Table of contents for February 2016 in The Field

“The Law Commission knows less about wildlife and the countryside than my labrador” COUNTRYSIDE organisations reacted with caution to the Law Commission’s recent review of all wildlife laws in England and Wales. The comments of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation were typical. It welcomed the publication of the report and proposed new Wildlife Bill but concluded, “BASC will carefully review the recommendations to ensure that any unintended consequences are fully identified before any of the recommendations are taken forward by Government.” Similar lines emerged from the Countryside Alliance, the CLA, the NFU and the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation. Media statements were hedged around with non-committal phrases such as “good in parts” or “still more work to be done”. The RSPB, meanwhile, blogged with honesty that, “If you want a…

RED SQUIRRELS The European Squirrel Initiative (ESI) is campaigning to get the Forestry Commission to reverse its decision not to allow air guns to be used to control grey squirrels. IRISH AIR The charity One Million Trees in One Day is hoping to plant a million young native trees at sites across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the space of 24 hours in February. WAR MEMORIALS The 44 First World War memorials designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens have been listed. Historic England is urging communities to apply for repair grants. RETIRED RACEHORSE Liverpool, a 13-year-old former racehorse who hunts and is a winner in the showring, was the Retraining of Racehorses horse of the year in 2015.…

ANOTHER COUNTRY “If you hadn’t been tasting the wine all afternoon, we wouldn’t have run out during dinner.” ARABIAN INFLUENCE In ’Ware, language! (December issue) Johnny Scott’s assertion that “only the cry il est haut has remained (as ‘tally ho’)” from the Norman French origin of hunting isn’t, I believe, strictly correct. As an example of another Norman word, huntsmen use the cry “leu in” or “leu, leu”, which many credible writers attribute to the Norman French “loup” (wolf). Interestingly, there is a different view on “tally ho” as well. It’s supposedly a combination of Norman and an Arabic word “tala”. So “tally ho” would have come from “tala il est haut”, which phonetically shortens to “tally ho”. The Normans reputedly adopted the word and brought…

“In many cultures hunters are respected, rightly, as custodians of the wild places” PERFECTLY ordinary friends have started bolting titles and letters to their names and it’s vaguely perturbing. Mates famed in their youth for heroic alcohol consumption and a weekly change of squeezes are now deputy lieutenants of their counties, MFHs and peers of the realm. But I can claim one distinction, though it sadly lacks sashes, medals and other shiny accoutrements: I am the only qualified elkhunter in my village. The exam is mandatory in Elkland, otherwise known as Scandinavia, and rigorous: a cardboard cutout of the beast trundles across a range about 30yd out and within a narrow gap. To pass the exam, you have to pop six consecutive rounds, shooting freehand, into the vitals of the…

TRAVELLING through Heathrow wearing riding boots and with a hunting whip in one’s hand luggage turns out not to be the best idea following the release of Fifty Shades of Grey. The look on the security girl’s face as she held up my boot pulls in utter bemusement was priceless. Goodness knows what she thought they were for but she would probably consider the actual use odder than anything she was imagining. The idea of risking one’s neck over terrifying obstacles in pouring rain would probably be unattractive to most people but for devotees of the chase it’s the most exhilarating thing on earth. There are moments in life when nothing else exists but what is happening just then, when you feel completely alive. Hunting in Ireland is littered with…

H UPMANN 1844 RESERVE With a legacy that’s rich in history and tradition, the 1844 Reserve by H Upmann is a testament to the exacting standards required by Dominican cigar factories. Despite using the Dominican tobacco as its filler, Tabacalera de García imports the wrapper from Ecuador and the binder from Nicaragua. The hallmark of H Upmann, the 1844 Reserve offers a complex, medium-bodied flavour profile with strong notes of leather and aged cedar mixed with a delicate burst of citrus and the warmth of honey. The flavours and intoxicating aromas grow with the ash and result in a captivating smoke that makes you sit back and relish your next opportunity to smoke such a refined cigar. DAVIDOFF NICARAGUA TORO Davidoff is one of the most renowned cigar companies in…

