FOR hunting aficionados, Christmas may be an inconvenience dividing two days of festive sport, but there are fundamental differences between hunting on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. Whereas every pack in the land turns out the day after Christmas, many only hunt on Christmas Eve if it happens to fall on a regular hunting day. The three-line whip for a full Boxing Day turnout is not just about demonstrating the strength of support that still exists for hunting, it is also a time to reward the men and women who work so hard to provide sport and entertainment throughout a long season by donating generously to the cap that is taken for their benefit.
If forced to choose, I suspect most lovers of venery would plump for Christmas Eve; the crowds are smaller and the hunting usually better than on Boxing Day, when sport is often compromised by cars and followers scattered all over the intended draw. In the run-up to Christmas, there is often the spectacle of Father Christmas to be enjoyed by children and adults alike –
