Jamie Lee Curtis charity art show bans sporting artist
A UK charity art show promoted by Hollywood star Jamie Lee Curtis has dropped a sporting artist because of her subject matter. And the artist has reacted with a successful fundraiser of her own. Based in Somerset, Teresa Davis’s website makes it clear that she is a sporting and wildlife artist who paints hunting and […]
What’s bothering the world of shooting? – BASC Council candidates 2020 – FieldsportsChannel Podcast, episode 36
With battles to be fought including trophy hunting, lead shot and the future of gamekeeping, we ask the candidates for the 2020 BASC Council elections – people who care about their shooting – what their views are. How should BASC and the world of shooting approach these and other topics? Is it even BASC’s job? […]
Scottish government sells trophy hunts – Fieldsports News, 27 May 2020
Here are the links: ‘Hypocrite’ Scottish government sells permits to trophy hunters – Scottish Mail Cumbria gamekeeping college to close – Fieldsports News Vegan extremist website back online after police shutdown – Fieldsports News ‘Forceful’ sabs make golf course scrap fox control – Facebook Men imprisoned for stealing shotgun, car and Doberman from shooting range […]
The Bird Table of Doom 2
Fieldsports Channel shareholder and member Nigel Appleton has got a problem. Corvids (jays, jackdaws and others) are killing the songbird chicks in his garden. Plus they are nicking his chicken feed. He uses military skill and a Weihrauch HW 100 to feed them in and knock them down – and all in accordance with general […]
How to age and measure muntjac
Deer manager Paul Childerley has plenty of muntjac on his ground in Bedfordshire, and takes clients out to stalk them. He is an expert on what makes a good muntie trophy – and he explains it all here. Paul is sponsored by: ▶ Sako Sako.fi ▶ Zeiss Zeiss.com ▶ Shooterking Shooterking.co.uk ▶ To go stalking with Paul, email paul@childerleysporting.co.uk
Fieldsports Britain – Death to Squirrels
Ollie Williams picks up his shotgun to go squirrel shooting. After the success of shooters clearing the island of Anglesey of grey squirrels to make way for the reintroduction of native red squirrels, Ollie is part of a Cornwall-wide effort to do the same in England’s most south-westerly county. Plus he is doing local […]
Ollie Williams’ grey squirrel shoot
That bloke off #LoveIsland is out hunting down squirrels. Ollie Williams shows how knocking over a few greys helps bring back Britain’s native red squirrels. He walks the land around his home in Cornwall. ▶ Red Squirrel Survival Trust RSST.org.uk ▶ Cornwall Red Squirrel Project CornwallRedSquirrels.co.uk ▶ For Ollie’s sporting agency, visit CornishSportingAgency.com ▶ […]
Anti publishes hunting ‘directory of hate’
Antis hate all hunters – but big game hunters they want hunted down and killed. A new self-published ebook by Eduardo Gonçalves of the UK-based Campaign Against Trophy Hunting makes it clear that cyber-bullying is fine as long as long as your victim is a hunting tourist. Trophy Hunters Exposed is a directory of UK […]
Lawbreaking sabs beg for cash to break the law
High-profile sab network Hunt Investigation Team has issued an ‘urgent appeal’ for money. The group recently trespassed on an estate in Derbyshire. Police are investigating allegations that its members tampered with traps and hid trailcams on private land. HIT then organised an online persecution campaign targeting a young gamekeeper it wrongly accused of crimes after […]
What does the British Game Alliance do? – FieldsportsChannel Podcast, episode 35
Will coronavirus lead to a game meat ban? Did the BGA sell out to BASC? What about the lead shot ban? Incoming BGA chief executive Liam Stokes talks to Charlie Jacoby about the future of his organisation and what he plans for members, for the public, and for government. Marketing pheasant meat: the British Game […]
Major gamekeeping college to close
One of the UK’s premier gamekeeping colleges is to shut. Newton Rigg in Cumbria is the only college with its own grousemoor. Askham Bryan College has announced a proposal to close its Newton Rigg Campus at the end of the next academic year in summer 2021. The Newton Rigg Gamekeeping Department released a statement saying […]
Irish U-turn on pigeonshooting ban
Ireland has reversed changes to the longstanding derogation on Pigeon shooting. This gives back permission to tillage farmers and cereal growers to protect their crops from pigeon damage. Earlier in May 2020, Ireland banned pigeonshooting from 31 May to 1 September. Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan ordered the end of summer […]
Vegan vandals hit butchers and anglers
