When you search for “UK fieldsports news” online the list of sites can be overwhelming – 878,000 results at the time of writing.
When reviewing the sites that are displayed you may well find that the same website – www.fieldsportsmagazine.com – features numerous times, seemingly dominating results.
So what options are there if you want to keep up to date with the latest fieldsports news in the UK? Here is a summary of some of the most popular, and also lesser known sites covering UK fieldsports news and events.
BASC
The British Association for Shooting and Conservation
As mentioned in December’s post on shooting insurance, BASC is the UK’s largest shooting organisation with membership and shooting insurance packages, and it also features fieldsports news. Unlike other websites in this summary you won’t find ‘blog’ or ‘news’ as options in the main site menu, instead the last news articles are published on the home page (along with links to older entries).
One feature that isn’t available on many other fieldsports sites is the option to click on “Your area” in the main site menu – doing so will allow you to find news and events specific to your local region.
In addition to the latest national and local fieldsports news, the BASC site also features a trade directory, a list of fieldsports courses, and a month-by-month guide to fieldsports events.
Definitely a site to keep an eye on if you want to keep up to speed with the latest fieldsports news.
The British Deer Society
BDS promotes deer education, research, management and news
Possibly not top of anyone’s go-to list for news, the British Deer Society actually has an in-depth news area broken into latest news, a news archive and forthcoming events. If you’d prefer to receive news direct to your inbox you can also subscribe to the BDS newsletter.
Unlike other websites that feature more general fieldsports news, the BDS website is of course tailored specifically to deer research, education, best practices, training and events, but it does cover other rural news.
Should you be more inclined to read the latest scientific studies, research papers and surveys, the ‘science and research’ section could be of interest. Far more in-depth than most day-to-day fieldsports news, the BDS scientific papers and studies are detailed and extensive.
Shooting UK
A hub for the whole shooting community
Launched in 2007, Shooting UK is now the “biggest shooting website in the UK”. It covers gundogs, advice, shooting, guns, and has detailed fieldsports news and videos.
In comparison to other sites in this list, such as BASC and BDS, the news featured on the Shooting UK has a much more glossy feel. With professional photos, in the field reports, recipes and lifestyle articles, the magazine like appearance is consistent with the printed version that’s available in the shops.
Until recently Shooting UK also ran a forum – an online gathering of fieldsports enthusiasts that shared helpful advice, news, stories, reviews and feedback on all things shooting. Unfortunately the forum didn’t meet new privacy legislation (GDPR) and a decision was taken to close it. There is however now a Facebook group that allows for the sharing of fieldsports news, advice, questions and comment.
British Traditional Field Sports Portal
International directory of fieldsports related businesses and events
The British Traditional Field Sports Portal is an unusual website that may prove more frustrating than helpful to some.
On the one hand it has an incredibly dated appearance, it isn’t mobile-friendly, the layout and navigation isn’t logical, the Google map integration hasn’t been correctly configured, and it can be tricky to locate information.
On the other hand, with a bit of perseverance you’ll find that selecting a country (found in the scrollable menu to the bottom of the left hand column) reveals a map that is full of pins. These pins also correspond to a list of all sorts of fieldsports related businesses (displayed to the right hand side of the page).
When it works, the map helpfully pinpoints businesses and events in the country or region of interest. Pins are colour coordinated (red for shooting, green for hunting, blue for fishing etc) and clicking on a pin (or business listing in the right column) will reveal a pop-up window with further details, a description and contact numbers.
Although it’s clearly a very old website with a rather quirky navigational layout, if you want to find local fieldsports business and events, or see what’s available when you’re travelling, you may find the British Traditional Field Sports Portal of some use.
Fieldsports Magazine
Comprehensive fiedsports news website, magazine and lifestyle blog
When writing a post about UK fieldsports news it would be remiss not to mention the Fieldsports Magazine. As mentioned above, if you’ve ever searched online for anything vaguely related to shooting, hunting or fishing then you have probably come across multiple articles, blog posts and webpages from the site.
The site itself is feature-rich and packed with articles, news and videos about fieldsports, and it seems to dominate search results. However, Fieldsports Magazine is best known for its quality bi-monthly magazine, a publication that focuses on game shooting and fishing, both in the UK and abroad. News, editorials, comment and detailed product reviews feature too.
As with many printed magazines, Fieldsports Magazine expanded online and increased its offering by way of blog posts, videos, guides and a multitude of integrated social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest).
Whether you’re new to the shooting scene or an old hand, it’s always worth looking through the latest fieldsports news and events on the Fieldsports Magazine website in order to stay in the loop. Of particular note are the detailed product reviews – always worth a read if you’re considering upgrading your equipment.
Also worth a look for fieldsports news and events
When it comes to keeping tabs on UK fieldsports news it is also worth checking out the following websites:
- The Scottish Farmer
- SACS – Shooting And Country Sports
- The Countryside Alliance
- Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust
- The National Gamekeepers Organisation
Also, if you struggle to find the time to read through the latest fieldsports news you can always watch the news on www.fieldsportschannel.tv.
