England is the core part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and is often confused with the whole. It has a moderate climate, well suited for agriculture, and is known as the world's first industrial nation. As a result, most of the country’s territory represents an anthropogenic landshaft, with meadows, orchids, fields and even woods consciously created by humans. But in spite of that, the old hunting spirit lives on, and England has a lot to offer to lovers of the outdoors. Читать больше...

By the late XVIII - early XIX century, any Englishman who wanted to hunt, first needed to own a considerable tract of land, and then hire a small army of “gamekeepers” to guard the game from poachers. Hunters had to create opportunities for themselves, and a lot of thought and investment went into improvement of dog breeds, guns and equipment, and finally wildlife management. A Victorian or Edwardean “shooting preserve” could see, in one day, up to 4,500 pheasants killed by eight “guns” and 1,050 grouse shot by a single sportsman. While these records are a thing of the past, driven partridge and pheasant shooting, which relies on artificially reared and released partridge and pheasant, has been refined to a state of art and continues to be a highlight of English “field sports”. Woodpigeon, which has traditionally been seen as pest, not game, and as such can be shot year round, is a strong favorite with English hunters from all walks of life, and rabbits are so numerous that descriptions of shooting them sound more like work than like hunting. You can also get a taste of what English pointers and spaniels were bred for by following them in search of snipe, woodcock, and other birds. The coast of England serves as a wintering ground for numerous species of ducks and geese, and hunting them on the shorelines is a rough experience with an element or risk that will satisfy the most experienced waterfowler. If pheasant and partridge drives aren’t your idea of bird hunting, search for “mixed bag rough shooting” - this is what’s known as upland bird hunting in other parts of the world. Last but not the least, England can boast of as many as six species of deer - red, sika, fallow, roe, muntjac, and Chinese water deer. Interestingly enough, England is about the only place where a non-resident hunter can legally take a Reeve’s muntjac or a water deer - and it wouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg either. Deer stalking hunts in England are affordable, and can be found within a short drive from London. Скрыть детали