Angry vegan vandals are at it again. Last week an angling club in Derbyshire was daubed with paint telling the fishermen to stick hooks in their in own mouths, with some colourful language included for emphasis. Now they’ve done a paint job on a butchers in Nottingham. As well as offensive graffiti, Meat 4 U’s […]
Airgunning rooks to bake in a pie
Paul Childerley and Jonny Muston pack an Air Arms S410 and an S510 to go rook shooting. It’s the time of year when young rooks are easy to shoot on branches as they muster the gumption to fly. These ‘branches’ make excellent eating. Find out how Paul and Jonny get on. ▶ To go […]
When an environmentalist discovers that hunting helps wildlife
Trophy hunting has saved the urial wild sheep. That’s the conclusion of environmentalist Billy Offland, who visited a game reserve in Pakistan to see how regulated hunting works at first hand. Padhri game reserve consists of 25,000 acres of wilderness in the Jehlum district of Punjab, Pakistan. It is the only habitat where the […]
The Falcon Thief – rip-roaring but overblown
Falconers are not impressed. Joshua Hammer wrote The Falcon Thief about Jeffrey Lendrum, who smuggled falcon eggs to middle-eastern clients. Lendrum was jailed in 2018. However, top falconer Nick Fox says why Lendrum’s story is not important when you compare it to the healthy, regulated trade in falcons between the UK and the Middle […]
Hunting with hounds after lockdown
Hound packs all over the UK are preparing to go ahead as normal in the coming season, with some extra social-distancing rules (such as no sharing of hipflasks). Nicky Sadler reports from the Ledbury Hunt, where David Redvers MFH explains how post lockdown trailhunting will work. As he says: “There is no better way of […]
Will Ireland climb down over pigeon-shooting? – Fieldsports News, 20 May 2020
Here are the links: Irish government likely to u-turn on pigeon-shooting ban Fcha.nl Antis persecute Peak District gamekeeper Fcha.nl RSPB tries to mount anti-gamekeeping campaign Fcha.nl Facebook removes offensive sab post after complaints Capercaillie project a ‘waste of cash’ – GWCT PDF Vinnie promotes mental health campaign at clayground – YouTube Clothing company puts […]
Fieldsports Britain – four-and-twenty blackbirds
Paul Childerley is shooting young rooks in Bedfordshire with Jonny Muston from R&K Stockcraft, we visit a private game reserve in Pakistan, a pack of hounds in Herefordshire, and we follow the trail of falcons from the UK to the Middle East. There is plenty to get your teeth into in this week’s #FieldsportsBritain. […]
Antis persecute Peak District gamekeeper
Antis are wrongly accusing a gamekeeper of wildlife crimes, when he was carrying out his normal duties. Online persecution of Darcy Smith, who works on the Moscar Estate in Derbyshire, began after a snare on land he managed accidentally caught a badger on 11 May 2020. Instead of releasing it, the antis posted the picture […]
Antis attack democracy: Lithuania bows to pressure, scraps bowhunting law after it’s in effect
Antis have interfered in the Lithuanian legal system by forcing the reversal of a law allowing bowhunting. Authorities ditched legalisation allowing bowhunting just days after it was enforced, in a shocking attack on the country’s democratic process. Deputy environment minister Rasa Vaitkevičiūtė, who supported the new law, resigned over the revision. The U-turn came after […]
Deerhunter Moor Padded Jacket with Knit Timber
It’s been a long day shooting clay or game, you probably want to slip into something more comfortable than your all-weather gear. In our survey, Ryan from the UK calls it a, “nice lightweight jacket easy to move in”. Deerhunter says it is “the perfect after-shoot jacket” and our survey seems to back up that […]
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). […]
Hunting, shooting and fishing come out of lockdown – Fieldsports News, 13 May 2020
Here are the links: Clayshooters ignored in loosening of lockdown restriction – Fcha.nl/new-lockdown-advice-ignores-shooting-sports Bradford man shoots grouse out of season – Fcha.nl/bradford-man-shoots-grouse-out-of-season Coalition calls for Scottish grousemoor ‘reform’ – Revive.scot Police appeal for help over identity of suspect in trap damage – Facebook Sabs shut down nursery’s social media – Facebook Deer hunting group […]
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 […]
Lockdown Lupton’s thermal fox control
When foxes grab your newborn fawn, normally there is not much you can do. You’re a deer. But Roy is a Foxshooter, and when his muntjac fawn goes missing, it’s out with the thermal to sort out the problem. Roy uses Pulsar Accolade XP50 spotter ThomasJacks.co.uk/pulsar/product.asp?ref=3153 Pulsar Trail XP50 thermal scope ThomasJacks.co.uk/pulsar/product.asp?ref=3489
Ollie Williams goes lockdown deerstalking
