I'll be flying over to England in the nd of November to go on a pheasant shoot I've been invited to for a couple of days. It's near Oxford. One thing I'm wondering about though is how warm/cold it is over there now? Besides a weatherproof jacket, is it necessary with wool long underwear etc? I've been told that I'll have to wear a shirt and tie under my jacket, which is fine (although not what I usually wear when hunting/shooting), and I'm presuming that a wool or fleece sweater would be an idea in additon. Or is it quite warm there now?

As I've never been on a pheasant shoot, I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like.

Any and all info is appreciated!

Erik,
cold frosty mornings at that time of year,7/8 degrees during the day should about normal.

regards

griff

ps. jumper, shirt and tie is the custom

Thanks for the weather tip Griff. As I usually hunt grouse flying away from me, it'll be interesting to see how things go with the pheasant flying towards me instead.

Erik,

Up until now we are experiencing a warm November in southern England, don't restrict your gun swing by wearing too many layers!

Give me a PM prior to you leaving and I can give you an exact forecast, I have a gamekeeper friend who is not a million miles away from Oxford.

We could do with some hard weather to bring the pheasants back to the woods for the feed, the last couple of seasons have been a bit too mild, I am praying for a cold spell!

Do you guys have any suggestions when it comes to chokes? I'll be using a 20 gauge with interchangable chokes. I've been told by some that Improved Cylinder and Modified is a good idea. But then some others have suggested going a bit tighter.

Improved Cylinder and modified will do you fine. If you need some peace of mind then slip a improved modified into your jacket pocket and you will be able to switch it if you feel you need it after a couple of drives.

My 20bore is Improved Cylinder and modified, and anything I miss is down to me and not the chokes!!

Good luck on the shoot and post some photo's for us to look at.

Nightwalkers advice on layers is also very sound. You will need to be able to swing freely if you are to shoot well and enjoy yourself, so by the same toke try to carry shells in a cartridge bag rather than loading your pockets up.

Regards,
FB

quote:

so by the same toke try to carry shells in a cartridge bag rather than loading your pockets up.

FB,

I must admit that I don't have a cartridge bag.

Never had any use for one here in Norway...

Is using a cartridge belt unheard of? And then have the rest of the shells in a small backpack next to me?

Hey Eric,

Yes that would be fine.

To be honest I think the only thing you "SHOULD" do is make sure you enjoy your day and don't worry about the formalities too much. A dozen shells in your pocket won't hinder you at all.

It's just that I have an uncle who empties about 2-3 boxes of shells into his pockets in the morning and can't understand why he can't swing on high birds!!!! he is lifting about 5lb of weight everytime he monts the gun!!

A cartridge belt is a good idea. I like them and many people use them again nowadays.

Are a group of you coming over? How many birds are you planning on shooting? I'm assuming you have arranged for the shoot to provide shells or are you bringing some with you?

Best regards,
FB

FB,

I will definatly enjoy the 2 days of shooting, formalites or not!

And don't worry, I had no intention of walking around with my pockets stuffed with ammo.

I've been invited by my wifes grandfather to join him and a few others. As he's 86 now, I think things will be set up in a rather non-strenuous way. I'm not sure how many birds are planned. The shells will be provided there, as lugging kilos of them from Norway is kind of silly IMO. Shells are probably cheaper in England anyway. And over here, lead is now banned. Which I think it is not yet in England? Shooting hundreds(?) of Bismuth shells is kind of expensive IMO, and I don't like steel.

As I will be flying into London on the Sunday evening before we drive down to Woodstock, I plan on visiting a few gunmakers in the morning just for fun. Purdey, H&H and Boss perhaps. They're all near the apartment I'll be staying overnight in (Chesterfield House(?) on South Audley Street). I'm not very familier in London, but have understood these places are all pretty close.

Thanks for your input!

Eric,

Yes you can indeed still shoot pheasants with lead although if any duck are on the menu you must use a non toxic shot shell.

I am out on Saturday for a day out with some freinds. My dad is in town from Cyprus, some freinds from Ireland and the PH from Africa is arriving tomorrow to join us So I have put my girlfreind on photo duty for the day!!

Can't wait,
FB

quote:

Originally posted by ErikD:
Do you guys have any suggestions when it comes to chokes? I'll be using a 20 gauge with interchangable chokes. I've been told by some that Improved Cylinder and Modified is a good idea. But then some others have suggested going a bit tighter.

Erik,
I must say that 'improved' and 'modified' would not be my knee-jerk recommendation for pheasant...find out if they consider their shoot to be a 'high pheasant' shoot....in which case at least 3/4 and 1/2.

I think I'll just bring the chokes with me, and find out when I get there as conditions can obviously vary.