Heading for higher ground

A traditional walk-about on the hill to mark the Glorious Twelfth yields little in the way of grouse but offers time and space to reflect on seasons past, present and future

Marsh rite of passage

For the novice fowler, learning about tides and maintaining your kit can be the difference between life and death, warns Barry Lawson

Making the most of it

With buildings and roads ruling out the use of a shotgun, Mat Manning sets up an airgun ambush to defend farmers’ fields from avian pests

Stalking Diary

Summer storms hide much of the roe rut but the red stags are about to start and a cull is vital to keep the deer off vulnerable cover crops

A Thorny Problem For Our Butterflies

Our beloved butterflies — we see 59 species in the UK — are in decline, partly due to lack of habitat and food

Stalking Diary

With ever-changing Covid rules, stalking businesses have been hit hard by the need for their clients to quarantine and a lack of hotels

Country Diary

There is much to be gained from putting aside petty differences and working together to help the world’s many endangered bird species

No alternatives would give same benefits, says study

An important new report provides a glorious boost to driven grouse shooting, stating it provides ecological, economic and social benefits

Bunny boom or bust: feral foe or fine asset?

The rabbit’s fortunes have changed since it was introduced to the UK but it still offers a blissfully pure form of sport, says Patrick Laurie

Keepers help in fight against egg collectors

Richard Negus investigates cases of illegal raids on wild bird nests and learns that fieldsports is uniquely placed to thwart the thieves

Passing on the flame

Simon Whitehead collects a brace of kits from ‘Granda’ Bob Merrin and is reminded of lessons learned and where it all began

It's vitamin sea

It is an acquired taste, warns John Wright, but sea buckthorn juice is full of goodness

No grey areas with Swiss kit

Mat Manning puts Zeiss’s V4 scope to the test on an evening in pursuit of woodland pests

The skinny on 4x4 tyres

As we approach autumn, and the coming season, it is a good time to think about the tyres fitted to our faithful off-roaders, urges Ed Coles

Fingers crossed for grouse

Initial indications suggest a poor grouse season, with many chicks and eggs being lost to cold weather at the crucial nesting period. Grouse counting is now well under way across Scottish estates and early reports are not promising.

Gamekeeper

Nest boxes provide a natural resting stop for migrating birds and may help to boost numbers of swallows, house martins and swifts

Great sporting lives

Celebrating the fine achievements of the most remarkable Shots of yesteryear

Stalking Diary

It may be the start of the roe rut — but it’s the red deer that are causing concern in Ayrshire, where the call of the cuckoo heralds high summer

‘Another nail in the coffin of grassroots conservation'

Keepers and conservationists react to a suggestion the Government may bring in new legislation regarding snares, revealed in a letter

Mini mammals in big trouble

With some of our bat species declining by 90%, it’s high time we appreciated these little fascinating creatures

Country Diary

We must foster a reconnection between those who work the land and the land itself, and a rural writing renaissance could be a good start

Ready for their close-up

By offering stalkers insight into quarry behaviour, trail cams improve the chances of success, says Will Pocklington

A conservation minded Macnab

A midsummer meander through Essex countryside brings a shooting legend to life, with benefits for some fragile species

We'll still be at it but it might be different

An encounter with hundreds of low-flying birds makes James Fisher wonder whether shooting needs to evolve in order to survive

How you can make deer pay

Jamie Tusting investigates innovative ways of transforming deer management from a loss-leader into a profit-generating enterprise

The bunnies bounce back

Mat Manning rejoices in the return of his favourite quarry as there is an explosion of rabbits on his patch after last year’s dearth

Great sporting lives

Celebrating the fine achievements of the most remarkable Shots of yesteryear

Gun sale site hacked in big security breach

More than 100,000 names and addresses and other data have been leaked online after hackers gained access to a widely used website

Does everyone really hate us?

Fieldsports’ PR problem is not contempt but ignorance — so let’s talk, urges Adam Hart

Ears to the ground

Patches of flattened barley prove irresistible for woodpigeons, calling for a summer afternoon of crop protection with gun, decoys and dog