The future for the sporting rifle – Fieldtester, episode 5
youtu.be/UQ1Ir0FkNTY In this month’s Fieldtester show, Tim Pilbeam leads a group of 13 stalkers who shoot 100s of deer a year, to find out how good or bad copper bullets are. The aim is to group-test copper bullets and check it’s accurate and it kills. In this month’s show, we find out about accuracy, one […]
Will a cheap riflescope work?
Just because a riflescope is expensive, does it work better? Dan Pool from Braces of Bristol says he can’t see a difference in optics over a certain price level. He says you pay more for a scope for its resale value and for its reliability and after-sales service. For more from Braces of Bristol, visit […]
Airgun pellet gel test
youtu.be/yF7oJwvzfac How good are these pellets at killing?– H&N Baracuda Green– Webley Velocipell– Webley Mosquito Express– Webley VMX PellAirgun expert Johnny Muston from R&K Stockcraft puts them through their paces on ballistic gel to find out. For more from R&K Stockcraft, visit RKStockcraft.co.uk
How night vision has changed the rules for rifle fit
Gun fit is a big issue in shotgun shooting, but people forget it’s important for rifle shooting too. Your cheek needs to be resting nicely on the comb, so your head is always in the same place in relation to the scope for the best accuracy and consistent groups. That’s a problem where rifle stocks […]
Copper bullet accuracy test
youtu.be/OM0o97qkwiE We test six copper rounds for accuracy. This is part of a project run by Tim Pilbeam where 13 deerstalkers keep diaries of how copper bullets perform for them. Stalkers include Steve Goodwin, Steve Bull, Alison Otway of OtwaysMeatandGame.co.uk, gamekeeper Rob Beeney and David Sadler set about finding out about copper ammunition. We will […]
Leica Amplus 6 riflescope – review
youtu.be/R98moTyIQKU Leica has a new entry-level riflescope. Of course, entry level to a top-end name such as Leica does not mean it is under £1,000. However, Tim Pilbeam says that for the money – £1,400 – you get all the Leica quality most of us could want. Tim tried out the 2.5-15×56, which has 6x […]
What to do with a pellet stuck in an airgun barrel?
youtu.be/qF1X_xOi_TQ Airgun expert Johnny Muston from R&K Stockcraft explains how to clear your airgun barrel – and tells a few horror stories about barrels that are past saving. For more from R&K Stockcraft, visit RKStockcraft.co.uk
Catching rabbits at a turf farm
The lovely turf at Wembley and Wimbledon comes from turf farms, and turf farms are magnets for rabbits. The South Somerset Ferreters answer the call to ferret the rabbits at a turf farm. It’s the first sporting action this turf will see – and it’s just as exciting and active as a cup final. Find […]
Winter pigeon and rook shoot – big day
Rooks and pigeons are hitting a maize crop. With the cost of feed, Paul Childerley is especially keen to shoot a few of them, so he has built a socially-distanced pigeon hide on his ground in Bedfordshire. Plus he shows how to call in the corvids. Find out more about Paul’s sponsor Shooterking clothing Click […]
Fieldsports Britain – Paul’s uncanny wildlife calls
Did you know he could make the noise of a frightened Chinese water deer, a chattering greylag goose and even a randy woodpigeon? And all of them using only his mouth? Paul Childerley is the Alistair McGowan of the animal kingdom, all of which we learn while he is in a hide on a pigeon […]
Sab thugs attack hunts again – Fieldsports News, 27 January 2021
Here are the links: Trespassing sabs incite ‘common assault’ – Facebook Time-wasting new system added to individual licence applications – Fieldsports News Scottish Gamekeepers plan #RWP21 Edinburgh protest – SGA Grey squirrels to go on the pill – Daily Mail Big cats to ‘replace’ Scottish deerstalkers Antis shun criminal sab Luke Steele to hold on […]
Gun auctions review 2021
Why buy a gun at auction? how? and what gun? If those are your questions, this is the right page for you. Our gun experts Diggory Hadoke from VintageGuns.co.uk, Bill Harriman from BASC and the BBC Antiques Roadshow, and others offer the answers. Below you will find the stories of indvidual guns that come up at […]
Game exports resume as vet untangles EU red tape
Gamedealers throughout the UK breathe a sigh of relief as a Wiltshire vet and a Hampshire gamedealer have successfully fought their way through the EU export paperwork and sent wild venison and game birds to European markets. The two stars of the gamedealing world are Rita Alves from Daltons Game Consultancy in Amesbury, Wiltshire, and […]
