A thrilling test of sporting skill

As The Field's Macnab Challenge returns for 2023, intrepid sportsmen will set out to achieve this most famous feat guided by seasoned mentors of the game

- ED WILLS

MOST SPORTING sorts know what a challenge it is to undertake a proper Macnab, by which we mean the modern classic iteration, inspired by John Buchan and tweaked for the modern sportsman in the pages of The Field. That is, to catch a salmon, shoot a stag and complete it with a brace of grouse, all taken between dawn and dusk in one day. We are delighted to launch The Field's Macnab Challenge 2023 in association with Blaser, an apt partner that can fit you out with a rifle, shotgun and all the right kit for the hill.

The Macnab is an undertaking that combines fieldsports and conservation, traditional and modern sporting techniques. It places the grouse, the red deer and the salmon on a pedestal, is concerned with their success, and demands an understanding of their environment and situation. To achieve a proper Macnab requires a number of crucial ingredients: skill, planning, dedication and that most elusive sporting component- luck. All these elements are bolstered by the gillies, gamekeepers and stalkers who put aspiring Macnabbers in the right spot and guide them to triumph. These sporting gurus put in countless hours behind the scenes to ensure the best chance of success.

TEAM EFFORT

"It's definitely a team effort, with all hands on deck," says Adam Hunt, a fishing gillie and stalker on Amhuinnsuidhe Castle and Morsgail estates in the Outer Hebrides. "Even though it's the most stressful time of the year for me, it's a great experience." This coordination between gillie, keeper and stalker is of paramount importance, according to Hunt. "Each part of the Macnab has its own unique challenges. With salmon fishing you can't see what you're after, whereas with stalking you can see the stag, plan a route and then have it all end in disaster as the wind turns the other way."