The Field

Published by Time Inc. (UK) Ltd 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

The pheasant, native or not? • Should our most popular gamebird be considered a resident or an immigrant? asks Charles Nodder. Viewing it as ‘non-native’ could have dire consequences for shooting

Art in the field • No Victorian home was complete without a work by coach painter turned popular genre artist John Frederick Herring Snr, as Janet Menzies explains

ield Notes

In brief

The Naked, Strewth • A MONTHLY EXPLORATION OF THE BRITISH FONDNESS FOR REMOVING CLOTHES IN A GOOD CAUSE

DIARY DATES: NOVEMBER

#TheField • MONTHLY ROUND-UP OF WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OUR WORLD ON SOCIAL MEDIA

New in the field • Our monthly guide to everything covetable in the coverts, tremendous on the Test and bang on in the butt

Letters

A tale of two Scottish properties • One is a striking castle, the other a potential blueprint for modern development – both can lay claim to a slice of history, as Rupert Bates relates

TAKE 3 – PROPERTIES WITH SHOOTING

Country estate of the month • CRAIG CASTLE ESTATE, RHYNIE, HUNTLY, ABERDEENSHIRE

TAKE 3 – MIDLANDS PROPERTIES

WRECK OF THE MONTH

How to spend lottery winnings • So, once you’ve got the flash car and been on a luxury holiday, how do you ensure you have top sport for life? Editor Jonathan Young considers his unlikely options

And they call it… • … puppy love. Eve Jones finds herself besotted with Griff, a hole-digging, poodle-biting horror taking on many of the traits of a spoilt child

The red carpet treatment at Rhug • The Home Shoot at Lord Newborough’s Welsh estate provided challenging birds, a test of waterproofs and ample opportunity for nifty reloading

High birds and high jinks at Lanhydrock • Dramatic south Cornish scenery and soaring birds provided a satisfying day at this family-owned estate last November

Paper versus plastic • With shooting under scrutiny, now is a good time for us all to clean up our act environmentally, ditching plastic where possible

Using lighter loads for high pheasants • The current trend for ‘high’ birds has led to the routine use of heavy loads of large shot – but are they the most effective for the majority of gameshooting?

APPROXIMATE STRIKING ENERGY FOR INDIVIDUAL LEAD PELLETS ON A HORIZONTAL PLANE

The days of caper shoots • Capercaillie were once a common feature in Scotland’s gamebooks but our biggest gamebird is scarce today

GUNPOWDER, REASON AND POP • Fireworks may add colour and sparkle to a special occasion but for real excitement one needs black powder and a muzzle-loader

Vets not villains at Jamaica Inn • In 2018, it was the East Cornwall’s turn to host the annual hunting weekend for the Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management, a valuable voice for country sports

FACTS FROM VAWM

By his clothes you shall know him • Between 1780 and 1840 the Meltonian Dandy transformed hunting dress, with appearances being every bit as important as the practicalities of crossing a changing countryside

A twitch upon the thread • Extracts from this anthology of fishing writing by Charles Dickens, Jonathan Swift, Charles Kingsley and more, from medieval times to the present day

Sharp practice: the point of a pocket knife • They are a useful companion in the countryside, though take care to stay on the...