Natural England delays pest licensing with new ‘screening’ system
youtu.be/_r8aqoPWLCc Surprise, surprise: Natural England has made getting licences for the control of birds not covered by the general licences a little bit harder. Now you need to apply to apply for an individual licence through an extra step – a ‘screening’ form. Natural England has added it to weed out applications that it might anyway […]
Conservationism vs animal rights: the difference explained
Swedish hunter Jens Ulrik Høgh explains why animal rights campaigners – often celebrities – are on the wrong track when it comes to conservation. Read more about this topic: Celebs who want ‘trophy hunting’ bans are biggest threat to Africa’s wildlife Jens on Facebook
Claysports
What do pigeons cost farmers?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIt7B9qJnCI How much does a pigeon eat? And what are you saving a farmer when you shoot a pigeon? While in his pigeon hide, shooting in Kent, Andy Crow finds out – and turns the answer into a homeschooling maths question that any keen shooter will be keen to answer. Here’s the full quiz – […]
General licences in England: the smallprint
youtu.be/bsB_894uMmU by Ben O’Rourke “This week my phone has not stopped ringing,” says falconer and pest controller Gary Baxter as he makes notes in pencil on printed documents in front of him. “I wanted to throw it at the wall.” Gary is going through this year’s general licences for England which, once again, don’t allow […]
Wild Justice whipped in Wales – Fieldsports News, 20 January 2021
youtu.be/fO__qZ5knBE Here are the links:Wild Justice loses Wales pest control lawsuit – Fieldsports NewsScottish cops deny freedom of information request over ‘deer-in-water-gate’ – Fieldsports NewsChannel 4 airs pro-shooting documentary series – Channel 4Packham picks on prince over ‘trophy’ hunting – Daily ExpressBison rangers wanted: no experience necessary – The GuardianBASC encourages shooters to fill in […]
Lockdown walked-up recreational exercise shooting
Under lockdown rules, Ollie Williams can take his daily recreational exercise with dogs and a shotgun. He walks around the family farm on the lookout for pheasants and – what he really wants to shoot – grey squirrels. ▶ For Ollie’s sporting agency, visit CornishSportingAgency.com ▶ Click here for more films with Ollie, visit or […]
Fieldsports Britain – homeschooling with Andy Crow
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjkNK16l8Xg We’re not just pigeonshooting with Crow in this week’s show. We’re also helping everyone who is homeschooling kids who would rather be pigeonshooting. Crow comes up with questions such as: if a single pigeon eats 50g of wheat a day, how much does it costs the farmer? Crow is doing the maths while knocking […]
Shooters beat Packham in Wales
Wild Justice has lost its court case to limit pest control in Wales. In a High Court judgement, Judge Jarman QC rejected all three of the anti shooting lobby group Wild Justice’s claims that the legal process of controlling pest birds, known as the general licences, are not lawful. Page one of Judge Jarman’s judgment […]
Airgun pellet penetration test – JSB Hades vs JSB Exact
Can the shape of your airgun pellets really make a difference to stopping power? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to carry out a ballistic wax test. The results will reveal how far a pellet penetrates, as well as the size and shape of the channel it makes in the wax. An […]
Celebs who want ‘trophy hunting’ bans are biggest threat to wildlife
youtu.be/uVWSK0nTp7I Ben O’Rourke There’s a media storm brewing in the UK, as anti-hunting campaigners such as George Monbiot and The Guardian newspaper turn on other anti-hunting campaigners. One side accuses the other of bullying tactics to try to get hunting tourism banned. The UK faces a ban by Lord ‘Zac’ Goldsmith on the import of […]
Government tightens antique firearm laws
The government has made changes to firearms laws it says will close ‘loopholes’ exploited by criminals. The new rules affect exemptions for antique firearms that allow collectors and dealers to own and trade in old guns. The government says these exemptions are being exploited by criminals. Seven ammunition types will no longer be described as […]
Fieldsports Britain – five deer down
Paul has a job on his hands. David follows him out culling deer on his ground – a single day’s work that culminates in stalking four species of deer: roe, muntjac, fallow and Chinese water deer, with five animals on the ground. Meanwhile, Charlie is on a mission to find out about pheasants and what’s […]
