Mixed Shooting - Woodcock, Snipe, Duck and Geese

Away from the more formal driven pheasant, partridge and grouse days that the United Kingdom is so well known for, there is a fantastic variety of mixed shooting available. Be they small semi-driven days, or rough walked up days, snipe, woodcock and wildfowl offer a completely different aspect to game shooting and a completely different challenge in terms of sporting shooting. Often they are shot in conjunction with the better-known species on mixed rough days, or alternatively targeted individually.

For those that want to target species individually, the Southwest, and the western isles of Scotland as well as both Northern and Southern Ireland offer great venues to target snipe, be it walked up or driven. Certain areas of Wales, England and Scotland offer great shooting for woodcock enthusiasts, again either driven or walked up. Both snipe and woodcock shooting are very dependant on prevailing weather conditions and how these influence their migration and as a result, can in no way be guaranteed in terms of numbers. It is this wildness and unpredictability that makes them so appealing.

For those looking for variety as well as some degree of certainty, a long weekend or trip shooting a mixture of driven birds and walked-up or flighted, provides a good mixture of species, increases reliability and variety in terms of shooting, as well as lessening the cost of the trip – rough shooting is considerably less expensive than driven – making it a great way to spend a trip away shooting without breaking the bank.