Field sports: fishing, hunting, shooting Books

Book SynopsisONE OF 2015''S BOOKS OF THE YEAR IN THE TIMES AND THE MAIL ON SUNDAY.A hard-hitting, passionate and well-researched book about the conflict between driven grouse shooting and nature conservation in Britain, with a foreword by Chris Packham.Driven grouse shooting, where flocks of Red Grouse are chased by lines of beaters so that they fly over lines of guns' that shoot the fast-flying birds, is a peculiarly British fieldsport. It is also peculiarly British in that it is deeply rooted in the British class system. This multi-million pound business dominates the hills of the north of England the Pennines, the North Yorkshire Moors, the Cheviots and throughout Scotland. Grouse shooting is big business. VERY big business And backed by powerful, wealthy lobbying groups, its tendrils run throughout British society. Inglorious makes the case for banning driven grouse shooting. The facts and arguments are presented fairly but the author, Mark Avery, states froTrade ReviewA powerful indictment of the grouse-shooting industry and its illegal shooting and propaganda war against the hen harrier. * the Guardian *No other book this year put the cat amongst the pigeons (or rather, the game birds) like Avery's impassioned investigation into driven grouse shooting and its impact on moorland ecology. * The Times *This is a book you must read whether or not you support such shooting. * Highland News Group *Pacy and passionate, this is nature writing that insists you sit up and take note. -- Stephanie Cross * The Lady *Mr Avery writes with a light touch and endearing self-depreciation. He's passionate (obsessed?) about the hen harrier. * Country Life *Table of ContentsForeword Preface Chapter 1: The harrier harried Chapter 2: A short introduction to grouse shooting Chapter 3: Langholm - the end of the beginning Chapter 4: The battle lines are drawn Chapter 5: The beginning of the end - 2014 Chapter 6: The sunlit uplands Chapter 7: End game Chapter 8: Another year of progress Further reading Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction - i: Introduction Chapter - 1: Great expectations Chapter - 2: Paternal blessings Chapter - 3: Scottish idylls Chapter - 4: Pointing and setting Chapter - 5: 'Wind him in, then!' Chapter - 6: The art of the possible Chapter - 7: Not exactly Halford Chapter - 8: Ireland in the rough Chapter - 9: Limited rods Chapter - 10: Running away to the river bank Chapter - 11: Smoked salmon for break fast Chapter - 12: High days and by-days Chapter - 13: A few arguments for fox hunting Chapter - 14: A taste of Alaska Chapter - 15: Confessions to a gamebook Chapter - 16: Not so pukka sahibs Chapter - 17: Porridge and kippers Chapter - 18: Grouse fever Chapter - 19: The sporting wife Chapter - 20: In praise of the yeoman dog Chapter - 21: A stalk without a stalker Chapter - 22: The Tweed 'auxiliary' Chapter - 23: Guineas and tigers Chapter - 24: Duck soup Chapter - 25: Long Pond Chapter - 26: A shoot in the shires Chapter - 27: Bag and baggage Chapter - 28: Hit and miss in Argyll Chapter - 29: Reflections on a December pheasant peg Chapter - 30: Chancing a snipe Chapter - 31: Literary diversions Chapter - 32: Unsporting occasions Chapter - 33: Back-end day Chapter - 34: A future for field sports

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Book SynopsisMany sportsmen enjoy both shooting and fishing. With great wit, modesty and insight Catlow examinesboth sporting pursuits. He reflects as the fishing season closes, and he prepares for the upcoming shooting season at his home in the Pennines.He notes their importance to him and the ways they have brought abundant joy and challenge to his life.

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Book SynopsisFish feel pain is the battle cry of animal rights activists who would love to see a ban on recreational fishing and all use of fish by humans. Their claim is rooted in research purporting to demonstrate beyond doubt that fish and aquatic invertebrates are capable of experiencing pain. The fish feel pain claim has gained traction over the last 20 years, and in many parts of the worldlegislation now recognises fish as sentient' beings, with some potentially dire and far-reaching consequences for the 3 billion people worldwide whose livelihoods depend on fish and fishing. This book puts the widely accepted dogma under the scientific, social and philosophical microscope.And its findings challenge the whole premise that fish feel pain.

