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 • ESTABLISHED 1853 VOL 339 NO 7411

A unified voice for conservation • The Aim to Sustain partnership brings together nine countryside organisations to promote sustainable game management and to pack a collective punch when it comes to policy formation

Field in focus

GWCT study to assess gamebird impact on fox numbers

Call for Spey abstraction regulation

SPORTING COMPANIONS

One good deed…

FIELD CHAMPION

BRIEFING

To do this month

Trail-hunting victory in Cornwall

Leaving a legacy in Upper Donside

SPORTING WAGERS Cheltenham Gold Cup • THE FESTIVAL 15-18 MARCH

HISTORICAL ODDS: 100/1 & 1/10

Subscribe to The Field from only £24.25*

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

Letters

Fields for carrots or carbon? • Private investors and lifestyle buyers are driving the demand for land as conventional farming families are encouraged to leave. Rupert Bates wonders who will be putting food on our plates

Country estate of the month • HALL FARM, HARFORD, IVYBRIDGE, SOUTH DEVON

Six of the best: Devon

Cheers, long ears • Neil and Serena Cross salute, respectively, the brown hare and the humble rabbit, the stars of myth and children’s tales, as well as many a tremendous sporting day

Caldecote Farm Shoot, Bedfordshire • This Purdey Award-winning family shoot is proof of what can be achieved when conservation and shooting work as one

Saving the red squirrel • Greys have long outperformed our native squirrels for food and territory. How can we give the reds a sporting chance?

WHO IS HELPING THE RED SQUIRREL?

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

The capacity for adventure

Rewarding days on invasive greys • A day’s drey poking offers thrilling sport, as well as controlling the grey squirrels that wreak havoc in the British countryside

Saving Greece’s ancient gamebird • The Nestos Delta is the last refuge of the black-necked pheasant. The GWCT and WPA have joined the battle to save this subspecies

BLACK-NECKS IN BRITAIN

Spring into action with an early week • A March salmon can make a season – with warming weather and affordable availability, what are you waiting for?

A SELECTION OF MARCH CASTS

Hunting inspiration • Your first tentative days on the hunting field and the people who inspire you along the way are never forgotten, as Masters and huntsmen past and present attest

A legacy in green • The Queen’s Green Canopy, a nationwide tree-planting initiative, is underway to mark HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

HOW TO PLANT TREES

Lots to be desired • There’s no better way to support a good cause – and treat yourself to a once-in-a-lifetime adventure – than bidding in a sporting auction

SIX OF THE BEST SPORTING AUCTIONS

Toad Hall, revisited • Why do some children’s books stand the test of time? And which classic tales will you be sharing with younger generations – or re-reading yourself?

Country estate

Country queries • Send queries to Rosie Macdonald, Country Queries Editor, The Field, Future Publishing PLC, Unit 415, Eskdale Road, Winnersh Triangle, Berkshire RG41 5RA. Email: country-queries@hectareshouse.co.uk...