Is this what shooting should really be like?

When someone announces they’re off to shoot in Devon, thoughts stray towards those cavernously deep coombs on Exmoor – or maybe even Dartmoor. Well, it seems you don’t have to travel quite that far to shoot some of England’s most challenging birds.

Just West of the Dorset/Devon border, there is a growing number of  shoots capable of testing the very best of us. Rising to the fore amongst these is Blannicombe, the brainchild of Gareth and Samantha Stevens.

Exmoor style shooting

Blannicombe takes me back to the early days of Exmoor style shooting, when sportsmen travelled far and wide for a combination of top quality shooting, an unmistakably friendly welcome and all at a very keen price. Throw in homemade treacle tart and clotted cream – served up in the farmhouse at the heart of the shoot, and you’ll understand my enthusiasm.

The estate covers an area of roughly 2000 acres of pasture covered valleys and steep-sided wooded hills.  Game crops are usually hidden from the guns, cunningly sited to make maximum use of the terrain.

Head keeper Kyle Driver and two under-keepers work for Gareth and Samantha – all ‘young terriers’, no strangers to effort and long days. Rooted firmly in the rearing and release of pheasants and partridges, Gareth ensures that his birds are as fit as anyone’s and fly at one angle – upwards. Whilst you won’t see squadrons of unshootably high birds (a very unclever trend), you’ll see plenty to excite even the most jaded Krieghoff user.

If you agree with Firthy’s theory, that the value of a day's shooting is NOT solely related to the number of  birds on the game card at the end of the day, then this is a shoot for you. When asked why high bird shooting appears so much more expensive, I counter with the old – and proven - arguments about percentage rates of return and ‘bangs for your buck’.

On that basis, Blannicombe is a real bargain – maybe even a steal! With full days starting at just over £10k, for a target of 200, this works out at less than £1200 per gun, based on a line of 9. In my experience, you’d have to go a long way for better value.

What about hospitality?

The food and drink are ALL homemade – not for them the easy cheat of warmed up Lidl’s sausage rolls, or Tesco’s treacle puffs. This is Samantha’s domain (when not also helping Gareth – how does she find the time?) and very tasty it all is too.

If you’re looking for well mown, tree lined avenues leading to a meeting place in the marble hall of a mini-stately, then Blannicombe is probably not for you. Liveried butler to serve drinks? Look elsewhere. The walnut lined drinks cabinet, purring out of the back of a gleaming Range Rover? Snigger inducing though probably justified.

Honest welcomes, wreathed in smiles and handshakes, are the order of the day. Trust me, you’ll want to return.

Fancy a two day trip? That probably accounts for two thirds of their bookings. The famous Masons Arms at Branscombe hosts most Blannicombe teams; they understand the importance of good beer and a proper breakfast – though not always at the same time!

Firthy’s thoughts

A shoot for the short list.