Since its launch in 1882, Shooting Times & Country Magazine has been at the forefront of the shooting scene. The magazine is the clear first choice for shooting sportsmen, with editorial covering all disciplines, including gameshooting, rough shooting, pigeon shooting, wildfowling and deer stalking. Additionally the magazine has a strong focus on the training and use of gundogs in the field and, because it is a weekly publication, the magazine keeps readers firmly up-to-date with the latest news in their world.

Call of the wild

Defra issues new general licences for England • While most aspects of the licences are unaltered, there are a small number of important changes to species and reasons for their control

Kennel theft police appeal

Woodcock falls under way

To do this week

Lack of support leaves keepers under attack • A Scottish government report finds 80% of gamekeepers are lacking optimism for their future, having suffered verbal or physical abuse

THEY SAID WHAT

Crackdown on antiques as firearms used in crime

Women were hunters too

NEWS IN BRIEF

The joyous tradition of game books

IN ASSOCIATION WITH ALAN PAINE

Shooting Times & Country

LETTERS

NEXT WEEK IN SHOOTING TIMES

Country Diary • It has been a year of great uncertainty and it is now more important than ever to savour the experiences and memories of a day’s shooting

Gamekeeper • A return to lockdown comes at the worst possible time for fieldsports, with shoot owners increasingly worried about balancing the books

The wild west • Patience pays off for Mike Swan during a goose shooting jaunt to south-west Scotland

Duck from dusk till dawn • The breathtaking moments spent in wild places where teal spring and wigeon rocket are the wildfowler’s reward for late nights and early starts — the bag is an added bonus

The gloriousness of late-season grouse • After the flurry and fanfare of the Twelfth, the grouse become more independent and quicker to fly; Patrick Laurie rises to our challenge

Praise be: the creed of horse and hound • The country parson can never properly preach to their flock unless they have joined in with their passions, says Fergus Butler-Gallie

Best left for the laddies, ladies and old-timers? • The lightweight 20-bore is often said to be preferable to a 12-bore for those long walked-up days, but Diggory Hadoke has his doubts

WHY WE SHOOT

Speed, agility and a beak for danger • Unpredictable in every way, the wild pheasant will always provide the greatest test, says Ed Wills

WHY WE SHOOT

Pike for all seasons • A fortuitous diversion provides inspiration to try for a pike but will this notoriously tricky adversary play ball, wonders Jamie Tusting

Wild cocktails • Adding a personal touch to outdoor drinks is perfect for a day in the field, says John Wright

Sport over the acorns • The leaves coming off the trees provides an opportunity for Tom Payne to deploy an old trick cooked up by the late Archie Coats

Oh, to be a big red stag • Stalking in Ireland is facing a ‘perfect storm’ of COVID-19 lockdowns, plummeting prices and hunting licence delays, says Barry Stoffell

Covert corvid control • With the shotgun off limits, Mat Manning reaches for his air rifle to decoy crows, rooks and jackdaws that are hitting a freshly sown crop

Volvo XC90 £73,970 • This Swedish import may have been around for two decades, but its new model boasts the latest gizmos and bags of space, says Ed Coles

CONCLUSION

NEED TO KNOW

Getting the collar felt • Even in these days of compulsory microchipping, David Tomlinson argues that a collar and tag is still the best way to avoid losing a...