Sporting Gun

Many readers will know that Geoff Garrod is an avid pigeon shot. In fact, he is one of the best in the business. This month, he explains how he gave up fowling when the lead ammunition ban was introduced to that part of our sport many years ago. Now,

Firearms licensing fees are up for review for the first time in eight years. Since 2014 some voices in the police and campaigners have called for changes to be made, including the full cost borne by the applicant, which would mean a steep rise in the

Marks & Spencer will begin selling British Game Assurance certified, lead-free game. Liam Stokes, the BGA’s CEO, said: “M&S has told the shooting world that they want to be the front runner in sourcing sustainable British game. We as a shooting commu

This summer, one of the UK’s finest clay breaking celebrations will return to Orston Shooting Ground. And you could be there. From 26-29 May top competitive shots and keen amateurs will head to the Nottinghamshire ground to face off against two 75-ta

As long as you’re not the sort who counts kills-to-cartridges, a stiffish breeze adds spice to a day’s shooting. Even a fairly bumpy blow can help. Too much of the stuff, though, is almost always counter-productive. By ‘too much’ I mean winds of seve

As luck would have it, my last day’s shooting for the season (a walk around at home) fell on Friday 28 January. Come Saturday, Storm Malik was lifting tiles off the barn roof and howling through the trees. Like those woodpigeon mentioned below, I kep

The inner ear is lined with thousands of sensory hair cells that respond to sound energy by triggering electrical signals in the auditory nerve. These signals are sent to the brain where they are identified as different sounds. Excessive sound levels

Which would you rather hear: some friendly chat down the pub? Mellifluous birdsong? The soothing voice of a loved-one? Or the incessant squeal of tinnitus? I know which one ranks bottom of my list. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t just competitiv

Britain’s wild places, and the creatures that live in them, are disappearing at a terrifying rate. In this thought-provoking book, Patrick Galbraith, the editor of Shooting Times, travels the country in search of 10 of our most endangered birds. The

Shooting crows to control the numbers is vital for ongoing conservation management in the UK. My local crow numbers have always been high and need to be controlled, providing some tremendous sporting opportunities in the process. However, you should

We’ve all been there. Our days of reconnaissance have suggested a field will produce a bumper bag. We constructed the ‘perfect’ hide and the decoys are out, and we await what will be the first of many arrivals. What could go wrong? Within minutes, th

As you read this the buck season will have opened on 1 April and we are all looking forward to it. At the start of the season the bucks can look a bit tatty and many will not change into their summer coat until well into June. Young animals always ch

Who would have believed it? There we were cleaning up the larder after running a day’s carcass and butchery course when out in the field a young doe appeared and started to feed. We were in full view and making quite a bit of noise but she didn’t see

We still have a tower felled by the recent storms to re-erect. Three seats need replacing and in one wood we still can’t get to two seats because of storm debris. To take an optimistic view, we have been lucky because the damage to our kit could have

I am straying into Andrea’s territory. During the butchery courses I suggest how to use certain cuts. A carcass doesn’t have to be butchered into the standard haunch, chops and shoulder. Most of you will be aware of cuts such as haunch or fillet of h

Lotte likes her comforts. She is always using the sofa, my chair whenever I get out of it. Even lying across the top of my chair which makes a very comfortable and warm pillow. She has been known to sneak up to bed. I usually wake to find a very warm

Rabbits have provided me with gainful employment for the past 22 years. It is scary to think how quickly these years have gone by but it has been an adventure. And some. Over the years I have met others who professed to carry out rabbit control as th

Pheasant, partridge and grouse. Thimbleby Estate, North Yorkshire Wheelchair users can be catered for and are advised to contact the estate to discuss their requirements. Between 10-15 guns for private days. Solo shooters can join other singles and

At first glance the jackdaw may seem undistinguished, but it is subtly handsome. The smallest native species of crow has a superficially black plumage and distinctly purple sheen to the black cap, while the cheeks, nape and neck are a greyish-silver.

