Booking shooting somewhere you have never shot before always seems to me a very daunting task; how are you to know if the shoot will live up to your expectations? Will the other Guns talk to you? What happens if I shoot like I couldn’t hit a barn door?!
Obviously these are the worries of a lady gun that probably doesn’t shoot as well as someone with 5 years experience should, but I’m sure when anyone books at an unknown shoot there is always slight trepidation when the day finally arrives.
After being very kindly invited to shoot at Hooton Pagnell Estate just outside Doncaster, all of these worries came to surface, although I can gladly say I needn’t have worried at all.
The shoot is owned by Mark Warde Norbury and fantastically run by Richard and Angela, with Richard providing challenging birds and Angela offering delicious hospitality throughout the day. I was welcomed by Mark and Angela in the spectacular house, giving the guns a chance to meet each other, putting my fears to rest about no one talking to me all day!
I could not have been made more welcome throughout the day and it was with relief that the first bird dropped with a thud on the first drive, so at least I hadn’t disgraced myself so far! The first drive was spread around the bottom of a long wood, with no end of birds appearing over the tops of trees, giving the guns some great birds to warm up with.
We saw much the same in the second drive although I must have had a large sticker on my head saying ‘please do not fly over me’ as they split to my neighbours on either side! As the wind got up, so did the birds and the Guns were presented with some fantastic birds which were duly met with some very accurate shooting from down the line.
The third drive was without a doubt my favourite drive, as we were set out around and through a thick wood, with just a small window of sky to pick the pheasants out of. Snap shooting and being hidden from the other guns is my type of shooting, since there is no time to think about where my cheek, hands, elbows etc should be and even if you do miss, no one can see you! Although I could hear the birds heading my way, I couldn’t see them until they were above the trees and over my head, which made for some fast snap shooting, leaving me exhilarated with a huge smile on my face!
After some fantastic oxtail soup and sherry to warm us up and hopefully continue my not shameful average, we headed to the fourth big partridge drive. Unfortunately the average was dramatically altered as coveys of partridges whizzed over my head, curving over the contours of the land and zooming off unaffected by my misfires. These partridges were really challenging and gave the guns some fantastic shooting that would rival the traditional partridge shooting in East Anglia.
Lunch was served in the dining room back in the house, with a welcoming roaring fire and a delicious three course meal, which included the largest wheel of stilton I have ever seen! It was lovely to sit and relax with the other guns as we discussed the hits and misses of the morning, eagerly awaiting the last two drives of the day.
After lunch we were spread around and in a large wood that hadn’t been shot this season, so we were guaranteed a few birds to say the least! With a mixture of soaring pheasants and zooming partridges the drive passed in a flurry of shots and falling birds, that stilton and port had obviously worked a treat.
The final drive definitely gave me my favourite shot of the day, as a pheasant flew above the tall tree tops (at least 60ft...probably!) I bought it down in one shot, although unfortunately being in the woods no one saw...maybe it’s not my favourite place to shoot after all!
I would like to thank Mark, Richard and Angela for inviting me and I am so pleased I didn’t listen to my fears about shooting somewhere new, especially when I was made to feel so welcome, provided with challenging and exciting birds and fed and watered so well. I would thoroughly recommend Hooton Pagnell Estate to both individuals and teams and would be very interested in trying out their walked up days in January with a team of friends, especially with that many birds about!
Links
To find out more about shooting at Hooton Pagnell Estate, please click here.
21 December 2011 by Louise Benson, 0 comments
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