A day in the life of a deer manager
youtu.be/-T_A5WyO1gk Shooting deer is hard work. Paul Childerley has his work cut out thinning the various deer species on his ground in Bedfordshire. Paul is also putting Sako products through their paces, shooting a Sako Powerhead Blade round in .308 and Sako S20 rifle. In the end he shoots five animals from four species: fallow, […]
Grouse go to Westminster – Fieldsports News, 13 January 2021
Here are the links:Parliament sets date for driven grouse debate – GWCTWildlife celeb caught twisting truth – again – Twitter This is incorrect. We have not said this. — National Farmers' Union (@NFUtweets) January 11, 2021 Some antique guns obsolete and illegal under new firearms rules – Fieldsports NewsSabs salivate over two-year-old Countryside Alliance doc […]
Lockdown walked-up pheasant shooting
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wrCQvp6fUs We can go walked-up shooting – it’s part of a healthy lifestyle, says the government, and it is OK in England and Scotland, even during this January 2021 lockdown. So that’s what we are doing with Tom Davies in Devon, on a shoot on the edge of Dartmoor. But what of the pheasants that […]
Swarovski updates its dS riflescope to gen II
by Charlie Jacoby The Swarovski dS scope is growing up. The technical marvel that is the gen II dS has a slimmer look, though the same 40mm tube, a choice of six reticles, and more customisable features such as the ability to switch off the wind bars. It comes with an alignment indicator, which gives you […]
Swarovski updates its CL pocket binos range
by Charlie Jacoby All the expensive optics manufacturers have the same problem: should they launch cheaper models? If they do, it opens them to the charge of going downmarket. Also, they may have to cut costs in the manufacturing process, which could bring with it a quality issue. All of the expensive optics manufacturers worry […]
What’s the best rimfire rifle package for £500-£700?
So: you’ve got your Firearms Certificate, you’ve got permission to shoot rabbits on a local farm, and you’re itching to go shooting. There’s just one hurdle left: you need a rifle and scope that are up to the job. So what’s the best rimfire rifle package for a reasonable price, if you’ve a budget of, […]
Browning B525 Ultra XS Pro shotgun – review
Is there such a thing as the all-round shotgun that will do everything and still look the part, from knocking over vermin around the farm to bringing down rocketing driven pheasants or bagging the silverware at a major clay shooting championship? There’s no-one better to ask than Sam Green, a true all-rounder. A […]
Savage B17 rimfire – review
Why buy a Savage B17? Half of the Fieldsports Channel audience (who own a rimfire) own the Czech-made CZ/Brno rimfires – check out our rimfire research. However, drill down those numbers and you find that the Czech rifles are getting elderly in the hands of our viewers (the average age of the rimfires you own […]
We can go roughshooting, wildfowling and deerstalking
Here’s what lockdown means for shooting sports. On 6 January 2021, shooters were resigned to the new coronavirus lockdowns stopping most UK recreational shooting for the rest of the season. However, the anglers in England negotiated an exemption for their sport on 7 January and, later in the day, the shooters in England did the same. […]
Fox and squirrel shooting
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY8KvExA1K0 It’s a multi-storey job. Roy Lupton is looking for deer and foxes at ground level, squirrels in the trees and feral pigeons under the eaves of farm buildings. To do that, he has a Sako 85 in .25-06 and a Brocock Commander XR air rifle in .22. Aimpoint Acro Aimpoint.comBrocock Commander XR Brocock.co.uk Buy […]
Fieldsports Britain – Roy’s woodland pest control
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyAu4breozo Roy heads for the woods of Sussex armed to the teeth. He has a Sako 85 in case of deer and foxes, and he has a Brocock Commander XR air rifle for squirrels and ferals. Find out what he shoots – and how he avoids bumping into the large numbers of public now rambling […]
How to watch not listen to clay targets, with Sam Green
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SanXirGqSGQ Sam is instructing two shooters on a teal target. One of them needs to lower his hold point to see more of the target, the other is moving too fast, reacting to the sound of the trap not the movement of the clay. Sam teaches them to watch the clay not listen for it, […]