FLORA SINENSIS by Michal Piotr Boym Published 1656 FLORA Sinensis is the first systematic and illustrated account of Chinese and Far Eastern plants and animals published in Europe. It is written in Latin and remains one of the rarest natural history books on Asia. Boym presents the Chinese leopard, one of just five illustrations of animals, in an anthropomorphic style, especially the face. It is the only plate in which he gives his subject a background. Edited extract from Rare Treasures from the Library of the Natural History Museum, published by Natural History Museum, £30.…

I WAS at an extremely jolly and (I must be honest) really rather bibulous dinner in London the other day at the reassuringly swanky Marylebone Hotel. The grub was great and the wines even better. We started with a tongue-tinglingly appetising and refreshing Riesling – dry, nervy, petrolly, appley – before moving on to a brace of buttery, elegantly restrained Chardonnays. One of said Chards retails for around £45 a bottle and the other for around £120. But I wasn’t paying. I was a grateful guest, all too well aware that these wines are way above my pay grade. We then moved on to five very different but equally toothsome reds from the 1994, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2008 vintages. One of the wines was made with fruit plucked from the…

DUOFOLD PARKER Launched in the Twenties and still covetable. Price £405 Tel 020 3027 6892 www.parkerpen.com MEISTERSTÜCK LE GRAND TRAVELLER, MONTBLANC Cartridges only. Price £530 Tel 0191 487 0099 www.penshop.co.uk SPECTRE JAMES BOND ST DUPONT Don’t shake, just stir over the page. Price £1,000 Tel 020 7493 8385 www.williamandson.com JACK ROW Yellow gold with a marquise-cut emerald. Price £1,195 Tel 07761 351999 www.jackrow.com M600 SOUVERAN PELIKAN Write the blues away. Price £310 Tel 01732 771771 www.stonegift.com VICEROY STANDARD PLAIN YARD-O-LED Elegant sterling silver writing instrument, fit for a raja. Price £425 Tel 020 7583 8989 www.penfriend.co.uk…

ESTATE agents’ property particulars have always provided much amusement and indeed bemusement down the years, even if various pedantic laws have, alas, dried up the hyperbole. But although the text is less colourful and claims tempered by the prose police, it is now not sufficient simply to extol the virtues of a country house’s Georgian proportions, the size of the fish or the height of the bird. It is all about where the added value might lie. Perhaps it is testimony to a contemporary breed of country estate buyer, who wants the cachet of the sport but with his money relatively new wants his assets to continue to sweat however draughty the walls. There is that word asset for a start. Asset Class presumably sits somewhere between middle and upper.…

“I have no doubt that a woman can hunt hounds or lead a stalk as well as any man” I WENT to a talk at the House of Lords a couple of weeks ago, listening to various people on the panel discuss the gender gap, a gap that the World Economic Forum estimates will take 108 years to close. While interesting, the overwhelming impression that I got was that there was no easy solution, and that introducing quotas to force firms to employ women certainly wasn’t the right way to go about it. As I drove home, I pondered the distinct lack of women in certain industries – not just tech and engineering, but rural ones, too. It struck me that I have never come across a female huntsman, female…

NOTHING seems to excite the UK stalker more than the opportunity of driven boar, not yet to be had on home soil (but perhaps only a decade away if the Forest of Dean population continues to expand). So sportsmen and women will find themselves heading to Europe and farther east. And whereas, once upon a time, my Siberian guide implored me (unsuccessfully) to have a go at a 300kg monster with my .243, this would be neither desirable nor ethical and in most European countries not even legal. Equipping yourself for boar isn’t just about guns and ammo; you have to remember that a European boar-hunt is the equivalent of the smartest UK driven pheasant-shoot and the etiquette expectations mean that matching practicality with protocol can present challenges. Unlike a…

