Shooting Gazette

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this 30th anniversary issue of Shooting Gazette. Originally a quarterly entitled The Shooting Gazette, the magazine was launched at the 1989 CLA Game Fair. In his welcome address, editor Mike Barnes spoke

The GWCT Scottish Auction, held at Prestonfield House in May, raised £135,000 towards the work of the GWCT. The sell-out event saw guests enjoy a champagne reception and dinner prepared by the Prestonfield chefs, with venison donated by Highland Game

4 pheasant thighs 4 pheasant legs • 200g teriyaki sauce• 15g oyster sauce• 15g tomato ketchup• 15g honey• 20g brown sugar • 2 large carrots•1/4 red cabbage• 1 large leek• 20g sesame seeds • 100g mayonnaise• 1 lime• 15g coriander, chopped • 75g pe

The more shoot captains, headkeepers and estate managers I speak to, the more I am convinced running game shoots must be like raising children. For some in the aforementioned group, having one is more than enough, while for others having two or three

The Altcar Estate, just over 10 miles north of Liverpool in the Lancashire countryside, has a long, illustrious history. Always a sporting estate, it was owned by the Earls of Sefton and was home to the Waterloo Cup from 1836 until 2005. The 2nd Earl

Since its launch, the Woodland Trust’s MOREwoods scheme has been responsible for the planting of in excess of two million trees across the UK, resulting in the creation of more than 2,000 hectares of woodland. “Planting trees and woods is a win-win f

Martin Puddifer reflects on his time with senior instructor Chris Hanks. One thing I will remember from my time with Chris Hanks is his assertion ahead of our final lesson that “there’s no room for spraying and praying” whether you are facing a cla

If you were going out on a limb and starting a new magazine dedicated to driven shooting in 2019, which shoot would you choose to feature? Back in 1989, editor Mike Barnes chose Gurston Down, arguably the first commercial high bird shoot and one that

I do not generally take dogs to the Game Fair. There are a number of reasons. The Game Fair is huge. There are tens of thousands of people and, probably, thousands of dogs. A moment’s oversight and a dog could be lost forever. People get lost at the

In 1996, I was invited to join friends for a week’s driven shooting in the Scottish Moorfoot Hills. Having read of this kind of shooting, I leapt at the prospect – grouse, partridges, and pheasants in a lovely October setting. Fascinating is not too

Game. You can only eat it during the season. This is what so many people think and, of course, as you can only buy fresh game during the season, they have a point. This is a conundrum that greets many Guns and makes it a problem for the larger shoots

Thirty years old and still going strong, Shooting Gazette was first published in the year that the Berlin Wall came down. The average house cost £37,000 and we were getting approximately the same renumeration for venison that we are today. Pheasants

An invention that was of the greatest importance in the development of the hammer gun and rifle was the rebounding lock. Unlike many other developments, this can be credited solely to John Stanton, a gunlock maker at 13 Clifton Street, Wolverhampton.

I just love early hammer guns before they settled down to the conventional Jones underlever or top-lever with Purdey bolt. The progression from muzzle-loader to breech-loader was anything but straightforward and during this development a great many b

It is well known in the collecting world that condition and originality are the prime factors in desirability and driving up prices. The latest Holts sale had several lots in this category exemplified by Lot 518, a lovely Charles Lancaster percussion

This isn’t the fastest car – in fact, far from it. The 1.5 litre diesel I tested could only manage 0-60mph in a decidedly leisurely 12.1 seconds. It isn’t the most spacious, having only five rather firm seats. It isn’t the best looking or best made,

Q A friend and I are hoping to stuff for one another next season. We plan to practise during a few simulated days in the summer. What do we need to bear in mind to be safe and get sufficient shooting?” A I enjoy sharing a peg with a friend and stuff

The success of a retriever team involves a captain dedicating hours to the selection process, team training, discussing test scenarios and organising sponsorship. Whichever team you follow, there’s no doubt these four passionate captains provide the

Leading Ireland through the recent Skinner’s World Cup Retriever Event was John Williamson. With a slightly different team selected this year, John relishes the opportunity to motivate and keep them calm when the pressure is on. “We have a good team

Wales has been training on the moor with captain Mark Bettinson. “I’ve pulled out the whip and set up some challenging retrieves as we have several experienced dogs,” he says. An A-panel retriever judge, Mark has been part of the Welsh setup for 18 y

Club: Hampshire & South West United Retriever Club Event: Open Working Test Venue: West Park, Damerham Judges: Gillian Yates, Peter Castleman and Jason Mayhew Sponsors: Skinner’s Some 26 dogs and handlers attended this year’s open test, held by

By Ben Samuelson A few years ago, I sat next to an American on an aeroplane who had no idea of one of the most fundamental tenets of etiquette. This was deeply unpleasant. I understand few readers will fly to the Game Fair, but hear me out. You see