Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

Debutant gundogs

There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting

When the going gets rough

Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique

A step too far?

Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work

Two bucks before breakfast

A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem

Country Diary

Patrick Leigh-Pemberton presents a beginner's guide to becoming a model houndsman at a new hunt - even if you might be bluffing it

Shooting proving hard to sell as season looms

It will come as no surprise, given the pinch we’re all feeling, that shooting for the forthcoming season is proving hard to sell.

Gamekeeper

Liam Bell says gamekeepers must be realistic about growing game crops without the use of any herbicides or artificial fertilisers

Number of shotgun licence holders is now in decline

New Home Office figures show that shotgun licence holders are down 4% year on year, while there are some worrying age and gender trends

A potter with a gun

Geoffrey Armitage considers the essence of rough shooting, where Guns pit their intuition and powers of observation against wild game

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

A couple of litters from some seasoned ferrets offer a little glimpse into the future

A bump in the road

Roadkill is a regrettable fact of life in the modern world, but sadly it is still poorly understood by the wider public

No place like the North

Lindsay Waddell explores the incredible sporting history of Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland from the coast to the moors

Sure, it's not lead but is it accurate?

When testing ‘non-toxic’ ammunition in .243, the nation’s favourite stalking calibre, Graham Downing is fairly impressed

A midsummer night's dream

Gethin Jones joins Stuart Llewellyn of the Llanrwst Anglers Club on a night-time foray in for sea-trout on the wonderful River Conwy

Step up your stalking footwear

Back-to-back stalks over rough terrain present the perfect opportunity to compare top-of-the-range boots and gaiters

Going for gold in Glenfinnan

A guided stalk in the Highlands leaves Jamie Tusting with memories to last a lifetime as he goes in pursuit of a red stag

An unexpected badger ambush

A member of the tracking association must act fast when his stalking dogs come across some surprising opponents

Where have all the gamekeepers gone?

Lindsay Waddell explores the decline of gamekeepers over the past century but manages to find reasons to be optimistic in the uplands

A pain in the grass

With cover at its highest at this time of year, gundogs are exposed to the health risks presented by grass seeds

Heather heaven or heather hell?

Working on the moors is a real test for spaniels, both in terms of the thick cover and the stamina the terrain requires, writes Nick Ridley

Learning on the job

With an ambition for a full-time stalking companion, Will Pocklington hopes his keen young teckel can rise to the challenge

Planning controversy over shoot flightponds

The owners of Eskdalemuir have gone to Holyrood for retrospective permission for their duck ponds, but locals are pushing back hard

Shoots are facing ruin and keepers out of jobs

The impact on rural livelihoods and rural life, following the recent general licence fiasco, is starting to be felt but BASC is fighting back

Some pigeons for the pot

Somehow the more perfect and intricate the plan for emptying a field of woodies, the more certain it is that the heavens will open

Going after a piggy in the city

Al Gabriel heads along to The West London Shooting School to learn to take on driven wild boar

Buying time for poults to thrive

As we all know the loss of poults on small shoots can be a real frustration, so protecting against raptor attacks is time well spent, says Liam Bell

In Walton's footsteps

The first day of the coarse fishing season sees Richard Negus try his luck on the old River Lea, where England's greatest angler once stood

When our sport took off

Not all that long ago, shooting sitting ducks and roosting pheasants was the order of the day, so what changed, wonders Ian Saberton

Roaring stags in the red-hot sun

Not many would associate Australia with red stags, but stalking this species down under is a rich experience, says Thomas Nissen