WILDFOWLERS like to debate everything from the best decoy to the best shotgun load and this is unlikely to change. Throughout the 25 years I’ve chased duck and geese, one of these “best of” topics of discussion I’ve overheard or taken part in many times has been which species of waterfowl is the ultimate trophy. For me it’s the king eider. Few wildfowlers are familiar with the king eider (Somateria spectabilis) because of its remote habitat. Smaller than the common eider, it is similar in size to a mallard but weighs more thanks to its heavy bill and muscular neck. The drake king eider is nothing short of beautiful, sporting a black-and-white body, cream chest, red beak topped with a yellow lobe and blue on the back of his head.…

BOBBING companionably in the Casa de Campo marina, each of the sport boats is a personal refusal to accept the rule of Fs: if it flies or floats, it’s cheaper to rent. Trimmed in teak and white leather, for most of the year this fleet slumbers at berth, waiting quietly with its owners for the spring arrival of plankton to build the predatory pyramid peaking in the mighty blue marlin. The fish can reach over 1,000lb and was immortalised by Hemingway in The Old Man and the Sea . But while the old man knew, “My big fish must be somewhere”, it’s not to be found in the Dominican waters of Casa de Campo. “I would say the average marlin here runs to around 100lb, with bigger fish travelling through…

ANYONE who has travelled with shotguns or rifles will have an implausible story to tell of inefficiency or inconsistency. With any luck they will also have enjoyed the odd hassle-free encounter with knowledgeable airport security staff that eased what could otherwise have been a stressful journey. A detailed understanding of the law is a prerequisite to travel but, in addition to the fundamental international and national legal requirements, individual airlines and airports will have their own rules and guidelines which must be satisfied, and the pilots themselves may even have the power of veto on the carriage of firearms. Local rules at the destination may also apply. With regard to any international flight it is therefore worth looking at the Transport Security Administration (TSA) rules as well as national or…

THE Royal Armouries recently acquired an unusual shotgun for its sporting collections. The gun itself is not very remarkable but its owner was a remarkable man. The shotgun is a standard 20-bore ejector with 27in barrels by James Purdey & Sons, built in 1952, but purchased by the extraordinary Lieutenant-General Sir Adrian Paul Ghislain Carton de Wiart, VC, KBE, CB, CMG, DSO. Adrian Carton de Wiart was a truly amazing individual and probably one of the most decorated officers to serve in the British Army. Born in Belgium in 1880 but of Irish descent, he was educated in England and he spoke a number of languages, including Arabic. He saw action first as a lowly trooper in the Second Boer War, aged 19, then, when gazetted into the 4th Irish…

2013 STONIER PINOT NOIR (£15, Waitrose) Gloriously soft, smooth and fruity red from Mornington Peninsula. 2014 WAKEFIELD CLARE VALLEY RIESLING (£12, M&S) Dry, minerally, but wonderfully succulent old vine Riesling. 2013 BERRY BROS & RUDD AUSTRALIAN SHIRAZ (£12, Berry Bros)Rich, spicy, cherry-ripe Shiraz from the Barossa. 2014 THE SOCIETY’S EXHIBITION TASMANIAN CHARDONNAY (£13, The Wine Society) A clean, elegant antithesis of old-style Oz Chardonnay. 2014 COVER DRIVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON (£10 as part of a mixed half dozen, Majestic) Coonawarra Cabernet, crammed with cassis. 2011 McHENRY HOHNEN 3 AMIGOS (£14, Tanners) A tasty Marsanne/Roussanne/ Chardonnay blend from Margaret River.…

GAME SHOOTING: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY by David SD Jones Quiller, £25 DO you often think about why you do what you do on the peg? For those of a curious nature, Jones’s book provides answers. The introduction is followed by chapters on types of shooting; the shooting day; shooting in England, Wales, Scotland, Europe and worldwide; ladies; travelling to the shoot; shooting during the Great War; tuition and the support team. The entire shooting life is covered here. Well-sourced images enliven the content, with old and new photographs, illustrations, excerpts and game cards. To understand the world we shoot in today it is vital to know how it developed, and how we should show respect for the quarry and kill. Those who take to the field ought to have more…

