The Prince of Partridges: Javier Corsini of La Flamenca

GunsOnPegs: How long have you been running shoots?

Javier Corsini: I started running wild partridge shooting estates in 1980 in Jerez de la Frontera. Soon after that I started managing Casa Rubios, also for wild partridge, in the province of Toledo. At the same time I also organised shooting with released partridges at La Flamenca. Over the years I have also been involved in duck shooting projects in Argentina, a partridge shooting project in Libya and a boar and deer hunting project in Hungary.

GunsOnPegs: What led you into it?

Javier: My passion for shooting and the countryside

GunsOnPegs: What’s your philosophy when it comes to putting on a great day for your guns?

Javier:  Let them enjoy nature, forget their problems and make people happy. The most important things are the presentation of the birds, beautiful surroundings, perfect organisation, a relaxed atmosphere, and professional staff.

GunsOnPegs: What’s your role on a shoot day - are you in the beating line, watching from behind with a radio, hosting etc?

Javier: Hosting and beating in the line as well as picking up the birds with both my working cockers

GunsOnPegs: Who were your influences/heroes in shooting?

Javier: My father and my brothers!

About La Flamenca

GunsOnPegs: Describe La Flamenca in three words?

Javier: Captivating. Action-packed. Conservation-focused

GunsOnPegs: Tell us about the history of the estate?

Javier: La Flamenca is o​ne of the most emblematic shooting estates in Spain. From 1856 to 1868 La Flamenca was the headquarters of the Central School of Agriculture, however,when H.M. King Alfonso XIII brought partridge shooting to Spain, the place where this fascinating and unique form of shooting took place was the La Flamenca estate, owned at that time and today by the Duke of Fernán Núnez.

From that time until today, it is still one of the best partridge shooting estates in Spain, and is visited by the best Spanish and international shooters.

GunsOnPegs: What makes La Flamenca special - how does it stand out from the rest?

Javier: The unique variety of the partridge and the wildness of the birds.

Its distance from Madrid (40 minutes) - there is no other estate that is so close to Madrid, which gives you the option to combine shooting with gastronomy, tourism, culture, shopping...

The team at La Flamenca - loaders, secretarios, keepers, and kitchen staff - all of them form an incomparable and extremely professional team.

GunsOnPegs: How does the Spanish style of driven shooting differ from driven shooting in the UK?

Javier: In Spain drives can be long and cover large distances, the partridges can form big packs and splitting up the packs and having them well distributed among the line of guns can be a real challenge.

GunsOnPegs: What are the misconceptions or misunderstandings about shooting in Spain that you would like to correct?

Javier: Due to the large size of La Flamenca (4.000 hectares) we are able to shoot in different areas during the season, always repopulating our partridges before the beginning of the season in August/September.  During the course of the season we do not shoot in the same area.

Some of the drives and line of guns at La Flamenca are set up in the exact same way they were at the beginning of last century. We have been running the estate for more than forty years and have an in depth understanding of the birds and the way they like to fly. Many of our drives are exact copies of wild partridge drives found in Cadiz. The birds are driven in such a way that they offer a wide a variety of angles, speed, and heights.

GunsOnPegs: Are there any Spanish traditions or items of etiquette that people should know about?

Javier: The difference in how the draw of pegs works. The system we use always creates a lot of confusion among international guns. We always try to make it impartial, so every gun has the same opportunities, and you have different neighbouring guns on each drive.

GunsOnPegs: Where on a 1-10 scale would you rank the difficulty of the shooting?

Javier: Our birds/drives will certainly test your ability with the gun. Speed, variety, different heights, the design of the drives... these factors make our shoot unique and unequalled. That's why the shooting difficulty in La Flamenca is an 8.5 or 9 out of 10.

GunsOnPegs: What kind of teams / guns would most enjoy La Flamenca?

Javier: You’ll enjoy La Flamenca if you are excited by the adrenaline of having a pack of 200 partridges flying over the shooting line, enjoy exclusive hospitality and a comfortable lodge, and fancy combining shooting with a trip to Madrid.

GunsOnPegs: What’s your favourite drive on the shoot?

Javier: Speelman and Cañada Oscura are well known worldwide, bit I also love Las Nietas , D.Miguel and D.Eduardo

Change and challenge

GunsOnPegs: What are the specific challenges you face at La Flamenca?

Javier: Control of predators is an ongoing challenge.

GunsOnPegs: What are the biggest changes you have made in your time running the shoot?

Javier: Improvements in infrastructure and equipment, such as new vehicles, new roads, as well as putting together a top-of-the-top professional team of gamekeepers, beaters, loaders, secretaries and pickers-up. But the essence remains the same as the property and the drives speak for themselves, for the last century and years to come.

GunsOnPegs: Do you have plans to make any significant changes over the next few years?

Javier: Every season we try to look for new drives, adding to those that have been for more than 100 years. We will also improve our infrastructure, such as vehicles, roads, wood areas, etc. The enormous size of the property gives us the possibility to look for new and challenging drives every year.

GunsOnPegs: What conservation / wildlife projects do you run on the shoot?

Javier: At La Flamenca we help nature so different types of mammals and birds find an adequate habitat to breed and live. On any shooting day you may very well spot different types of birds of prey, pigeons, thrushes, ducks. wild boars etc.

Tree pruning, the break up of closed wooded areas, watering points, and the planting for game are a constant every year.

GunsOnPegs: What happens to your shot game?

Javier: All of the partridges shot at La Flamenca are processed in pickle and sold in good quality shops and supermarkets. Pickled partridge (Perdiz en ​​Escabeche) are a popular delicacy in Spain, the recipe first being described in the 16th century.

GunsOnPegs: If you could run a shoot anywhere else in the world, where would it be?

Javier: Somewhere exotic where there may be opportunities for growth, but where driven shooting is not yet fully developed.

A few years ago, we were contracted by the Libyan government for the creation of a driven bird shooting area. The project was carried out but unfortunately had to be stopped due to political unrest in the area.

Shoot at La Flamenca

To find out more about shooting with Javier and his team at La Flamenca, visit the estate's shoot profile on GunsOnPegs or their main website.