Some years ago, I joined a group of gamekeepers on a visit to Austria and Hungary to look at their shoots and game management, as well as sample the product of their local vineyards, though not necessarily in that order. All had either a vested or keen interest in what is the king of lowland gamebirds, on a par with grouse. This is the grey — or, as it is sometimes known, the ‘Hungarian’ — partridge.
It was a fascinating insight into what constitutes game management in another country. Its different techniques and array of traps were reminiscent of something seen in the UK a century