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Book SynopsisSeventeen hunter-scholars explore the hunting experience and question common negative stereotypesDespite the academy having a reputation for supporting broad and open inquiry in scholarship, some academics have not extended this open-minded support to colleagues’ personal pursuits. A variety of scholars enjoy hunting, which has been stereotyped by some as an activity of the unsophisticated. In Hunting and the Ivory Tower, Douglas Higbee and David Bruzina present essays by seventeen hunter-scholars who explore the hunting experience and question negative assumptions about hunting made by intellectuals and academics who do not hunt.Higbee and Bruzina suspect most academics’ understanding of hunting is based on brief television news reports of hunter-politicians and commercials for reality TV shows such as Duck Dynasty. The editors contend that few scholars appreciate the complexities of hunting or give much thought to its ethical, ecological, and cultural ramifications. Through this anthology they hope to start a conversation about both hunting and academia and how they relate.The contributors to this anthology, all academics from a variety of disciplines, have firsthand hunting experience. Their essays vary in style and tone from the scholarly to the personal and represent the different ways in which scholars engage with their avocation. The essays are grouped into three sections: the first focuses on the often-fraught relation between hunters and academic culture; the second section offers personal accounts of hunting by academics; and the third portrays hunting from an explicitly academic point of view, whether in terms of value theory, metaphysics, or history. Combined, these essays render hunting as a culturally rich, deeply personal, and intellectually satisfying experience worthy of further discussion.A foreword is provided by Robert DeMott, the Edwin and Ruth Kennedy Distinguished Professor at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He is a teacher, writer, critic, and internationally respected expert on novelist John Steinbeck.

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Book SynopsisIf you are contemplating buying a custom rifle, or if you already own one and wish to make further modifications, then this is the book for you. Bruce Potts takes you on the journey of choosing, building, owning and shooting a custom rifle. The three major types of custom rifle are covered: the factory custom (special or limited editions); the semi-custom (a factory rifle that is customized by the addition of upgraded parts requested by the owner); and the full-blown custom (a complete rifle designed in accordance with the customer's specific requirements and utilizing the very best precision parts and the highest quality materials to produce a unique rifle). On a chapter-by-chapter basis each of the constituent parts of the custom rifle is considered and the reader is made fully aware of all of the choices thst have to be made, and the issues involved. Bruce Potts has been lucky enough to meet some of the best custom rifle makers in Britain and test many of their rifles. This book showcases their work and demonstrates what is available to the Britiish shooter.

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Book SynopsisRecreational hunting has long been a controversial issue. Is it a threat to biodiversity or can it be a tool for conservation, giving value to species and habitats that might otherwise be lost? Are the moral objections to hunting for pleasure well founded? Does recreational hunting support rural livelihoods in developing countries, or are these benefits exaggerated by proponents? For the first time, this book addresses many of the issues that are fundamental to an understanding of the real role of recreational hunting in conservation and rural development. It examines the key issues, asks the difficult questions, and seeks to present the answers to guide policy. Where the answers are not available, it highlights gaps in our knowledge and lays out the research agenda for the next decade.Table of ContentsNotes on contributors. Acknowledgements. Preface. Part 1 Conservation and Hunting. 1. Conservation and hunting: friends or foes? N. Leader-Williams. 2. An overview of recreational hunting in North America, Europe and Australia Robin Sharp and Kai Wollscheid. 3. Recreational fisheries: socio-economic importance, conservation issues and management challenges Robert Arlinghaus and Steven J. Cooke. 4. The ethics of recreational hunting Barney Dickson. Part 2 Science. 5. The science of sustainable hunting E.J.Milner-Gulland, Nils Bunnefeld and Gil Proaktor. 6. Guns, sheep and genes: when and why trophy hunting may be a selective pressure Marco Festa-Bianchet and Ray Lee. 7. Science and the recreational hunting of lions Andrew Loveridge, Craig Packer and Adam Dutton. Part 3 Livelihoods. 8. Sportsman’s shot, poacher’s pot: hunting, local people and the history of conservation William M. Adams. 9. Exploitation prevents extinction: Case study of endangered Himalayan sheep and goats Michael R. Frisina & Sardar Naseer A. Tareen. 10. Community benefits from safari hunting and related activities in southern Africa Brian T.B. Jones. Part 4 Policy and Practice. 11. Conservation values from falconry Robert E. Kenward. 12. Gamebird science, agricultural policy and biodiversity conservation in lowland UK Nicholas J. Aebischer. 13. The re-introduction of recreational hunting in Uganda Richard H. Lamprey and Arthur Mugisha. 14. Does recreational hunting conflict with photo-tourism? Richard Davies, Kas Hamman and Hector Magome. Part 5 Governance. 15. When does hunting contribute to conservation & rural development? Bill Wall and Brian Child. 16. Recreational hunting and sustainable wildlife use in North America Shane Patrick Mahoney. 17. The development of a recreational hunting industry and its relationship with conservation in southern Africa Vernon R. Booth and David H.M. Cumming. 18. The influence of corruption on the conduct of recreational hunting N. Leader-Williams, R.D. Baldus and R.J. Smith. Part 6 Regulation and Certification. 19. Regulation and recreational hunting Alison M. Rosser. 20. The application of certification to hunting: a case for simplicity Brian Child and Bill Wall. Conclusion. 21. Conservation, Livelihoods and Recreational Hunting: Issues and Strategies William M Adams, Barney Dickson, Holly Dublin and Jon Hutton. Index

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