Outside Days » Shooting

Where Did August Go?

Howard — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:05:35 +0000

The glorious 12th came racing up on me like a steam train, leaving disarray in its wake as I tackled Yorkshire, Croatia, the 19th century and the Sussex downs in rapid succession. While the rest of the country basked in an Indian summer, I sweltered in tweeds and froze in moleskins depending on the whim of Mother Nature. I pack sunscreen and short sleeves for Croatia, but the indignity of combining suncream with tweed has me questioning the apparent realignment of the seasons. Except for the not-so-glorious fog that accompanied the guns on August 12th and 13th of course.

The first of our annual brace of black powder days went off with a bang as the team attempted their first partridge. Mini-driven days are always more about the laugh, fancy dress and the giving of stick, bag is immaterial to this team…especially when we never seem to reach it. At 60 seconds plus to reload both barrels, I spend more time on the radio holding the line and my belly than anything else. Having taken up the invitation to fire a flintlock in anger at quarry, I am amazed the team hit anything at all: the delay requires physics calculations worthy of a submariner to put shot in the same airspace as a bird.

At long last, the sweltering weather seems to have broken with cool nights, showery days and the fallow rut settling us in to autumn’s rhythm. The first pheasants are starting to turn up in bags, and days are going from pure partridge to the days of mixed sport that signal the start of pheasants in seriousness. With the first frosts underfoot, we are selling the last of the late grouse bargains and a few remaining guns and days. The first woodcock have been reported on the Isle of Lewis, with many more to follow as the winter days draw in and the arctic blast we are promised materialises. If you find yourself with some spare days to fill, get in touch…we’ve taken our first booking for January 2013 so you needn’t worry about appearing overeager.

Reprise: Idiot’s Guide to Booking Shooting

Howard — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:35:29 +0000

I make no apologies for dusting off this old chestnut and republishing. When the loonies, kooks and crazies stop asking questions that would require the publication of numerous volumes to answer, I’ll leave this one in the archive. Until then…

Subtitle: The Things I Really Need to Know to Make Your Day Work
We start booking shooting for one season before the previous season closes, and are in full swing planning for the season to come by the time March becomes lamb-like. Much as I love extended email conversations and playing phone tennis, tag, and catch with all of you, it helps if you’ve done a little thinking before we start. We work with so many different shoots, each offering a selection of different opportunities, that it’s hard to know where to start when the email says ‘looking for some shooting…prices and dates please’.

Knowing what quarry you’d like to shoot, where or when you’d like to shoot helps narrow the choices. Grouse are a possibility in northern Britain from August 12th to December 10th, but you can forget shooting in the Outer Hebrides until September, or being within an hour of London ever.

Do you care how many times you pull the trigger? How high the birds are? How far you will have to preambulate between pegs? Is your dog just for show, or do you expect to use its services on the day? Are you solo, or blessed with an entire team of compatriots eager for the off? Can you shoot any day except the first Tuesday of each month, or are you a weekend warrior? Gourmand content only with linen tablecloths and a selection of fine wines? Cottage pie or casserole in the shoot room? Fish and chips at the pub? Or sausage rolls and soup on the tailgate of the Landrover?

Do you have to be back on your doorstep for dinner at 5? Looking to stay in a sporting lodge complete with singing laird and scotch pancakes? Fancy a pub with a roaring fire that allows your dog to stay? Or maybe a B&B whose landlady has an encyclopedic knowledge of local watering holes?

I’m sure you get the picture. The more specific you can be, the closer to your dream spec I can tailor the day. Of course, giving me plenty of notice always helps…

Thomas Cook Has Nothing On Us

Howard — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 21:47:04 +0000

Before you start shaking your head about the cost of foreign travel (never mind sporting holidays) and cleaning your weapons in preparation for mothballing, have a look at Outside Days out of season sporting breaks. After all, I didn’t get a can of WD40 for my birthday because I am a frivolous spendthrift.
Texas
No. 2′s nationality has nothing to do with my passion for this vast state and the varied sport it offers (her kind cling to the coasts). From quail over pointers to hogs in high seats and bass from boats, there is literally sport to be had 365 days of the year. Packages can be as simple or complex as you like: take in multiple venues or be based from one camp, devote yourself to one quarry or sample a plethora of sporting opportunities. In 2011, start from $250USD a day.

Argentina
The high volume dove shooting in Argentina needs very little introduction, nor does Tierra del Fuego and its enormous sea trout. But it wouldn’t be an Outside Days adventure if we hadn’t explored every nook and cranny to bring you sport off the beaten track. The pampas holds enormous trophy reds and antelope that will have the stalkers dreaming, and Patagonia’s stunning trout rivers and freshwater lakes will take the ardent flyfisherman by surprise. Whether iconic Argentinian sport or a diversion from convention gives you the shivers, we can take you there with 2011 excursions starting at $450USD a day.

