The Things a Shoot Owner Will Really Need to Know to Sell You What You Want
By Howard Day of Outside Days.
January 23rd 2010
Dear Sirs,
I am very interested in a day’s shooting pheasant, this year, for myself and my fiancé. We have a limited experience, my fiancé is in the navy and I have only been on a rabbit shoot (albeit I didn't actually hold the gun). Do we need to obtain some sort of license of or this included in the day?
Many thanks*
We start booking shooting for one season before the previous season closes, and are in full swing planning for the season to come by the time April starts to shower. If bookings are anything to go by, this coming season should be a fabulous one. In fact, by March 2011, we’d sold out everything several shoots had to offer and we were hard pressed to find Saturday sport across much of the South. We’d also taken our first bookings for grouse in August 2012. Of course, we’ll still be selling guns in lines and entire days for the 2011-12 season into the early hours of 2012…
Much as we love extended email conversations and playing phone tennis, tag, and catch with all of you, it helps if you've done a little thinking before we start. GunsOnPegs gives you a great idea of what’s out there, and if you have an inkling of the day you’re after, it’s a great place to start. But, like the gentleman below, you may need some assistance in narrowing the options, and we’re always glad to help.
i was just wondering how much it is to go out on a day shooting phesants and ducks ect .. i have my own air rifle but would like to have a few shots with a shot gun would you please get beack to me .. !!!*
We work with so many different shoots, each offering a selection of different opportunities, that it's hard to know where to start when the email says 'looking for some shooting...prices and dates please'.
Knowing what quarry you'd like to shoot, where or when you'd like to shoot helps narrow the choices. Grouse are a possibility in northern Britain from August 12th to December 10th, but you can forget shooting in the Outer Hebrides until September, or being within an hour of London ever. Quail are a possibility, but you’ll need to pack your passport and walking shoes. Pheasant and partridge, on the other hand, are much easier to come by and availability for single guns in a line on any given day is pretty reasonable.
Do you care how many times you pull the trigger? How high the birds are? How far you will have to preambulate between pegs? Is your dog just for show, or do you expect to use its services on the day? Are you solo, or blessed with an entire team of compatriots eager for the off? Can you shoot any day except the first Tuesday of each month, or are you a weekend warrior?
Gourmand content only with linen tablecloths and a selection of fine wines? Cottage pie or casserole in the shoot room? Fish and chips at the pub? Or sausage rolls and soup on the tailgate of the Landrover?
Do you have to be back on your doorstep for dinner at 5? Looking to stay in a sporting lodge complete with singing laird and scotch pancakes? Fancy a pub with a roaring fire that allows your dog to stay? Or maybe a B&B whose landlady has an encyclopaedic knowledge of local watering holes?
I'm sure you get the picture. The more specific you can be, the closer to your dream spec we can tailor the day. Of course, giving plenty of notice always helps...
*All email correspondence quoted here is genuine and unsolicited. REALLY!
