David Morris Sporting

Hospitality is an important part of a shoot day at David Morris Sporting on the Hopton Court Estate in South Shropshire, and we pride ourselves on providing excellent food in relaxed surroundings.

Catering is provided by our resident chef Steve, who can serve meals either in our purpose-built gun room or at Hopton Court, where guns dine in the beautiful dining room and enjoy pre-drinks in the drawing room. Steve’s cooking receives wonderful feedback, with his sirloin of beef from a local Ludlow butcher a particular favourite. Catering can also be arranged in the field between drives if preferred.

Many teams choose to stay at the nearby Hopton Crown, enjoying breakfast before the shoot and returning there for a meal and drink at the end of the day.

We offer a good variety of birds across the estate, providing enjoyable sport for a range of experience levels. Guns can expect some challenging pheasants on drives such as Knowle Bank, Ethel’s and Summerhouse, along with nice sporting partridges presented over our partridge valley at Catherton. The varied ground allows us to show birds in different ways throughout the day, helping to keep the shooting both interesting and rewarding.

Here at David Morris Sporting we are fortunate to shoot over a wonderful mix of parkland, mature woodland, rolling undulating ground and riverside valleys, which together create a varied and attractive landscape for a day’s shooting. The natural contours of the land allow birds to be presented in different ways across the drives, helping to keep the sport interesting and enjoyable throughout the day.

Hopton Court Estate sits in the beautiful Shropshire countryside near the historic market town of Cleobury Mortimer, on the edge of the Shropshire Hills, yet remains within easy travelling distance of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands, making it an ideal escape to the countryside for a traditional day’s shooting.

Yes. As part of running the shoot we take an active interest in supporting local wildlife and the wider countryside. We plant wild bird seed mixes within our game cover, which provide valuable food and habitat for many species throughout the year.

We have also installed bird boxes around the estate, encouraging a variety of small birds to nest locally. More recently we undertook a project to plant a new hedge of hawthorn, field maple and hazel around one of our cover crops. As the hedge establishes it will provide additional shelter, nesting habitat and a valuable wildlife corridor.

Projects like these are ways in which we aim to support the local ecosystem while maintaining the landscape we are fortunate to shoot over.

The day is hosted by Dave Morris, who takes great pride in making sure everyone enjoys themselves and works hard to create a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere for both returning guns and new visitors.

Many of the teams who shoot with us have been coming for years and have become more like friends. It has been a pleasure to watch their children grow up and, in some cases, return to shoot with us themselves.

Nigel is also on hand during the day helping with refreshments and making sure everyone is well looked after. At weekends our teenage children often help too, adding to the friendly, family-run feel that many of our guns say is part of what makes the day so enjoyable.

We are about an hours drive from Birmingham and the West Midlands.

David Morris Sporting grew from Dave’s long connection with Hopton, where he worked for many years as gamekeeper before taking on the shoot himself in 2016. With the support and trust of the landowners and many of the guns who had shot there for years, we decided to carry the shoot forward and build on the traditions already in place.

Over time the shoot has developed its own small community. Many teams return year after year and it has been a pleasure to see families grow up with the shoot, with some of the next generation now taking their place on the pegs.

The nearby Hopton Crown often becomes the meeting point at the end of the day, where guns, beaters and pickers-up gather to share a drink, a few stories and round off a day in the field.