Warter Priory

We had a fabulous day, everyone was really helpful and the birds flew well. Thank you for letting me use my 4/10 I throughly enjoyed it.[more]

In my opinion my visit to warter was the best shooting I have had since I have been shooting. The day from beginning to end was a great experience I have been fortunate to shoot at many great shoots , warter is at the top of the tree , thanks to all the staff at warter priory. George karr . I shall return![more]

Many shoots in Britain claim to carry their reputation over with some sort of romantic image of game shooting from an Edwardian age but in reality fail to deliver what they suggest they can promise. However Warter Priory's reputation as being one of, if not the best shoot in the world, is built on solid foundations and justifiably so. From the moment you arrive, the diligence, effort and attention to detail is peerless. You are met with a cup of tea or coffee and a smile before enjoying a home cooked breakfast which is as good as any breakfast I had enjoyed during the previous 45 years. I am not actually an individual that drinks either tea or coffee, but I thought I'd throw them a 'curve ball' and request a Bloody Mary. The reply was 'No problem sir, would you like a drop of sherry and Worcester sauce with that?' .....'Er yes please' was my surprised reply! One of the guns felt that he would benefit from a little tuition, no problem, the Warter Priory resident coach is Mark Winser, who is one of the leading clay shots on the world circuit in English Sporting & FITASC Sporting and a highly personable individual too. After breakfast we travelled through the estate via a gun bus. Not just any gun bus, this one was immaculately clean and had air conditioning, fridge and sun roofs. The head keeper is a modern day living legend in the game keeping world, Frank Croft clearly lives and breathes game keeping and stage manages every part of the shooting experience to perfection. The first drive wasn't too difficult and enabled each gun to find their range, before moving onto two more drives which became progressively more difficult and testing but didn't leave any individual feeling dissatisfied or that the particular drive was beyond their capabilities. Lunch was home cooking again, (I ought to mention that the broccoli salad was exceptional) at the shoot lodge. Ah yes, the shoot lodge; now here's the negative about Warter Priory. The shoot lodge has deep pile carpets, comfy sofas and armchairs and antique oak furniture along with the framed game books and newspaper clippings from a bygone age; it is so comfortable that it's hard to find the inspiration to leave and get back on the gun bus after such a filling lunch, but of course you do manage to because the challenge of shooting at Warter Priory is irresistible. The final drive was 'Eddy’s Gallery', one of the estate's signature drives and it does not disappoint. The way Frank Croft orchestrates the presentation or delivery of the birds over the humbling Yorkshire Wolds is remarkable, it doesn't matter whether you're on peg number 1 or 9, you're never out of it; think of Leonard Bernstein conducting the Berlin Philharmonic and the crowd experiencing the crescendo or climax, or to the final part of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries to a fabulous firework display, it really is that good!!! The team that run the estate are obviously not happy to rest on their haunches and are continually improving it with new ideas for various drives by implementing water features and removing trees. If you've never been to Warter Priory, imagine a shooting estate designed by God (they even have a drive called 'Angels') and allow yourself to enjoy the privilege of shooting there and see why the reputation is as good as it is......[more]

I have been fortunate enough to have shot at a vast number of shoots across the country over the years and I have to say that Warter Priory features as one of the top shoots. From the moment you book with Julie, the efficiency, helpfulness and welcoming hospitality of all the shoot staff is evident. Guns meet at the lovely converted shoot lodge where the roaring log fires, comfy sofas and a wonderful breakfast are the perfect welcome on a crisp shoot day. The head keeper Frank, is on hand to discuss the rules and form of the day before guns meet their loaders, boot up and travel in style on the shoot’s gun bus. Guns’ cars can follow around throughout the day so no need to worry about taking all your paraphernalia with you. As soon as you peg out in the deep valleys, it becomes apparent that you will experience some fine and testing birds. The steady stream of partridges and pheasants are enough to excite even the most experienced shot and each drive will leave you feeling exhilarated. There are usually three drives in the morning with a mid-morning break, snack and a chance to exchange stories of your best bird so far. There are a vast number of drives throughout the estate so no matter what the weather holds there is always a drive that will equal the ones before. Make sure you do not snack too much throughout the morning as a sumptuous home cooked lunch awaits you after the third drive. Sip a drink, browse through the historic game books and enjoy the lively free flowing banter around the table. It is sometimes hard to leave the comfort! but the anticipation of another drive will undoubtedly win over. Guns are pegged sufficiently far apart that one shouldn’t feel encroached upon by their neighbour but yet, close enough to catch a glimpse down the line and see the marvellous spectacle. It is very rare that every gun will not have a sufficient amount of sport, so be ensured that the day will be thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying. Throughout the day, you will probably meet Richard and the other keepers who run an incredible team of beaters and pickers up, and who, despite the long walks they have had during the day, are always friendly, spare time for a chat and without whom the day would not be possible. Should you not be able to hit the clever birds who manage to fly high enough, see it as a challenge for your next visit as you will surely wish to return.[more]

I have shot at warter priory shoot for the last 4 years and no 2 days are the same with excellent testing birds shown on drives such as High cliff, Avenue end and milldale to name but a few of the 50 drives with birds in the 35 to 50 yard bracket been the norm with some considerably higher! The days are run very professionally and you never feel rushed between drives or at lunch which can be a good thing because the food is fantastic and the shoot room is out of this world with a roaring fire and large comfy sofas to relax on after lunch what more could a man want! You are always made to feel welcome by Frank and his team who seem to of thought of everything from the luxurious gun bus,quality loaders right through to the gun cleaning room everything is top class and i am already looking forward to my days there this year.[more]