Standing the test of time

The vast array of fieldsports offers something for all ages, as sporting preferences evolve with advancing years, Barry Stoffell discovers

- Barry Stoffell

Many things change as we age. Most of us are notably stouter at 40 than we were at 20 — I certainly am — and as we approach and overtake the three-score year marker, it isn’t unreasonable to expect a bit of creaking at the knees.

In compensation for the physical indignities of ageing, nature blesses us — well, in most cases — with the psychological and emotional maturity to deal with them. You may no longer feel up to running a marathon, but the knowledge that there are plenty of other ways to spend those few hours that will bring as much pleasure to help us to bear this loss nobly.

Add to these factors changes in our lifestyle and differences in our level of disposable income and time available to spend doing those things we choose to do for pleasure, and it is no surprise that the ways in which we enjoy fieldsports evolve as we mature, too.

Unparalleled zeal

You don’t have to look far for examples to illustrate the point. Last winter, a friend’s son received his first air rifle as a birthday present. Following a brief tutorial from his father, he proceeded to stalk the rabbit population of their farm with unparalleled zeal, happily spending hours staking out the paddock margins in the kind of weather when even the dog wouldn’t want to leave the house.

Many of us will be able to relate to this, having begun our fieldsports journey with raw enthusiasm and disregard for the physical comfort that has now (perhaps thankfully) left us.