text: Upland bird hunting has always been my favorite, maybe it is the romance of the Normal Rockwell like backdrops, the open fields, the crisp autumn air, the well trained and disciplined dog, the silence of nature only broken by the flutter of a bevy of quail or grouse suddenly flushed from cover, or a majestic pheasant in flight? Maybe. However, on the other side of the pond, it is as much a pageant as a sport and the English leave nothing to chance. 