Have you done a driven pheasant/grouse hunt in the UK or Spain?

Hornedfrogbbq said:

I hate yo be yhe idiot but you all are used to my stupid questions - just how exp2nsive are these shoots?

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Depends where you want to shoot, how much you want to shoot, who you know, and how fancy you want it to be. Same as any shooting discipline really.

For my own part, I used to do some beating for the local shoot as a child and as a teenager. Got paid GBP30/day or so for the beating, got free food and drinks out of it, got some free pheasants to take home, and then got beaters day at the end of the season for free. A good way to learn the etiquette and make some connections for potential invitations too.

After uni I used to be a member of a small roving syndicate. GBP 1000 and a hundred or so in tips for the keepers landed us 6 - 8 days a year. Small bags, usually 10-30 for the day across 8 guns, a keeper and a couple of beaters, a mix of walked up and driven shooting. Typically self catered. Good sporting birds, but nothing too crazy.

I also did commercial days every now and again with a friend. This'd probably be the entry level for someone looking to fly over and buy a single day on a commercial shoot. Hard to join a syndicate or an established shoot without some connections and without being in country long term. They ran GBP200-300 for the day, with lunch, a proper team of beaters and pickers up, usually about 10-20 birds a piece.

Then there's the posh shoots. 300+ bird days, sometimes double guns with a loader, lots of beaters, lunch, port and elevensies, usually a meal after. I only attended those when someone extended an invitation, but I think they'd be around GBP600-1000 if bought commercially.

Driven grouse is generally on the expensive end of things. I think the going rate is around GBP2-5k/day these days. More for the very high end shoots. I was working towards that when I made the move to the states, but hadn't managed to wrangle myself an invitation, or hit the net worth goal where I'd promised myself a day before I left. I might have to go back and tick that off the bucket list sometime.

I enjoyed them all, but I must admit the little walked up days with my group of syndicate friends and my old hammer gun were probably the most memorable.

I do miss UK game shooting...

Hornedfrogbbq said:

I hate yo be yhe idiot but you all are used to my stupid questions - just how exp2nsive are these shoots?

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Several UK shooting organisations and charities get together to run a survey every year: the 2025 results show that the average price paid per pheasant or partridge on a driven day in the previous season was about £50+VAT so call it £60 all in (some shoots are run as “sporting clubs” and aren’t required to charge VAT but these are often syndicates that one joins for several days a season rather than one off let days, although exceptions exist).

So the average 100 bird day is going to cost somewhere in the region of £6,000 shared between 8-10 guns (£600-750 each), a 200 bird day double that and so on.

Obviously this is an average: you could pay half this amount, you could pay double. The variable is typically how “smart” the shoot is. A farm shoot with a handful of beaters and one or two pickers up shooting 50-75 birds over 500-600 acres could well be £40/bird all in. A several thousand acre estate owned by someone with a title who has the king on speed dial and offers 300 bird days with 20+ beaters and an army of pickers up will be reaching up to £100/bird.

Grouse is a different level: the few days that I’m aware of having made it to the open market this year have been offered at £240-£260+VAT a brace (this is how grouse are traditionally sold: a brace is two birds). We’re coming off a couple of really bad years for grouse at the moment (there’s a natural boom and bust cycle) so supply is limited and demand pent up.

That typically includes the full bag +/- an “overage” of 10% but again this varies widely so it’s worth confirming all of the specifics with the individual shoot at the time of booking.

And usually food and refreshments throughout the day are also included. This can range from a full, sit down English breakfast at the start of the day to a bacon sandwich and a cup of coffee on arrival and lunch might range from a game stew made the ‘keeper’s wife to three courses with linen table cloths and classified growth Bordeaux wines.

The average pheasant and / or partridge shoot charging £50-60 per bird will be at one end of the spectrum, the fancy estate where you eat in the “big house” will be at the other and you can expect to pay (sometimes significantly) more per bird for that experience.

All options will invariably include a mid-morning refreshment break referred to as “elevenses” where sausages and either a Sloegasm (a drink made with slow gin and champagne) or a Damn Shame (the same bit with damson gin instead of sloe) will almost certainly feature!

In addition to the upfront of the cost of the day paid to the estate, factor in a tip for the game keeper (and / or beaters depending on local custom and a loader if you’re using one) and the cost of your cartridges. The average shots per bird in the UK is 3:1 but the variance is massive depending on what and where you’re shooting so again well worth checking.

One other note: unlike say Spain, driven shooting in the UK is a team sport. The bag is therefore accumulated by all 8-10 guns over somewhere between 4-6 drives usually. When the bag is met, the day is done (unless an arrangement has been made regarding overages) irrespective of how many birds each individual has shot (or shots they’ve fired if they’ve missed).

