Shoot Profile: Mulgrave Castle Sporting Club

The joy of the unexpected

Mulgrave Sporting Club, which is run on the Mulgrave Castle estate, was set up five years ago by Julie, and days there are very much in demand: “I think we’ve only got about four or five pegs left for early next season,” Julie says. The syndicate takes half the available days, and the remainder are let. The Sporting Club is a not-for-profit organisation, so everything from the let days is put back into the shoot. The Sporting Club may only have been going for five years, but Mulgrave has a rich history as a shoot: the legendary game Shot Maharaja Duleep Singh leased the castle from Lord Normanby for shooting, using elephants that he imported from India as transport between drives.

Dramatic coastline

Headkeeper Shawn Mintoft, together with two underkeepers, keeps Guns on their toes, according to Julie: “The birds aren’t just challenging – you never know what to expect, and the huge variety in topography presents outstanding shooting. You could be lined up on the beach waiting for the pheasants and partridge to come off the cliffs above, or in a deep valley with ancient woodland as your backdrop. I’ve shot at least once a week for five years, and I never get bored here!” There’s a bit of a warning if you do want to shoot the drive on the beach: “It is a bit of a steep hike down, but it really is worth it. We call it the stairway to shooting heaven!” Mulgrave is one of the rare shoots that takes a lot of care to ensure that each day is tailored to the Guns, so Shaun and Lee will choose the drives according to each team’s requirements. 

Julie takes a great interest in the hospitality side of the shooting day, and takes enormous pride in using only the best local ingredients, so you might be offered Whitby kippers for breakfast, seafood canapés at elevenses or the best locally grown beef for lunch. The early season lunch can be taken in the shoot hut at Barnbydale, which has some staggering views over the coastline, while later in the season, the Guns retire to the excellent local hotel where a roaring log fire will warm them up. 

All the beaters are local and many are tenant farmers, with whom the shoot has an excellent relationship and an exceptionally good working understanding when it comes to cover crops and how we run the shoot. It really is one big family at Mulgrave.

The essential facts

Location: Near Whitby, North Yorkshire        
Acres: 9,000
Single gun days: Between 50 and 60 days in total, half of which are shot by a syndicate 
Average bag per day: 300 +
Quarry: Pheasant and partridge
Topography: Dramatic coastline, deep wooded valleys, rolling farmland
Number of named drives: 20
Signature drives: Footman’s Leap, The Point, Quarry Wood and Wizard’s Glen
Recommended cartridge: 32g or 34g No. 4s
Average shot ratio: Enormously variable
Hospitality: Full Yorkshire breakfast, including Whitby kippers, a barbecue in the shooting hut in the early season, then lunch in the local hotel later in the season.
Transport: The shoot has a fleet of new Land Rovers
Non-shooting guests: Very welcome, as are well-behaved dogs