After being locked up inside for weeks now, many may be wondering what the origin is of the situation we’re in, as this virus outbreak likely arose from a wildlife management problem.

Scientists, by and large, believe the virus originated in bats before being transmitted to humans. These infected bats were believed to have been sold at a wet market in Wuhan, China. However, no one currently knows for certain so all we can do is speculate. 

Since then, our lives have been completely changed and the world won’t be the same anymore. 

As COVID-19 is affecting people and economies worldwide, you may wonder what kind of impact this has on hunting and wildlife. 

Is there something we can do about this? 

And more importantly, what can we learn from this situation?

Some practical advice for shoots and estates that are suffering due to the current lockdown.

These are difficult times for sure, and self isolation isn’t easy. As a community we’re more inclined to be outdoors than indoors - that’s for sure (stir crazy comes to mind:) ). So here’s our little handy HAMS guide to things you can be doing that are at least hunting related. If it stops another self-inflicted bowl haircut or someone pouring vegetable oil on their kitchen floor (really!) we’ll have done our job… 

A short introduction and explanation of Green Capital and importantly, how it will impact you.

Guest Post written by: Ian Thomas, Chartered Forester and Chartered Environmentalist.

In order to successfully manage wildlife populations in a specific area, it is essential to know the diet of the given species, so we can effectively manage their habitat. One of the scientific methods to analyse the diet composition of herbivores is to investigate the faeces. Let’s see the steps of a microscopic analysis.

As part of our ongoing series of articles, voices from the community, Katie Burrows (@katie_burrows16) shares her experiences and thoughts as a vegan that understands why hunting plays an essential role in wildlife conservation.

Okay, so I’m going to start this guest post with a few questions and I’d love you to answer them - honestly - because for a lot of us we often forget the reasons behind what we do. Why do you love field sports? ...

It is impossible to talk about hunting and game meat without mentioning ethics and the increasing human concern around meat consumption.

The future of wildlife is at stake.

Until we start harvesting game populations responsibly, we will never be able to manage wildlife in a sustainable manner.

This article takes an indepth look at the effects of over and under shooting game populations.

And, most importantly, what we should be doing instead.

As the brains, looks and charm behind the popular Instagram page @hamsofficial (we’re literally none of those things) we often get asked about our thoughts on how to run a successful hunting and shooting focused account without attracting unduly unpleasant attention and representing our way of life in a good light.

So here I’ve made a list of suggestions to help get your page off to a good start.