CATEGORIES

Braced for the plunge

No matter whether you call it ‘wild’ or ‘cold-water’ swimming, it offers peace, exercise and a primeval sense of being at one with nature

The pleasures of black powder

Using a muzzle-loader marries sport, heritage – and the satisfaction of customising one’s experience

Perfect on parade

There may not be the usual Trooping the Colour this year, but a new crop of horses is keeping the Household Cavalry as busy as ever

CARING FOR KENNELS

Legal changes and trail hunting have placed different pressures on our packs. How are today’s huntsmen responding to the challenges?

The Simple Joy Of Summer Shooting

With long days to savour, Will Garfit invites you to join him in a pigeon hide to experience the thrilling combination of testing sport and pest control

For He Was A Jolly Good Fellow

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s conservation successes and sporting prowess long attracted the attention of The Field’s commentators

‘My love affair with lead has ended'

One stalker’s trepidation turns to excitement as an outing for an elusive upland roebuck culminates in a clean kill and a successful transition to copper ammunition

Wading in on habitat loss

The battle to manage agricultural landscape for breeding waders is doomed to failure unless there is a change of policy at national level

There's no quick fix in black grouse quest

This once common gamebird is in desperate need of a helping hand but reintroductions are hugely complex, as Soldier Palmer discovers

How to ensure your Guns have a field day

From high birds to hot sausage rolls and modest bags to a friendly host, George Browne discovers what paying guests really want

Let's show respect for our elders

Sambucus nigra is the star of Britain’s hedgerows and a standout favourite for forager John Wright

How keepers will nurture change

The radical stewardship revolution brings new opportunities, says Richard Negus

Lamping: outshined but never outfoxed

While thermal imaging and night vision are inarguably efficient, there is still a place for the humble lamp, argues Robert Bucknell

Creating the perfect pond

Open water is a magnet for ducks and all manner of wildlife, as Graham Downing finds when he restores his two flight ponds

Going on a boar hunt

When a young sow pulls off a Houdini act, it falls to Peter Carne to track her down before she does too much damage to Hampshire

A very different field

A lot has changed since Archie Coats’ heyday, but one thing remains constant — the threat to crops posed by pigeons, says Tom Payne

The leviathan from a winter-long dream

Better known for its salmon and whisky, Aberdeenshire also offers superb brown trout fishing, and Julian Schmechel lands a monster

Predator control past

Beautiful it may be but an ermine is merely a stoat wearing white, and where they aren’t controlled, the game count suffers, says Henry Grass

Lab remains top dog

The UK’s top two gundogs are on the up, while the English springer could slip in the rankings. David Tomlinson crunches the numbers

Is that fizzing redleg sporting or too high?

It is defined as fairness and generosity, but what do we mean when we apply the word ‘sporting’ to shots taken, asks Will Pocklington

Stalking Diary

As we all emerge, blinking, into the light after the long lockdown, it is time at last to welcome sportsmen back to the mecca that is Scotland

Gunroom

A versatile behemoth of mid-18th-century warfare, wall pieces were ideally suited to action on land or water and static or mobile combat

On the trail of the elusive Dee springer

Looking to fulfil a long-standing ambition to land a Lower Crathes salmon, Sam Carlisle enlists the help of head gillie Robert Harper

Leave it to the professionals?

There is joy in training a dog, but in some cases it is best — for both the owner and dog — to seek help, says Ellena Swift

How to win with conservation and PR

Farming clusters show what can achieved with joined-up thinking and the synchronised model could be easily adapted for shoots too

A turn-up for the books

With COVID-19 preventing adventures overseas for now, Blue Zulu loses himself in tales of sport in exotic places from the comfort of his library

It's never too early to fire their interest

You can sow the seeds of sporting enthusiasm in a child long before they pick up a gun, but what is the right age to start, asks Simon Garnham

The best by a length

A good pair of comfortable and waterproof stalking trousers can seriously improve your day out in the field, says Chris Dalton

The helping hand of man

We mustn’t disregard the human role in rural places — species thrive due to our activities in the working countryside, says Jack Bell

The gift of spring

The season’s first trout ignites every angler’s passion and serves as a reminder of even better times ahead