EJ Churchill’s Buckinghamshire Shooting Ground is one of the best-known venues in the clay shooting world, and it’s easy to see why. This is a ground built to impress: every small detail has been noted, checked and improved upon throughout the estate

Some 150 years ago, the shotguns that were putting a partridge or two in the pot for supper were using black powder explosive. It powered everything from the highwayman’s pistol to the Navy’s cannon. The flintlock-spark ignition system, with a cloud

My gun history is by definition a personal journey, so I ask you not to judge me too harshly. They were the right choices for me at the time. I will try to remember as accurately as possible and explain the circumstances around my purchases over near

I’m still having pigeon problems on the two rape fields on the estate. The gas guns and flags aren’t working any more, so the damage continues. At least I found where they are roosting and so decided to have a third go at thinning out the flock. One

I looked at the subject of calling foxes last summer, but as there’s only so much you can say in one article, I thought it worthy of further examination. In essence, when you’re luring foxes aurally you can either use a prey-distress sound or that of

• If you don’t have any luck, it’s important to reassure yourself that fox calling is an imprecise art. What works one night may not work the next. • Sometimes the sounds of foxes can frighten timid individuals away. These might be young animals tha

One of my training clients asked me recently what aspect of a gundog’s training I thought was the most important. My immediate answer was that unless the dog had a solid foundation of the basics, such as heel, sit, stay and recall, then all the other

There are some breed and indeed trainer/ handler variations, but there are common commands that are used across the gundog-training community. These can be set out in two separate groups: basic (behaviour) commands; and hunting/ retrieving commands.

Over the past four years I have been running gundog training classes and have been taken aback about how confused people get with their verbal commands. And if the handler is confused and inconsistent, it is unsurprising that their dogs also become c

GET IN A spoken command given to a gundog normally meaning to ‘get in’ water or cover. GET ON As per the command ‘back’, a verbal instruction used to indicate to your dog to proceed in a straight line until finding a dummy/bird, or can be used to st

Vet’s advice Neil McIntosh SG’s gundog health expert Bloat is a slight misnomer, as it makes one think simply of a swollen stomach. The syndrome is far more complicated and better referred to as gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), for reasons I shall

How can you mitigate the risk? In the study of affected dogs, 96.2% were purebred dogs and Irish setters accounted for 7.1% of the total. Also present in significant numbers were weimaraners and pointers. Labradors and spaniels can also be affected.

Age 73 months A couple of well-known sayings basically sum up the past month for me. They are, “The best-laid plans of mice and men” and the Spike Milligan saying, “We haven’t got a plan, so nothing can go wrong.” We were hoping Dott would come in s

I have just read Robin Scott’s article in the March issue (Pigeons at any price?) about the potential implications of non-toxic shot and crop protection and it was thought-provoking stuff. Robin claimed that the prohibitive cost of steel-shot cartrid

I have a three-year -old whippet and he is great at catching rabbits. Why do you use lurchers instead of whippets as your working dogs? Ed says: I’ve owned and worked with two whippets over the years and both performed to a high standard, but I fel

PREPARATION TIME: 2 HOURS – 1 DAY COOKING TIME: 30 MINUTES 450g venison steak, cut into 1in cubes 2.5cm (1in ) piece of fresh ginger2 cloves of garlic½ tsp ground turmeric½ tsp ground cumin¼ tsp chilli flakes¼ tsp ground cinnamon6 black peppercorn

Created exclusively for Glaze & Gordon by US-based Smathers & Branson, this Italian leather belt is sure to catch attention. Available in seven sizes. Price £160; glazeandgordon.com Lightweight Bluetooth hearing protection that reduces the sound of

Slings are often treated as incidental parts of a shooting rig, only really noticed when they cause trouble – such as when they suddenly fail, depositing your rifle in an unglorified heap on the ground. Having had this happen to me in the past I’m no

• Fully waterproof even in heavy rain • Drip strip to prevent water rising up the lining from the bottom of the coat • Taped seams • Storm cuffs to prevent rain running down your sleeves, which is particularly useful when raising your arms to moun

When it comes to shopping for country coats, one of the things I struggle with is finding a good ‘all-rounder’. There is a wide selection of beautiful coats available from many brands, and going into a country clothing shop can provoke a ‘kid in a ca

Shotgun cartridge performance is something that has interested me since my youth and still does. Some may not understand why this is so but therein is the key: the more testing you carry out, the more differences you will spot. You must then ponder w

I have tested a few guns for Ruger recently and this one epitomises a trend for making more affordable rifles without skimping on accuracy or reliability. This is welcome news for shooters who use a rifle as a tool as part of their job, such as keepe

It’s a sobering thought that the Beretta 682 has been around for 40 years. It is a regular feature on the clay lines and has won more competitions than any other Beretta gun. In fact, probably more than any other marque. Renowned shooters such as Geo

As I write, Russian forces are invading and attempting to occupy Ukraine. One thing is obvious, the Ukrainians are not going to sit back and let the Russians walk over them without a fight, regardless of whether Putin’s military takes over the land.