The Countryman's Weekly

Raising a toast to the beaters By David Hudson. HOW would you like a job which involves hard physical work, days of being frozen stiff or soaked to the skin and a (very) slight possibility you might get shot, all for next to nothing? In return: maybe just a brace

Shining a light on the process of lamping By Old Keeper. WHILE I certainly would never claim to be the first person to use a lamp to shoot rabbits at night, I would imagine I started lamping when the method was in its infancy. I think my first extremely amateurish

A light at the end of a tunnel By Steve Caple. IF I have learned anything during a lifetime of rural pest control then it is this: every single person will have a slightly different interpretation and deployment method of any well-known trapping technique. How I initially perceive a particular

Fine sport to be had at inner city skip yard by Scott Allan. IT had been a while since I had last attended a West Midlands Rat Pack meet, so when the invite came it was more than welcome. The location was an inner city skip yard. Living in a

Learning the art of loading on double gun days By Andrew Dellbridge. INSPIRATION comes from many places and for me it was the 1985 film The Shooting Party. It starred the charismatic James Mason in what was generally regarded as one of his greatest roles. A fantastic film and worth

Striking the right balance when feeding your ferrets By Robert Stirk. I REMEMBER many years ago when house sparrows were not only a pest but were often present in pest proportions. My uncle had a trap which had originated from Young’s of Misterton. The trap was similar to a rat