Le Chameau Vierzonord boots
When analysing reams of spreadsheet data for trends, it’s always easier when one name appears nearly twice as often as any other. That was the case with our wellies survey. To the relief of the team trawling through information supplied by hundreds of Fieldsports Britain supporters just like you (thanks for that, by the way). […]
Aporkalypse now: how feral hogs are over-running Hong Kong
A surreal situation has emerged in Hong Kong. Wild boars are plaguing the city. They run through the streets, scaring locals and eating rubbish, often in exclusive neighbourhoods home to millionaires. Ben O’Rourke fills us in on how that happened, with video produced by Hong Kong-based journalist Scott Murphy and camera and sound by David […]
Clay and target-shooting grounds can open
Clayshooting organisation the CPSA has announced that clubs and grounds are now able to re-open. It rules that the government has given it the ‘necessary assurances’. Grounds will be able to re-open on a pay-and-play basis, with a gradual return to competitive shooting in time. They must adhere to strict Covid-19 safety protocol. However, not […]
How the world is going back to hunting
With most of the world under lockdown, there are tight restrictions on who can hunt or shoot and where – nowhere nore so than here in Britain. BASC, Countryside Alliance and British Game Alliance have all written to the government to ask that hunting and shooting restrictions be relaxed. BASC sent an 11-point guide on […]
South Africa hunter’s Instagram account deleted after antis complain
A hunter in South Africa has had a social media account deleted after complaints by antis. Jason Stone, who runs safaris across Africa, says Instagram closed his account after “a bunch of anti hunters” launched an attack. He had more than 10,000 followers after building up his profile over the past year. Since Facebook and […]
Sea eagles ravage British lambs
Farmers are complaining they are providing free food for the UK’s newly-landed sea eagle population. Birdwatching organisations that arranged the birds’ release on the Isle of Wight in 2019 also promised to feed them fish. However, they have been unable to do so because of the coronavirus lockdown. As a result, the birds are snatching […]
Crowdfunding account set up to help Africa’s hunters amid coronavirus lockdown
Professional hunters in South Africa are asking for help as their livelihoods suffer during the lockdown. Salome De Villiers is organising the GoFundMe campaign in support of the community of hunters and associated workers at the front lines of conservation and anti-poaching at a time when their businesses are on hold because of the pandemic. […]
California cops confiscate guns over squirrel shooting near Sikh temple
Police were called to a Sikh temple in central California after reports of shots being fired in the direction of the compound. San Joaquin County sheriff’s office said it was alerted at 6:30pm on Friday and responding officers detained five people at the scene. They quickly dismissed the idea the incident was a ‘hate crime’ […]
Security cam catches fox stealing Hermes delivery
An online shopper was baffled when he couldn’t find a package after being told it was delivered. Martin Hind from Kent then checked his security camera video to try to find the culprit. He complained in a Facebook post the delivery from Hermes that contained electrical goods was “poked” through a gate and left in […]
Police send armed officers, helicopter after ‘tiger’ spotted in Kent
Cops with guns were searching the Kent countryside on Saturday morning after someone reported seeing a tiger on the loose. But it turned out to be a sculpture by a local artist in the village of Underriver, according to the Guardian. Artist Juliet Simpson made the sculpture from chicken wire and 20 years ago then […]
Mine pollution threatens Scottish salmon, say anxious anglers
Scottish authorities are investigating pollution in the River Leven in Fife. Anglers told the Courier newspaper that it’s killing off the salmon and could have wider implications for the local ecology. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency blames the orange colour of the river on an old coal mine at former Westfield site near Cardenden. […]
RSPB blames grouseshooters for missing red kite
Police are investigating after a red kite’s tag suddenly stopped transmitting. The RSPB claims the bird ‘may have been’ illegally killed. The RSPB was monitoring a GPS tag attached to the bird in June 2019 by FoRK (Friends of Red Kites), according to the North East’s ChronicleLive news website. The report says the bird called […]
