Pheasant and Partridge Shooting

Traditionally a more lowland form of driven shooting, deep valley and moorland pheasant and partridge shooting has developed over recent years providing far more variety in terms of areas shot, and the birds they show.

Unlike grouse, with a few notable exceptions, pheasants and partridge are reared and released for the purpose of shooting. Birds are released a good time before the start of the season starts however, so that they have time to acclimatise to their surroundings and become pretty much wild, albeit from hand reared beginnings.

The shooting season for partridges starts on 1 September, for pheasants, 1 October and both seasons finish on 1 February. Bags vary from shoot to shoot and a target bag is agreed with the shoot in advance, on which the cost is based. Larger bags tend to be achieved earlier in the season, while come January, when numbers are thinned and the birds are becoming more wily, bags tend to be lower, but the targets that much more challenging.

The typical driven shooting day in Britain starts with a safety briefing, followed by 4-6 drives, where a group of beaters form a line and drive the birds over the line of guns, with a mid-morning break for soup and a snack, and either a lunch break in the middle of the day, or lunch at the end of the day. Lines generally consist of eight guns, but most shoots can accommodate a few more or less, depending on the size of the party.

For parties shooting more than one day, we can arrange accommodation locally to suit, be it in a comfortable local inn, hotel or stately home or castle and can bill as an all inclusive package, or for shooting only, depending on your wishes. For those coming from abroad we will also arrange transport, Visitors Shotgun Permits, insurance, etc as necessary.