The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Outfitters - Offered and Discounted Hunts UK Deer & Game Bird Shooting PackageGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| UK Deer & Game Bird Shooting Package | Login/Join |
one of us |
All, I thought it may be interesting to share some of the game shooting we have to offer here in the UK. We have had a number of enquiries from various contacts asking what is on offer, so I thought I'd put together a variety package as the options are varied and wide. I have focused on an East Anglian Estate with easy access from London airports. The idea is to have the opportunity to hunt with both rifle and shotgun over 4-5 days and experience a different aspect of the sport each day while maintaining the traditional English shooting experience. Some of the shooting I have arranged has been featured in the Double Gun Journal so I can get references to issue numbers if you would like to take a look. Dates to be between Oct 1st to Jan 31st but we recommend middle of November onward. All dates are subject to availability. The sample itinerary is as follows & based on 6 hunters in a team to make up the line: Day 1: • Arrival at London Heathrow • Collection and transfer to the estate. • Evening High Seat Stalking for Muntjac, Roe or Fallow. • Dinner & Overnight. Day 2: • Breakfast & Morning Briefing • 200 Bird Pheasant & Partridge Fully Driven Day. • Elevenses & Lunch in the field. • All Transport included • Post Shoot Dinner • Overnight Day 3: • Breakfast & Morning Briefing • 100 Birds Walked Up Shooting over dogs and Mini Driven. • Elevenses & Lunch in the field. • All Transport included • Post Shoot Dinner • Overnight Day 4: • Breakfast & Morning Briefing • 200 Bird Driven Duck Shoot. • Lunch In Estate House • Evening High Seat Stalking for Muntjac Roe or Fallow. • All Transport included • Post Shoot Dinner • Overnight Day 5: • Breakfast • Transfer at our leisure to London • Perhaps visit some gun shops if time allows • Depart from London Heathrow. Based on 6 Guns Cost would be £3,000 per gun Price includes: • Collection and transfer to and from London airports • Pre issuance of temporary firearm permits for your own guns. • All accommodation for the duration of your stay. • Breakfast Lunch and Dinner for the duration of your stay. • All Transport to and from the shooting locations • Optional use of our English double guns (hammer and hammerless) from provincial to best London makers. • Trophy fee for one Deer per outing. Price Does not include: • International airfare. • Keepers Tips. • Ammunition costs. • Personal expenses. All Lodging is Full board based on staying at the Estate House. Full board means Breakfast, and Dinner and to include beer and wine in moderation with dinner. Lunch is generally snacks or hamper taken in the field Additional Deer and game may be shot at prearranged prices, or the anticipated bag may be increased/decreased in advance if required. Feel free to post or PM any questions as I know there are a lot of misconceptions about English shooting especially starting with the apparent impossibility to bring your own guns here. I can assure you this is not the case!! Regards, Kiri Athina Hunting Tours Tel: 0044 7930 536386 Email: info@athinahuntingtours.com | ||
|
One of Us |
In response to a few private inquiries I've had herewith a short glossary for those not acquainted with the British shooting scene: 1. "Shooting": In the UK this is a catch all phrase with the meaning of "hunting" in American English or "Jagd" in Germanic languages. 2. "Game shooting": The hunting of small game, both ground and feathered though usually taken to mean feathered, in various manners ( see below ) with the implication of using a shotgun as the sporting arm.  3. "Stalking": In this context it means what would be called "Deer hunting" in American English rather than just the final approach and kill, though it used to describe that manner of deer hunting as well! The three main methods are "High seat", "Stalking" ( In this usage properly ) and a mixture of the two typically seeing in first and last light from a seat and stalking during the rest of the morning or afternoon. 4. "High seat": Called a "stand" in American English or the wonderfully named "Hochsitz", or perch, of Germanic fame. In the UK we tend not shoot over feeders or bait but rather site these seats in areas of high deer traffic, for example along the wood's edge between fields and forestry or taking advantage of geographical features in more remote places.  5. "Muntjac": A small and rather unusual species of deer, originally not native to the UK. Tasty little buggers and as they never keep still very satisfying to stalk. 6 "Roe": This small deer needs no introduction from me, suffice to say that the UK and Scottish populations are high and that the UK produces trophies second only to Scandinavia in terms of quality and mass. Their popularity with European hunters has pushed the prices up for the UK stalkers but reasonably priced sport is still plentiful. 7. "Fallow": Another widespread deer, good populations exists in the UK and we have some excellent trophies. 