Shooting within the M25

Ever since my first week at GunsOnPegs when I met one of the team the evening after he had shot at Titsey, it was somewhere I had wanted to visit. In his review from two seasons ago he raved about Devon-style birds, but within the M25, and when my family had a day there a year ago which I wasn’t able to make, the rumours were confirmed. I was absolutely delighted, therefore, to be kindly invited by Neil Morris of Shootdays to shoot there in October this year - a real highlight of my season to be.

 

Titsey is one of 4 shoots run by Buster Ansell who I had met on a day at his Stonehouse Shoot the year before, and he has built up a fantastic reputation in the area over the years, so much so, that come June this year, when so many other shoots were calling up saying they still had availability, Buster had just one day remaining - the anticipation built!

 

 

Whilst normally London based, I was travelling down from a few days away in Cornwall so thought it best to book a night in the White Horse Inn, Chilgrove the evening before - a great call which would perfectly set up the following day. For those of you who don’t know, the White Horse has won our Good Shoot Hotel Guide awards several times previously, so as far as shooting hotel go, it is about as good as you’ll get. Greeted by the general manager Richard, he immediately spotted the gun case and started chatting about various nearby estates - the list is endless. He is a keen shot himself being a member of the syndicate at Chilgrove; something that I believe makes all the difference when hosting shooting guests. Having left my gun in the safe, I was shown to my room (faultless) and then came down for supper which is where the White Horse really comes into its own.

 

Hare pie
 

There were a number of game options on the menu so I asked Richard to talk me through them - turns out he had most probably shot a number of the items himself on the local syndicate. A delicious sounding roast partridge almost took my fancy but I went for a game terrine to start and hare pie for main with a lovely glass of Rioja.

 

It was particularly nice to hear a neighbouring table looking through the menu asking ‘Chilgrove game, what’s that?’, ordering it, and then thoroughly enjoying it. We need more pubs, inns and hotels to be embracing produce of the British countryside like the White Horse, introducing non-shooting folk to locally sourced, sustainably produced game. If you ever find yourself shooting in the area, I couldn’t recommend a visit to the White Horse enough; a lovely place to base yourself for a few days shooting, or even just popping in for a weekend away out of season. Make sure to get taking to Richard if you’re after any inside knowledge on the local estates.

The following morning I made the trip to Titsey where I met the other guns, a group of four good friends from school days who have been shooting together across the country for several years, a handful of friendly single guns and another guest - a lovely team to get to know over the course of the day.

 

The first drive we shot was called ‘Game Conservancy’, named because of a block of shrubland planted 20 years ago to benefit the wildlife on the estate. Not only does it benefit a great number of amber listed birds on the shoot but it made a great flushing point for the countless partridge we were shown - a great start to the day.

 

 

The next couple of drives the birds didn’t quite want to ‘go’, but with conditions against us that is the way things sometimes work out. There’s absolutely no doubting though that the topography leaves nothing to be desired, and whist genuinely shooting within the M25, you could have been miles from anywhere in country that reminded me of the deep coombes of Wiltshire. It’s always nice to be out in the field, and that’s no more true than when shooting with a brilliant host like Buster. Every last detail was accounted for with a great emphasis on creating an environment for teams to relax and enjoy themselves.

 

 

Having stopped for a delicious lunch, we were back to it for a final drive. The wind had picked up slightly and we were pegged out in front of a tall bank of woodland set out in a ‘L’ formation. We were briefed before the drive to shoot all parakeets that we saw - something I’ve not come across before but certainly added to the anticipation as we waited on peg. Another memorable moment was when one of the first partridges to break out of the drive was hit - seeminly out of nowhere - by a stooping peregrine. The partridge hit the deck like it had been shot, but although the peregrine came back to attempt to finish the job, the partridge was able to escape. Nature: "red in tooth and claw."

 

The birds started trickling out from a flushing point at the furthest point from us and curled on the wind back over the lower numbered guns. It was really nice to see guns enjoying themselves and bringing down some really good birds. Down my end of the line we knew that as the beating team moved further through the wood, the birds would start flicking out over the line. I can’t put my finger quite on what made this drive so brilliant, but I think that having got to know the team better through the day it was great to see each of them shooting so serious birds as they were presented without too many large flushes, and right across the line. A great way to complete the day.

 

Back where we had lunch for tea and cake we said goodbye to the keeper and were given a brace of two of birds from the day. Particular note must go to the couple of guns who took 10 or so brace to prepare and give to neighbours and friends. The following Saturday for me was spent plucking 24 partridge which are now in the hands of people who don’t shout themselves - hopefully spreading one of the many positive outcomes of a day spent in the field.

 

For this particular day, I had the privilege of field-testing the Country Jacket from Sasta's collection. I consider it a great luxury to be able to decide on the morning of a shoot day which coat will match the conditions, and the Country Jacket was perfect for a brisk October day with a chance of rain.

 

Lightweight and yet durable and incredibly waterproof, it fits in as well on a driven day as it does a wet day on the farm (which I experienced just two days before). Each coat has its own niche and the Country Jacket has been called upon many times this season. In a drier year I like to shoot in a gilet, and on a colder day, perhaps a coat with more of a lining would be preferable, but for the conditions we've had so far, the jacket is a near perfect match; a great addition to the pre-shoot-day weather dependant option list.