Suspected rhino poachers released by South African court ‘due to coronavirus’
A South African court has apparently released two men accused of poaching rhino horns. The suspects were arrested on Friday 24 April, caught with six rhino horns worth 6 million rand (£250,000), according to an article on an anti-poaching Facebook group. The court in Mpumalanga said it decided to grand them bail “due to Covid-19″, […]
Horse trainer ‘under investigation’ for Baildon mowing
Bradford Council says horse trainer Sue Smith, wife of 81-year-old celebrity showjumper Harvey Smith, is ‘under investigation’ for mowing moorland in the middle of the bird nesting season. The incident was filmed on Baildon Moor north of Bradford, outraging shooting organisations. The moor is managed by Bradford Council, which already has a poor record managing […]
RSPB slammed over plan to put power station on nature reserve in Northeast England
The RSPB has come under fire again for agreeing to a plan to put a power plant on one of its nature reserves. The Statera Energy natural gas plant will be built on a section of Saltholme reserve near Middlesbrough in Teesside. Local MP for Stockton North Alex Cunningham said he was “personally disgusted” about […]
Most shoots will happen this season, says research
Finally, some good news. Most gameshooting will go ahead. A survey of more than 800 shoot owners, manager and gamekeepers across YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook by Fieldsports Channel finds that 61% of pheasant shoots are going to happen, 21% are mothballed and 18% are yet to make up their minds. It’s the crucial time […]
How fieldsports is helping the NHS and carers
Since the coronavirus crisis started, the fieldsports community and farmers have been reaching out to help people with everything from free meat to moral support for the National Health Service. Check out the video below to see what we mean: View this post on Instagram Our farmers x Our NHS #thankyou #heroes #nhs @countryside_alliance_ca @farmersweekly […]
Police charge man with serial poisoning of birds of prey
Police in Dumfries and Galloway say a 64-year-old man has been charged with “a number of wildlife crime offences”. He is believed to be involved in agriculture and not gamekeeping. A post on the constabulary’s Facebook page says the suspect may have killed more than 20 birds of prey and other wild birds in the […]
What will happen to the 2020 shooting season in the UK?
To shoot or not to shoot is the dilemma facing a game industry under lockdown. “No one knows whether to go ahead or to cancel,” says James Crowther of Upperwood Estate, talking about uncertainty among shoot organisers. The 2020 shooting season starts with grouseshooting on the Glorious 12th August 2020. Grouse are wild […]
Fear and fantasy: how officials use coronavirus to crack down on fieldsports
At a time when panic-buying could potentially lead to social disorder, the government has decided to target the very people who protect the nation’s supply of meat and crops. In Scotland, the refusal of local lawmakers to include gamekeepers and shooting-related businesses in a financial aid plan appears to have been the tip of an […]
DEFRA asks court to dismiss Wild Justice judicial review
DEFRA has asked a court to refuse Wild Justice’s request for a judicial review seeking to restrict gamebird releases. DEFRA has described the request as “vexatious” and “pointless” and is also asking to be awarded its costs. The government’s move has is being described as extremely positive news by four leading shooting membership organisations. DEFRA’s […]
‘Send us cash or the baby animal gets it,’ say wildlife charities
Animal charities like to put up images of young wildlife, then demand money to ‘save’ them. But what does ‘save’ actually mean? Ben O’Rourke goes into forensic financials to find out. He talks to Richard Taylor, who knows how to read a balance sheet, and shows the discrepancies between what organisations such as the League […]
‘ZERO consultation’: Gamebore/Lyalvale Express reinforce lead phase out claims
Cartridge maker Lyalvale Express has joined Gamebore in reinforcing their statement a week ago they were told nothing about a planned lead phase-out out declared by shooting organisations on 24th February. Lyalvale Express said it “stands firm on all points” in the statement, that Eley Hawk and Hull Cartridge also signed. Earlier on Friday, Gamebore […]
‘Greyhound’ Facebook group reacts to our Midlands poaching story
Mixed reviews of our video exposing the poaching gangs terrorising farms in the Midlands. Some are revelling in the coverage, while others are complaining about media from the closed Facebook group getting leaked.
