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.

At the vanguard

Law suits divert vital funds from environmental needs • Repeated failed legal challenges by a campaign group have reduced Natural England’s ability to protect fragile sites and vulnerable species

Second award for deer film

Five arrested for poaching

Weekend Twitter poll

To do this week

‘Another nail in coffin for rural community’ • Shooting is vital to the people of Wales for recreation and mental health and its loss would have a devastating impact on wellbeing

THEY SAID WHAT

Scottish estates under threat from new tax law

Mountain hares at risk due to the changing climate

Countryside comes into the classroom

Medical support

The real purpose of the keeper’s gibbet

Shooting Times & Country

LETTERS

NEXT WEEK IN SHOOTING TIMES

Country Diary • It is heartening to see shoots approach the challenges of 2020 with a mix of flair and imagination, making for some special sporting days

The greys are off the menu • In the Suffolk fog, wild pheasants show how sporting they are, reports Richard Negus

WHY WE SHOOT

Hope springs eternal • With the usual shoot gathering cancelled due to COVID-19, there’s an ideal opportunity for a keen young dog handler to experience fowling

‘I know they are after me’ • Gamekeepers run a daily gauntlet of abuse and there appears little that can be done to stop it. Matt Cross investigates

WHY WE SHOOT

A bit of a curve ball • An old curling pond near the coast ticks every box to make it suitable for flighting — apart from one vital component, as Jack Bell discovers

Will an HPR help you fill your game bag? • An HPR can be the difference between a good bag and heading home empty-handed — but which breed is best, wonders David Tomlinson

KEEPA

What comes naturally • With more shoot days lost to another lockdown, Ellena Swift has to improvise on what she can do to continue her young dogs’ training

LIZZIE

Dogging-in goes with a bang • Full driven days were off the cards during lockdown but an hour spent with gun and dog on the edge of the shoot more than made up for it

Kennel Diary • Scent can be great in December and January but we’ll miss the festive meets, says Harry Beeby

Good riddance 2020 • COVID-19 chaos, soaring puppy prices, shoot day disruption and field trial cancellations — David Tomlinson reflects on a year to forget

THE LOSS OF A LOYAL FRIEND • The death of a dog can be so difficult for owners to bear

Well worth the frostbite • Laden with gear as he struggles out in the pre-dawn dark, Colin Willock finds himself bang in the centre of a fine duck flightline

Game Cookery • Partridge is one of the few gamebirds that can be shot in the morning and be on the table for lunch. Jose Souto shares a tasty ‘fast food’ recipe

The experts • THE ULTIMATE SHOOTING QUIZ TEAM

SELF›INFLATING DECOYS

SPORTING ANSWERS

Native Britain • Plants, flowers and fungi of Great Britain at a glance

TO CATCH A FISH • Sparkle Gnat

From the gun shop • The Editor’s pick of the latest and best shooting kit to hit the market

Upland keeper • Not liking...