Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2023 i The Field

The Cheshire Forest, East Essex and Crawley and Horsham gave a deft demonstration of their hounds’ skills in hunting a laid trail at the British Hound Sports Association’s (BHSA) inaugural Trail-Hunting Hound Trials in October. The aim was to make the trails as imaginative as possible to show the hounds’ hunting skills by using runners, quad bikes or horses to lay them. A large crowd gathered on a farm near Bibury, Gloucestershire, to watch the three packs, each of which was allotted an area of land and an hour in which to lay a trail of scent and then to hunt it. The judges were Matt Ramsden, Joint Master and huntsman of the Beaufort, and Philip Hague, professional huntsman of the Vale of the White Horse – the latter in…

I THOUGHT a ‘net zero’ strategy referred to Wolverhampton Wanderers and my football team’s inability to find the back of the net. Everybody, from Government to property developers, through any industry seeking brownie, or greenie, points, seems to have a net-zero strategy. But I’m not sure they, or we, really know what it means, or how on earth to get there. To extend the football analogy, you’ll have heard a lot about sustainability goals, all very laudable. But marketing invariably seems to triumph over substance, especially in the all-you-can-eat buffet of social media and rolling news sound bites, where words speak louder than actions and if you dare to brook an argument, you are ‘cancelled’. Net zero poses an existential question. Critics of the strategy will point to the energy…

THERE is always room for a workhorse in the gun safe, and a stringent budget makes the addition easy. After some consideration, ours was drawn at £2,500. Some of the guns mentioned are base models where their more decorated, but mechanically similar, stable-mates may stray above the stated ceiling. Most of the guns have been shot on several occasions by the writer or are included because of multiple recommendations. Sadly, space limitations mean some perfectly serviceable guns have been left out. For ease, the guns are presented in alphabetical order, while there is no comparative scoring as we feel they all offer value. ATA ARMS SP The SP is a gun many dealers have enthused about recently that seems to be selling in large numbers. An obvious clone of the…

IT WAS my fishing mate Stephen who first mis-quoted the American ‘gonzo’ journalist Hunter S Thompson when he said: “When the going gets tough, the weird turn pro.” That said, being the half-owner of a short Highlands spate river – where the water is usually too high or too low – is enough to turn any keen fisherman into a Zen master at working out how to shock a non-taking fish, on a theoretically unfishable day, into having a go. Stephen’s ‘emergency’ fly box not only contains the most eccentric flies I’ve ever come across, but he delights in going ‘pro’ and taught me to do likewise. On the last day of one trip up north, with the river on its bones (“It’s the driest I’ve ever seen it,” he…

THIS month’s test gun is a new sideplated over-and-under from William Powell, the Banbury gunmaker and sporting agency. Made in Italy in association with B Rizzini, it is called the Princeps. Classicists may recall princeps means ‘leader’ or ‘first one’ in Latin. (WW Greener famously offered a Facile Princeps – this translating as ‘obvious leader’ until I stand corrected.) The new model weighs in at a fraction under 8lb, has 30in, steel-proofed barrels with 3in chambers, and a single non-selective trigger. The barrels are fixed choke, both constricted at 1/2. Teague chokes or William Powell’s own multichokes are an option. First impressions are good. It is a particularly smart-looking gun with fine tight-scroll engraving, well-figured wood and a generally superior finish. The William Powell name is tastefully inset in gold…

MY latest BFF (best friend in modern jargon) Guillaume Cerutti, the chief executive officer of Christie’s, contacts me by email – he must be my friend, otherwise why is he emailing me? – to tell me what a wonderful time Christie’s is having, even during these ‘end of days’ economic times. Having just trousered more than $150 million (£131 million) on behalf of one vendor, it is looking forward to much more of the same in the run-up to Christmas, “demonstrating that despite a challenging economic and political environment, the art market continues to show resilience, especially when it comes to great works of art and luxury, and to collections with great provenance”. Interestingly, a similar sentiment is echoed in a recent property article in The Daily Telegraph, which reported…

