Sport over the acorns

As I write, the country is being pushed into a second national lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19. The repercussions for rural communities and the shooting industry will be enormous, though thankfully we are allowed to continue with vital pest control.

Having said that, the wild harvest is certainly keeping the pigeon away from farmers’ crops at present. There has been a significant reduction in winter oilseed rape being grown due to the cost of production. What rape is being grown is in fine condition and many crops have really grown well, almost to the point that unless the weather becomes very cold, pigeon will cause little damage this year.

Consequently, the shooting has