Shooting in Britain in the 21st century breaks down into five main areas:
1. Clay shooting
2. Game shooting
3. Wildfowling
4. Deer management
5. Pest and predator control
A sport in its own right and an essential tuition and practice aid for game shooters
At the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Britain’s Richard Faulds won a gold medal in a clay shooting event, while Ian Peel collected a silver medal.
 At the Commonwealth games in 2002 15 year-old Charlotte Kerwood won a gold medal for her clay shooting skills.
Clay shooting takes place at club grounds, shooting schools, game fairs and a variety of other locations up and down the country all year round.
Clays, or clay pigeons, (actually made of pitch and limestone) are small discs launched into the air to provide a range of targets. They can provide extremely testing shooting.
For the game shooter, the flight characteristics of all quarry species can be simulated, allowing valuable practice and tuition to take place.
Clay shooting clubs and shooting schools provide one of the best ways for newcomers to shooting to try their hand. People are able to shoot with expert supervision and coaching without the need for a shotgun certificate or to have their own gun.
As with the firearms laws, the shooting of live quarry is heavily regulated. Again it is a complicated area of law. Some of the main pieces of legislation date back to the late 18th and early 19th century, subsequently amended and added to. The most significant acts of parliament are the Game Act (1831,) the Game Licences Act (1860) and the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981.) Many other individual pieces of legislation also apply to shooting.
Click here to find out when the main shooting seasons start
All wild birds and most mammals are protected, but there are three categories of animals which may be shot:
 Wildfowl
Those which are listed in the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) and the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order (1985) can be shot during designated open seasons. They include various ducks and geese, coot moorhen, golden plover, snipe and woodcock. They are protected during the close season.
Pests and predators
The law allows authorised persons to control certain species, which include crows, magpies, some gulls and feral pigeons. This must be done for one of the specific purposes covered by the open general licences which the government issues. These include crop protection and public health and safety.
 Game species
Laws passed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries classified various species of birds and mammals as game, and formalised the concept of close seasons, related to breeding cycles, when shooting does not take place. The principal game species are pheasant, partridge, grouse, deer and hares.
Game licences in England and Wales were scrapped on 1 August 2007. They are still required by law in Scotland and Northern Ireland. These should be acquired from your local post office or through BASC Scotland. ("Game" means hares, pheasants, partridges, grouse, heath and moor game and black game. Rabbits are not included).
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