8. "Reds": The world famous Red deer. We have three varieties the monster lowland reds reaching up to 400lbs, the smaller and leaner hill stags of Scotland and red/Sika deer hybrids. These last are persona non granta in most places but rewarding to stalk in their own right. 9. "CWD": Chinese water deer, a fascinating species of non-native deer with tusks! They look like vampire deer but are the physically weakest of all UK deer, however being larger than muntjac but smaller than roe, and a successful shot with the light coming from behind will result in a spectacular halo of hair being blown off the animal. You need to see it to understand I guess..... 10. Sika: Sika deer are a non-native species similar to red deer with which they can hybridise. This is much to the chagrin of the gamekeepers and forestry owners. I believe the UK is the only place in the world where Sika can be hunted by all and the brooding disdain with which which one of the big boys regards the stalker is quite something. Ask your stalker if he can arrange to go stalking them in the mist, their eerie wails and whistles will raise the hairs on the back of your neck! 11. "Driven day": A day shooting whatever species of bird hunted that is formal ( In that a certain dress code is adhered to and a certain standard of conduct expected ) by the "guns" ( The hunters ) arranged out in a given piece of land , standing in a particular place ( The hunter's "peg" ). A team of beaters with dogs then attempt to drive the birds out of holding cover over the heads of the guns. There is considerable art to this and the best gamekeepers ( Those rough blokes doing all the hard work year in, year out ) present a steady stream of birds trying to get them to fly as high as possible over the guns. In the case of less experienced guns, the birds will be driven in such a manner as to fly lower.   12."Walked up": Also called "rough shooting" this is the walking of fields and woods with a few good friends and hopefully more than a few good dogs, shooting whatever happens to be in season and to the taste of the individual sportsman. I must confess that this is my favourite sport with the shotgun; A friend, an English side-by-side, a good spaniel and some lunch are all I need to keep me happy in the field.  13. "Bag limit": This is more of a measure of the expected bag, given a team of decent guns, than a hard and fast figure on how many birds will be brought to bag. In the case of excellent shots a good keeper will push the birds higher and faster to ensure they have challenging and sporting shooting, whilst in the case of less able guns the keeper will endevour to put the birds lower over the guns to ensure they make numbers. In either case it is a measure of the how frenetic the day's sport is rather than how long the day lasts. There is usually a 10 % leeway on either side where the bag is said to have been met, more birds shot are extra money fewer means some sort of redress from the estate.  Oh, almost forgot..... 14. "Elevensies": An ancient and hallowed tradition of stopping between the morning drives to imbibe such vitals as good port, decent sherry and hairy-chested Armagnac together with cakes, biscuits, little cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut and pork pies. Please don't be fooled by the mention of booze, it is tradition to have a tipple at elevensies but then it is also a tradition to observe guests at these sorts of events to judge whether or not one is ever inviting them back. If you start drinking seriously, expect to be sent home!    Hope that helps lads, feel free to pm me with any questions. Yours, GH | |||
|
| Administrator |
Kiri Please post all the details, including the price of this hunt. | |||
|
| one of us |
Saeed, my apologies, The price is buried somewhere in the middle of the post, and is £3,000 per hunter. A couple of points to add for clarity. It is not necessary that a full team of six takes the package in one hit. We can make up a team of interested hunters from individuals or pairs if necessary. The estates that we shoot over will be a variety over the course of the trip, to cater for the teams ability and desires. The main ones we will choose from will be Ampton, Long Melford and Box Tree. This means that hunters are able to experience the differences of shooting the big pheasant covert's when the leaves are off of the trees, and also the very testing late season partridges driven from the strategically sited game cover crops. The estates in question here are famous in their own right as some of the finest shooting especially for partridges to be had in the historical home of driven game bird shooting, that is East Anglia. The full time staff of keepers are there to ensure that the guns experience excellent sport throughout their stay. I have personally been shooting on these estates for the last 10 years hence my relationship and confidence in taking along clients. The hospitality is excellent and the days are run on a friendly and informal basis without disregard for the traditions inherent in the day. Transfer times are about 2 hours form London Heathrow, and I would be able to prearrange permits to allow you to enter the UK with your shotguns hassle free. Alternatively we can make best English sidelocks available to you free of charge. The same applies to rifles. I hope that covers all the necessary but if I have still missed something out then please let me know and I will add it in. What we aim for here is to put in place all the logistical framework, around the simple part of organising excellent shooting, which makes it accessible to people from around the world. Rgds, Kiri | |||
