Extreme simulated game shooting in Wales

Who among us can say that we haven’t daydreamed about testing our skills against the highest of high Welsh pheasants? The trouble is that so in demand are these towering birds that for most of us the price tag makes them not just at the outer limits of the range of our barrels, but also of our bank balances. 

What’s more, if we decide to save our pennies and buy a day on one of the exalted Welsh shoots as a special treat or for a special occasion, we’d probably like to have a pretty good idea of whether we’re going to enjoy ourselves before parting with our hard earned cash.

So how can the average man or woman on the gunbus get a feel for what taking on these high birds might be like without breaking the bank? Dovey Valley, provider of simulated game shooting in Wales,  could be the answer.

Simulated game days in Powys

You might think that the name sounds familiar and you’d be right. The Dovey Valley Simulated Shoot lies in the same valley as the celebrated Dyfi Falls and Brigands high bird shoots, in the Cambrian mountains. The deep, steep-sided valleys that have helped the local game shoots to be spoken about in hushed tones and show some of the highest birds in the land allow the team at Dovey Valley to lay on simulated game shooting days that will test you to the limit.

“Having amazing topography like we do means that we can show anything from flushing grouse to extremely high simulated game targets,” said Richard Jones, who set up both the sim shoot and the clay ground at Dovey Valley. “But unlike lots of other simulated game days, we don’t need to use towers or lifts or cranes, in fact, guns will never see a clay trap.” 

What’s more, unlike many simulated shoots, where guns are pegged cheek-by-jowl, at Dovey Valley the emphasis is very much on creating a day that is as close a facsimile to a feathered game day, so drives are laid out just as they would be for live game along with impeccable hospitality.

In case you need convincing of the height of these clays, consider that the drives have names like ‘Panorama,’ ‘Precipice’ and ‘The Valley’ and you might start to get the picture. They claim to be able to show clays at over 150 yards in height. Hit that if you can!

However, Dovey Valley is not a one-trick pony. A sim day that shows you several thousand extreme range clays might start to wear a little, so to keep things fresh there is also a simulated grouse drive called simply ‘The Grouse’ and a drive where imitation partridge skim over the gunline.

Extreme Welsh simulated game and more

Blessed with the vertiginous topography of mid-Wales, the team at Dovey Valley could pretty much peg out anywhere on the Brynmelin Estate and deliver challenging shooting, but to their credit, the drives are carefully thought out and make use not only of the landscape but also the prevailing winds to ensure that the shooting is as realistic as possible, and that the clays are not slowing down. Added to this the sneaky use of midi and standard clays can deceive even the best guns.

Although Dovey Valley offers three different packages, the Gold which starts with bacon rolls and consists of five drives punctuated by Champagne elevenses and G&T Lunch, is the most popular. The sim days are intended for experienced shots, but Dovey Valley can provide equipment hire and instruction upon request.

Richard is proud of the hospitality that he and his team lay on. “We have game chef Mike Yates onboard with us throughout the summer preparing little dishes throughout the day; they’re to die for. We’ve tried to design the hospitality to be spread out over the course of the day, rather than weighing guns down with a huge meal all at once.”

To see available dates, see the shoot’s profile on GunsOnPegs