AUCTION FOR SALMON More than 200 lots from single days on Highland lochs to prime weeks’ salmon fishing in Iceland and Russia are on offer in this year’s Atlantic Salmon Trust auction, which closes on 14 Feb. To view the lots visit www.atlanticsalmontrust.org. FORESTRY AWARDS The RFS returns to the north of England for its 2016 forestry awards with new categories for small and farm woods and an emphasis on resilience planning. To enter, email rfscompetition@btinternnet.com. PURDEY WINNER The Bingley, Burley and Ilkley Moors Partnership won the 2015 Purdey Award for the restoration of red grouse to Ilkley moor in Yorkshire. The £5,000 cheque and shield were presented at Purdey’s Mayfair home. To contact the Opening Shots News Desk send an email to caroline.bankes@timeinc.com…

The ruling by the High Court to quash a decision by Natural England (NE) to refuse a gamekeeper a licence to control buzzards damaging his young gamebirds was “a historic day for gamekeepers” said Lindsay Waddell, chairman of the NGO. The NGO set up a fighting fund named “Keeping Wildlife Licensing Fair” to underwrite the huge costs involved in bringing the groundbreaking case to the High Court. The buzzard attacks on the young pheasants looked after by Northumberland keeper Ricky McMorn had made the game-shooting operation he ran unviable. He applied to NE for a buzzard control licence every year since 2011 but was always refused. In his judgment announced on 13 November, Mr Justice Ouseley said NE and DEFRA had exceeded their powers and must in future make decisions…

3 SENTRY CONFERENCE Rowley Mile Racecourse, Newmarket, Suffolk. The theme is Keeping UK Agriculture in the 1st Division; www.sentry.co.uk. 7 BROCKLESBY POINT-TO-POINT Brocklesby Park, near Grimsby, Lincolnshire, tel 07743 904139. 7 COMBINED SERVICES POINT-TO-POINT Larkhill, Wiltshire (King’s Troop race, 11.15am), tel 07789 544498. 7-27 BOOK OF KINGS: EXHIBITION OF PAINTINGS BY CHARLIE CALDER POTTS The Fosse Gallery, The Manor House, The Square, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, tel 01451 831319. 12-14 THE BRITISH SHOOTING SHOW Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire; www.shootingshow.co.uk. 13 FRUIT PRUNING WITH CHRIS BIRD Minstead Study Centre, Minstead, Hampshire. Practical course covering all types of tree, cost £45 (incl lunch), tel 023 8081 3437. 13-14  BRITISH FLY FAIR Staffs County Showground, Western Road, Stafford; www.bffi.co.uk. 14 MIDLANDS AREA CLUB POINT-TO-POINT Thorpe Lodge, near Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, tel 07732 734494. 14 PERCY POINT-TO-POINT Alnwick,…

Rifles BLASER R8 9.3X62 RRP from £3,094, www.blaser-sporting.com MAUSER M03 RRP from £2,565 www.blaser-sporting.com MERKEL RX HELI RRP £3,312; www.vikingarms.com MERKEL 140E SIDE-BY-SIDE DOUBLE EXPRESS 30-06 RRP from £5,855. RRP £8,500 with grade 6 wood and engraved game scenes www.vikingarms.com ZOLI DOUBLE EXPRESS RRP from £3,180 www.edgarbros.com SAKO 85 WOODEN STOCK RRP £1,645; www.gmk.co.uk TIKKA T3 BATTUE RRP £1,070; www.gmk.co.uk Sights SWAROVSKI Z6(I) 1-6X24 RRP £1,780; www.swarovskioptik.com ZEISS VICTORY 1-4X24HT RRP £1,530; www.zeiss.co.uk ZEISS VICTORY RED DOT REFLEX SIGHT RRP £455; www.zeiss.co.uk AIMPOINT RED DOT 200090 MICRO SIGHT WITH BLASER SADDLE MOUNT RRP £1,030; www.edgarbrothers.com Ammunition HORNADY SPF .308 GMX 165GR COPPER ALLOY RRP £244/100; www.edgarbrothers.com Electronic ear defenders PELTOR SPORTTAC RRP £155; www.gmk.co.uk HOWARD LEIGHT RRP£104; www.edgarbrothers.com Clothing HARKILA VISENT INSULATED GORE-TEX JACKET RRP £550 HARKILA VISENT INSULATED GORE-TEX…