Any host worth their salt will do their utmost to ensure the shooting is spread evenly along the line and across the drives so that everyone has roughly equal opportunities throughout the day but it’s not an exact science and sometimes the birds and the weather don’t read the script.

The other variable is your fellow guns: sportsmanship and etiquette is a hugely important part of driven shooting in the UK for this very reason. A “greedy gun” will almost certainly not be invited back, nor will one who “reaches” and fires speculative shots at distant birds because he’s frustrated that he’s had a quiet drive.

This can all sound very daunting to the uninitiated but I promise it isn’t!

A great book that offers a lighthearted dive in to the traditions, etiquette and even clothing is “How to be asked again” by Rosie Nickerson.

Ontario Hunter said:

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50 yard passing shots will leave a lot of tough pheasants flying off shot up. And standing in one spot shooting has no attraction for me. None. Never been into dove hunting here either. It's more shooting than hunting ... actually no hunting involved at all. Solo stalking pheasants behind a good dog can't be beat. I do waterfowl hunt over decoys (also solo) but there is some skill involved in coercing the birds into range. Waiting for a bunch of beaters to push birds overhead involves no skill ... or endurance. Anyway, if we had more jump shooting available here, my goose decoys would go in the bin at Salvation Army.

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Every British driven gameshoot I've been on in my 50 years of involvement with this sport employs dog handlers ('picker-ups") to retrieve wounded birds. The picking up team can easily comprise 20+ dogs on larger days. The picker-ups stand several hundred yards behind the gun line and then use their dogs to gather up the birds after the drive. Wounded birds ('runners') are usually retrieved during the drive. It is considered unethical not to search for wounded birds.

Very interesting. Thanks for the enlightenment. I will have to find that book! It would be an expensive adventure for sure. But I never sat down and calculated how much each pheasant costs me every fall when I drive back to Montana to hunt. I very rarely hunt with anyone else, preferring instead to be on the move in the field as much and as long as possible, without rules. Almost never eat all day and very rarely even carry water. My diabetic brother sometimes tags along but he typically just turns me loose and lives vicariously. I have to keep an eye on him though but don't mind. He is a wonderful very special guy.

I'm not sure I would enjoy shooting with seven other people. Probably not. However, I was unsure I'd adapt to hunting with a guide the first time I went to Africa and it worked well. I'm not much into the campfire scene with booze and cigars (argh!). Fortunately, I have been the only client in the lodge four out of five safaris and my PH is a great guy.

@Alistair I think I could put up with you tagging along for a few days hunting Montana pheasants. Sadly, my dogs are getting long in the tooth now. Fr Britt is fifteen and Lab is eleven. So my season this year will likely be limited and days afield quite short. I'll be 74 by the time I leave but still hunting hard. Most guys half my age can't keep up. Sadly, I expect this will be the last hunting season for us.

Slim01 said:

Every British driven gameshoot I've been on in my 50 years of involvement with this sport employs dog handlers ('picker-ups") to retrieve wounded birds. The picking up team can easily comprise 20+ dogs on larger days. The picker-ups stand several hundred yards behind the gun line and then use their dogs to gather up the birds after the drive. Wounded birds ('runners') are usually retrieved during the drive. It is considered unethical not to search for wounded birds.

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Wow! Twenty retrievers. I'm guessing Labs? That would probably ruin the shooting for me. I'd be too busy watching the dogs. So everyone holds fire while a wounded bird is picked up?

Ontario Hunter said:

Wow! Twenty retrievers. I'm guessing Labs? That would probably ruin the shooting for me. I'd be too busy watching the dogs. So everyone holds fire while a wounded bird is picked up?

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Nope. The guns keep on shooting whilst wounded birds are retrieved. But everybody always shoots at a safe angle up in the sky so there are zero low shots and no risk of beaters or dogs being hit. And the guns are reloaded in safe direction too.

Ontario Hunter said:

Wow! Twenty retrievers. I'm guessing Labs? That would probably ruin the shooting for me. I'd be too busy watching the dogs. So everyone holds fire while a wounded bird is picked up?

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Mainly labs and spaniels (cockers or springers). You'll often see one handler working 4 to 6 dogs, and the level of control even at long distance is really impressive.

I don't want to calculate what ducks cost me these days. I don't get out as much but keep all the dogs and leases and annual costs.

Thanks for all of the help. I went ahead and booked one of these. Will post a report.

I would like to do a walk up day for grouse and a mixed bag day, followed by a goose or duck day. I’ve also seen driven blue harrs That looks amazing.

dogcat1 said:

Thanks for all of the help. I went ahead and booked one of these. Will post a report.

