Yardley Chase Shoot Syndicate
Shoot · Northamptonshire · 89 followers
89 followers
A DRINKING CLUB WITH A SHOOTING PROBLEM!
Yardley Chase Shoot is located on the historic Castle Ashby Estate on the border between Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire just north of the small market town of Olney. About 15 minutes from Junction 14 or 15 of the M1.
The shoot consists of some 1,300 acres of mature and managed broad leaf woodland riven with grass rides and intersecting concrete roads. There are also some 1,200 acres of arable land.
We shoot a couple of walked up days in the pre-season, which could include partridge and cock pheasants flying away from the wood. The remainder of the season is dominated by driven pheasant and woodcock shooting in ridings but also out of managed rough areas back to the wood. In addition to syndicate shooting we offer a number of let days for driven woodcock dependent on the quality of the migration and numbers in general.
When the founder members took over the shoot four years ago we decided we would not shoot with people we didn’t like and so far we have been very fortunate to meet some lovely people. The shoot has a wonderfully informal and slightly irreverent feel to it and is centred around our WWII ammunition bunker located within the woods. We welcome family members who’d like to join the beaters for the day and take part in the general fun. We aim, where possible, to introduce people to shooting be it in the beating line or as guest guns so that we do all we can to encourage the growth of the sport. The emphasis is on enjoyment for all and integration with the beaters and pickers up.
The format of driven days is as follows:
8am – Guns and guests meet for breakfast (full English) at the pub in Yardley. Beaters and Pickers Up meet for bacon rolls at the bunker.
9am – All congregate at the bunker for drinks and to receive our plan for the day
9.30am – Move off to the first drive (beaters in their wagon and guns in their mobile bar)
9.30am – 12.30pm drinks served as seen fit and shooting 3-4 drives
12.30pm – 1.30pm – Lunch, taken together, of hot bacon or other meat rolls, soup, home baking and coffee. Wine and cocktail of the week!
1.30pm – 3.30pm – Conclusion of drives and round up at the bunker.
4pm – Adjourn to the pub for a wash up and gentle pint before home.
Our aim is to shoot circa 125 bird days on driven pheasant and 15 to 25 brace of woodcock, though we cannot guarantee these numbers. Safety and good sportsmanship (with gentle poaching encouraged) is paramount.
We have invested heavily in the shoot over the last few years and consider our efforts to be work in progress in the search for improvement in both the sport and overall experience. Guns are encouraged to attend working parties during the off season and to use what influence they have to further the cause of the shoot be it in terms of infrastructure or entertainment.
Please get in touch with Dan Goodwin for information on let days.
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Reviews
Mr. Ian Reilly
Took a day via G-o-Ps as a single gun. I could not have been more warmly welcomed. A really good shoot, well keepered, well run and a lively mix of shooting, banter and comradery. A great selection of swing-oils for loosening those stiff shoulders, of the slow gin and prosecco variety. Great food and lots of birds. Highly recommended and I will definitely look out for spare pegs with these guys next season.
Visit: January 27th 2018
D. B.
Just a short note to say thanks to you and the other syndicate members for their kind hospitality last Saturday. You have managed to take the best elements out of shoots across the country and synthesize it into a small part of Northamptonshire. It’s a fantastic set up that has been achieved as a result of a lot of hard work by the whole team. From the hearty breakfast to regular doses of arm lubrication to the cocktail of the day, you certainly hit the right notes. Your keeper and his beating team is excellent in challenging terrain and it’s great that they are included throughout – a real family feel and Fred had a great day. Said by Mr. Paul Weston who shot on the 23rd November 2013
D. B.
Just a quick note to thank everyone involved for a fantastic day. When I booked, to be honest I was expecting very little from the day and was very sceptical about the whole thing. How wrong can you be! I have never encountered so many wild woodcock on one estate, nor have I been on a shoot where the guns and beaters were turned around so fluidly. Everything was so very well organised and ran like clockwork from arrival and breakfast, the briefing and right through to departure. It was so nice to have a team of hard working beaters who knew exactly what they were doing, did it extremely well and still managed to have a laugh in the process. A huge thanks to you all, If you have space…I would love to come back… Thanks again. Kind regards, Finlay Currie.
D. B.
Thank you very much for a really enjoyable day shooting up at Yardley on Friday. Your hard work, organisation and planning really shows in the well organised productive and varied selection of drives. Tom Oliver and I had a lot of fun, there's no squawking flapping shouting lead up to the silent emergence of a woodcock - so it was concentration, alertness and sharp shooting required. The more enjoyable drives had less conifers - which can create a black screen cover, the deciduous woods were more engaging, but as all but one of the drives has some action it was well done by the set up and driving team. A highlight of our Christmas period - many thanks. Happy New Year, and best wishes for the continued success of your shoot. Trevor Beadle
D. B.
Douglas, Just a quick email to say thank you for a great day on the 24th November. Both Paul and I had a fantastic day and were made to feel very welcome and part of a very enjoyable and social shoot. We are sorry we missed you at the end of the day, as we expected everyone would head back to the pub for a final drink. I will be in touch, about coming again next season. Best of luck for the rest of the season and lets hope it dries out before it gets too cold. Many thanks again. Regards Michael Davison