Blowy Hampshire driven pheasants
A fun, family shoot in Hampshire, Popham is keepered by Ben Christian. He talks about how he puts on days there, and how he keeps birds on one of Hampshire’s most exposed pieces of ground. John Roll Pickering from the family who owns the farm is holding a day there for friends and relations. […]
Fieldsports Britain – a pop at Popham
Push pheasants over guns with a following wind and you are always in for a spectacular day. That’s all very well – but those birds can easily keep flying. Charlie visit the Popham Shoot in Hampshire for a windy driven game day to find out how they hold birds. We’re also looking at deerstalking […]
New general licences in England for 2021 – Fieldsports News, 11 November 2020
Here are the links: New general licences in England – Fieldsports News Did antis hit newspaper grouseshooting poll? – Fieldsports News SNP recognises benefits of grouseshooting – BASC Boris bungles lockdown end date – Fieldsports News Townies criticise countryside English government closes antique firearms loopholes to ‘protect public’ – press release Police nab possible egg […]
Will steel bust your barrels? – Fieldtester, episode 3
Some shotguns are steel-proofed, others aren’t, but what happens to your barrels when you put a lot of steel shells through them? In this episode of Fieldtester, we have 10,000 Eley steel carriages to put through a brand new Yildiz SPZME Black Edition 12ga shotgun. Find out what we plan and how we will […]
Jackdaws don’t take songbird eggs, says government
Because government scientists can’t prove they cause harm, you are no longer allowed to protect your songbirds from jackdaws and rooks in England. A statement from DEFRA endorsed by DEFRA minister George Eustice reads: “Jackdaws and rooks will no longer be able to be controlled for conservation purposes because the evidence does not demonstrate that […]
How Barnes designs copper bullets for hunting
With the shift away from lead, Barnes Ammo’s Tipped TSX has become “the bullet of the moment”, according to Raytrade’s Richard Ryan. It’s certainly popular with Fieldsports Channel viewers. The TTSX is the most popular Barnes bullet that Fieldsports Channel viewers buy, according to our rifle ammunition research. The VOR-TX, which is a TTSX […]
Härkila Pro Hunter Move hunting jacket – review
Setting your sights on a hunting jacket? Härkila got high marks in our apparel surveys. Most mentioned was the Pro Hunter Move jacket. James from the UK says in our survey that the Pro Hunter is a “pricey jacket but you get what you pay for”. Härkila could still make improvements. Another James from the […]
Härkila‘s Pro Hunter trousers – review
Pants, breeks, breeches, waterproofs – call them what you want but they’re all trousers. The standout brands in our survey are Deerhunter and Härkila. Deerhunter was the choice of most people, beating Härkila by one vote. But the single most popular design by far was Härkila‘s Pro Hunter. Ian from UK says they are “the […]
Vorn’s Lynx rucksack – review
Our Fieldtester surveys have produced some surprising results. In this case, if you want the best rucksack then you need to join the army. It’s army suruplus rucksacks that win the prize for most popular hunting rucksacks among Fieldsports Channel viewers. If that’s not an option then don’t worry, we have another. Vorn’s Lynx […]
Deerhunter Ram vs Musto Highland Gore-Tex shooting jackets
Deerhunter scored high in our clothing survey, with its products vying for the top spot in several categories. Top manufacturer for jackets is Deerhunter, according to Fieldsports Channel viewers. For shooting, its Ram jackets are in first place, fitting the company’s description as “one of the most well known shooting jackets”. In our survey, Mark […]
Antis fake grouseshooting poll
Antis may have used internet ‘bots’ to change a newspaper grouse-shooting poll from overwhelming in favour of the sport, to appearing to show that Scotland is against it. After running at 76% in favour of grouseshooting, the poll in the Scottish Herald racked up 17,373 votes against in just four hours, ending 77% against it. […]
Lockdown stops driven game shoots – Fieldsports News, 4 November 2020
Driven shooting to be banned during English lockdown – Fieldsports News Hunting Office falls in with lockdown measures but angling fights for exemption – Fieldsports News Government caves in to Wild Justice over pheasants – Fieldsports News Grouse shooters fund rural businesses – Facebook Scottish stalking hit hard by coronavirus – ADMG Bushing film […]
Ashcombe Shoot – review
It’s one of the best shoots in the country. Ashcombe Estate in Devon provides superb pheasant and partridge drives up one of the county’s prettiest and most challenging valleys. Charlie Jacoby goes shooting there, and talks to owner Ralph Rayner and keeper Adam Eaton. To book a day, email ralph@ashcombe.co.uk Follow Ashcombe on GunsOnPegs
Fieldsports Britain – the gamekeeper’s badger
Meet the badger, the raven, the fallow doe and the man who keeps them in his house: the headkeeper. David Whitby kicks off our new series, called ‘The Headkeeper’, about how he runs a Sussex estate. This week: dogging in using a goshawk. Meanwhile, Charlie is going shooting. He is on the fabulous Ashcombe […]
The Headkeeper
David Whitby manages a shooting estate in Sussex, looking after pheasants, partridges, deer – and he brings his work home with him. Living with him is a badger, a fallow doe, a raven and a long-suffering wife. His love of wildlife also extends to the game on the estate, which he manages alongside other wildlife. […]
Rules for shooters and deerstalkers during November lockdown
Bad news for shoots: driven game shooting should cease on Thursday 5 November and is expected to resume on Wednesday 2 December. England will return to a local and regional approach on 2 December. The government told BASC this during lobbying to ensure that Covid-19-safe driven game shooting can resume when lockdown ends. However, shooting […]
Will Boris shut shooting in England?
