Pheasant hunting

[crs]

IT IS ABOUT ONE HOURS DRIVE FROM MY HOUSE TO THE CLOSEST BIRD HUNTING PRESERVE IN EAST TEXAS.. OUR FAMILY SHOOTS THERE A COUPLE OF TIMES PER YEAR.
They have a lodge with a chef and good food, a clays shooting area, and several cabins for guests from out of the area. We will shoot there when my grandson is in from college in December.
https://www.hiddenlakeshr.com/
The DWWC had an annual bird hunt in southeast Kansas for many years and it was ONLY 500 miles to drive there from Dallas. Lots of fun long weekends there.

 

[WAB]

Oh and be sure not to bring a gun with ported barrels. They are really not welcome.

 

[BeeMaa]

Oh and be sure not to bring a gun with ported barrels. They are really not welcome.

Yeah, bad enough being a Yank without kicking the hornets nest with ported barrels. And if we decide on going to the UK, I'll be dressing the part. Wife just made that call.

 

[BeeMaa]

IT IS ABOUT ONE HOURS DRIVE FROM MY HOUSE TO THE CLOSEST BIRD HUNTING PRESERVE IN EAST TEXAS.. OUR FAMILY SHOOTS THERE A COUPLE OF TIMES PER YEAR.
They have a lodge with a chef and good food, a clays shooting area, and several cabins for guests from out of the area. We will shoot there when my grandson is in from college in December.
https://www.hiddenlakeshr.com/
The DWWC had an annual bird hunt in southeast Kansas for many years and it was ONLY 500 miles to drive there from Dallas. Lots of fun long weekends there.

Thank you for the information, I will be looking into it.

 

[Sika98k]

Can I humbly suggest Ireland as a good place for some driven pheasant shooting ? Within roughly 90 minutes drive of Dublin airport are some great places to shoot. Ballinacor Estate, Coolattin, Castle Howard,Shelton Abbey, Slane Castle. Woodcock shooting at Temple House and Markree Castle in Sligo. Could be combined with some Sika or Fallow deer stalking also.

 

[WAB]

Can I humbly suggest Ireland as a good place for some driven pheasant shooting ? Within roughly 90 minutes drive of Dublin airport are some great places to shoot. Ballinacor Estate, Coolattin, Castle Howard,Shelton Abbey, Slane Castle. Woodcock shooting at Temple House and Markree Castle in Sligo. Could be combined with some Sika or Fallow deer stalking also.

Not to mention a fun evening at Temple Bar! Are there good agents to work with in Ireland for a shoot?

 

[Sika98k]

Not to mention a fun evening at Temple Bar! Are there good agents to work with in Ireland for a shoot?

Sounds like you’ve been here before ! Agents, no, most estates deal directly with the clients. However if anyone is interested I can get contact details for them.

 

[WAB]

Sounds like you’ve been here before ! Agents, no, most estates deal directly with the clients. However if anyone is interested I can get contact details for them.

I love Ireland and always look for an opportunity to return. Our family has a bit of a shady past in County Mayo. My last name is Boycott!

 

[Sika98k]

I love Ireland and always look for an opportunity to return. Our family has a bit of a shady past in County Mayo. My last name is Boycott!

Oops !

 

[UKHunter]

Reviving an older thread...

Wife asked me today what I thought about a driven Pheasants (or other game birds) hunt in the UK. Wondering if anyone here has any experience traveling to the UK with a shotgun or have a recommendation on an outfit. It would be combined with some kind of sightseeing or tourist destination.

Lastly would tweed breeks, vest and a tie be absolutely necessary?

Have a look on a website called 'guns on pegs' and you will see more shoots that you can shake a stick at offing days shooting, or speak to https://realbig5.com/ if you want to go through an outfitter. It is easy to bring a firearm to the UK - you need someone here who will 'sponsor' you through their local police force - the shoot would be able to do this for you but you may run into issues about storage when you are sightseeing, as it must be stored in a locked gun safe. Although, it is just as easy to borrow a shotgun over here at most places.

The breeks do not have to be tweed, they could be moleskin. Depending on the shoot, you would probably get away at most with some green Chinos if you then wore some wellington boots, but if wearing walking boots you would want shooting socks and breeks. Vest is not required. No tie would be frowned upon.

 

[UKHunter]

I would also have a think about what type of days shooting you are after. A high bird shoot (birds over 40ft high typically owing to topography) charge for the privilege around £40-55 a bird, whereas you can find lots of good shooting for £25-30 per bird where you will still be presented with good birds, they just wont all be consistently at 40ft plus. If you havent done a lot of it, then I would consider not going on a high bird shoot as your first as it could be a lot of money to not shoot a lot if its a 'weaker' team of guns.

Spend some timing googling etiquette as well - everything from dress code, to tipping to not shooting your neighbouring guns birds.

