Game Shooting - Documentory

[BroadAmbition]

Advice please,

Some of 'My' shooting mates have been toying with the idea of attending a clay shoot in Norfolk local to the Broads (Northern Side) on a Saturday then on completion combining it with an overnight stay onboard 'B.A' that would entail a cruise to a riverside hostility for an overnight stop in the normal manner, then drive home Sunday.

I have found a clay shooting venue at Taverham (Mid Norfolk Shooting Ground)  but was  wondering if any of you locals knew of any others?

Thanking you in advance,

Griff

[ChrisB]

I go to Taverham for their open practice before the season. It was for many years in private hands but is now owned by Churchills.

The valley behind the club house provides some very high clays and simulates driven birds well.

The new road will get you there in no time.

PS. Self operated electric traps, which are great when shooting on your own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ChrisB]

Sorry Griff I forgot to say the other two grounds that I have attended, one just outside North Walsham  on the Bacton Road and another as you approach the Trinities on the A149 travelling towards Yarmouth appear to have folded.

[MauriceMynah]

Griff, A regular customer of the Greyhound in Hickling is known as "London John" or at least that's what he was known as when he was a regular of the Pleasure Boat. He does a lot of clay shooting and as I understand it organises small meets.

Perhaps WildFuzz will come along and help..

[BroadAmbition]

Thanks for the advice / replies.  Seven guns / crew are now sorted.  Taverham it will be

Griff

[BroadAmbition]

Today is a big day out for 'Our' lot.  ten guns heading off this morning to Raisthorpe Flyers near Malton for a days driven clay shooting.  This is an expensive day out by my standards £360:00 but B'fast, lunch, dinner are included as are cartridges and the owner / organiser tells us that we should expect to shoot between 250 - 400 cartridges each (Probably waste in my case).  We shoot in pairs apparently, my 'Boy' Dale is with us, so we had best avoid being in the same pair then (Don't want to embarrass him now do I?)

Anyroadup, been looking forward to this one for a while now,

Griff

[ChrisB]

Sounds a cracking day! Some years ago I went on a few days like that staying at Brocket Hall and Weston Park. At Weston Park your room had a selection of Malts and you had your own Butler! I would add the huge expense was met by The Ford Motor Company. There were usually shooting guests of honour. The picture is Weston Park with a very young me next to a fantastic shot ( not too bad behind the wheel also). The other Celeb. Confessed to me that if offered a big driven day or a day on a classic Spey Salmon beat, he would take the fishing.

[BroadAmbition]

Well that's a belter of a photo for the family archives eh?  Well done you

Griff

[Londonlad1985]

I'm not really up on shooting even living in the wild east of London, but I always thought the term driven shoot was the act of beating and driving birds onto the guns. How do you drive a clay pigeon? 

[MauriceMynah]

10 minutes ago, Londonlad1985 said:

How do you drive a clay pigeon? 

Not difficult. Most of them are automatics.

[BroadAmbition]

What a day, what a day!  It started off Foggy at home, 57 miles later and we are at Raisthorpe Manor, near to Thixendale and Malton.

We were greeted with tea / coffee then bacon rolls in the reception gun room.  A quick brief then off into them there hills. The sun came out, the scenery was fantastic as one would expect in this part of Gods Country, jackets off all day long.  We each expended around 4-500 cartridges each over the day, (21g 7 1/2 's Fibre)  We shot in pairs one shooting and one loading.  One of my mates who is a very good shot was loading for me, I just had to comment that I was so chuffed that I had a millionaire loading my gun for me - he took it in good spirits and could not deny it either.