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Have fun!

One thing to bear in mind when you go; unlike most shooting, driven game is a 'team sport'. Being from Germany you might well be familiar with that concept from driven boar or the like.

Your conduct will impact your enjoyment, but also the enjoyment of everyone else there.

Be safe, drink responsibly, be gracious if you're shooting well and your neighbor is not, don't be grumpy if the situation is reversed. Engage in conversation.

Know which birds are yours and which are your neighbours, understand what the bag is and what quality of bird the ground is able to provide. Pick your shots accordingly. Be polite to the keeper and to the beaters, they'll make or break your day. Mark your birds, make sure they get picked up, if you're not sure, best to check with the picking up team after the drive.

No need to be silly about it, but a bit of tradition is part of the fun. Dressing the part, using the right gun, etc.

Tipping is expected, making a big deal out of it absolutely is not. Make sure you have some cash on hand. It's generally considered polite to take a brace home with you, although as you're clearly not going to be a local people will be understanding. Better if your hotel is willing to cook em for you though. Often there's a sweepstakes on guessing the bag. There's no requirement to participate, but if it's the shoot custom, probably polite to do so.

I expect you'll have a great time!

Alistair said:

Have fun!

One thing to bear in mind when you go; unlike most shooting, driven game is a 'team sport'. Being from Germany you might well be familiar with that concept from driven boar or the like.

Your conduct will impact your enjoyment, but also the enjoyment of everyone else there.

Be safe, drink responsibly, be gracious if you're shooting well and your neighbor is not, don't be grumpy if the situation is reversed. Engage in conversation.

Know which birds are yours and which are your neighbours, understand what the bag is and what quality of bird the ground is able to provide. Pick your shots accordingly. Be polite to the keeper and to the beaters, they'll make or break your day. Mark your birds, make sure they get picked up, if you're not sure, best to check with the picking up team after the drive.

No need to be silly about it, but a bit of tradition is part of the fun. Dressing the part, using the right gun, etc.

Tipping is expected, making a big deal out of it absolutely is not. Make sure you have some cash on hand. It's generally considered polite to take a brace home with you, although as you're clearly not going to be a local people will be understanding. Better if your hotel is willing to cook em for you though. Often there's a sweepstakes on guessing the bag. There's no requirement to participate, but if it's the shoot custom, probably polite to do so.

I expect you'll have a great time!

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Great advice!

dogcat1 said:

Thanks for all of the help. I went ahead and booked one of these. Will post a report.

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Ross, What part of the country did you book the shoot in ? Pheasant or partridge or mixed ?

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Great info re UK.

I had a friend of a friend ask about wing shooting in Spain just last weekend.

Anyone here done that?

Tintin said:

Great info re UK.

I had a friend of a friend ask about wing shooting in Spain just last weekend.

Anyone here done that?

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https://www.africahunting.com/threa...e-hunt-in-the-uk-or-spain.106246/post-1674842

@JES Adventures

A bit embarassing - not sure how I missed that.

N

Ontario Hunter said:

Wow! Twenty retrievers. I'm guessing Labs? That would probably ruin the shooting for me. I'd be too busy watching the dogs. So everyone holds fire while a wounded bird is picked up?

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Usually Spaniels in my experience in UK and elsewhere . Sometimes see a Lab .

I do a lot of wing shooting . Generally driven pheasant , sometimes partridge . I’ve shot in UK ( Studley Royal / Fountains Abbey) - just glorious - 300 bird day with 8 guns . Stayed at Ripon and drove out for the day . Some sloe gin before we started , elevenses with pies , sausage rolls and another drink . A big late lunch at the end of the day . Didn’t know a single person apart from my host . It was a big production number with beaters , loaders ( I shot my pair of Grants ) an army of picker uppers with dogs . Everyone got on really well . Over the last 10 years I’ve been focussed on driven pheasant in Tasmania . Again 300 bird days -a big production . Sometimes with friends sometimes as an add on to other groups . We stay overnight at the shoot - eat and drink . I enjoy meeting new people . I am now devoting my self to shooting Poronui Lodge near Taupo in New Zealand . I have never ever seen such big fast birds coming off the hills in swarms . Tough shooting but we got the bag . The accommodation and food / drink is incredible - but it is not cheap . Again I just make up the spare gun . Both the Tasmanian and NZ shoots are quite formal and run on British lines . I’d love to do grouse at some stage . Also looking to wing shooting in South Africa next year . Just can’t get enough of it .

Charlie64 said:

Ross, What part of the country did you book the shoot in ? Pheasant or partridge or mixed ?

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Wales area.