St Clair’s HAMPSHIRE

The thing about nature is that it never stands still. Left to its own devices, it constantly evolves, if at a stately pace, and the men and women who hold it in temporary trust for future generations can only stand and stare. However, there isn’t one thoughtful owner, environmentally aware manager or intelligent gamekeeper who doesn’t continually look for ways of improving and enhancing the ground over which they present their shooting, occasionally giving nature a helping hand. Theirs is an annual balancing act. How much land to take out of production for cover crops, where to put them and at what cost. Whether to sow wheat, barley, maize or something more exotic and experimental. How much timber to fell and how much to plant to keep pace with good stewardship. Regularly reassessing the correct stocking rate for the ground and putting in the infrastructure to support it. Then, when all that is resolved, deciding on how many birds to put down and days to shoot in the season ahead. The longer a team works together, generally the better the result, and anyone seeking an example of this proof might look no further than the St Clair’s Farm Estate in Hampshire’s Meon Valley.

Transformation

History is a useful guide to understanding how St Clair’s has evolved as a shooting estate, and nothing could have happened without engaged owners. The modern story began in