It’s hard to imagine being more socially-distanced in a sport than one gunshot away from the next shooter, riding your horse across the English shires, or setting up for a day’s angling. However, the worlds of hunting, shooting and fishing are on tenterhooks. Will Boris ban them under lockdown 2? Prime minister Boris Johnson’s new […]
Irish government lockdown coursing ban attempt
Ireland’s minister for heritage, Darragh O’Brien, has called on coursing clubs to release hares caught up for the forthcoming season. Coursing now starts on 1 December 2020 because of coronavirus lockdown. Showing a misunderstanding of coursing, O’Brien says that hares are “better off in the wild rather than being held in captivity in groups in […]
English government caves in to Packham over pheasants
The English government is to ban pheasant release on around 10% of the countryside unless under licence. The announcement by environment minister George Eustice came after BBC presenter Chris Packham’s Wild Justice group threatened to take the government to court over the issue. According to DEFRA, shoots won’t be able to release pheasants or red-legged […]
Irish greens use lockdown to ban shooting sports
The Irish government has banned game shooting and deerstalking due to ‘level 5 lockdown’ in the Republic of Ireland. The ban will come in just ahead of the Irish pheasant shooting season, which opens on 1 November. A statement on the Garda (police) website says that ‘sport shooting is prohibited’ because it is not organised […]
RSPB’s £74,000 cirl buntings
What’s the going rate for saving a songbird? The RSPB successfully persuaded one local council it should get £74,193 of taxpayers’ cash per pair of cirl buntings. The councillors are shocked. Cllr Chris Clarance of Teignmouth District Council calls it a ‘heck of a lot of money’ that could put to better use, now that […]
Fieldsports Britain – deer double in the rut
Roy goes for dramatic stalking success in the New Forest, hunting a massive sika stag, and using his Aimpoint Acro on a muntjac, too. Find out how he gets on. That’s not all. On the shotgunning side, rabbits targets are the bane of the sporting scene. World champion Sam Green offers his top tips […]
Best hunting rifles for 2021
What do you shoot? Among Fieldsports Channel viewers, deerstalking is the big one with 38% of you out after deer, followed by 31% of you foxshooters, 15% of you are target shooters, 11% of you shoot wild boar and 5% hunt other overseas big game. There is plenty of overlap between the disciplines here. All […]
Boris buddy backs sab trespass – Fieldsports News, 28 October 2020
Here are the links: Goldsmith urges government not to criminalise trespass – Daily Telegraph Owners devastated by rising dog thefts – Fieldsports News Crackpot doomsday cultists doorstep David Attenborough – Fieldsports News Hull resident horrified after RSPCA shoots ‘happy’ goose – Hull Daily Mail European shooters concerned about lead ban – Instagram Lewis Hamilton slammed […]
How to find a bouncing bunny ‘hold point’, with Sam Green
It’s the shot at the sporting clay shot that’s bound to let you down – but it doesn’t have to, says Browning-sponsored world champion Sam Green. He says that the secret to shooting bouncing rabbits targets successfully is to find the hold point. He explains what that means in this video. For Browning, go to […]
Hunting massive gold-medal sika deer
Roy is out in the New Forest during the sika deer rut. The stags have been whistling and clashing antlers in the deer rutting season, and he uses his best deer rut call skills to create the necessary deer rutting noise to call them in. Plus he has a call for a muntjac, and […]
Gundog stolen from car at Exmoor shoot
Thieves took a black labrador from a car parked at an Exmoor shoot. Marg was snatched from a Toyota Hilux on 17 October 2020. The glossy black labrador has two small white hairs on her right shoulder. Owner Melanie Holley is heartbroken. She is getting help from Doglost and has set up a Facebook group […]
Antis fake Attenborough Facebook page to push propaganda
