Gear test

Adam Cope gives his verdict on the Sologne Skintane Optimum hunting trousers and Grand Nord hunting jacket from Percussion

Alpine rifle reaches the heights

Tom Cackett says the Haenel Jaeger 9 proves that good things come in small packages

A cheap shot

After facing controversy, Nick Ridley considers what is an ‘unsporting’ bird

The problem: Protein in diets

It seems to me that protein levels in diets obsess people. I admit to being confused as to how much dogs need. So, how much? Vet’s advice Neil McIntosh SG’s gundog health expert

The art of 'war'

Nick Ridley tells of his admiration at seeing teams of terriers in full flow on ratting missions

Woodland wander-land

Tom Sykes has an afternoon potter around the estate and makes a start on corvid control

Home advantage

Geoff Garrod explains why roost shooting is a sporting challenge like no other

They call it puppy love

Fran Ardley takes you through the early stages of dealing with a new arrival in the house

The ultimate quarry

Peter Theobald delights that he is still learning about the ways of the wily woodie after 50 years

Hard days' flight

Gamekeeper Adam Cope treated his helpers to a day on the peg for all their hard work over the year. Richard Faulks was there to watch proceedings

La dolce vita

Charles Dark tells Philip Reynolds about his Italian influences – and his ambition to make a small corner of Wales a ‘must’ for sportsmen

Dogs and myths spun

Jon Snowdon addresses the misapprehension about the role of the stalking dog that many people seem to have

Be led by instinct

Tony Bracci addresses some common problems shooters have with forward allowance, or lead

Judging distance

Geoff Garrod looks at how to find the right range for shooting pigeons – too close and they won’t be fit to eat, too far away and you will miss or prick them

English skeet for youngsters

On a day at Bisley, Graham Brown of the Purbeck Shooting School has two young guns among his clients. Paul Quagliana witnesses the importance of good tuition

Resolutions and resolve

A new year always sees us load up with good intentions and Robin Scott is determined, as ever, to give the 12 months ahead both barrels

Adventures of Nick & Ted

Ted has been working well, says Nick Ridley, but an injury meant bringing old Percy out of retirement

Get your skeets on

Tony Bracci explains the discipline of skeet shooting, a great way to improve your speed and accuracy

A Gem of an air rifle

This intriguing item could catch out the unwary collector, who must follow a trail of patents to discover its identity, as Robert Morgan reveals

It's not all in the bag

A great day’s shooting should not be all about bag size, argues Nick Ridley — there is far more to it than that

A brief encounter

Come rain or shine, professional stalkers have to be out there to try to control the deer, says Jon Snowdon

Off The Leash

Nick Ridley enjoyed letting four of his gundog training charges show what they could do on an informal walked-up day

Wild At Heart

Philip Reynolds profiles Ben Carter, whose job is everything associated with the great outdoors

What's Sauce For The Goose...

Tom Sykes looks at how his decoys have evolved over the years and why Sillosocks have become his new favourite design

What Was It All About, Dear Alfie?

Jon Snowdon mourns his beloved and mischievous canine companion of the past 11 eventful years

That'll Be The Day

Peter Theobald says local field knowledge is essential to make inroads into a troublesome pigeon population

In The Field

Sporting Gun reviews trousers, boots, a knife sharpener and a book on the law

All The Trappings

Tony Bracci guides you through the fundamentals of the clay shooting discipline of trap

Adventures Of Nick & Ted

Ted lived up to his star billing when Nick Ridley volunteered him for a skills demonstration

Stoat Mustela Erminea

Charles Smith-Jones looks at the diminutive but fierce stoat, scourge of the rabbit and adversary of many a gamekeeper as a result of its taste for ground-nesting birds as well as their chicks