Table of contents for February 2024 in The Field

A LABOUR government could ban all forms of hunting; however, the hunting world remains strangely passive. If the worst happens, our countryside will be a much bleaker place. A total ban would almost certainly condemn more than 10,000 hounds to a bullet in the head. Silence would descend on kennels and stables; hunt staff would lose their jobs, and many their homes. Yet where is the outcry? If the lack of media coverage is anything to go by, you could be forgiven for thinking that nobody cares. But I know that hunting people do care passionately because scores of huntsmen, Masters, grooms and foot followers have told me exactly how devastating a full ban would be for them and their communities. There is no lack of passion on the hunting…

Fish Legal and Pickering Fishery Association have won a landmark judicial review against the Government and the Environment Agency (EA) regarding their ‘defective’ river improvement plans. The High Court ruled that the Government and EA had failed in their mandatory legal duties to review, update and implement measures to restore rivers and other water bodies under the Water Framework Directive Regulations. The angling club argued that the plan lacked the legally required measures necessary to restore the Upper Costa Beck, which is failing for fish due to sewage pollution. Yorkshire Water discharged sewage over 54,000 times in 2022 and more than 70,000 times in 2021. Andrew Kelton, a solicitor at Fish Legal, said: “Only 14% of rivers are currently achieving good ecological status, with no improvement for at least a…

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 DEER: SCOTLAND’S MISSED OPPORTUNITY Since 21 October 2023 there has been no close season for male deer of any species in Scotland. This abolition of existing seasons followed a stakeholder consultation for which most responses, including that of the British Deer Society (BDS), did not support such a move. Despite this the Scottish government decided to press ahead regardless and had the draft legislation laid before Parliament only days after the consultation ended. The BDS appreciates that, wherever deer populations are out of balance with the landscape, they may have a negative environmental impact. However, when deer exist in acceptable numbers, they can actually benefit…

BLAITHWAITE ESTATE WIGTON, CUMBRIA Blaithwaite House is a Grade II-listed property with 13 bedrooms. The sale includes The Stables – a courtyard development with eight bedrooms – along with a barn and conservatory, used as a wedding and entertainment venue. There is also self-contained accommodation for 50 visitors and a bespoke lodge park development. The 53 acres include walled gardens in a parkland setting, as well as grassland and woodland. Agent: Savills Tel: 01904 617800 Guide price: £2.75m CHALMINGTON FARM DORCHESTER, DORSET Bordered by the River Frome, this West Dorset farm lies in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The main six-bedroom house is built of stone and flint, with accommodation over three floors. Features include the open-plan kitchen and the dining room with an inglenook fireplace. There is also…

DOES THE idea of waves of partridges charging past like Spanish fighting bulls or redlegs screaming high overhead on a hot day in February set your sporting pulse racing? If so, we have curated a list of the best shooting estates to visit in Spain. In the UK, we may raise a hand (discreetly) or whoop with glee (quietly) for that sky-high bird taken neatly in front. Traditional Spanish shooting revels in the exhilaration of taking birds with precision and at pace. Whatever your preference, there are estates that cater for both styles of shooting. They offer unparalleled hospitality and can be better value than the UK: most costs, such as transfers, cartridges, food, drink and accommodation, are typically included in the price of a bird, with only tips to…

THE MACNAB Challenge, a fieldsports endeavour based on John Buchan’s famous novel John Macnab, requires skill and perseverance on both hill and river in pursuit of salmon, stag and grouse. This year The Field’s Macnab Challenge is kindly sponsored by Blaser, a company with the requisite kit for the task at hand. In 2023, 13 sporting adventurers triumphed and, as ever, their efforts were most remarkable. Gannochy estate boasts a well-earned reputation for Macnabs, with more than 14 successes in the past three years. Owner Allan Hemmings and headkeeper Colin Lanyon ensure that a visit is always sporting. This year was no different as the estate produced five successful Macnabbers, one of whom was 14-year-old George Hudson. “It had been a tough week fishing, as the North Esk was desperate…

“CAN YOU hear those birds?” asked our guide, Mr P, tilting his head in the direction of an occasional faint squawk. The Okavango River meanders through a maze of tall papyrus. As our boat rounds the corner, following the sound, we finally see them. Clinging to papyrus stems, which grow six feet tall, are hundreds of fish-eating birds: great and little egrets, squacco herons, night herons, an African fish eagle, pied kingfishers and their miniature but more dashing cousins, malachite kingfishers. My fishing-buddy-turned-personal-ornithologist, Nat Bacon, identifies them for me. The birds squabble among themselves, arguing about who gets to perch where, oblivious to our staring. Sometimes, alongside this feathered symphony, is what sounds like the crack of a .22 rifle. “This is good,” is Mr P’s reassuring diagnosis. He was…

