KINCARDINE SHOOTING

The shooting grounds at Kincardine Estate are currently leased to a third party. This does not preclude us, however, from procuring high quality game shooting in the locality. It does however mean that we need a good lead time if we are to obtain quality shooting for you. Below I have tried to detail the main categories of shooting that are available.

As its name suggests walked-up shooting involves the guns doing the walking, flushing the game and shooting. This is the healthier option, involving more exercise. It is generally cheaper as it involves fewer assistants. Owing to the fact that the shooters are moving, sometimes over rough ground, it requires experience and discipline to ensure safety. For groups from 2 to 8 guns - depending on territory.

With driven shooting the game is driven towards the guns by beaters. This is probably more suitable for those with less experience as it is easier to place a 'minder' with them to ensure safety and help improve their shooting. For groups of 6 - 8 guns.

It is also possible to have a mix of the above with half the shooting party walking up game and flushing birds towards the other half as standing guns and then swapping roles.

GROUSE: Season 12th August to 10th December. In reality almost all grouse shooting is completed by the end of October even in a good season. Walk-up shooting is for August to mid-September as they get too wild thereafter. Grouse live on the heather moors and hills and the scenery and surroundings on late summer and early autumn days can be beyond compare.

Grouse shooting is in great demand and it is not easy to procure good quality walked up or driven shooting so a year's advance notice is not too short.

As grouse are wild birds they are, despite all the keepers' efforts to ensure favourable habitat and conditions for a successful breeding season, always susceptible to inclement weather conditions. Owners may cancel days even if they've been booked a year ahead, at quite short notice if they find that the weather or disease has left few birds to shoot.

Walked up grouse is often arduous work and guns can find it a challenge at first to manage both to look down to ensure a secure footing while keeping close watch out ahead for the first moment that grouse flush out of the heather. Wait for someone else to draw your attention to the birds and its too late. Guns should be fit. Cost: from around £250 per gun per day upwards depending on bag + VAT & gratuities.

Driven grouse is simply the best game bird shooting ever. It is challenging enough to shoot a single bird coming at you at 50 mph when it is only 3 feet above the ground and swerving and weaving to the contours and the wind. Add the shock of a covey of 10 birds, or a pack of 150 birds each doing that; then add a 25 mph or more wind; then add the challenge of remembering where each bird fell in the heather; the fact that you get no warning of their arrival and the horizon is only 40 yards away and you get the idea. While less walking is involved than for walking-up the hikes to the butts can still be quite arduous. Cost: if you have to ask . . .

LOW GROUND SHOOTING: Principally the game birds are pheasants but other options include driven partridge and bags often include snipe, woodcock, duck and woodpigeon.

Low ground shooting is more reliable than grouse shooting in that the pheasants, partridge and duck can be reared. There is less likelihood of cancellation owing to stock failure but weather can still interfere. So it is possible to procure shooting at shorter notice but nevertheless, if it is quality you're looking for then plan ahead - especially with the more specialised products such as driven partridge.

Properties that provide shooting need to make commitments months, if not years, ahead to provide your shooting. They demand 50% deposit on booking and the balance well ahead of the shooting date.

The fact that shooters are almost without exception responsible citizens and safe handlers of guns seems to have been ignored by governments who have concluded, wrongly, that game shooters pose a threat to national security. It has become ever more difficult to import guns to the UK and much advance notice is required together with documentation and an import licence etc. It can all be arranged but don't leave it to the last minute. As an alternative we can arrange to hire guns for you. Not as nice as using your own gun but less trouble.

While seemingly a contradiction it is a well established fact that the management of land for game shooting benefits the ecology of the land leading to increases in the numbers and diversity of species when compared to land not managed for shooting. More information can be found on the following sites: