The claim that The Ritz had abandoned grouse originated with anti-shooting campaign group Wild Moors, who stated online that grouse had been dropped from the famous hotel’s menu. Wild Moors…
Matt Cross
Features writer
Shooting organisations prepare evidence for gamebird releases in Wales
The Welsh Labour government has pursued what many see as an anti-shooting agenda in recent years, with an end to shooting on land managed by Natural Resources Wales, no Covid-19…
Safest Shots: Are Brits the most cautious out in the field?
Who are the safest Shots? They shoot everything — blackbirds, song thrushes, everything,” my informant said with the kind of conviction only an eight-year-old can muster. It must have been…
Leading academics hit out at ‘avalanche’ of misinformation over trophy hunting
Adam Hart, Professor of Science Communication at the University of Gloucester and a fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, told Shooting Times: “The misinformation (some might term it disinformation)…
Muted response to Glorious Twelfth, according to reports
As Shooting Times has previously reported, grouse numbers, while much better than last year, are still relatively low this year and most estates will be limiting their shooting programme in…
Rural residents slam BBC coverage of rural issues
A survey conducted by the Countryside Alliance found that the overwhelming majority of the rural population do not have faith in the BBC’s coverage of rural issues. Springwatch and Autumnwatch…
Changes to regulation of deer management being considered
The proposals have come in a consultation issued by DEFRA and the forestry commission. Explaining the need to update the regulation of Deer management in England, Ian Tubby, Head of…
Saboteur convicted over attack on 15 year old girl
Members of a notorious saboteur gang led by a convicted violent criminal have been found guilty of using threatening words and behaviour towards people watching a trail hunt near Oakham…
Grouse numbers looking good ahead of the Glorious Twelfth
Gamekeeper Bob Connelly summed up the situation on his shoot as “patchy”, adding: “That is the same situation that we are finding in most places.” Bob told Shooting Times that…
Northern Irish firearms licensing teams struggle to manage backlog of applications
PSNI Chief Superintendent Sam Donaldson and Dr Jonathan Howarth, Head of PSNI Firearms and Explosives Branch announced that the situation had become critical at a meeting with members of the…
Where will the next PM stand on fieldsports?
MPs’ favourite Rishi Sunak represents the North Yorkshire constituency of Richmond and is a public and prominent opponent of efforts to ban grouse shooting. Speaking against a ban on grouse…
Extreme dry conditions pose huge threat to countryside
Extreme dry conditions have cereal crops being harvested in the dark to reduce the risk of fire. However, farmers also found themselves tackling fire hazards resulting from public behaviour. As…
Anti-hunting bodies angered by conviction quashing for former director of Hunting Office
Harkinson was found guilty of encouraging others to break the law after the release, by hunt saboteurs, of a recording of a webinar which Harkinson led. During the webinar, he…
BASC blames police for gun ownership decline
The number of firearm and shotgun certificate holders in England has dropped by 8% in a single year – which BASC has blamed on failures in the licensing process. (Read…
Scottish estates face new land reform law threat
Sporting estates are bracing for a fresh round of attacks as the Scottish government kicks off a consultation on a new land reform law. However, so-called ‘green lairds’ may also…
Hare coursers sell dogs openly online
Hare coursing dogs are being offered as ‘raffle prizes’ in private online groups. Shooting Times was able to join a group dedicated to hare coursing in Essex and our investigations…
Police investigate rewilding group over dubious claims
A rewilding group is under police investigation after raising funds for a ‘Scottish wildcat’ that turned out to be a domestic tabby. Wildcat Haven first came to police attention when…
New data shows catastrophic wader collapses
The results of the British Birds Survey for 2021 were published earlier this month and they highlight again the importance of shooting for maintaining biodiversity in the British countryside. The…
‘Disastrous’ Welsh general licences come into effect
The licences which were described by BASC as ‘a retrograde step for conservation’ have been altered to remove magpies, jays and jackdaws from the conservation licence (GL004) and to restrict…
Crackdown on illegal coursing, hunt trial failure and support for deer managers – this week in fieldsports
Another hunt trial collapses The case against a member of the Quorn Hunt has been dropped after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) offered no evidence. John Finnegan had been due…