Partridge shooting in Dumfries & Galloway

Dumfries & Galloway, United Kingdom

Now entering our third season - St Mary's Isle Estate Shoot is a dramatic coastal shoot, with stunning views across the Dee Valley and Solway Firth. The shoot has been taken back in-hand by the family to re-invigorate this exceptional family run, friendly shoot. The shoot is able to offer quality days shooting with bags in excess of between 175 - 250 birds per day. The well-established shoot covers over 2000 acres of stunning countryside in SW Scotland, with many drives providing outstanding coastal views. It is set in rolling countryside, rising from sea level to over 400 feet with excellent challenging drives, including 450 acres of woodland and three valleys. This has been a well renowned high pheasant shoot for many years. Pheasants and partridges are shown from mature woodlands and young plantations with the guns standing in open fields to deep bottomed gullies, challenging even the most experienced of game shots. Drives such as The Moss Bank, High Banks and The Beech Point should strike fear and pleasure in equal measures into the line of guns. The shoot is renowned for its friendly atmosphere, which is amplified by delicious 11's in a purpose built hut, using only home-grown produce and a home cooked, estate produced lunch served in the family house. There is a recently modernised hotel in Kirkcudbright offering excellent dining and accommodation, together with a pleasant warm atmosphere and is well used to accommodating visiting guns, who often come with their partners, offering special rates to those that book their day at the shoot. We hope we are doing some of this successfully as some guns have been members of the syndicate for over 35 years.

Dumfries & Galloway, United Kingdom

Welcome and thank you for taking the time to read a little about the exciting and mixed sport on offer at Arbigland estate... Sport and Fun for all is the Arbigland motto - Days are varied in style and range from * Driven Days -  ideally suiting teams looking for 125 - 150 birds per day. Several 200 birds are available throughout November and early December * Mini Driven Days circa 50 -70 birds from late October through to late January * Walked Up / Rough Shooting from late October through January – good mixed bags to include Pheasant, Partridge, Duck, Snipe, Rabbit, Hares and possibly Geese. * Pigeon Shooting – July, August and early September * Goose shooting from late October to January * Duck flights from September to January Arbigland Topography and Shoot Layout: Birds are shown from a mixture of woods and cover crops. Arbigland is primarily a Pheasant shoot but small numbers of Partridge and Mallard are also put to wood.  Getting around on the shoot is easy with no need for 4x4s as good roads and tracks outline each drive. Gun pegs are easily accessible with no big hillsides to climb or raging rivers to wade across… The shoot has 8 main drives spread over 1200 acres with several smaller drives for mini days and walked up / rough days spread over a further 1000 acres. The main drives show good sporting and challenging birds suitable for teams looking for a fun and relaxing days sport. All the drives are hopper feed allowing for a more natural presentation of the birds. Bird numbers from drives vary from “day to day” but a typical 150 bird day for 8 guns is easily reached and usually shot over 5 or 6 drives. Pegs are positioned in open fields or along the shore…standing on the beach is something many guns find quite amusing and a little different ! Being coastal the prevailing winds can sometimes play the game “how fast can pheasants really fly?”as guns see them whiz by at MACH 1   Overall Arbigland is a pretty, slightly romantic shoot offering good sporting birds at a great price for all to enjoy. A typical driven shoot day itinerary includes: 8.45am.Meet and greet – coffee and a chat covering safety and the plan of action for the day. 9.00am.Off for the first of 2 drives. 11am.Quick pit stop for refreshments and a bite to eat. 11.30am. Two more drives before lunch. 1pm.Lunch time – For driven days guns take lunch and refreshments in the House on the Shore. 2pm.Depending on the bag and size off the day off to the last drive or two 3.30pm.End of day chat, refreshments and a chance for guns to meet all the helpers involved in the day - present guns with a brace(s) of birds to take home. Please do not hesitate to email for any sporting day ( big or small ) you are looking for this season. We would be happy to help with accommodation, close by are many nice properties ranging from homely B&Bs, Self Catering cottages, Hotels and Stately Homes. For teams looking to shoot back to back days or several days in a week there are several estates locally we can help book days to suit you. Syndicates, Single Guns or Small teams are more than welcome. If the dates on offer do not suit your requirements, please get in touch to see if we can help with alternatives. The ancient Barony of Arbigland comprises farmland, woodland and foreshore on the Solway Firthcoast bounded by the River Nith near Dumfriesin the South West of Scotland. We look forward to welcoming you soon

