Shoot Review: Molland With The Shooting Chauffeur

As an experienced shot I felt comfortable with gun safety and etiquette, both on and off the peg, and the 10 year break wasn't a problem. However, what I did lack were some of the more basic necessities of a day's shooting - namely a car to get around.

On the travel front there is something about having your own vehicle to base yourself from, particularly if you are away for several days. Most guns will admit jumping in with someone is great, but you have to make sure you have everything you need for the day. No matter how many times I say to myself whilst packing "gun, boots, coat, cartridges, cap", there's always a chance I'll leave something behind, and there's nothing worse than squelching to the first peg in suede brogues - I promise you...

Hiring a suitable vehicle was also going to be costly and I wasn't going to buy since I was still flying in and out of the UK for work. There was also the matter of where I keep my guns, cartridges and shooting clothing. I couldn’t keep everything in one place without a permanent base in the UK and there would then be the logistical matter of getting it to where I was shooting that day. Having read about The Shooting Chauffeur, I then decided to enquire more about the services that they offer with a view to using them for the season if the first day was to go well. It's nice to learn a bit about the history of the estate from your loader, but there's nothing worse than waiting for a gun on a double gun day, or cartridges to go in the gun whilst birds are coming over. Trialling a loader and then sticking with them for a season was a must for me.

The first day was to be an early partridge shoot at Molland Estate in Devon. A fantastic place to shoot with stunning views and great shooting topography. Having travelled down the night before it had been recommended to stay at a local hotel where the service can only be described as first class. The Devon steak for supper was cooked to perfection and did not disappoint. The large room was fit for a king with stunning views. Breakfast continued to impress with a fantastic range on offer, sadly the full english was left for another visit, but the scrambled eggs on toast was a perfect way to kick things off.

Having met The Shooting Chauffeur at the hotel in the morning we loaded up and headed for the shoot. The drive there was around half an hour which once off the main road allowed us to wind up and down the country lanes, taking in the fantastic views on the way. Upon arrival there were the usual smells coming from the kitchen and a warm welcome awaited along with fresh coffee. We soon drew pegs and were back in the vehicles making our way to the first drive.

The drives were a mix of grassland valleys with woods either side and birds flying out and over the top. As we had spoken about before the first drive, footwork and gun speed were to prove crucial all day as drive after drive we were tested. I was a little rusty to start with, and found myself rushing to shoot the second barrel and therefore not picking up the next bird properly. A little advice in my ear turned what would have been frustration on the peg into success. Once I started to pick the birds up correctly I began to achieve better kill to cartridge ratios and was even bringing down some absolute screaming left and rights. Having someone as helpful and respectful behind was a real asset and not only boosted my confidence but prevented any bad habits from creeping in again.

The best drive of the day was certainly the last one. A short drive from the farm, we left the cars and walked down a grass slope to the bottom, where we turned to see a clump of trees at the top of the hill, behind where we had left the cars. As the guns were being readied three birds were startled from behind the cover and gave us a glimpse of what was to come. What followed was not short of spectacular, there was nothing dipping or diving down towards the guns, everything either flew straight over the valley or even attempted to climb as it took off. The beating line had been well managed all day, not rushing the birds but allowing them to fly in small coveys and spread evenly down the line which really helped with selecting which bird to shoot.

As the drive went on both myself and The Shooting Chauffeur thought they will blow up soon and call an end to the drive. This was not the case and we were certainly stood there for a while longer. This I am truly grateful for as it allowed me to pick off a loan bird. With a bit of advice in my ear again, the first shot rang out and down came this partridge. Unbeknown to me most of the other guns and loaders were watching the same bird and clapped and cheered. This was certainly my shot of the day and also was to turn out to be my shot of the season. Whilst there were some that came close at other shoots, this felt that bit more challenging. Adding to it was the satisfaction of being able to put the advice from behind into practice straight away.

By the end of the day, I was already looking forward to my next day's shooting. The drive back to London that evening was very straight forward, and with The Shooting Chauffeur looking after my equipment I simply got out of the car collected my overnight bag and said good-bye. I would certainly recommend The Shooting Chauffeur to anyone who wants that little bit more than just a loader on a day. I saw him many times more last season, all across the UK, and look forward to using the Shooting Chauffeur and seeing James again next season.