DEEP, GRUNTING voices echo across the Estancia, followed by thundering hooves as the herds are rounded up from their free roaming among the hills into the corral. The life of a gaucho is often isolated and quiet, gritty and raw. Faded boinas bring shade to weathered, bearded faces while swords lie across saddles and long knives (facónes) stay tucked into rawhide belts. There’s a leather whip, the rebenque, in hand and always a lasso on the saddle. The men take great pride in their masculinity. Female ‘gauchos’ simply do not exist; there is no word for them. It’s a tradition that has remained mostly unchanged for 100 years until recently when tourism became integrated into the life of many estancias. A stay at Estancia Los Potreros in Córdoba (where friend…

THIS MONTH we look at a Rizzini Artemis Light, a 30in over-and-under built around a sideplated, Ergal alloy-bodied, trigger-plate action. It has a single selective trigger, is steel shot proofed and comes with five steel-friendly, flush-fitting, 70mm multi-chokes. The 6mm sighting rib is ventilated and fitted with a traditional metal bead. Solid joining ribs extend for the entire length of the barrels (some manufacturers dispense with them under the fore-end to save weight but, potentially, disturbing handling dynamics). Weighing in at just over 6lb 4oz, this Artemis is around 1lb less than a comparable steel-actioned gun. It feels especially light to the rear (disassembled, the stock and action seem remarkably lacking in mass). There is a pronounced forward balance, with a balance point fully 2.in forward of the hinge pin.…

SADDO that I am, I can quite happily while away an hour or three gazing at ‘killing stuff’ online. What’s more, ever since selling my treasured naval cannon, I have been surreptitiously searching for a replacement to restore a sense of menace to our garden. So I was intrigued to spot a bronze cohorn mortar, made in the Ottoman Empire, with a brass plate referencing the occupation of Scutari [modern-day Albania] by the Great Powers in May 1913. A fine-looking thing, guaranteed to gee up the dowdiest of gardens. Price: north of £30,000. Reach for my 14-15 November Antony Cribb auction catalogue – catalogues are brilliant research tools – and there, just as I remembered, was another seemingly similar Scutari mortar that had sold for £5,500 (estimate £5,000-£8,000). Definitely not…

THERE ARE some views that cause you to whisper ‘Wow’. The spectacular vista of the Moriond slopes of Courchevel, as seen from the balcony of Portetta hotel, is one such. The hotel stands at 1,650 metres in Les Trois Vallées. It was one of the first historic hotels built on this spot 30 years ago and is the last of those giants of old still in existence. What’s more, its particular location on the mountain means its facade receives the optimal amount of sunlight. After a stress-free drive from Geneva airport, I arrived at Portetta and immediately felt welcomed by the sight of a stuffed cock pheasant behind the smiling receptionist. This is not the only taxidermy decorating the hotel, as further exploration revealed an array of creatures ranging from…

A ROARING NIGHT OUT An escaped circus lion took a stroll through the town of Ladispoli in Italy, sparking panic among local residents. The lion, named Kimba, roamed the streets for seven hours before being captured by staff from the Rony Roller circus. Rony Vassallo, the circus owner, insisted Kimba posed no threat to humans but was worried that someone might hurt the lion “out of fear or excess enthusiasm”. SNAKES (AND RATS, OTTERS AND TURTLES) ON A PLANE Passengers on a flight to Taiwan got a shock when a giant albino rat and an otter were spotted wandering around the cabin after breaking free from a passenger’s hand luggage. Both were caught and a further search revealed that 28 turtles, a marmot, a snake, two more otters and other…

Eating out RESERVATION THE GRAZING ROOMS Where? Sky Park Farm, West Harting, West Sussex GU31 5PT What? A Sussex gem set in a converted stable block that absolutely lives up to the hashtag #devotedtodeer. Seasonal venison delicacies, including fallow, sika and red, appear on the menu thanks to the Ranger Team. It is all prepared under the eagle eye of Sean Williams, a former protégé of Gordon Ramsay. Sustainable, seasonal fare with minimal food miles is at Williams’ and The Grazing Rooms’ heart, with zero-mile venison and, currently, 40% of ingredients sourced within 30 miles of the restaurant. Look out for? The venison parfait is a delight, while the cheese soufflé has near-legendary status among local foodies. Winter favourites include the venison bourguignon and haunch steak with cranberries. Don’t miss?…

NOTHING dampens the thrill of a sporting adventure more than gridlock on the M1. Or perhaps first prize should go to the peculiar mixture of stress and bureaucratic tedium that goes with entrusting your guns to Heathrow baggage handlers. For most of us, such ordeals are simply priced into that day on the moor or Spanish partridge pilgrimage. But there must be more than a few people who have gazed gloomily at Stonehenge from a stationary A303 and given serious thought to how much they’d pay to be instead sipping a crisp G&T in the convivial comfort of an Exmoor shoot lodge. Talk to the companies that arrange private charter flights and it’s clear that a growing number of fieldsports devotees are turning that fantasy into reality. “We’ve definitely seen…