Veteran BBC nature programme host Sir David Attenborough appears to have lashed out at hunting tourists, calling them ‘psychopaths’ who want to show-off how much money they have. He apparently posted the rant to his 90,000+ followers on Facebook. However, this David Attenborough Facebook account is a fake, set up by antis from Bahrain. Fake: […]
Grouse moor burning – the true story
Channel 4 News made a one-sided and bitter attack on moorland conservation in a news piece, fronted by its reporter Jane Dodge. Ben O’Rourke tells the true story. “It’s extremely disturbing the lack of information they have to come to that conclusion,” says Jimmy Shuttlewood, head gamekeeper of an estate in North Yorkshire, […]
Welsh shoots face ‘firebreak’ ban – Fieldsports News, 21 October 2020
Here are the links: Lockdown loses Welsh shoots £1 million+ – Cambrian Birds Coronavirus lockdown year ‘worst ever’ for dog thefts – BBC Boxing Day hunts will go ahead, but with lockdown restrictions – Countryside Alliance Farmers force BBC to take down anti-meat programme – Daily Mail Another BBC presenter says countryside is racist […]
How to build a pigeon hide in a trailer
Buckinghamshire pigeonshooters Jamie Leggett and Chris Mingo like to do things in style. Over several months, they built a pigeon hide on an old trailer. It is fitted with every mod con, as you can see here. Find out what they consider makes the ideal ‘pigeon hide trailer’.
Crow shines on the Jack Pyke pheasant day
Andy Crow joins the line of guns on the annual Jack Pyke shoot day in Bedfordshire on Paul Childerley’s shoot. Also there are Jason and Carly Doyle, Dan Thor, and Jack Pyke competition winner Bleddyn Thomas. They are trying out Jack Pyke’s latest gear and shooting fast flying partridges and pheasants. Crow’s on fire […]
Fieldsports Britain – Shooting with a flourish
The Jack Pyke shoot day in Bedfordshire is a glorious day in the English countryside, with Andy Crow, Jason and Carly Doyle, Dan Thor, and all organised on his own shoot by Paul Childerley. See how they get on – with the birds and with each other. Plus we have a pimped pigeon hide […]
What are the best over under shotguns under £2,000 and are they proofed for shooting steel shot?
With more and more game shooters in the UK moving from their old non-steel-proof shotguns to modern steel-proof guns, what’s the best over-and-under shotgun for the money and is it proofed for shooting steel shot? Gunshop owner Ian Hodge of Ian Hodge Fieldsports talks through his bestsellers. The Beretta Silver Pigeon 3 might […]
Swarovski bets on field of view with NL Pure hunting binoculars
Swarovski’s new binoculars have an amazing field-of view, great quality glass at an eye-watering £2,370. Tim Pilbeam tries them out as he searches for this year’s best hunting (and fishing) binoculars. Forget light transmission, forget ease-of-use – they are last year’s optic USPs. Swarovski’s three new binocular launches push a new boundary: it’s […]
Boris buddy calls for terror acts against hunts and shoots – Fieldsports News, 14 October 2020
Here are the links: Civil servant turned activist calls for ‘taking back the countryside’ – Facebook Bid to protect post-Brexit food standards rejected – BBC Walkers annoyed about open access land closure – Twitter Hunts may scrap traditional Boxing Day meets – Daily Telegraph Queen honours Scottish gamekeeper Big cats ‘booming’ in Britain, say […]
Most popular clay guns
What clay guns do Fieldsports Channel viewers use? There is one clear winner, one runner-up, and viewers vote up several of the smaller shotgun makes for fit, looks, customer service and value for money. First up: 87% of you who shoot clays shoot the sporting disciplines, 22% of you are trap shooters and I […]
Shooting clays from telehandlers
We join a team of guns including Andy Crow, Paul Childerley and Olympic gold medalist Peter Wilson to try out a new simulated shoot in Oxfordshire. Charlie Jacoby is Andy’s loader, and Andy is Charlie’s loader – which, of course, ends in argument. For more from Truly Simulated, visit TrulySimulated.co.uk Additional camera work: JMCProductionUK.com
Fieldsports Britain – Crow’s simulated shocker
