadness at disappearance of lapwings on Dartmoor

To do this week

Sandringham Estate comes under fire • The Guardian claims a number of crimes against wildlife, including rare birds of prey, have taken place on the royal estate since 2003

Land access ‘putting the boot into ecosystems’

Are clay grounds struggling?

NEWS IN BRIEF

Shooting Times & Country

LETTERS

Country Diary • Nesting swallows have become watchful guardians over the farm, and their unmistakable call alerts Patrick Laurie to the threat of a vixen

Upland keeper • Recent wildfires are a great example of why policymakers must not lose sight of the importance of traditional skills, says Lindsay Waddell

Stalking Diary • As Chris Dalton looks forward to the upcoming spectacle of the roe rut, he advises patience and self-control when it comes to using calls

BEAT PROFILE West Learmouth • Don’t pass up the opportunity to fish the finest pools of the Tweed, with some of the best catch-per-rod ratios in the UK, says Sam Carlisle

Bound to get back on the bucks • Miles Malone finds a gap in his usual stalking season, but nature’s bounty provides the perfect opportunity to try for a roebuck in the high cover

Spotting muntjac in high cover • Tackling the deer population at Grimsthorpe Castle is no small task, but ZEISS’s new thermal monocular can help stalkers cut through the cover to find their quarry

Time to take action • Bill Harriman reflects on the most important consultation on gun ownership for three decades and urges us all to respond

The Scandi approach • Patrick Laurie returns from Finland with great respect for Nordic curlew conservation, but what can we learn from them?

The best British gunmakers you’ve never heard of • While many age-old skills were lost during the post-war era, there are a number of new gunmakers leading the charge, says Simon Reinhold

Why the best dogs are a master of all trades • Rather than training for specific tasks, Ellena Swift explains why it is important to equip your dogs for a range of jobs on a shoot day

RIVER

Make your own luck • Different attitudes lead to very different outcomes for Jim Old in this tale of two stalks, as he learns to take every opportunity as it comes

All the fun of the fair • From have-a-go scurries to watching top gundog handlers at work, there’s plenty to see at this year’s Game Fair, says David Tomlinson

ESSENTIAL WALKING KIT • A lead, whistle and binos are useful to have to hand

Putting ex-layers to the test • Laurence Catlow hopes that his new stock of ex-layers will provide good sport while freeing up time for some much-needed fishing

Round-the-clock reconnaissance • Mat Manning puts the HikMicro M15 4G Trail Camera to the test

Growing up fast • Richard Negus learns Charlie is definitely no longer ‘The Boy’ while fishing for chub on the Broads

The stalker’s best breakfast • When he goes...