|
| one of us |
I haven't looked recentely but is that about $4,400 US? DB Bill aka Bill George | |||
|
One of Us |
'Looks like an excellent arrangement, especially for a "yank" (with English heritage) to experience. I can't get six mates together to do it, but it's darn sure tempting. | |||
|
One of Us |
That sounds like a fun trip! ~Ann   | |||
|
One of Us |
Hunting in England is good fun. I was there 8 years ago on a Roe, Muntjac, and Chineese Water Deer hunt. I saw the biggest fallow deer that I've seen anywhere, huge reds (even compared to NZ), and a few sika. Good fun to stalk all through the day and end up in a pub for drinks and dinner at the end of the day. 3000BPS with the bird shooting included makes this a good deal IMO. My $.02. Will J. Parks, III | |||
|
| one of us |
Bill, Yes that amounts to about US$4,450 at today's rates Which I think is good value. We have taken the approach that rather than increase the price of the shooting, we make our money by adding value and service. I'm hoping that this justifies the cost and makes for a successful trip and makes a sport we are quite proud of available to people over seas. Safari Lawyer, Indeed there are some enourmous red deer available in the UK and also some very big Sika too, (along with the others). Currently many think that these are mainly available in the deer parks which are private collections within a couple of thousand fenced acres. However I was in Scotland visiting a couple of very large estates recently who have access to some huge red deer stags in the forestry. These animals are entirely wild and free ranging , and unlike their hill cousins the forestry is happy for some trophy's to be shot. Like any wild hunting there are no guarantees apart from the fact you will have great fun and be well looked after but the animals are there. I will post some pictures shortly when I get a chance. Rgds, K | |||
|
| one of us |
Take a look here for a picture of one of the Muntjac taken at this location last year on a hunt we do every year for the Euro forum. Brian just put this up and I thought it might be of interest for those that have not hunted this species before. Rgds, Kiri | |||
|
| One of Us |
I've added some pictures generally to give a feel of it, if there is an appetite for pictures of the specific estates in question I am happy to post, but sensitive to the problems of dial-up users!  | |||
|
| One of Us |
This is quite a good deal. A lot of the driven shoots are charging roughly 40GBP/bird these days and that's just for the shooting. Here,you've got 500 birds plus stalking and accomodations, etc for less than what the birds alone would cost. And the estates are all well known. Equally, it looks like you'll be shooting with the notorious Dig Hadoke, whose ability to consume beer after the shoot is as legendary as his prose style, so be prepared. It sounds like a good time and a fine introduction to UK shooting. | |||
|
| one of us |
Leo, Indeed Dig will be on all of these days and will be providing English sidelocks or hammer guns for those that wish to use them. Some will be shoot captained by him too. I am however concerned that you know Digs evil twin brother because I've seen the real Dig drink beer and there's a couple of girl scout troops that would put him to shame!!  I just spoke to him and he sends his regards. He is in a field smoking cigars and shooting the odd pigeon with Michael J. Rgds, Kiri | |||
|
| One of Us |
Kiri, I thought it was generally understood that our moments of shame with Girl Scouts were to remain outside the public domain. Although, there will be an article on this in the next Rolling Stone. Best to all, Leo | |||
|
One of Us |
Nice to see you found a photo of me with the smallest fallow in England, while dressed as a pigeon shooter! Seriously, the shoots will be god fun and good value. We shot theses estates last year and we have a good core team of Guns and plenty of classy old iron for guests to shoot with. | |||
|
| One of Us |
You think that's bad, I also managed to find the photo of me dressed as a lost russian pheasant shooter! That's not the smallest fallow in England, if you recall you shot that two outings earlier, that's the famous six-million dollar doe, Enid the wanderer. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Ah yes, that one was even smaller but was designated an honorary muntjac as I recall, so no longer officially a fallow. | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Outfitters - Offered and Discounted Hunts UK Deer & Game Bird Shooting Package
Visit our on-line store for AR Memorabilia
