Just got back from a great hunt in the UK!

I first called AR’s Mike Taylor last January or so. I wanted to put together a multi week trip for my wife and I. London weekends for my wife, and stalking/shooting during the week for me. I wanted to add a roe to my preCovid Chinese water deer and muntjac as well as a driven bird shoot of some sort. And finally stag in the Scottish highlands.


Mike took my wants and worked out some amazing deals for my wife and I.


First was the weekend in London for my wife. And a trip to Farlows to get the last bit of proper shooting clothes for me.

At the beginning of the first week, we took a car to England for two days of roe deer stalking. On the last morning, just when I was getting in the position for a nice roe , he bolted. A few minutes later, a lady walking her dog comes up the foot path. Oh well, that’s stalking in England. Roe will wait for another day
Next took a train to Shropshire to meet Mike for a driven partridge hunt. Oh my, that was likely the high point of our trip. And it almost didn’t happen. The original shoot was canceled about a week before we left the states. Mike scrambled, called in favors I’m sure, and had us back in a shoot. And what a shoot! Driven partridge. Sloe gin, damson gin, champagne, savory elevenses, wonderful guns who treated us like friends, lots of birds, and ended the day with gin & tonics, plenty of wine and a lamb dinner. I wanted to shoot a SxS and Mike provided a nice Beretta 12 bore. I was a bit nervous about my wing shooting before and had spent hours on the clay range getting ready. And it paid off in spades. First drive, left barrel, right barrel and two partridges on the ground! It was a magical day to say the least.
A day or two in Shrewsbury sightseeing, walking, shopping and back to London.
The following week we took the overnight sleeper train to Scotland. Rented a car in Inverness and drove along Loch Ness to the highlands. Great bed and breakfast where Julie and Nigel were wonderful hosts and went far beyond the typical b&b hosts. The estate was amazing. Thousands of acres. The walking was hard but rewarding. Amazing views of Loch Sunart. I used the camp rifle which was a Blaser R8 with a Swarovski scope in 6.5 PRC. It was a death ray. Two stags over two days of stalking.
Then, back to London for a third weekend before flying home.

Mike was superb. Always responsive to a text or zoom call. He keep me informed all along the way as things beyond his control changed. And he always gave me the final say before any changes. And even a better guy in person over dinner the evening before the shoot.

Now, how to get back over for another driven shoot………

Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for sharing and you're providing some motivation, at least for me.

PICTURES PLEASE

I’ll get some pictures up in a day or two.