South Africa
Last year’s guinea pig trip is this year’s strong contender for the best boys trip away, offering huge value that almost matches the bag. We offer a range of South African options from the luxe and plush colonial to the no-frills lodge experience. From wildebeast to dove and all sizes of fur and feather in between, we’ve got a southern African trip to suit. And the meager hour time difference means no jet lag! With 2011 African experiences available from £1,600 for a week, you can trade the heat of the British spring and summer for the balmy African winter.

Croatia
With the amount of time I spent there last year and the fun I had, I’m considering registering as a Croatian citizen. They think nothing of waking before dawn to pursue quail over pointers, then heading to the Dalmatian coast for a bit of spearfishing and baitfishing, or to icy mountain streams for trout before returning for another bash at the birds. Add chamois, moufflon, boar and woodcock to the sporting menu and it represents pretty amazing value within a couple of hours of London. Let’s be honest, that’s closer than the big Devon high bird shoots (for most of us), and with two days of sport starting at 900euros in 2011, a LOT more affordable.

If any of these sporting destinations appeal to you, please get in touch so we can help you customise a trip to suit.

******CALLING ALL GUINEA PIGS******
If you like the unexpected, the bargain, the occasional compromise, and expressing your considered opinions in a constructive way, this is for you.

Every year, we add a few new strings to our bow. And, as you would expect from us, everything is road tested before we offer it to the wider world. The road test dummies, affectionately known as guinea pigs, get bargain trips to stunning (well, we hope) locations. In exchange, they tolerate me and the unforeseen. Risks have included dodgy transfers, mystery meat, unusual food combining (banana, ham and salad cream sandwiches), local games, and patchy sport. On the other hand, we’ve had enormous bags of a diversity of birds, real bargains, made some new friends around the globe, and no shortage of laughter.

Providing I have enough of you volunteer to be experimented on, the 2011 offerings include:
* Flyfishing for trout on the rivers in Bosnia
* A three day barbel on the dry-fly trip to Spain. Yes, you read that right, my fantasy fishing experiment has been made a reality by the Spaniards.
* Partridge, taimen and antelope, the Mongolian McGenghis, for the really adventurous.

Sign up now to join the doughty band of adventurers named after a children’s pet. You, too can be an Outside Days guinea pig.

Croatian Flights

Howard — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 22:09:09 +0000

When it comes to birds, we pride ourselves on offering the extremes. Our quail and woodcock packages in Croatia are no exception.

If, as the dog days of summer roll around each year, you contemplate the sorry state of the British summer and rusty shooting skills in the face of the Glorious 12th and beyond, kill two birds with one stone: add a quick trip to Croatia in pursuit of migratory quail walked up over English pointers and setters to the diary. Within hours you could be ensconced in rural agricultural Croatia, contemplating an evening’s walked up quail over pointers. Hunt for four or five hours from dawn and then again for two or three hours in the evening to avoid the heat of the day. Being on the doorstep of the hunting ground compensates for a lack of bells and whistles accommodation when you are hauling yourself out of bed to be in the field at dawn. Perhaps a villa by the sea and a pre-dawn commute to the fields is more your style: only an hour from our rural hunting idyll, the coast offers an array of watersports from boating and snorkeling to fishing and diving.

Are you pheasant and partridged out? Or has the end of the British shooting season come all too soon? Maybe you are just a ‘cock junkie? A quick flight from any of the major British airports and a short commute to the hotel at the centre of the hunting ground has you in the heart of European woodcock territory. Pack comfortable boots as you can walk for five or six hours each day in pursuit of these pop-eyed shot-dodgers. On the plus side, the pointers give you the heads up before the birds leap skyward. Groups of two or more can shoot woodcock over pointers over more than 100,000 hectares of prime Croatian hunting ground from the 1st of October to the 28th of February.

Both of these packages are flexible, offering sport for one day or many, and are readily combined with other fieldsports.

Balkan Stalkin’

Howard — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 16:58:09 +0000

More famous for their troubled past, the Balkans offer some of Europe’s finest stalking with quarry extending beyond roe and boar to include chamois, mouflon and ibex. The mountains above the Dalamatian coast are home to a huge population of Balkan chamois, and the area has produced world records in recent years. The coast, peninsulas and islands at the foot of these mountains provide the perfect Mediterranean habitat for the mouflon, originally a native of Corsica. Croatia has the world’s biggest free ranging population of mouflon, and produces some of the biggest trophies as well. Alpine ibex favour the same dizzying heights as alpine chamois, with both species being stalked among the inland peaks.

Whatever your stalking pleasure, the Balkans provide thrills in beautiful surroundings with welcoming hosts. Combinations of species are available in certain seasons, as are trips combining stalking, fishing and wingshooting. Let us show you a gorgeous part of Europe off the beaten track.

South Africa On The Wing

Howard — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 13:16:45 +0000

Guinea fowl, and geese, and doves! Oh, my! There is more to South Africa than plains game.

Going on safari to South Africa once meant weeks of travel just to get there, and time spent pursuing big game with even bigger rifles. Today its possible to catch a flight from London and be ensconced under canvas or in a lodge inside 18 hours. And a yearning for zebra, lion or antelope can be replaced with a passion for winged targets. Among South Africa’s numerous natural blessings is its enormous diversity of bird species, somewhere in the region of 50 of which are quarry species.