MY first column of the year is dedicated to one-dish wonders. While saving on the washing up is always welcome, cooking an entire meal in one pot or tray also means the ingredients have plenty of time to mingle, creating a really flavourful dish. For my cobbler recipe, although you could just use the meat from the bird, by cooking it whole first you will bring increased flavour and depth as well as making the pheasant meat more tender. My simple traybake is an excellent example of how you can combine all the essential elements of a meal – protein, carbohydrates and vegetables – in just one dish. Finally, my slow-cooked venison curry is the ultimate comfort food and can be made in advance then left to cook while you…

Field follies DOG GODPARENTS Research has revealed that more than a third of dog owners (37%) say they have appointed ‘dogparents’ in case something should happen to them. Of those, 35% have even gone to the effort of specifying details in their will or having a contract drawn up so it’s legally binding. As well as being next of kin, the main roles and responsibilities for a dogparent include treating the pup like family, being a positive influence, caring for them when they are sick and never forgetting their birthday. BIGGEST GOLDFISH CAUGHT BY BRITISH ANGLER A British angler is celebrating after reeling in one of the world’s biggest goldfish, at a fishery in France. The gigantic orange specimen, aptly nicknamed ‘The Carrot’, weighed a whopping 67lb 4oz. The fish…

UK consumers were invited to celebrate eating game via events, dinners and special offers from 7 to 13 November 2022. British Game Assurance (BGA) organised game dinners in Aberdeenshire and London. Meanwhile, across social media a huge new audience engaged with enticing game recipes, the EatWild account alone reaching 37,100 others in the lead-up to, and during, Game Week. Louisa Clutterbuck, director of operations at BGA, said: “This year, people have really engaged with the celebration and we’re incredibly proud of what we have achieved in reaching a wider audience and sharing the delights of eating and cooking British game meat, with huge thanks to all the fantastic establishments that got involved.”…

TYE COTTAGE NEDGING T YE, IPSWICH, SUFFOLK This two-bedroom period cottage dates from the 16th century and is built of traditional oak-frame lath and plaster. It has a catslide thatched roof at the back, two inglenook fireplaces, oak flooring and many original oak doors with Suffolk latches. The Grade II-listed property comes with mature gardens, a one-bedroom annexe and a studio/gym. Nedging Tye is 12 miles from Ipswich. Agent: Woodcock & Son Tel: 01473 233355 Guide price: £540,000 POND FARMHOUSE BIRCHAM TOFTS, NORFOLK This is a Grade II-listed Queen Anne farmhouse built of brick and flint with many original features, including panelled doors, sash windows with shutters and exposed timbers. The five-bedroom property comes with a self-contained ground-floor annexe with a further two bedrooms. There is 1/2 an acre of…

HAUNTING the boot rooms of many a house across the country is the hunting whip; above doors, in stick racks and haphazardly strewn across benches, ready for next weekend. Some are first-generation, others antique, but all in regular use since it would be a shame not to. The market for hunting whips is buoyant, says Richard Hume of The Hunting Stock Market. “We sell tonnes of them, particularly between September and Christmas. They make great presents; people like to have them engraved.” When we speak, he has just sent a couple to Italy. “They go all over the world – there aren’t many places people can get hunting whips any more.” Hume’s whips are made by David Thorne, who is based in Crediton, Devon. He began making whips in 1987.…

NOTHING gets a New Year’s Eve party or hunt ball going with a zing more than that moment when the band strikes up the thumping, rau-cous first bars of a Scottish reel. What could be more fun than the dancers performing the endless patterns, whirling, spinning and dashing, stamping, clapping and whooping? Most reels are relatively easy to pick up, with simple repeated patterns, and even if, like me, you are not the most co-ordinated swinger of the nifty leg, the steps are pretty basic. Setting – with a sprightly pas de basque – turning, casting off, gliding, circling, performing figures of eight or four and so on. South of Berwick-on-Tweed, no one minds if one loses the thread and makes a hash of it – there is always someone…

