Field Sports
Shooting on the island that time forgot
A pheasant shoot on Inchmurrin island in the middle of Loch Lomond feels like an escape from modern life, starting with a peaceful boat ride and ending with views of a Scottish landscape that take your breath away. The clouds may be the darkest shades of grey and the current may look a bit wild,…
Read MoreOpening of salmon fishing season on the River Tay
The opening of the River Tay salmon fishing season took place at Meikleour in Perthshire today, Wednesday. The event was hosted by the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board (TDSFB), Meikleour Fishings and Perth and Kinross Council. The 2020 season comes at a time of changing catches of salmon in the River Tay and in much…
Read More‘Seismic’ change ahead for grouse moor management
Rural organisations have said that the recommendations of a government-commissioned review of grouse moor management will mean a ‘seismic’ change for grouse moors across Scotland. The Grouse Moor Management Group was established in November 2017, to examine the environmental impact of grouse moor management practices such as muirburn, the use of medicated grit and mountain…
Read MoreTrying his hand at the dying art of punt gunning
A dangerous and dying art, punt gunning requires stealth, patience and stamina, as our editor Richard Bath discovered on the Solway Firth. He has hunted big game on the plains of Africa, stalked deer in every corner of God’s country, haaf-netted salmon for decades, and spent a lifetime wildfowling on Scotland’s foreshores. But nothing gives…
Read MoreThe moor the merrier with affordable shooting
Grouse shooting doesn’t need to cost the earth and a day of walked-up shooting can bring you closer to mother nature than ever before. A dozen exhausted bodies collapsed into the thick heather at the mention of lunch – it had been a strenuous morning, and with six brace in the bag it had been…
Read MoreGrouse season defies predictions with late upturn
The grouse season in Scotland is ending today, 10 December, on a high note. Experts predicted the season would be mixed at best, but as it turned out, some moors in Scotland were able to host fairly full programmes. The east of Scotland tended to fare best overall, from Aberdeenshire down to Angus, parts of…
Read MoreThe ethical carnivore in a green and pheasant land
Shooting grouse and other birds may seem a controversial choice for an ethical carnivore, but when done responsibly there are positive benefits. I grew up around shooting. Every season, I would see the guns pegged out across stubble fields, hear the beaters bashing through the trees, smell the gunpowder and taste plenty of roast pheasant.…
Read MoreThe moor the merrier with shooting in Deeside
What better, more inclusive or more sustainable way to spend a day than shooting walked-up grouse over pointers in bonny Deeside? There are two things in life that I never say no to, the second of which is grouse shooting in August. So when the National Trust for Scotland invited me to do a day’s…
Read MoreThe 40-pounder Spey ladies and their catches
During research to identify the great salmon fishers of the River Dee and River Spey it was noticeable that ladies featured prominently on the Spey. But not so on the Dee, how curious. I have notes on nine Speyside ladies who have reached the holy angling grail of landing a 40lb salmon. But to my…
Read MoreAlasdair’s life provides him with a heady Brew
Big game hunter, Nile perch champ and sporting agent – there’s no doubt this Kintyre ghillie knows how to have fun. In this job I’m lucky enough to meet some remarkable characters. Few, however, are more memorable than Alastair Brew. Ostensibly this larger than life madman is a Kintyre-based ghillie, gamekeeper, estate owner and sporting…
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