The roadmap back to shooting after Coronavirus

The news that, all being well, all COVID restrictions will be lifted by 21st June has brought hope and confidence to millions, and has provided the shot in the arm (if you will excuse the pun) that the shooting community has needed.

Over the last few weeks both Guns and shoots have been understandably cagy about making plans for the 2020/21 shooting season. Once bitten, twice shy, goes the saying, and Guns who lost deposits last season because of Lockdowns 2 and 3, and because of social distancing measures in the various Tiers, have been holding off making bookings and paying deposits until they were more or less certain that shooting would go ahead. 

This, in turn, has made it hard for shoots to commit to putting on a season, and ordering their chicks or poults from the game farms, or making concrete orders, passing that uncertainty on to the game farms. 

Guns are looking foward to the smiles that only a day in the field can bring!

There’s light at the end of the tunnel

However, Boris’s announcement laying out the pathway to an end of COVID restrictions has given the entire nation a confidence boost. This is reflected not only in the surge in people booking holidays for this summer (EasyJet reported a 337% surge in flight bookings and a 630% jump in holiday bookings on Monday night), but in confidence amongst Guns.

A poll carried out by GunsOnPegs overnight on Monday indicates that 87% of Guns now feel confident enough to make bookings and pay deposits, with just 13% preferring to hold off and see how things pan out with the first stages of “un-lockdown”.

One respondent commented: “I already had some dates booked, and I’m now talking to keepers for dates. You've got to support shoots if you want shooting!” 

Another, expressing sentiments that we are sure many share, said: “I've spent the last 3 months miserable as **** locked in my own home. Got another three months to go, I just need something to look forward to!”

A third commented simply: “Crack on!”

Shoots feeling more confident

This confidence boost is already trickling down to the shoots and agents. Ben Smith of Smith Fieldsports reports that they are already fielding enquiries from Guns keen to get days booked in for next season, saying 

“The sector has seen a really encouraging upsurge in enquiries over the past week or so as confidence seeps back into the country through the media. This is great news for all those who have suffered so much in recent times and is giving many people a much needed lift. Though off to a stuttering start, 2021 is starting to look significantly brighter.”

Frank Boddy, who runs the Ripley Castle and Mountgarret Shoots, has also seen an uptick in interest from Guns. “There's no doubt that confidence has increased. I've just paid for my chicks and am thoroughly looking forward to the season ahead. We may well be left with some restrictions next season - mask wearing or some kind of social distancing - but we can live with that providing we can shoot which is likely increasingly certain with every passing day.” he said.

Chris Horne, Managing Director of GunsOnPegs, is equally upbeat, saying:

“Even allowing for a two month slippage in the government’s target will mean that the grouse season can get underway without restrictions. For me, June 21st would be a bonus, but as long as restrictions are lifted in advance of The Game Fair starting on the 23rd July, we can enjoy a huge celebration of the Great British countryside and look forward to what will hopefully be a wonderful season ahead.

Book your shooting in early to avoid disappointment

If, as seems likely, this renewed confidence among Guns results in a flurry (or should that be flush?) of bookings over the next few weeks, anyone who does want to shoot next season would be well advised to act upon that desire sooner rather than later. 

GunsOnPegs’ Shoot Account Manager Digby Taylor noted that “because lots of shoots have had to roll days over from last season, there are fewer available dates, since each shoot can only release a given number of birds, meaning that availability is down for next season. I’d recommend booking early to avoid disappointment, and to help cement the confidence that shoots need in order to press on with preparations for the season.”

There are currently over 1,000 dates listed on GunsOnPegs for next season with availability for full teams and single guns - get in and fill your boots!