Shooting Times & Country

A report by the RSPB has concluded that more forestry doesn’t necessarily equal a healthier climate. While this will come as little surprise to many readers, those who threw their support behind various political parties at the last election based on

What was the first quarry species you shot? 44% A rabbit 36% A pigeon 16% A pheasant 4% A partridge follow us @shootingtimes Respondents: 247 ■

Foxes can be taught not to eat partridge eggs, according to scientists. The Spanish team set up 1,329 dummy partridge nests and injected the eggs in them with a foul-tasting but harmless chemical called thiram. At the same time they fitted GPS tracki

In Scotland a series of important changes will come into force on 1 April. Great black-backed gulls and rooks are expected to be removed from the conservation of wild birds general licence. The preservation of health licence will only allow killing o

Keep an eye open for the return of ground-nesting birds. Curlew, oystercatchers and lapwings are beginning to return to their upland nesting grounds. Approaching nests can attract predators to them so monitoring from a distance is best. Using traps t

Larchfield estate, Lisburn events.basc.org.uk/ events/ Middleton Lodge, Richmond, North Yorkshire events.basc.org.uk/ events/ Royal Bath & West Showground, Somerset www.westofengland gamefair.co.uk/ Mid-Wales Shooting Centre, Ffinnant, Powys shotguna

Lead poisoning continues to affect large numbers of ducks, according to research. Scientists from the Danish Hunters Association and four Nordic universities took blood samples from eider ducks, which were incubating eggs on a Danish island, and test

A cocker spaniel belonging to well-known deer stalker Paul Childerley has been stolen from his kennel at Beckerings Park in Bedfordshire. The six-year-old dog, named Duke, was snatched along with a spaniel and a Patterdale terrier belonging to one of

A curlycoated retriever called Twister has taken top honours in the BASC gamekeepers’ class at Crufts. The rules of the class require that the dog is a working gundog owned by someone who is “employed as bona fide head, single-handed, beat or under/a

I congratulate Richard Hardy for describing his feelings when called on to despatch a mortally injured, but heavily pregnant, fallow (Country Diary, 19 February). Many of us who manage wild deer feel the same way in such circumstances. It may be an o

The winner of Letter of the Week will receive a Browning Powerfleece. Warm and practical, it is ideal for both the peg and the pub and is available in sizes S-5XL. For more information visit www.browning.eu.Colour dependent on availability. ■

Editor Patrick Galbraith Deputy editor Ed Wills [email protected] Brand assistant Sarah Pratley 01252 555220 Group art director Kevin Eason Art editor Rob Farmer Picture editor Max Tremlett Chief sub-editor Sarah Potts sarah.potts@ti-media.

I found this letter to me from John Humphreys in an old book of mine. This was written the week before John took to the great fens in the sky. We wrote on several occasions and exchanged gifts. His writing style was unique and I like to think that it

Who is dumping foxes in our countryside? Why it could be a good time to buy an old English gun. Can steel really cut it next to the traditional option while flighting pigeons? How to tan a deer hide. ... AND MUCH MORE! ■

With the ever pressing demand to engage upon technical questions arising out of guns, boats, punts and other gear attendant on wildfowling, the lighter vein of storytelling is inadvertently passed over to another week and another. Then nothing is tol

I was flattered recently to see myself described on the letters page as Shooting Times’s gundog expert. I do admit to having acquired some expertise while writing this column for the past 20 years, but I think that to be a proper gundog expert, you m

BASC’s head of firearms and global authority on guns Airgunner and journalist from the West Country Vintage gun expert, firearms dealer, author and journalist Shooting Times rifle reviewer and stalker Highly regarded writer and ornithologist NGO

Ostensibly a deer cartridge, the distinctive .256 is better known as the 6.5x54. Launched into the British market by Mannlicher agents in the late 19th century, the rifles often appear with a British maker’s name. Magazine rifles were beginning to ri

Latin name: Silene uniflora Common name: Sea campion Other names: Sea pink, seaside catchfly, dead men’s bells, witches’ thimbles, devil’s hatties How to spot it and where to find it: Look closely at those dense clumps of blue-green foliage, low t

After centuries of retreat, the wolf has made an astonishing comeback in Europe. In recent years, wandering individuals have reached Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark, and increasing numbers are breeding in Spain, Portugal, France, Germany and Ita

The Blue Charm began over a century ago as a simple British featherwing pattern; often tied as a small low water or clear water fly. Since then it has become a popular and effective fl y pattern everywhere Atlantic salmon are fished. It has journeyed

I was skiing in Glenshee, Aberdeenshire recently and saw grouse zooming low across the pistes on several occasions. One single bird sat on the snow just a few yards away from a busy ski tow, seeming to enjoy watching the spectacle. Eventually, two yo