King eiders make their way south to stay below the arctic ice pack, arriving in the Pribilof Islands around mid-December, and the waterfowl hunting season in Alaska runs through late January, so this provides a five-week opportunity to get out to St Paul Island. The state of Alaska limits non-resident hunters to four sea-duck of each species per season, to include the king eider. As you can harvest only four, it’s important to seek help from your guide in selecting mature birds. King eiders are very hardy and even after being hit with shot, can sometimes dive and escape, therefore non-toxic 3in or 3 1/2in No 1 to No 3 premium shotgun shells are necessary for success. The cold, snow and winds can present challenging conditions for both travel and…

BUFFALO RIVER HARD CASES from Highland Outdoors Single Rifle Case RRP £72 Take-Down Rifle Case RRP £57 Shotgun Case RRP £65 www.highlandoutdoors.co.uk ALUMINIUM FLIGHT CASE from Cases and Enclosures Rifle/Shotgun Case RRP £42 www.cases-and-enclosures.co.uk NAPIER ALUMINIUM-FRAMED TRAVEL CASES from Uttings Double Shotgun/ Take-down Rifle Case RRP £110 Single Rifle/Shotgun Case RRP £135 www.uttings.co.uk HOLLAND & HOLLAND TRAVEL CASES Plastic Travel Case RRP £190 Aluminium Travel Case RRP £600 www.hollandandholland.com THE VIPER-FLEX “JOURNEY” QUADPOD RRP £250 www.hammondsporting.co.uk THE PELI 1750 WATERPROOF CASE RRP £260 www.waterproof-cases.co.uk…

Don’t be too proud to ask for advice. Nothing is more flattering than being asked for help. “It’s not uncommon for our clients to have second or third dates shooting clays,” says Lucy Reeves from the online dating site, Muddy Matches. Study the form. Those who hunt should look at the mastership of various packs. Often, followers and other visitors tend to reflect the age of those up front. Don’t ride a puller. A horse that won’t stand still won’t help your chances of pulling or securing a date on the hunting field. Stay to the bitter end and be there when the evening’s entertainment is planned: you may be asked to the pub for a post-mortem of the day’s sport or receive a last-minute supper invitation.…

DESPITE some rivers experiencing lower catch records in recent years the enigmatic and determined Atlantic salmon return, and we anglers keep returning even though we are aware of the challenges the salmon face. Those who cherish salmon fishing, although reluctant to admit it, would pay the price, take numerous days off work and travel thousands of miles to experience the thrill of catching an Atlantic salmon. A simple tug, a devastating loss or being fortunate enough to land one can keep one’s enthusiasm going for years and that is the reason we keep returning. If you bear the bug it is a curse. In 2014 I was invited to fish the River Spey. On the second day as I still hadn’t touched a fish our gillie Grant Morrison gave me…

CONSIDERING the minuscule amount of time I spent actually shooting last year, I am not entirely sure whether I remain qualified to write a column in a field-sports magazine. The reverberations of the snort in my ear and the “Dad, you have never been qualified to write in any magazine” hiss of my daughter as she looked over my shoulder, still linger. Mind you she remains sore as a gumboil, having being caught guzzling from a 2-litre tub of Poppet the cook’s special home-made coffee ice-cream after the last shoot. I say “caught” – the entire house party had raced to the kitchen from far-flung towers, clutching an assortment of knobkerries, swords and spears in response to blood curdling shrieks. Unfortunately, Alexandra’s surreptitious early-morning feast had been rudely interrupted when…