I WILL NEVER forget my first sundowner. It was taken high in the Shimba Hills of eastern Kenya during the summer of 1991 and it was a simple, cold Tusker lager. As the sun slipped towards that magical witching hour in the bush, for a few precious minutes the short African twilight became inflamed with every shade of amber, evolving into orange, carmine and finally a spectacular inky turquoise. The sounds of the bush intensified as if adjusted by some hidden volume control and a million frogs began their chorus. I was smitten and I still am. Anyone who has sipped a cold drink from a campaign chair overlooking a dramatic African vista as the sun burns itself out and distant lions begin to emit that mournful long grunt (that…

WITHIN THE Royal Armouries collection there are a number of sporting or military weapons that are scaled for young adults or indeed children. Among these is a set of five diminutive military muskets with 25-inch barrels and matching miniature bayonets made in Hanover in 1828 for George, future Duke of Cambridge, then aged 10, with which he could practise soldiering. He would later become a field marshal and then the commander-in-chief of the British Army from 1856 to 1895. Parents during the 18th and particularly the 19th century, certainly those of a sporting persuasion, were keen that their offspring be coached in the skills needed for what was then the fashionable shooting field. The Victorian age was the time of the great sporting estate and much business – commercial and…

PICNIC MAT MELVILL & MOON Melvill & Moon’s collaboration with iconic South African ceramics and design house Ardmore continues. At home or abroad, these picnic mats are a vast improvement on Miss Bartlett’s ‘mackintosh squares’. Match them to a suite of Ardmore-fabric luggage and any trip can become a safari, whether it’s to darkest Peru or the local point-to-point. The Ardmore outdoor fabric is UV and water resistant, and the backing is waterproof ripstop. Price: £480 Email: sales@melvillandmoon.com melvillandmoon.co.uk ALHAMBRA 100 WALLPAPER LEWIS & WOOD Muralist Flora Roberts’ transporting design is inspired by a Middle Eastern carpet, and brings a touch of Aladdin to brighten what can feel like One Thousand and One Nights of winter. Available in two scales: 100, as shown, and 50, half the scale and matching…

FEELING sad that it’s the end of the season? Still wish you were out in the field in front of a peg, taking in that fine, fresh country air and preparing to execute the perfect shot? Fear not, I have an excellent solution to cheer you up. Dive into your freezer, dig out this year’s bag and cook up a hearty, flavourful, delicious and nutritious feast. This month I take you across the world with recipe ideas inspired by the cuisine of Spain, France and Argentina to show you how versatile the flavour of game meat can be. From fiery spices to fresh green herbs or fruity, acidic tomatoes to rich, tangy cheese, the deep, complex notes of the different bird species work with them all. Of course, fresh pigeon…

CALIFORNIA is, on the whole, not such a good game country as Oregon, British Columbia or some of the more northerly eastern states; and it may be regarded as a fairly general axiom that no game exists in full perfection anywhere inside the 45th parallels of latitude. There is, however, good sport for both gun and rifle, more especially in the northern parts of the state and the higher lands towards the Sierra Nevada. There you may find the blue grouse, as big as a common hen, frequenting the thick forests and difficult to kill but affording good sport and good eating; the sharp-tailed grouse, about the same size but brownish in colour – an excellent gamebird but at present only found east of the Sierras; the ruffed grouse (which…

A farmer is bringing a legal challenge against the Welsh government regarding the ban on humane cable restraints (HCRs), which he claims removes any hope of saving the curlew he has spent more than a decade protecting. The farmer, David Thomas, said: “Twelve years of my life will have been wasted if, as a result of the Welsh government’s decision, curlew are lost in Radnorshire. I have had to battle to hold numbers using all legal means of predation control at my disposal. Over that time frame the curlew have become more important to me.” Wales has one of the highest fox densities in Europe, and the species is one of the curlew’s main predators. Matthew Goodall, GWCT regional adviser for Wales, said: “It is my opinion that the Welsh…

The British Record Fish Committee (BRFC) and Shark Hub UK recently held a discussion on fish handling and welfare issues, and how the procedures for claiming British record captures of large shark species may be adapted to take account of best practice in catching and releasing these fish. Nick Simmonds, secretary to the BRFC, told The Field: “We have embarked on this project because it recognises the changing culture in British sea angling whereby, increasingly, sea fish, including potential record-breakers, are routinely returned alive to the sea without having been weighed on land.” The BRFC will soon be introducing length-based records for all sea species on the Angling Trust’s main list (found at anglingtrust.net). The ‘mini-species’, which include anchovy and wrasse, will keep the same requirements. For the larger shark…

