Wildfowling in Hampshire

Hampshire, United Kingdom

Shooting has increasingly become more and more commercial over recent years, giving way to the Anglo Saxon trait of bigger is better. Many shoots are modelled on stuffy golf or livery clubs where women and children are never seen and the only qualification for entry is a large cheque book. At Bickton we want to be inclusive, encouraging the day to be a family orientated where the emphasis is on your enjoyment of the experience as a whole, not the bag. You will find the Bickton atmosphere less formal and more relaxed which makes it the ideal place to experience game shooting for the first time or to simply enjoy being in beautiful countryside participating in your favourite sport. **The Estate** The Bickton estate has been in our family since General Sir Eyre Coote acquired it from the crown estates in 1770 after his outstanding defeat of the French at the battle of Plassey, India. At approximately 500 acres it is made up of a mixture of ancient water meadows and mixed woodland, at the heart of the estate is the River Avon which gently flows though the centre with its associated trout streams, this provides a natural habitat for our duck and wildfowl that overwinter such as teal, tufted, widgeon and snipe. The woodland runs along the steep sides of the Avon Valley giving the perfect launching sites for challenging pheasants. We substitute the environment with a mixture of strategically placed cover and conservation crops.   **The Shoot** The shoot at Bickton is a mixed shoot, taking advantage of the abundant water from the river Avon. The estate and shoot management are purposely kept low key so that we can provide a natural habitat for our game. We put down a mixture of duck and pheasant with a few partridge. During colder spells we get many different species of wild duck that make challenging shooting.   **The Location** Situated just of the New Forest on the Hampshire/Dorset boarder one mile south of the town of Fordingbridge and five miles north of the market town of Ringwood, Bickton is blessed with ancient water meadows and steep sided valleys. Only 85 miles from central London we are within reach for many.  Postcode SP6 2HA, Lat: 50:54:49N (50.91352) Long: 1:47:21W (-1.78912) Grid: SU149126. The nearest railway station is Salisbury or Southampton and we are equally spaced between Bournemouth and Southampton Airports.

Hampshire, United Kingdom

Friendly syndicate in Hampshire, shooting on Saturdays, has a space for a full gun or two half guns. Dads, lads and lasses welcome. A typical day consists of; tea, coffee and biscuits on arrival, two drives before a mid morning snack, then a couple of drives before lunch (not included). Return to pegs after lunch to finish the day. quarry includes driven pheasant, partridge and duck flighting.

Hampshire, United Kingdom

The shoot is based on this famous sporting Hampshire Estate spreading over 5000 acres. It plays host to some fantastic wetland and woodland habitats that supports a spectacular variety of wild game, including pheasant, duck, snipe, woodcock and geese. The wetland areas are fed by the famous River Test that meanders its course throughout the very heart of the Estate. Such habitat is becoming rarer and one that demands respect and understanding. It is home to three species of deer that are scattered widely throughout, from the wetlands to the dense ancient woodlands. This provides for some excellent and challenging stalking opportunities. We are pleased to offer some weekend stalking experiences with the opportunity to shoot some fine roe bucks of medal grade quality. The shoot hut or Bothy is based in the dense woodland that looks down over the Test valley. Its the place where the day begins and ends and represents a focal point for socializing, relaxing and all importantly enjoying some tasty home coked food and perhaps a beer or glass of wine! Our fundamental ethos is to provide a range of shooting opportunities spread over 8 days with a mixed bag of approximately 60 - 80 birds .Today all of this is available to you based on the ethos of sustainability and sound ecological principals. We are looking for like-minded people who want to experience more than just a traditional pheasant shoot but wishing to share an enjoyable day with great company. The day includes standing drives, walked up and blanking in drives and ending with flighting for wildfowl over the lakes and wetland areas. Guns are also permitted (at no extra cost) to enjoy some excellent additional walked up days in designated areas of the Estate where game includes pheasant, duck, geese and pigeon. If you are looking for a traditional standing shoot then this is probably not for you but if you are looking for a wilder and we consider to be a more exciting experience then this maybe the one! The number of guns on the day is from 8-9.. A whole gun is for all 8 dates and a half gun for 4 dates. All inquires welcome for the 2022 season. PLEASE note we only have a few spaces left so please call asap if you would like to discus joining.