The Field

Published by TI Media Limited The Field is a monthly glossy magazine dedicated to those brave souls who shoot, fish and hunt way beyond the call of duty. Since 1853, its staff has selflessly brought its readers the cream of rural life, be it pheasant shooting, dry-fly fishing or the distinct merits of Cheval Blanc. If you love field sports, errant terriers and very foxy friends at hunt balls, The Field is for you.

The Field • ESTABLISHED 1853 VOL 343 NO 7434

It’s time to put up a proper fight • Under a Labour government a blanket ban on hunting could become a reality but its representatives appear to be asleep at the wheel. They must wake up before it’s too late, warns Charlie Pye-Smith

Field follies

Farmer begins legal challenge against Welsh snare ban

High Court rules Defra river basin management planning unlawful

One good deed…

‘Deep flaws’ in grouse licensing plan

News in brief

February diary

British Record Fish Committee to introduce new rules of best practice

The Field’s Almanac

Food & drink

Field kitchen kit

Kit to covert • Our monthly guide to everything notable in the field for sporting enthusiasts and those keen on country life

Subscription offer Six months for £23.99*

Sir Rocco Forte • The chairman of the eponymous luxury hotels group is as at home on the peg as he is in the boardroom, having enjoyed days in the field with shooting royalty and literal royalty alike

Faces • The Quorn hunt pulled out all the stops for a memorable Ladies’ Day

Crossing country • When 120 women convened in Leicestershire there were bold hedges, good timber and best old turf to cross in sporting style

Letters

Another idea for the pot • A natural material boasting impressive carbon-capturing credentials, industrial hemp has much to recommend it in the age of sustainable construction, as Rupert Bates explains

Country estate of the month • SADDLEWOOD MANOR, GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Six of the best: Properties from around the country

Shooting with an old friend • While the administrative burden can add unnecessary stress to a sporting adventure abroad, travelling with your own guns pays dividends at the other end. By Neil and Serena Cross

In pole position • Drey poking for grey squirrels is not only great sport but it gives our native reds a fighting chance.

Adventures in Spain • Whether you are looking for sky-high driven partridges or birds presented in the traditional Spanish style, these premier estates offer the experience of a lifetime

FINDING THEIR PLACE IN THE SUN • Once simple tools for sportsmen on a budget, Spanish shotguns have undergone a renaissance and these best escopetas are fit for the smartest of gun cabinets

Hunting with the perfect depth of field • A longing for wild, rugged and remote terrain inspires a sporting photographer to swap her trusty quad bike for a hunter on a day with the Dartmoor hounds

Come hill or high water • Completing The Field’s Macnab Challenge is no mean feat, demanding skill, patience and perseverance – qualities that this year’s Macnabbers needed in spades

Off to a flying start • Convenient, comfortable and reassuringly expensive, private charter flights are a sure-fire way to arrive at your sporting destination in style

FLIGHT OF FANCY

Let slip the dogs of war • A ferocious denizen of Africa’s vast freshwater habitats, the tigerfish – or striped water dog – is not a quarry to be taken lightly, either literally or metaphorically

The joy of a twilight tipple • Whether it is the classic gin and tonic or an ice-cold beer, the sundowner is a highlight of any safari

A lifelong journey into the heart of Africa • When...