The Quorn hunt held a Red Letter Ladies’ Day at Ingarsby Old Hall, courtesy of Brian Henton and his family, at the beginning of December. More than 120 women from as far afield as the Cotswold Vale Farmers, the Berks and Bucks, the Burton and the Brocklesby descended to ride over some of the best grass country in Leicestershire. A sumptuous breakfast with generous amounts of fizz, served by Quorn MFHs in Equestrian Notice Board pinnies, was held in the Hall. It felt like one of the best of those busy, buzzy hunting days. Ladies reconvened, mounted, in front of the Hall for the noon Meet where Brian Henton, Richard Hunniset and Daniel Crane announced the best-turned-out prizes. Visiting Pytchley Senior Master Bo Wilson took the astride laurels (a Hunting…

This is a 172-acre ring-fenced residential and equestrian estate in the Cotswolds. The main property is a 17th-century, Grade II-listed Cotswold stone house with six bedrooms. It has been extensively renovated over the years while retaining period features. To the rear of the house there are formal gardens as well as a swimming pool complex, a tennis court and a guest cottage. There is a second cottage on the estate, together with a range of farm buildings, including a large threshing barn, with part of the building converted into a party barn. Some of the land has been used to create a 25-acre polo field, and other equestrian facilities include a stable yard with 30 boxes and an outdoor, all-weather school. The property is 18 miles from Cirencester. Agent: Knight…

FOR A PHOTOGRAPHER who has been following hounds with camera for the best part of 15 years, it never really occurred to me to investigate photographing hunting by actually getting on a horse myself. My preferred mode of transport was a quad bike. That was until I was tasked with documenting two superlative adventures from horseback in Patagonia and Kenya. These trips were the catalyst for me to re-evaluate the approach I had taken my whole career. They proved to push me out of my comfort zone in spectacular fashion. For full disclosure, I need to admit that I spent all of about 30 minutes on a horse during a day’s coverage of the now-disbanded Pentyrch hunt for Horse & Hound in 2010. I had to swap briefly from quad…

Forget cutting a dash in a helicopter: visitors to the 2023 Cornbury House Horse Trials may well have caught an early glimpse of the futuristic flying machine that seeks to revolutionise private aviation. With its vertical take-off, the Lilium Jet is perhaps best described as an electric helicopter but one that promises the style and comfort of a jet. More significantly, in a sector that tends to keep awkward silence when carbon footprints are discussed, this zero-emission aircraft positions itself as the solution for environmentally conscious travellers; environmentally conscious travellers; the Tesla of the skies. Manufactured in Germany and currently undergoing final tests in Spain, the Lilium’s launch operator and UK distributor is Oxfordshire-based aircraft sales and charter company Volare Aviation. “Sustainability is a massive passion and we wanted to…

THINK of Africa and a few things will probably come to mind, be they dry, dusty plains, thorny acacia trees or elephants sloping towards a watering-hole in the westering sun. Huntingdon House was nothing like that, though, when we arrived one wet day a few summers ago, our vehicle climbing through the rolling hills of Thyolo and gathering an ever-thicker coating of red Malawian earth. My wife and I had spent the past few weeks in considerable discomfort by the shores of Lake Malawi; consequently, some luxury was required, and where better to find it than a magnificent lodge set against the verdant backdrop of a working tea estate? Built in the mid-1930s by Maclean Kay, a pioneering Scotsman, Huntingdon House sits on Satemwa Tea Estate, the home of richly…

GOT IT COVERED Q My step-grandchildren are young, adventurous and often muddy, and like to join in with the adults for shoot lunches. I need to find something functional to cover the upholstered dining-room chairs to protect them during the season. Does such an item exist? WG, by email A I would suggest slipcovers that are both washable and stretchable. AKAWedding on Etsy offers 16 colours, including navy, brown, green and teal. Each cover costs £5.99 plus postage. The approximate seat size is 46cm deep, 46cm wide and 55cm high, and they are easy to remove to wash regularly. Visit: etsy.com A GIFT REBORN Q I have a few dress studs left from a christening gift many moons ago. As they are no longer a complete set, I would like…

SO MUCH of both the enjoyment and frustration of gardening comes from attempting to bring together plants that will enhance each other in look, in habit and, especially, in colour to make a pleasing picture. It is the most difficult thing to get right. I am willing to bet that, however experienced a gardener you are, this feels to you like the greatest challenge. It’s hard enough to choose wallpaper and paint for a room, but at least, once done, it stays decorated, the colours only gradually fading with the years. That is most definitely not the case with gardens, since the dynamic of plant growth is so inexorable, and the weather so capable of destroying any planned effect, that the look of a border can change almost daily. For…