The Countryman's Weekly

Hounding the rats from their holes By Scott Allan. A FRIEND of mine down in Kent had mentioned one of his colleagues up north had some hounds and asked if I would be interested in getting out with him. Always keen to meet new people, I requested his number and

Changing tactics to tackle coneys By Liam Wykes. NOW the days are colder and shorter it’s time to change my tactics on how I control the local rabbit population. During the spring and summer, I mainly use traps and the .22 rifle, while in the winter months I mainly use

Are we losing our tradition? By Karen Davison-White. DEFINE tradition. A belief, principle, or way of acting that people in a particular society or group have continued to follow for a long time. That is hunting! Times are changing, and while I sit back in my office and reflect, trawling

A trying year for trapping moles by Matthew Arnold. WHAT a weird and wonderful year 2020 was! Last spring I did my very best to isolate myself from the world after being furloughed and assured by my boss at the time that we were all doomed. After a week or

Getting out onto the marsh – adapting to a challenging year By James Mepham. IT was a generally quiet off-season for Ely and District Wildfowlers’ Association (EDWA) with work parties limited by the lockdown and COVID situation. That said, we have seen good membership numbers this year. Personally, I was

What makes a picking-up team effective on a shoot day? By Wendy Bardsley. I’M sure you agree having an able team of pickers can make a huge difference to the game bag. Good teams don’t happen by accident, so what are the key ingredients needed for a successful day? Solid