BARN OWLS Barn owls occur throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland but are not recorded in central, north-east and the far north of Scotland and the Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland. In the past, they nested inside tree cavities and farm buildings – hence their name – though the majority today breed in artificial nest boxes, following the redevelopment of so many stone-built farm buildings. Barn owls feed on ground-level small mammals and, especially in autumn and winter, can be seen hunting at dusk and even dawn, their white underbellies and pale heart-shaped faces distinctive in the half-light. Glimpsed in daylight, it is clear that barn owls are pale coppery brown speckled with grey. TAWNY OWLS The tawny owl’s preferred habitat is broadleaf woodland scattered across England, Scotland and Wales.…

ONE of the great attractions of fieldsports is that, generally speaking, they are not affected too much by the weather. Bad light never stops play, and rarely does bad weather. We all remember those special days when a gale blew, the heavens opened or a blizzard turned the world white. Usually our canine companions carry on regardless, but there are days when it all becomes too much. Many years ago, I was a member of a syndicate in the Sussex Weald. It was a standone, walk-one shoot, though I usually walked all day because that’s what my spaniels liked doing. On one cold January Saturday, it started raining as we parked the cars; the rain increased steadily as the morning wore on, so by 11am my hat was sodden, my…

WITHIN the collections of the Royal Armouries, there is a marvellous and unusual example of the gunmaker’s art. Made in 1865, in the immediate aftermath of the American Civil War, it demonstrates the brief interest shown in long-distance shooting by the sporting community at that time. It is a muzzle-loading rifle of .50 in bore cut with William Ellis Metford’s patented gain-twist rifling. The piece is one of two made for use in a short-lived competition run by the UK National Rifle Association (NRA) at its shooting grounds on Wimbledon Common, this one being made for Metford himself. First held in 1865, this match involved shooting at the extreme distance of 2,000 yards, a challenge for even most experienced Shots today, let alone 150 years ago. Both barrel and lock…

IT can be trying to find the right place to stay in London; too corporate, too poky, too faceless. But there is one place that seems to encourage a head nod of universal approval: The Goring. A quick straw poll elicited enthusiasm from everyone to whom the name was mentioned. Not too flash and not too edgy, The Goring sits elegantly in its own inimitable bracket. Still family owned, the hotel was founded by Otto Goring (a travelling chef to various members of royalty) in 1910. It was the first hotel to introduce a bathroom for every room, and boasted an Escoffiertrained chef; a marker of intent that still guides the hand today. Arriving on a sodden and windswept evening, we were swiftly whisked inside by the doorman and shown…

From the archives Cock pheasants first by Coombe Richards, 6 January 1955 WHILE there is, of course, nothing new in confining covert shooting to cocks only on the first time through, it is a practice that has largely fallen into disuse and is now seldom resorted to or, for that matter, even mentioned. True, rearing is no longer carried out to anything like the extent it once was, but it has always seemed to me to be an excellent idea on a number of counts. Its abandonment may well be due to a variety of reasons. Today, most shoots of size are syndicate-owned, and in the rush and turmoil of our mid-20th-century existence, most of us are too triggerhappy and anxious to get on with the job and make a…

Since the start of the avian influenza outbreak there has been a total of 269 confirmed cases across the UK – the majority of which have been in England. Glynn Evans, head of game and wildlife management at BASC, spoke to The Field about the situation as it stands. “We are continuing to see confirmed cases of avian flu in captive flocks and findings in wild birds. As a result of the current situation, a mandatory housing order for bird keepers was introduced in England in early November. There are also Avian Influenza Prevention Zones in place across the UK that require those with captive birds to follow specific rules.” Dominic Boulton, policy adviser for the Game Farmers’ Association, told The Field that although the number of avian flu cases…

