Sometimes you’ve got to dig a little deeper. Specialist magazines have always been my favourite resource for the latest sportswear and outdoor gear. I could spend hours pouring over running magazines looking for the latest trail running releases or climbing and hiking magazines looking for the next Patagonia jacket to obsess over. Any gateway into the scene surrounding my latest gear obsession would be leapt on without a moments hesitation.

The significant downside to some specialist titles is that beyond the product guides, the level of journalism and production could be somewhat lacking. Titles from small independent publishers with low circulation don’t always have the best resources available to them. That’s the trouble with a niche interest, there’s not always the money circulating to fulfill certain requirements.

Fortunately, hunting, shooting and fishing in the UK is well serviced by Fieldsports Magazine. This is so much more than a buyer’s guide to the latest Barbours. Covering the gamut of traditional outdoor sports, it offers both a outlet for enthusiasts to extol the virtues of their sport and report the latest events. The majority of the writing is first-hand accounts from active participants, offering a fascinating insight into sports that may seem shrouded in mystery to outsiders. If you’ve ever wondered what motivates someone to load up their Land Rover with dogs and guns and go pheasant shooting early on a Sunday morning, the writing is testament to their passion.

Fieldsports Magazine is proud of the traditions that go hand in hand with the sports and makes no attempt to gloss things over to appeal to a younger market. It’s not politically incorrect like the crude jokes your uncle still tells, but neither is it ashamed of what it represents. There’s product reviews extolling the virtues of shotguns that run in to several thousands of Pounds, photos of proud Estate Managers stood in front of their Subaru Legacys and even space devoted to events and what can only be described as society pages.

If only all chance pick-ups were this rewarding.