Plan a patchwork oasis

Certain game species are comparatively amenable to intensive management: the best and most obvious example is the pheasant. But what about woodcock and snipe? Certain parts of the British Isles have always harboured larger populations of both species than other areas — and will continue to do so, simply because the habitat is infinitely more suitable.

The inevitable result is that those who wish to enjoy the best snipe and woodcock shooting had better head for the ‘Celtic fringes’, the mild areas of bog, pasture and low scrub-like cover to be found in Ireland, the Hebrides, west Wales and Cornwall. A prerequisite is that sedentary