Five great simulated clay shoots

Once upon a time clay pigeon shooting was something that most game shots may have done right at the start of their shooting career when they were first learning, and not much more than that. Maybe they’d break a few clays before the start of the season to ‘get their eye in’, and they might attend the odd charity clay shoot. These days things are a bit different. The rise of simulated game shooting - where clay pigeon set-ups are used to replicate the experience of a driven day - has changed all this.

 

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that this is a poor cousin to live quarry shooting. With modern clay traps, mobile trap trailers and a variety of clay sizes many simulated setups can provide a huge variety of challenging ‘birds’. They’re not only a great way to keep your swing going throughout the spring and summer; they’re also excellent for those thinking of taking up game shooting, and a challenge in and of themselves. What’s more, without the vagaries of wild birds, unhelpful weather conditions, organisers of sim days can ensure that ‘birds’ pour over every gun in the line, and can even tailor the difficulty to suit the skill levels of the guns. They’re also very friendly on the pocket.

 

With this in mind, here are 5 top sim shoots to try

Based in the Wylye Valley, Stockton is a downland environment where once on the farm there are no roads or houses. A mixture of woodland and grass valleys provide plenty of variety for simulated drives.

 

Over recent years the team at Stockton have created a varied and challenging simulated clay day. With have seven automatic traps mounted on hydraulically-extending rigs the traps can be raised above the treeline (yet out of sight of the guns) or drop the rigs on the ground beyond the skyline to create a grouse drive. Each drive is different from the previous one, either over downland, valleys, woodland rides, pigeons, grouse or rabbits. There are enough drives to choose from that different wind directions and the glare of the sun don’t present an issue. The hospiitality is top-level, with guns ferried from drive to drive in the gunbus (along with all the cartridges you need) and lunch taken atop the Downs.

 

In the winter months Wrackleford has a reputation for showing high quality pheasants and partridges, thanks to the deep chalk valleys with which the estate is blessed. Up to 16 guns can get a taste of what that might be like, and for a fraction of the cost, by taking part in one of their simulated game days in the summer months. Over the course of the day some 5,000 clays will be put over the line. This volume of clay in the air allows the estate to present challenging shots for novices and experienced guns alike.

Perhaps the most recognised name in simulated game shooting, Raisethorpe Manor provides simulated grouse, pheasant, partridge, duck and rabbits across the day. The day follows a similar format to a driven day, with coffee and a briefing to start the day, a few drives before elevenses, a decent lunch after a couple more, and a hearty tea to follow the day’s shooting. They say that around 8,000 shots are typically fired on one of their Flyers days, so it is a good thing the cartridges are included in the price!

This estate is a bit unusual, in that in addition to 100% simulated game days in the summer, they also offer mixed driven and sim days in the shooting season, where drives alternate between clays and live quarry. The idea behind the concept is to open the world of traditional game shooting up to a wider audience and help people to transition from clay shooting to driven shooting, learn about the etiquette of shooting and get a feel for how a day runs. It is also significantly cheaper! The full sim days offer a minumum of 6,000 clays designed to replicate traditional East Anglian game shooting.

 

Quidenham is a historic shooting estate that once played host to King Edward VII, and has been featured in several of the leading shooting magazines over the years.

Occupying some 3,000 acres on the edge of the moors, Thimbleby is another well-known traditional shooting estate that has recently added simulated days to its out-of-season offering. Being on the edge of the moors means the topography is on an epic scale, with deep valleys, grouse moor and steep wooded areas, so you can expect some very challenging shooting. That said, the beauty of simulated game days are that the difficulty can be tailored to meet the experience and ability of the guns, so they are as comfortable catering for absolute beginners as they are for seasoned shots. When beginners are part of the line, the estate can provide experienced instructors who can assist and offer advice.