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.

DOG OF THE WEEK

An end to isolation

Grouse licence is ‘vehicle to agitate for a full ban’ • Scottish grouse moors will be subject to licensing from the next parliamentary session, despite Werritty Report recommendations

Wild Justice did not win

Heartbreak for theft victim

Weekend Twitter poll

To do this week

Lead shot ban finally confirmed by Brussels • WWT applauds European proposal to put the onus on citizens to demonstrate they are acting legally in terms of ammo on wetlands

THEY SAID WHAT

How secure are your guns, asks crime agency

Wild bird shoots set for boost

NEWS IN BRIEF

LETTERS

Something to be savoured lovingly

SHOOTING TIMES

GREYS AT HOME

NEXT WEEK IN SHOOTING TIMES

Country Diary • Owners of working dogs know only too well the grief of losing a four-legged friend, but there is joy to be found in their bloodline living on

Scraping a living on sheer brazen cheek • Life was hard for the poor in the 19th and 20th centuries, with many living on their wits — and other people’s game, says David S D Jones

A last mad dash in the dying day • When the migrants arrive to boost our homegrown birds, woodcock abound in Galloway and are ripe for the taking in the ‘blue dark’

A double dose of pest control • Dealing with unwelcome visitors is top of the agenda as Simon Garnham encounters a lone predator and a gang of barley thieves

Seek him here, seek him Yair • In the UK, it is possible to cast for salmon in every month of the year, so Sam Carlisle heads to Scotland for the last day on the Tweed

WHY WE SHOOT

Why all the very best Shots rough it at first • What is it that makes the best stand out from the rest on a shoot day? Simon Reinhold explains how to become the best possible Shot

WHY WE SHOOT

Check mate • Tawny is the queen of the ferreting game and knows all the right moves, allowing Simon Whitehead to harvest the bunnies

ABC OF FERRETING • In this column, Simon outlines the essentials of good ferreting

Surprise on a surreal caper • A ‘hybrid hunt’ in Scotland results in an extraordinary encounter for Soldier Palmer

Browning B15 Beauchamp £16,389 • With this superb 20-bore you get top Browning quality, exceptional value for money and a gun that handles like a dream, says Matt Hunt

FIELDTEST

Feel the burn of black mustard • Brassica nigra is a member of the cabbage family that really packs a punch, says John Wright

High and dry • Richard takes his son, Charlie, to bag grey squirrels with an airgun, but while wildlife abounds, the boy learns about its unpredictable nature

Jumping jack flash • No longer on the quarry list, the smaller relative of the common snipe is a colourful addition to our countryside

A bit of a knees-up • Why do we shoot better some days than others? Is it pure luck, mental confidence — or simply the lack of a hangover, wonders Colin Willock

Set the record straight • Our native setters are more popular around the world than in the UK; David Tomlinson makes the case for tapping into their potential

MY SIMPLE PLEASURES • Getting out with the...