The True Worth of a Private Family Shoot

It might come as no surprise that in recent years’ time and time again the mutterings of “I’m not sure I'll carry this on next season” or “I might just buy a day next door instead” have been an uncomfortable undertone of conversations with hosts who own and run small family and private shoots across the country.

For those that are lucky enough to have the space or access to land where they can manage to put on a few days of sport every season for close friends and family are starting to feel the pinch, and undoubtedly start to ask themselves the question, is this really worth it? its no secret that although recently they have dropped to more realistic levels, the price of wheat, gas, electricity and fuel to name just a few have all been through the roof. Bird flu outbreaks and sanctions did no favours with the price of poults, there is always a hardworking, hungry and occasionally very thirsty team of beaters that need to be paid. And to top things off you need to feed your guests and quench their thirsts after a “hard” day in the field. After you have sat down and start to do a bit of simple arithmetic, your once happy go lucky shoot where there is as much anticipation on what’s for dinner as what peg you draw starts to become quite frankly, unaffordable.

So, we’ve established its expensive, you could easily go and buy a day or two on a commercial shoot and invite the same guns as you normally would on your own shoot for more or less the same amount of money. The added bonus of having passed on the pressure of organising, coordinating and running the day to the unfortunate shoot captain and keepers responsible for looking after you and your guests. The real question is, is it actually worth it? the short answer to that is yes!

There are so many perks of a private shoot that you just can’t get from anywhere else, the thing that jumps out at me the most is that every single one is unequivocally unique. When it comes down to the invitation, the host who has asked you to their little bit of sporting paradise, has asked you simply because they want you there, and more often than not it’s got nothing to do with your shooting capabilities. The pressure as a gun on these days is subsequently nil, if there are lots of birds fantastic if not, oh well!

My father has always said to me, often when I’m fretting about the lack of, or potentially an alien obduction of birds just before a days shooting at home  “don’t worry about the birds, it’s a shooting party not a day’s shooting” and I understand more as I get older that that’s what often differentiates someone who “gets it” as opposed to someone who “doesn’t”. You always have to remind yourself, if a guest can’t enjoy a day here then they came for the wrong reasons and that invitation was probably a waste of perfectly good paper.

  There is never a worry about reaching a certain bag, and if it happens that your dog decides that after all season of behaving immaculately that this day is the day it was going to show off how terrible and wild it could be, just to match your bad shooting then fine by me. we’ll laugh about it at dinner.

One thing that these days allow for is complete flexibility. My father’s favourite stunt is forgetting who he has invited, its never surprising when he tells me he has a team of nine guns but no less than twelve guns turn up in the morning. I’ve managed to rise above this issue. It’s my mother who hasn’t quite got to grips with it. Afterall instead of serving eighteen guns and partners dinner she must scrape around the back of the fridge for a feast of upwards of twenty-four and naturally anything less that perfect will not do.

If one of the guests has asked if he could let his son shoot a drive with his 410., of course! Father and daughter sharing a peg? no problem. This is a place where memories are made and it’s my firm belief that it’s our responsibility to keep this going for the next generation, if they’re not taking part through beating or shooting or just going for a ride on the game cart tying up a few pheasants, then where will we be in twenty years?

So, we’ve covered that family shoots are unique, inclusive, relaxed and probably bad for your weight but all of this I speak for ourselves, what about the wildlife?

It’s no secret that keeping game is beneficial to other wildlife, steady predator control and winter feeding allow for many creatures to be given a helping hand through the difficult winter months. Often you find on these little shoots that are managed for just a few days sport a season will be putting aside plenty of habitat for wildlife to thrive in. They are never shot too regularly and for those few superb days out there are many thankful songbirds and a much less disturbed natural dynamic. Of course, there’s much more to it than just shooting the odd fox and putting a few feeders out, but if there is general care and attention to what you are trying to achieve the other wildlife will benefit and your rewards should show.

Who would be mad enough to create or run a private shoot simply for our friends and family’s entertainment? An added financial cost where the host could easily believe that his own flesh and blood are not deserving. Who would make his own land less financially viable? Who would manage their own land to simply benefit wildlife and manage it in a way where we all benefit? Well, I would, and I think given the chance we all should. The pleasure of seeing your or someone else’s grandchild shooting their first bird, or the pleasure of seeing the same beaters year after year, right down to enjoying watching the wild brood of pheasant chicks wonder over a track to the safety of a hedge that you planted with that exact purpose in mind, is all extremely pleasurable.

There is no question that its hard work but it’s yours all yours, no matter how big or small, these private family shoots must carry on for the benefit of field sports and the wildlife for the future generations to enjoy. It’s worth it.