The bulk of pink footed geese should have arrived on the northern and eastern coasts of Scotland by now. However there appear to be very low numbers of the birds…
Matt Cross
Features writer
Should we shoot woodcock?
There is a road not far from here which we call “the Nick road”. We call it that because it crosses a high hill pass called Nick of the Balloch.…
Massive blow for antis as Sunak takes Number 10
Britain is to have its most openly and vocally pro-shooting prime minister in decades. Rishi Sunak, who represents the Yorkshire constituency of Richmond, is known to be a game Shot…
Grouse shoots under fire as licensing starts
The Scottish government has begun the process of licensing the country’s grouse shoots, with a long-awaited consultation on the legal structure of its licensing scheme. Introducing the proposal, the government…
RSPB launches fresh attack on gamebird releasing
The charity announced its change of policy at its annual general meeting. Jeff Knott, the RSPB’s director of policy and advocacy, told Shooting Times: “Over the past two years we…
British woman shot and killed on boar hunt in France
Jacqueline Taylor, 67, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to her chest after a rifle which was being carried on the shoulder of one of the hunters was accidentally discharged. The…
Nationwide Avian Influenza Prevention Zone just declared by Defra
All of England, Scotland and Wales is now part of an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) as veterinary epidemiologists and public health experts struggle to bring the rapidly worsening outbreak…
Activists hit London shops of top fieldsports retailers Farlows and William Evans
Two of the country’s leading fieldsports retailers have come under attack from vegan activists. Farlows and William Evans were targeted by activists from Animal Rebellion, an offshoot of climate activist…
Uncontrollable blazes are now inevitable
It is not ‘if’ but ‘when’ a catastrophic wildfire will occur in the English uplands. This is the stark warning issued by moorland management experts. The north of England has…
Keeping shoots in the picture over bird flu
In order to keep readers up to date with the rapidly changing picture on avian influenza in the UK, Shooting Times will publish a weekly update, beginning this issue. The…
RSPB blames ‘wet spring weather’ for caper crisis
Gamekeepers and land managers have expressed bafflement after RSPB Scotland blamed wet spring weather for the catastrophic decline in capercaillie numbers. (Read more on the plight of the capercaillie.) The…
The latest on the woodcock breeding season
In 2010, French hunting website La Chasse de la Becasse des Bois began a programme of tracking woodcock and monitoring conditions in their breeding grounds to predict the numbers of…
Welsh government announces snare ban
The ban will form part of the Welsh Agriculture Bill. Announcing the publication of the bills, Minister for Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths said it: “Sets out how Wales will be…
Migrant arrivals begin with pinks and wigeon spotted over Western Isles
Wildfowlers and bird watchers in Scotland’s northwest are reporting the arrival of the first real skeins of Icelandic pink footed geese. Small numbers of pink foots have been noted in…
King Charles expected to receive warm embrace from countryside community
The King has a long record of involvement with the British countryside and is a knowledgeable game shot. While he was Prince of Wales, the new King was famously willing…
The countryside pays its respects to HM the Queen, including pallbearing gamekeepers
Her Majesty’s funeral, which was held on Monday, saw the country fall silent in honour of her 70 years of dedicated service to the nation. In the days immediately following…
Experts raise concerns over wildfowl harvests
Dr Cameron spoke to Shooting Times to explain a study which he co-authored with Dr Matt Ellis at BASC. The study looked at whether the number of birds being hunted…
“Devoted to your service”
The nation is mourning the passing of Her Majesty the Queen who died at Balmoral on 8 September. Among her rich and varied range of interests was a deep passion…
New record number of hen harrier chicks
Figures published by Natural England show that 119 hen harrier chicks fledged in England in the 2022 nesting season, which is the highest number ever formally recorded and is reckoned…
Hunt saboteur arrested for possession of a knife
As previously reported by Shooting Times, hunt saboteurs disrupted a series of grouse shoots across the north of England on and around the 12th of August. Among the shoot days…