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

Why the RSPB should remain neutral • Announcing the charity’s review of shooting, its chairman gave the impression it might seek a ban. The GWCT’s Andrew Gilruth assesses what this might mean for wild birds and their habitat

Art in the field • To capture his subjects is a painstaking process for Jonathan Pointer, with the background vital to the work’s impact, as he explains to Janet Menzies

Field Notes

In brief

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

DIARY DATES: JANUARY

#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

Faces • The Oxford Challenge and Field Trophy

Letters

Barking up the right trees • The UK Forest Market Report 2019 makes pleasing reading for investors, finds Rupert Bates, woodland offering both profit and a place for contemplation

TAKE 3 – PROPERTIES WITH WOODLAND

Country estate of the month • CAIRNTY ESTATE, FOCHABERS, MORAY

WRECK OF THE MONTH

TAKE 3 – WELSH PROPERTIES

Return of the Pipeline 12 • Birds that behaved on early-season days are now wily adversaries, says Editor Jonathan Young. It will certainly take a cunning plan to defeat the dirty dozen

A brush with history • A spot of bother with a bramble bush, a young fox and an eager terrier leaves Eve Jones contemplating a sporting legacy

Shooting sprites with Clint Eastwood • For the modern bounty hunter, wild and westerly Ireland provides a worthy opponent in the snipe. Missing, however, is unforgiven

THE KENT FANTASY FOUR • The winning ticket in a GWCT raffle proves to be the perfect prize: four fabulous drives on shoots in Kent to share with friends

A mid-winter Macnab, on a fly • Tempting a pike from the depths to satisfy an American guest’s New Year wish proves tricky – but not impossible…

A touch of quality • A traditional pack, the Midlands-based Grove & Rufford offers proper country and exceptional resilience

January, the sportsman’s month • There’s no need to head off for winter sun or snow: relish the countryside’s stark beauty and opportunities it presents

Is shooting more expensive today? • There’s no denying that inflation has headed skywards but has that, in real terms, increased the price of a day out with a gun?

Handsome was as handsome did • Before the Victorians created the concept of pedigree, working dogs were defined by their purpose and bred accordingly

Cigars to savour • Churchill likened smoking one to falling in love; lighting a cigar certainly adds an air of celebration

PERFECT PAIRINGS

SMOKING GUNS

Heritage kit to keep in the family • A great-grandfather’s side-by-side or a grandmother’s tweed coat can be every bit as treasured as the family silver

REMARKABLE TREES • ENGLISH OAK (QUERCUS ROBUR AND QUERCUS PETRAEA)

Country queries

WHEEZE OF THE MONTH

Wholesome Wolf • HOME TO GREAT TASTING SUSTAINABLE BILTONG

The wonders of whimsy • A Raleigh Chopper might not strike one as an heirloom but, right now, they are highly saleable. But get in quick, says Roger Field, while likely...