Driven gameshooting cancelled – Fieldsports News, 6 January 2021
Here are the links: Lockdown stops driven shooting in the UK – Fieldsports News ITV News wages war on trailhunting – ITV Antis expose West Country farmers who support hunts – Innocent Badger Vegans mark Christmas by attacking butcher – Fieldsports News Celeb Packham challenges Scottish beaver cull – The Times Police investigate man killed […]
What’s killing off the capercaillie?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMHf83s9U54 by Ben O’Rourke In the 1970s, there were more than 20,000 capercaillie in the UK. “Now there might only be 1,000,” says Ian Coghill, chairman of the Coordinated Upland Partnership. The RSPB goes even further. In 2022, it released figures claiming there were only 542 capercaillie left. The responsibility for that lies at the […]
Northern Ireland mulls foxhunting ban – Fieldsports News, 30 December 2020
Here are the links: Antis push for Northern Ireland ban on hunting with dogs – Fieldsports News + video from Facebook Irish coursers annoyed after lockdown ban – Irish Coursing Club Scottish Green Party wants to replace foxhunting ban – Aberdeen Evening Express Scottish charity ‘bullied’ into refusing game meat – Aberdeen Press & Journal […]
Ferreting an old people’s home
The South Somerset Ferreters – that fun-loving group of ferret owners from Ilminster – have found a new spot. It’s an old people’s home that wants a vegetable patch. But there will be no veg while Peter Rabbit and his gang own the garden. Jaf and the gang unleash nets, dogs and ferrets on […]
Fieldsports Britain – fallow and ferreting
We’re on Dartmoor on a meat hunt, culling fallow deer for the freezer. Tom Davies of Dartmoor Deer Services is out with Ollie Williams from Cornwall (where fallow deer are an exotic animal). Plus they show when to and when not to use a thermal spotter. Just over the county line, the South Somerset […]
2020 Fieldsports News review
It was meant to be the year of the gamekeeper. Instead, 2020 was they year of the armchair environmentalist, as people confined to their homes took to their keyboards to vent their frustrations. News editor Ben O’Rourke looks back on the ‘year of the epidemic’ and forward to what 2021 will hold. Stories we […]
Alliance politician wants Northern Ireland hunting ban
The Northern Ireland Assembly is to consider banning foxhunting in 2021. Anti hunting MLA John Blair, backed by the League Against Cruel Sports, plans to propose legislation banning hunting of all wild mammals with dogs after 12 February 2021. Although the law he wants to pass is aimed at foxhunting, in its current form it […]
How to shoot and eat a pheasant
Out with a gun and a dog, gamekeeper Paul Childerley is keeping an eye on his ground while enjoying his shooting. It’s all the best bits about gamekeeping. Plus he stops in the woods and cooks up the birds he has shot. To go shooting with Paul, visit Instagram.com/paulchilderley or Facebook.com/childerleysporting Here is more […]
Fieldsports Britain – old-fashioned walked-up shooting
A gentle walked-up day with Paul, looking for pheasant and maybe woodcock on his shoot in Bedfordshire. He is shooting an old side-by-side with new steel-shot cartridges, and cooking the pheasants in the woods. Staying on food (it’s Christmas), game meat specialist Jack Hills provides his recipe for venison sausage rolls. And as it’s Christmas, […]
Animal rights extremists release terrorist handbook
Ben O’Rourke Elliot Gold is a vegan who wants you to know who he is and what he does. He regularly campaigns outside shops selling fur in London, engaging customers and passers-by who wear fur or might want to. Regardless how loud he chants into his loudspeaker at the thousands of people walking past […]
Bloopers 2020
It’s our outtakes and mistakes from filming during the extraordinary year that was 2020. Well, coronavirus or no coronavirus, we have still been making blunders – and here they are, laid bare.
Venison sausage rolls – easy recipe
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcd_Vl_HeWE Ingredients 1lb venison mince1lb beef mince2 tbsp seasoning, (salt, pepper, herbs of your choice)2 large eggs, beaten2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce2 tbsp chutney2ft/60cm square (rolled out) of puff pastry How to make it Kneading is all important here. Mix the two minces with your hands, add the seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, one of the eggs […]