I had another mate driving me in his very nice Range Rover, another millionaire chauffeuring me for the day too!  Both of them advised me not to get used to the idea, I kinda liked it

Lunchtime - Back into the gun dining room, a huge round table with a train on it that was going round n round with sloe gin / condiments on it, the opulence was everywhere.  Apparently a days game shooting per gun when in season would cost about £2'400, can't see me booking one of those anytime soon then

In the afternoon it was announced we would be split into three teams of four - competition time then.  over two disciplines of 200 clays per team. My main concern then of course was to not let my team down, I was team three.  At the end of the day the scores were announced and team three had won!  I could not believe it. We had a combined total of 165, so only dropped 35 clays between us.   I have never won in a team shotgun event ever, been close a couple of times.  This was the icing on the cake.  As a result I now have a cheap 'Top Team' trophy and a bottle of sloe gin which I have of course given to MrsG.  I'm going to be dining out on this one forever!

Apparently the lot of us have decided - although to be fair I can't remember agreeing to this one - that we are to repeat the day out sometime this year but take along our wives as non-shooting guests with a bbq in the evening to round it off, that'll knock it up to around £450 mark I'm duly informed   Shooting and rubbing shoulders with this lot is all very well but one has to be careful with the open wallet surgery.

Tomorrow morning, it will be back down to earth, chin down, derrière up, tiling a kitchen floor.

Griff

 

 

[ChrisB]

Well done! You deserve a great day out.

9 hours ago, Londonlad1985 said:

I'm not really up on shooting even living in the wild east of London, but I always thought the term driven shoot was the act of beating and driving birds onto the guns. How do you drive a clay pigeon? 

It means clays that try to simulate a driven game day as opposed to other disciplines like "*****" or "Down the Line" or "Olympic Trap" whick I think is the English name for one of the former.

Edit to say I think the naughty word blocker has been a bit over enthused. The discipline stated starred out is S   K two Es lastly T. Naturally a clay can never fully simulate a wild bird as a clay comes out fast and slows where as a bird  does not slow down but goes higher and faster hopefully.

[ChrisB]

How is your shoulder this morning Griff? No mean feat discharging 500 shells even if they are only 21g.

[BroadAmbition]

Shoulder etc all fine and dandy tks, I never seem to have any twinges in that department no matter how many shells discharged on any given day.  This coming Saturday is a freebie 100 bird sporting clay shoot I've been invited on, B'fast / lunch / clays provided, Prizes for top three (I won't be one of them) at Hayton Castle which is close by.  Just need the wx to play ball.  Proper heavy rain here this morning again

Griff

[BroadAmbition]

At 1100 - ish we stopped for elevenses - somewhat of a coincidence there then! We were served with Gin n tonics, cold meats etc at the drive lodge.  I was later informed that my dress code was out of order as my tie needed adjusting.   Just look at the view in Gods back garden

Griff

[KaptinKev]

Are shotguns for people who can't shoot accurately, as the shot is spread over a wide area giving what type of cartridge you use? 

[BroadAmbition]

I do hope your question was tongue in cheek?

Griff

[MauriceMynah]

I bet it was Griff, You're the one with the gun. :-)

[ChrisB]

I can't believe that it is a year ago that I posted pictures of everyone up to their knees in Mud at The Game Fair at Hatfield House.

This year it was at Ragley Hall at Alcester NW of Stratford upon Avon. For the majority of the 60 years it has been going it was run by Country Landowners Association, now it is a commercial enterprise and I am afraid it shows.

Once there was Gunmakers Row, with everything from top London makers to the importers of the very affordable. Game fishing was catered for in Fishermans Row again with Hardy, Orvis, Peeks through the spectrum to starter kits.

Sadly The Game Fair has become just another "Lifestyle" show with hot tubs, garden furniture, bbq's, works of art, sculpture etc.

I have not missed many Game Fairs since my father took me to my first in 1962, likewise I have taken or laterly been accompanied by my son (s). But we agreed that this will be our last.

It is true that entrance is free to we members of BASC but once within the food and drink prices would not disgrace Fortnums or Claridges.

It is very sad but I feel The Game Fair could well follow The London Boat Show having lost purpose.

On a brighter note I did choose a new Wildfowling gun. 3.5in chamber Winchester SX4 semi-auto in "shadowgrass" which they will deliver to my local registered FA dealer.