It can all sound a bit daunting but dont be put off - we are a friendly bunch and someone who comes with an open mind and willingness to fit in and embrace the tradition will be forgiven for the odd slip up.

 

[Sika98k]

@UKHunter , 40ft ? . I hope you mean 40yds. It was a typo, wasn’t it ?

 

[BeeMaa]

@UKHunter , 40ft ? . I hope you mean 40yds. It was a typo, wasn’t it ?

40 feet is the height of the roof on a 4 story building, and it's a challenge to hit fast moving birds at that distance if you don't practice regularly. I'm confident it's what @UKHunter meant.

40 yards is 120 feet (so a 12 story building in this case). Ever take a look up at a 12 story building and imagine trying to hit something stationary...with a shotgun? Cool. Now imagine it's moving at 38-45 MPH...becomes not cool in a hurry.

Downing birds at 65 feet is considered quite a shot.

 

[WAB]

Hate to disagree, but it must be 40 yards. They are termed archangels and they are challenging. The top deck on the tower at the H&H shooting grounds in London is 120 ft and throws over a valley to simulate these shots. There are three decks and enough traps to overwhelm a team of 8 guns.

On an actual high bird shoot the pegs are typically in a valley with the birds driven from the hills above. The hills are topped with large trees so when the birds clear the tops of those trees they are truly 30 to 40 yards above the shooters. It is extremely challenging. Good shooters shoot well in front. If you analyze the shot you realize that the trigger is pulled when the bird is 50 to 60 yards out and it flies into the shot.

 

[BeeMaa]

Hate to disagree, but it must be 40 yards. They are termed archangels and they are challenging. The top deck on the tower at the H&H shooting grounds in London is 120 ft and throws over a valley to simulate these shots. There are three decks and enough traps to overwhelm a team of 8 guns.

On an actual high bird shoot the pegs are typically in a valley with the birds driven from the hills above. The hills are topped with large trees so when the birds clear the tops of those trees they are truly 30 to 40 yards above the shooters. It is extremely challenging. Good shooters shoot well in front. If you analyze the shot you realize that the trigger is pulled when the bird is 50 to 60 yards out and it flies into the shot.

If this is the case…I need a lot more practice.

 

[WAB]

If this is the case…I need a lot more practice.

I always spend a day at the H&H shooting grounds before a high bird shoot. I have yet to find a range in the US that effectively presents this target. On my first driven shoot I was standing between Ken Davies and Roland Wild, two of H&H’s instructors. At the time I was a Master Class clays shooter. To say I was outclassed was an understatement. Mid way through the second day I was holding my own. It’s a technique and target that we do not learn in NA. I would strongly advise you to follow UKShooter’s advice and go for a moderately priced 200 bird day. The presentations will be much more manageable.

 

[Sika98k]

Carrying on this thread… if one decides to take a day, individually or as a team on a driven shoot, beware the overage. The what ? You book a 200 bird day. By lunchtime the keeper approaches the shoot captain, leader, Das Führer. He has many titles. Anyway you have reached the bag for the day, 200 birds, well done Sir. Do you want to shoot on ? Well are you going to twiddle your thumbs for the afternoon, having travelled so far ? “ Oh,and it’s £50 per bird overage Sir.”
A keepers job on the day is to provide a day’s shooting for the visiting team of guns. The first drive will be easy enough to assess the team’s shooting capabilities. Thereafter he should adjust the lengths of the following drives, showing higher, lower, slower or faster birds to provide a good days sport to the visiting team.

 

[Bearbait1]

I haven’t hunted pheasants in quite awhile but have a Brittany pup almost ready to get with it.

 

[UKHunter]

@UKHunter , 40ft ? . I hope you mean 40yds. It was a typo, wasn’t it ?

Yes, you're right - i mean yards. High enough where they are just little dots in the sky.

 

[UKHunter]

Carrying on this thread… if one decides to take a day, individually or as a team on a driven shoot, beware the overage. The what ? You book a 200 bird day. By lunchtime the keeper approaches the shoot captain, leader, Das Führer. He has many titles. Anyway you have reached the bag for the day, 200 birds, well done Sir. Do you want to shoot on ? Well are you going to twiddle your thumbs for the afternoon, having travelled so far ? “ Oh,and it’s £50 per bird overage Sir.”
A keepers job on the day is to provide a day’s shooting for the visiting team of guns. The first drive will be easy enough to assess the team’s shooting capabilities. Thereafter he should adjust the lengths of the following drives, showing higher, lower, slower or faster birds to provide a good days sport to the visiting team.

A good shoot will 'pace' the day and choose drives with more or less birds in it, depending on how the team of guns are doing. I would be having strong words with a shoot who put 2 big drives over the guns and the bag reached by lunch.