Fields sports have been a central activity of the country way of life for centuries.  In mediaeval times hunting was confined to the monarch or to those he gave permission.  Despite frequent famine, common people faced horrendous penalties for poaching, including hanging or castration.  Nowadays, field sports are open to all with very large numbers enjoying fishing in particular.  Yet they are under threat as never before as debated at the recent Countryside Forum conference.

            Hunting foxes with hounds was banned by the Hunting Act of 2004 amid fears that large numbers of horses and hounds would be destroyed and many lose their livelihoods.  But hunts adapted to trail hunting and the numbers participating or following actually increased.  Some hunts are now struggling to survive but there were still 176 in England and Wales in 2015 with another 10 in Scotland.  There have been many claims that foxes are still hunted and killed with a number of prosecutions being successful.  No illegal activity can be condoned but there are thousands of days hunting each year that pass off without incident.  Now, however, the claims that trail hunting is simply ‘a smokescreen for illegal activity’ have reached the political agenda with the Labour Party’s Shadow Defra Secretary of State Jim McMahon saying that a future Labour Government will ban trail hunting.  It is hard to see how the hunting community could adapt and survive.

The shooting season is over for another year.  It has been one of recovery after the disruption of the previous one.  When the pandemic hit early in 2020, it was not clear what impact it would have.  Some shoots closed down, some reduced the number of birds released and others carried on as normal.

            Shoots that sell days try to get bookings in February or March so they know how many poults to order from the game farm.  More importantly, they can use the deposit to pay for the poults and other costs that occur before the season starts.  Cash flow was severely affected by guns unwilling to book days so far in advance during the pandemic bringing a knock-on impact.