Dumfries & Galloway, United Kingdom

Good traditional shooting requires spectacular terrain, high and fast birds, easy access to pegs and planning to suit all skill levels. Craigadam ticks all the boxes. Richard Pickup owns Craigadam and runs a neighbouring estate, and is able to provide up to 5 days back-to-back shooting when required. Richard hosts all the days personally. 12,000 acres of mostly south facing drives with views over the Solway Firth and Almoness Peninsular. Craigadam has game crops, loose gullies, bracken banks and small woods which are all well roaded; well known drives include the Kings Chair, Crofts Quarry, Jean Dunns Wood and Fiddle Wood. At the other, there are mainly high rises, Almoness High Stand, Keys Hill, and Larches to name a few, with exceptionally good pheasants. The Almoness peninsular driver out over the Solway shore with superb partridge drives. We specialise in 150-400 bird days. A driven day normally runs as follows: * At 9.15am tea and coffee and allocation of pegs * 3-4 drives with a stop for sloe gin and champagne * A hearty lunch with wine and port * 1-2 drives * Afternoon tea with cakes and scones Guests stay at Craigadam House which is central to the shoot. It has 10 luxury ensuite rooms with a billiard room and bar. The winners of Taste of Scotland Award source their produce from their own butchery on the estate. * Arrival at Craigadam for Afternoon tea * A four course dinner produced by award winning chef Celia Pickup * Fabulous luxurious bedrooms with private ensuites * Full Scottish Breakfast * A delicious shoot lunch * Afternoon tea with homemade cakes Hospitality is key to the Pickups, offering help with permits, insurance, gun hire, cartridges and minders if needed. Craigadam is perfectly situated for non-shooting activities such as private fishing, cycling, golf, birdwatching, historical sites and there are beautiful open gardens in the area. Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh are an easy distance for retail therapy. Rough shooting is also available with a variety of pheasant, partridge, duck, snipe and woodcock to be had. Trains run regularly from London Euston to Carlisle and we can arrange collection from here if necessary.

Dumfries & Galloway, United Kingdom

The Meiklebob Farm Shoot is stiuated just off the solway coast. with stunning views and holiday cottages on site Meiklebob Farm Shoot is the perfect place to come and gataway from the busy life and relax with a spot of walked up shooting with some fantastic pheasant and some partridge thrown in aswell makes for some fast reaction shooting and then for ur dog to retrieve the bird succsesfuly is there any better satifaction is there than that with birds priced at £25 a brace of pheasants and £ 20 a brace of partridge. _**The Day**_              The day usuly starts around 10AM with a pre Shoot talk on safty and whats elidgable to shoot on the day. Then we will start on the drive 1 and contine throught the woods for about 4 hours then we will retire for the afternoon and then we will regroup for and evening duck flight on 1 of our flight ponds we we will be there for about 2 to 3 hours depending on how the evening turns out. **_The facilities_**                      The facilities on site we have facilities to house your dogs for ur stay and  an out side drying room for any wet clothing and gun safes in the cottages for ur use we recomend that you ask for a gun safe when u are booking.

Dumfries & Galloway, United Kingdom

**Situated in south-west Scotland near the town of Dumfries, the Dalswinton Estate combined with a neighbouring estate offers a vast variety of driven shooting over some 5,000 acres with the focal point being Dalswinton House.** The respective families have owned these estates for over 100 years and have, up until eight years ago, been running the shoots separately. However, both families decided that by combining forces they could create a superb shoot providing an array of quality drives to suit every kind of shot. The estates predominately releases pheasants with a few partridges, so can offer partridge only days in early October and then mixed days throughout the rest of the season. Days can be from 150 to 400 birds with six to nine guns in the line. Drives are mainly from mature woodland, although strategically planted game cover is used to make full use of the steep topography. Drives like Pedro’s, Fern Hill, the Quarry, Middle Hill and Birrell’s Wood normally leave a lasting memory of the one that got away! The Estates can also easily shoot on three consecutive days without going over the same ground twice. Lunch is usually taken back at the house in the main dining room and at the end of day; teams return to the house for tea and then depart with a brace of oven-ready birds. If teams prefer to shoot through then this is not a problem as the shoot is entirely flexible. Coffee on arrival, 11’s, lunch, drinks and tea are all included in your day. The majority of parties stay in comfortable accommodation nearby, which has room for up to nine couples, all with their own bathroom, although not necessarily en-suite. Menus and any other requirements are all agreed before your arrival. Parties have complete use of the house, including a full sized snooker table. There is a very relaxed and informal atmosphere and no stone is left unturned in making you feel at home. The nearest airports are Glasgow or Edinburgh, both approximately 1½ hours away. Private planes can land at Carlisle, just 45 minutes away. There is an excellent 4hr train service between London Euston and Carlisle or Lockerbie, which is closer. Arranging pick-ups and transfers is not a problem and your hosts are more than happy to lend guns and supply cartridges. **Testimonials:** _“I’ve stayed and shot on many estates and estancias around the world, but I keep on coming back to south-west Scotland as I enjoy the shooting, the jovial atmosphere and the comfortable accommodation which makes for a winning trip every time” **Bill H. Connecticut**_ _“Next season will be my 10th consecutive trip up north and it couldn’t be easier to get to from London as I take the train from Euston around 2ish and then I’m enjoying drinks and canapés by 7 having had a relaxed and pleasant journey.” **Malcolm B. London**_ **Other activities:** For non-shooting guests, there is plenty to see and do ranging from garden tours, playing golf on numerous Links Courses, fishing for salmon on the rivers Nith or Annan, museums and Prince Charles’ Dumfries House is only an hour away.