Cornish deer manager Ollie Williams is out after roebuck that are killing trees and destroying crops. He has a lot of deer on his land, and a lot not land to choose from. Plus he introduces a new concept to the world of deerstalking: the ‘lie seat’ – like a highseat but designed for […]
Fieldsports Britain – #LoveIsland hunt
Those deer don’t shoot themselves. Lockdown or not, deer managers still have to do their work, protecting crops and woodland. Ollie Williams is no exception. He might be a recent #LoveIsland contestant but, back home in Cornwall, he is a deer manager, and he has to shoot his share of bucks. We join him […]
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 teenagers get shooting permissions – FieldsportsChannel Podcast, episode 34
How do you get started in shooting when you are young? In his Lockdown Chatshow, Charlie talks to organisers of some of the UK’s biggest young shots programmes: David Florent of the Schools Challenge, Rob Collins of Pass It On Young Sports and Richard Kirkham of Next Generation Shooting, plus deerstalker Alex Vankov. They […]
Bradford man shoots grouse out of season
Fresh controversy for officials at Bradford Council as a poacher takes advantage of lack of council management on local moorland and shoots birds out of season. The man from the West Yorkshire city, which is linked to a succession of moorland management mistakes, posted photographs on a private Facebook group today of grouse and a […]
Fieldsports Britain – Paul’s stalking stress tests
How do you go deerstalking, pigeon shooting, gameshooting – or any fieldsports – while keeping a virus-stopping distance from your buddies? It’s simple, says deer manager Paul Childerley. You just have to follow a few rules. He runs through what will work for him and his stalking clients once he is allowed back to do […]
Social-distance shooting/hunting rules
Like everyone, deerstalking guide Paul Childerley will get back to work eventually. But how will he guide clients when he can’t go near them? We pull on the rubber gloves and put ‘social distance’ deerstalking into action on his ground in Bedfordshire. ▶ Paul uses a Sako rifle. For more about Sako, visit Sako.fi ▶ […]
Natural England red tape strangles red listed birds
Grouseshooter George Winn Darley takes pride in the number of rare birds on his moor. However, for the past two years Natural England has been working against him. He takes Ben O’Rourke for a walk around his ground in Yorkshire to look at the biodiversity, and explains how the general licences mess that Natural England […]
How to eat nettles and thistles
Survival expert Jonny Crockett talks through recipes for two notorious weeds. Jonny’s website is SurvivalSchool.co.uk
Police grab goose shooter’s guns – Fieldsports News, 6 May 2020
Here are the links: Police take guns from persecuted Leeds pest controller Barry Swain Fcha.nl/shooter-arrested-threatened-abused/ Sea eagles ravage British lambs Fcha.nl/sea-eagles RSPB lashes out at grouse shoots Fcha.nl/county-durham-red-kite Six-figure salary for official who messed up general licences Fcha.nl/official-in-charge-of-general-licences-mess-made-new-head-of-natural-enland/ Newspaper warns of hard times ahead for the countryside Bit.ly/35zKkuG Suffolk gun dealer charged with killing wife […]
Eat Game Awards winners
The Eat Game Awards 2019 are out. They include best shop, chef, pub and famers’ market. Among them, judges from gunmaker Purdey and BASC’s Taste of Game initiative voted game chef Mike Robinson their champion of champions. Head of Taste of Game Annette Woolcock comments: “Mike, with his immense passion for wild game, makes for […]
Did Canada ban the wrong guns?
Just like British prime minister Tony Blair found with foxhunting, when you don’t understand what you are banning, your ban won’t work. Now Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced restrictions on the wrong guns. Canadians were appalled and outraged following the recent mass killing in Nova Scotia. Trudeau promised action. This is his action: […]
Official in charge of general licences mess made new head of Natural England
The civil servant at the heart of Natural England’s disastrous handling of the 2019 general licences crisis is the new chief executive of Natural England. She will earn ‘circa £125,000 a year’ according to the job ad posted by employment agency Gatesby Sanderson. In his statement making the appointment, environment secretary George Eustice refers to […]
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. […]
World hunting loses the wombat
A run of negative media about wombat hunting has brought about a wombat hunting ban. The main populations of the common wombat are in the states of Victoria and New South Wales. It is widespread and listed by IUCN data on endangered species as of ‘least concern’. Of Australia’s three wombat species, only the northern […]
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″, […]
