There may be as many as 10,000 shoots across Britain, from farm-run affairs to the biggest corporate operations; some 400 rivers to fish for salmon in Scotland; and the Masters of Foxhounds Association represents more than 170 registered packs in England, Wales and Scotland. Even before you factor in the grouse moors, the stalking and the wildfowling, you are left with a dizzying array of sporting opportunities, and for would-be sportsmen and women, the question is, where on earth to begin?
Inevitably, the start of the answer is not what but who you know. Chances are this will have governed what you’ve experienced so far in the field, helping to shape your sporting preferences. This will have introduced you to like-minded folk, those who form your own little black sporting book. But there are always gaps that need to be filled. So meet the need-to-know gumboots on the ground; the insiders who are on hand to guide you on your next sporting adventure.
TED INNES KER, REIVER
Ted Innes Ker, younger brother of the Duke of Roxburghe, grew up at the magnificent William Adam-designed Floors
