Countryside issues, food, game recipes, fishing, hunting | The Field

Birdsong: How to recognise bird calls

The dawn chorus is even better when you can tell who's in the choir. Early spring is a great time to enjoy birdsong and learn the call of different birds

FishPal

Fish with line and on-line for the best results - make sure conditions are right before you set out.

Short and to the point

In the contest for the best 21st-century gundog the hunt, point, retrieve breeds are separated only by a hairs breadth  or length.

Iron Age hillforts

Iron Age Britons created formidable hillforts. These hillforts still dominate our landscape today

Fly Fishing in New Zealand

Fly fishing in New Zealand. Sampling South Island's stillwater trout fishing is a must for any serious fly fishing fanatic.

Joining the flat pack

If you want a gundog with a good nose, an independent and intelligent mind and Kate Moss looks, the sharp, sophisticated flatcoat is for you.

The best fishing huts

The salmon fisher's fishing hut is a warm santuary , the trout fisher's a bijou tearoom. Fishing huts can enhance the bank as well as the day.

Haaf Netting Salmon on the Nith

Haaf-netting dates back to the Vikings, who waded into shallow estuaries to catch fish. The experience can be still be had via a sporting auction

How to find trout

Where do trout lie? If you want to catch a trout it helps to know where they are. Fish the right water and maximise your chances

Fishing for bass

Bass fishing with plastic

British gunmakers

British gunmakers are the blue bloods of the industry. Douglas Tate picks the best of British gunmakers

Top 10 trout rivers

Charles Rangeley-Wilson picks his top 10 fly-fishing spots accessible to all. It's open to debate, preferably after a day on a chalkstream.

Grow your own Asparagus

Asparagus is the king of spring garden vegetables, grow your own crowns and harvest succulent spears for years to come

Grayling, the Gallic grail

Charles Rangeley-Wilson's passion for poisson is tested by the "impossible" grayling, the only fish in abundance in French rivers  with good reason.

De luxe duck houses

Palatial duck houses, made famous by the MPs' expenses scandal, are fabulous for fowl. But do these duck houses offer quacking good value, asks Charlotte Mackaness

From lough to loch and father to offspring

When Charles Rangeley-Wilson was a boy, he spent his summers fishing the far-flung loughs of <br /> Co Kerry for trout. Sneakily, via their stomachs, hes passed his love of lake-angling to his children. Now they join him on Loch Affric to catch and cook lunch.

Fishing for early trout

The early fly-fisher may just catch the trout. Choose your river carefully, fish nymphs and dries and a trout will be in your sights

Danger signals

Deadly, alien crayfish are killing our endangered native species. We must act now to nip the problem in the bud, says Mike Daunt.

What is the hardest shot?

The hardest shot at the end of the 19th century was the pheasant in all its guises. But what is the hardest shot today?

Tramping for flounders

Flounder-tramping  fishing with the feet  is a rare skill. Although it's easiest learnt in childhood, Johnny Scott puts his best foot forward.

Why we are all mad for hares

Hares are surrounded by myth. The hare is an ancient and mystical creature, and its March courtship rituals are 'mad'

Bonefish on a shoe-string

You don't need gazillions of dollars to hit the glorious Bahamian flats and drown those winter blues in clear blue water.

Andrew Crawford, Director of the CLA Game Fair

The Game Fair is THE unmissable rural event.e Fair. This year there is a new man at the Game Fair helm, Andrew Crawford

Save the River Wandle

Embarrass Brown to save the Wandle. Only political will can ensure that the capital's most iconic trout river holds more fish than sewage after a summer downpour.

The fieldsports way is Essex

The only way is Essex may be mocked for its girls with fake tans and raunchy rhinestones. But behind these unlikely stars lies a sporting gem. The only fieldsports way is Essex

Fishing a trouty trove

The rivers around Lake Rotoroa in New Zealand possess monster brown that provide some of the best fishing in the world.

Modern Foxhound Breeding

Foxhounds have changed over the years but their evolution has never been left to chance. They are carefully, and sometimes controversially, selected. What kind of pack do you follow?

Salmon fishing on the Kola Peninsula

There's only one Kola Peninsula - and you can't beat it for salmon rivers teeming with whoppers. Even a novice can catch a 38-pounder!

Fly-fishing for Tigerfish

You will have a fight on your hands fishing for tigerfish. The Zambezi's tigerfish are an epic thrill

Wildfowling: a wild goose chase in Caithness

This corner of Scotland is teeming with wildfowl. Adrian Dangar joins a wildfowling trip to the far north

High sheriffs

The Sheriff of Nottingham was the despised enemy of Robin Hood. Today Britain's high sheriffs must be honourable, generous and charitable to take on the role of high sheriff

Falconry for hire

Visit a falconry club. For just travel expenses and lunch a falconry club will give your shoot a never-forgotten experience

The perfect hunter

Face of a Duchess with the bottom of a cook used to be the recipe for the perfect hunter. Does the old maxim still hold true today when finding the perfect hunter

Hunting Reedbuck in South Africa

There is proper hunting to be had in South Africa. If you enjoy stepping out with rod or rifle Zulu Waters in KwaZulu Natal has everything you need.

Macnabs in the bag

The Field and Hunter Balmoral Macnab Challenge 2011 saw repeat Macnabbers and new blood. Macnabs still make grown men giddy

Backgammon: a game for pharaohs, kings and spies

To win at backgammon you need luck and a grasp of probability theory. Backgammon has an ancient pedigree, and the game is still thriving today

Pin-up guns: The shotguns and rifles that enthusiasts pine for

Pin-up shotguns. Gamer than a Gibson Girl and sexier than a supermodel. The shotguns and rifles that Douglas Tate and friends lust after are just as inaccessible.

New packs of hounds

Brand new hunts have been opening up new country since the ban. They are hunting within the law and showing us how to make the best of things until the Hunting Act is repealed

Shoot wild partridge in Portugal

There is more to Portugal than golf, take a cheap flight to enjoy fantastic wild partridge shooting.

Shooting in Gloucestershire. Shoot report: Pheasant and partridge shooting at the Campden House estate shoot

Shooting in Gloucestershire. Shoot report: Pheasant and partridge shooting at the Campden House estate shoot. Pheasant and partridge shooting for a covey of shooting instructors.