Andy Crow faces some of the highest clays he has ever seen. He is on a sim game day in Oxfordshire with a range of personalities including England former rugby player Tom Croft, Olympic shooting gold medallist Peter Wilson and our own Paul Childerley. We also have a shooting star explaining how you can […]
RSPB ‘self-isolates’ from shooting community with demanding gamebird review
Ben O’Rourke The RSPB is threatening to call for a ban on gamebird shooting if moorland managers don’t do what it wants. That’s the takeaway from the charity’s ‘virtual’ annual general meeting on Saturday 10 October 2020, at which it released a year-long review on gamebird shooting and the moorland management that comes with […]
Best airgun scopes 2020
Back in March 2020, 3,500 of you filled out our survey on what kit you use. Nearly 300 of you told us about your airgun optics, and here are the results. There’s one brand that has half the market. In third place, it’s MTC, and the model you are most likely to own is […]
Difficult questions for the RSPB before ‘virtual’ AGM
How come the RSPB gets to accept government and National Lottery grants for conservation work in 2020, and then furlough half its staff. Ben O’Rourke wants RSPB members to put that and other questions to the bird organisation at its AGM on Saturday 10 October 2020. It’s that time of year when the RSPB […]
Hunting battling red stags in Scotland
Charlie Jacoby is above Helmsdale in the North Highlands of Scotland with professional stalker John Dodd. John is guiding Charlie on to a red stag at the start of the 2020 red rut. To go stalking with John, visit ProHuntLtd.co.uk What’s Charlie shooting with? John Dodd and his team of stalkers wear […]
On test: Sako Powerhead Blade
How does Sako’s new Powerhead Blade bullet work on deer? The non-toxic load is a winner on the range and in ballistic gel. Roy Lupton takes it out in the fallow rut in the South of England to try it out on a fallow buck. Find out how he gets on. For Sako’s Powerhead Blade, […]
Fieldsports Britain – deer ruts are underway
The fallow rut is starting in the south of England, the red rut in Scotland, two deerstalkers go out in each to bag a buck and a stag. Roy Lupton is our fallow-antler clatterer, hunting down the perfect cull buck in Sussex. Meanwhile, in the North Highlands of Scotland, Charlie is on the […]
Grouse shooting biased report – Fieldsports News, 7 October 2020
Here are the links: Channel 4 steps up anti-shooting campaign with mindless muirburn ‘scoop’ – Channel 4 MI5 Creates New Left-Wing Terrorism Unit – The Point Queen to announce end of trophy hunting imports, antis claim – Independent African people make YouTube appeal: keep hunting – YouTube Gamebirds a threat to snakes – Guardian […]
Will Boris’s biodiversity boost work?
Ben O’Rourke The UK’s wildlife is in danger and needs protecting, says Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He doesn’t say from what, but says the government will designate another 4,000 square kilometres of land as protected, taking the total up to 30% of the devolved kingdoms’ land. Some wildlife groups have welcomed the move, […]
The fight for Welsh rook-shooting – Fieldsports News, 30 September 2020
Here are the links: High Court allows BASC to join general licences review – Fieldsports News Capgen 1: Petition to make trespass criminal could subvert sabs – Change.org Cumbria police alter ‘illegal hunting’ poster after complaints – Facebook Gamekeepers targeted after golden eagle tracker find – Guardian Grantham man guilty of possessing goshawks – […]
Best hunting knives 2020
Everyone has an opinion about their knife – not always good. Fieldsports Channel viewers are often critical of their own blades. Perhaps the perfect knife is yet to be made. Lockdown saw you the Fieldsports Channel viewers filling out our survey: 3,500 responses of which 528 were on the subject of knives. The most […]
Catapult pest control with thermal imagers
Squirrel shooting with thermal, feral pigeons and even bigger birds. That’s the challenge facing ace catapult shot Wayne Martin. He proves the rule that if you can make the shot, you can take the shot – if you can’t, don’t. For Cattyshack, visit CattyShack.co.uk For Pulsar’s Helion2 thermal spotter, go to ThomasJacks.co.uk/pulsar/product.asp?ref=4147