[BroadAmbition]

Having missed the Donny game fair at the racecourse last Saturday, then missing most of the forenoon gathering at my local clay ground, (Had to drive up to Gourock and back to collect Mum-in-Law) tomorrow will be my first days game shooting of the season.

8 x guns, 125 bird day.  Now the 'Wow' part as to why this sport is so expensive (At my level anyroadup)

Tomorrow is a 'Pay Day' that is to say each individual gun pays for the days shooting.  It is not my normal way of game shooting, that is once a fortnight on a syndicate shoot at my local farm each season.    I hardly if ever partake in 'Pay Days' as the cost can sky rocket especially shooting with guns that are unfamiliar, it only takes just one gun to be a 'Wyat Earp', money no concern and it's painful  and exceedingly annoying, as the 125 limit gets exceeded then it's £40:00 per bird plus vat split between the 8 x guns.  So if just one selfish minted gun shoots ten extra birds, (Which is easily do-able) that's another £480:00 on top to pay. 

Tomorrow for the actual shoot, plus beaters, game keepers tip, breakfast (Dinner with drinks are included in the day) is . . .  £600:00   and that is cheap nowadays for a days game shooting! On top of that it's a 'Schoolday' too so a days loss of earnings to boot

Why am I doing it? - Simply, my Lad has organised it months ago and talked me into it, plus the guns I'm shooting alongside are all known to me as they make up our normal syndicate.  Having said that, I don't intend to be doing another 'Pay Day' this season!  Limitations on the shoot? Apart from no plastic wads and a theoretical bag limit of 125 - none.  So I will be using my trusty Miroku 30" game gun with 30:5g No 6's fibre wads

Yes I am of course looking forward to it (At those prices - I have to), the wx forecast is good too

Griff

[ChrisB]

Have a good day.

As a complete aside just watched Liz Bonnin's drowning in plastic. I wonder if those that drove the steel shot lobby know that steel has to have plastic wads.

Just a thought.

[BroadAmbition]

I wouldn't know.  I know that I have not bought plastic wads for ages now as I refuse to do so.  It would be even better if the cartridge manufacturers would go back to producing cardboard / paper cases like they used to

Griff

[quo vadis]

Don't bite Griff

[ChrisB]

One shoot that I go on in Buckinghamshire has a lot of water and duck. Much to the chargrin of some we have banned steel which leaves us shooting bismuth with it's associated high cost. 

The reason for not allowing steel was firstly it does not kill like lead used to leading to a higher incident of "runners" but also from a safety point of view it is very inclinded to ricochet, many of our ponds are in wooded areas and we had a beater hit, thankfully nothing serious from a perfectly safe shot from ricocheting steel shot.

Likewise we do not allow copper or nickel coated shot for the same reason.

Like you I have not bought plastic wads for a long time.

[BroadAmbition]

Well what a great day out that was.  We exceeded the bag by 14 so ended up with 139 total, all partridge (french) bar two Pheasants

By the final drive I had 14 so elected to not shoot the last drive but give my gun to a total novice who was there picking up with his dog for the day.  Said novice has never held a shotgun before but was keen to do so, plus the peg  I was on was at the end of the line, which made it easier for me to keep him safe.   I was on his shoulder talking him through the exercise.  He fired off 19 cartridges without achieving one hit which was understandable but he did enjoy it. I will in the near future get him down to my local clay ground.  Can't really mention his name as he is one of the strikers for my beloved Donny Rovers (Alfie May - I never said that).  Anyroadup where was I? - On completion of the shooting it was dinner in the farmhouse provided by the game keepers wife and very nice it was too.  I couldn't take Macie dog as dogs / pickers were provided and my remit was to be chauffeured around and just shoot and enjoy the day

I now have 8 x Partridge hanging outside on MrsG's hanging basket frames (She hates me doing that) they will be going down to Norfolk with me for the Lads week where I shall be producing roast partridge with all the trimmings on Saturday evening

Griff