The cost of planting and managing game and cover crops is ever increasing and we, along with many others, are slowly expanding the acreage we plant with permanent and semi-permanent crops. Not only does it reduce costs after the initial year of estab

His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has died. Prince Philip, who was 99 years old, passed away on the morning of 9 April at Windsor Castle. Born on the island of Corfu in 1921 into both the Danish and the Greek royal families, Pr

February and March tend to be slightly quieter months in the gamekeeping calendar, affording a chance to reflect on the season past or perhaps even enjoy a holiday. For Lincolnshire-based gamekeeper Will Hales, however, it’s time to get back in the s

THERE’S ONE PIECE of advice for the would-be gundog owner in every book I have: if you want a puppy to bring on as a gundog, make sure you buy one from working stock. It’s really such an obvious piece of advice that it hardly bears repeating, while I

The keepers were instructed to raise the flag on the hut’s roof when the mayfly hatch started. By this signal, the people up at the Big House would know, should they be looking, that the trout would soon be rising. If they tired of the fishing, they

Long-expected changes to the Deer Stalking Certificate (DSC) qualifications have proved controversial in the deerstalking community. During 2019, Deer Management Qualifications (DMQ), the consortium that manages the qualifications, undertook a review

It has been a time of huge change here. Our suckler herd is now fading into memory. And the patchwork of stubble, plough and grass we once had at this time of year, with our old mixed beef and arable operation, has given way to a sea of grass. I woul

In January 2016, I began planning a 500-mile walk across Ireland, Wales and England to try to find out more about the plight of the Eurasian curlew. I had read the British Birds paper from December 2015 (The Eurasian curlew — the most pressing bird c

I’ve never been on a blind date, but I imagine it’s a bit like stalking roe in early April: anticipation, surprises galore and a good chance of returning home, by choice, with nothing to show for it. During the short, raw days of winter, I often thin

It’s quite easy to look at a Best hammerless sidelock ejector and admire the perfection of form and function. It’s far harder to admit that the French have greatly influenced the sport of shooting and, as a result, the fit of a shotgun as we know it

Are you experiencing pain or bruising in your face, shoulder or second finger of your trigger hand? Practising your mount in a mirror — are you having to adjust to align your eye over the rib? Closed eye gun mount — mount your gun on a ceiling corn

DR MIKE SWAN IS HEAD OF EDUCATION AND THE SOUTHERN REGIONAL ADVISER FOR THE GAME & WILDLIFE CONSERVATION TRUST With all the news about new rules for trapping stoats, and changes to general licences for corvid control, it’s easy to forget that there

Manufacturer Howa Model Contractor SP (combo) Action Bolt action Barrel 22in, ½ UNF thread Calibre .243 Win on test Overall length 40.25in, 47.25in with RCC sound moderator fitted Finish Matt blued and synthetic Stock Black synthetic Sporter

Burning heather helps to boost the growth of sphagnum moss, which locks up carbon in peat, according to the latest study of upland burning. Sphagnum mosses rapidly extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and then lock it up in peat, making them on