Wheat prices have risen sharply following Russia’s withdrawal from a vital food supply agreement, meaning shoots will again be faced with higher bills for feed wheat. The internationally brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative had allowed ships carrying wheat to leave three key Ukrainian ports without risk of Russian attack. Ukraine is a key source of wheat, particularly for the Middle East and North Africa, and the introduction of the scheme earlier this year led to a significant reduction in global wheat prices. However, a Ukrainian attack on Russian warships in Sevastopol led to Russia withdrawing and prices surged in response. UK wheat prices track global prices and feed wheat rose almost immediately, affecting shoot budgets.…

Write to: The Editor, The Field, Future Publishing PLC, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, London, W2 6JR Email: field.secretary@futurenet.com LETTERS MAY BE EDITED FOR CLARITY OR SPACE FREEDOM TO DRAW The Field’s cartoonists and illustrators are in a league of their own. Brilliant, close to the bone and pared down to the essentials of making a point with precision and concision. The December cover by Angela Harding is joyous and allegorical. A Christmas wrapper and the stuff of Yuletide dreams. From John Bradley’s ‘boozy, floozy and woozy’ [Charades anyone?] and the ‘goose versus turkey’ illustrations by Sholto Walker [Battle of the birds] (below) to Clair Rossiter’s work on When the proof is in the pudding [all from the December issue], the poignancy of line drawing cannot be gainsaid. On 7 January 2015,…

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KEEPING a gamebook was obligatory when you started out shooting in my day,” says Sir Johnny Scott, who made his first entry at the age of nine. “Much of my early record-keeping was just rabbits but by the time I’d reached 16, it had really started to fill up.” Whereas the left-hand page of Sir Johnny’s gamebook is set up to record the bare facts of shoot location, names of the Guns attending and the species shot, the right-hand page is more lyrical. “It is more of a diary form,” explains Sir Johnny. “I record the weather and how the birds actually performed. It is a pleasure to read back at the end of the season, partly out of respect for the quarry.” Given the level of detail, such…

AFTER his five-year round-the-world voyage on board HMS Beagle, the naturalist Charles Darwin suffered from illness for the rest of his life. By 1858, his 20 years of study on the subject of the evolution of species, together with pressure from his scientific peers to publish the results of his work, had increased his health problems. Then one summer morning, he received a package of papers that filled him with despair. It contained a letter signed by Alfred Russel Wallace together with a 4,000-word essay dated February 1858 with the title ‘On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely from the Original Type’. Darwin’s conclusions on evolution, on the brink of publication, had been anticipated by a naturalist 14 years his junior. In contrast with the affluent Darwin, Wallace grew…

FIELDSPORTS enthusiasts understand perfectly the concept of the close season, knowing exactly when to fish for trout and leave off shooting pheasants. It is part of the cycle of country life. But in gardening there is no close season. There really is not a day in the year when we gardeners cannot do something useful in our gardens. This has become truer in recent years. A succession of warmish winters, with little or no snowfall in many parts of the country, has meant that we could ‘get on’, however short the days – provided the soil was not sodden underfoot. We should not wait until the Easter weekend to turn our attention to what is beyond the back door. Indeed, those who have the idea that gardening is what you…

THE email from the Mazda press office was only slightly apologetic: “We had originally allocated you the CX-5 2.2 diesel 184ps GT Sport AWD. However, on inspection, it was flagged there was significant damage which couldn’t be repaired in time.” What I would get instead was a lower-powered two-wheel-drive version. My first reaction was disappointment. I had pencilled in a long week of stubbledriving to check on failing game strips. My plans had been foiled by some hoon and a tree, by the sound of it. How irresponsible. I’d be left pootling in a bog-standard SUV. Fortunately, Mazda doesn’t do ‘bogstandard’, and the CX-5 got off to a good start when it arrived in the yard. It is very beautiful, and Mazda’s ‘Soul Red Crystal’ (rapidly becoming its trademark, if…