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

We need them more than they need us

The state of the UK game meat market makes for depressing reading, says Emily Damment, but a collaborative effort could be the answer

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

Are game fairs wor

In the age of ubiquitous internet retail, what magic does the summer game fair still hold for those of a rural inclination, asks Felix Petit

Winning the waiting game

Perseverance and patience are essential when stalking sika says Chris Dalton, as he recalls a hard-fought battle with one stag

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

Instructor of the month

Getting the most from your time in _ Se the field is key for Tizi McPherson

When the story is not just the harvest

A cull buck pales in comparison to the beauty of the Breckland landscape, as Miles Malone savours a stalk in Norfolk's finest country

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

My first deer

Chris Dalton recalls the mixed emotions of his first roe doe stalk and the lessons learned

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

Small can be beautiful

Young spaniel Meg and a borrowed .410 prove to be a welcome distraction

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

JOTTINGS FOR WILDFOWLERS

Due to some thieves, Simon Garnham says goodbye to an old friend that served him well, but thanks to Scout he welcomes 10 new ones

Stalking Diary

Catastrophic recent events in the Scottish Highlands have inspired Davy Thomas to raise funds for the Gamekeepers Welfare Trust

Gamekeeper

With wild bird chicks still coming through, it's up to us to protect them from predation, writes Alan Edwards after a trip to the Borders

Country Diary

Setting up off-grid is not all plain sailing for Patrick Leigh-Pemberton, but the pleasure of an afternoon on the local moorland can't be beaten

RSPB takes pragmatic approach to grouse

The charity has acknowledged some of the benefits driven grouse shooting brings, but it still remains committed to a licensing system

Chaos caused by general licence debacle continues

Hundreds of shoots are facing an uncertain future as a number of licences are being turned down due to threats of avian influenza

Kennel Diary

Harry Beeby spends an enjoyable but hot day judging at the Mendip Farmers' Hunt puppy show