The best of South Africa’s shooting is concentrated between May 1 and August 31 – the winter months in the antipodes. And this is when you will find Outside Days setting up camp ready to welcome you to the best sport in South Africa’s agricultural breadbaskets. Whether your passion is pigeon and dove, waterfowl, or Lancaster bomber (guinea fowl) and their spur fowl cousins, we can tailor a package to suit you. Combining fluff flicking and the odd antelope with winged quarry is always a possibility: we love to turn dreams into fur, feather and fin.

Glorious Grouse from August 12th to December 10th

Howard — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 16:01:38 +0000

Two months into the grouse season and we are down to our last three days. From the Outer Hebrides to the Cheviots, the Lammermuirs to the Yorkshire Dales it has been an amazing season for grouse. Despite last winter’s cold spell, there have been record numbers in places across the country. Even so, demand has outstripped availability with days, whether walked up, over pointers or driven, being snapped up within hours of offering.

I warn every novice grouse shot that it’s an addictive sport, but that doesn’t stop you from making that ‘once in a lifetime’ trip…and rebooking (you know who you are). It’s easy to see how fortunes have been spent in pursuit of the king of game birds.

In two short months, we’ve enjoyed/encountered sunburn, frost, floods, fog, gales, men in skirts, and a long list of unmentionables. To the owner of the spare right boot left behind on the moor, it’s made it back to Wiltshire and is waiting for collection.

Next year’s waiting list starts here…well, the queue does.

Quail Sand Sea and Fun

Howard — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:23:59 +0000

As the dog days of summer roll around each year and the grouse begin to take flight over pointers and butts, I am always caught out by the start of the season (the blog was the first casualty of quail, grouse and pheasant, so if you follow me on Twitter @outsidedays and this is out of sync, apologies). Adding a quick trip to Croatia in pursuit of migratory quail walked up over English pointers and setters to the diary has sprung the season on me even faster. As July wound down, I found myself in the surreal position of packing shooting attire, fishing kit, snorkelling gear, fleeces and suncream and heading for Split.

Having retrieved the guns on flights from across the UK (Split is a quick flight from most British airports) we headed for Radcic, a rural village in the heart of agricultural Croatia. Being on the doorstep of the hunting ground compensates for a lack of bells and whistles accommodation when you are hauling yourself out of bed to be in the field at dawn. The three guns and I were joined by our dogman Branko, our guide/translator/fixer Ana and their 5 dogs, a mixture of English setters and pointers. Walking up behind the dogs, we meandered across a patchwork of small plots that resembled feudal England or an enormous allotment. Take the migratory nature of quail, add the vagaries of guns’ fitness, wakefulness and accuracy, and the bag becomes a moveable feast. Disproving the adage that only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun, we hunted for four or five hours from dawn and then again for two or three hours in the evening. This reduces the risk of painful sunburns and heat exhaustion for canine and human alike.

When you’ve only grabbed a view days away, every hour of sun is precious…especially when faced with an English August at home. Making the most of the proximity of the Med and an empty day stretching out in front of us, we headed for the sea. Only an hour from our rural hunting idyll, the coast offers an array of watersports from boating and snorkeling to fishing and diving. After four hours of pootling on the water, we headed back inland with soggy clothes, 50+ fish to our credit, and ‘suntans’ that would be the envy of our staycationing acquaintances. It feels like my feet have hardly touched the ground, but the English ‘indian summer’ has us planning next year’s excursions already…

Doves, Diamonds and Dodgy Driving

Howard — Mon, 10 May 2010 20:50:16 +0000

Each year, I collect a team of guinea pigs who put aside common sense, regular mealtimes and British tea in favour of adventure in more or less civilised corners of the globe. This year, we got our shots and headed for South Africa in pursuit of a heady mixture of bird shooting, plains game stalking and fishing.

Our destination was a game lodge some 5 hours south of Johannesburg, just outside Kimberley in an area famous for diamond mines and agriculture. If you follow me on Twitter, then you’ll know the journey was…eventful. We were treated to some of the best of African driving including exhibitions of weaving at speed and sweet talking policemen. The lodge was a welcome sight, nestled down a 3km drive in 3,000+ acres of veldt (the African equivalent of Salisbury plain, complete with bustards).

Like farmers everywhere, the Christiana agriculturalists view (African mourning and ring necked) doves and (speckled or rock) pigeons as pests. Having tucked ourselves into the edge of maize fields and taken cover in hides on peanuts, it was only too easy to see why. The kit and the tactics here are the same as on British soil with our wood pigeons: decoys and pigeon magnets are deployed to great effect. Just make sure you get the polarity right when you hook up your battery: reversing birds may be amusing, but are unproven as a strategy even for attracting antipodean fowl.

While not quite Argentina, the birds came in thick and fast. At their peak, even with two in a hide we couldn’t load fast enough. If the tactics are the same, the quarry are quite different. African mourning dove jink like a snipe and are pretty similar in size. The rock pigeons are slightly smaller than wood pigeons, and fly in a less predictable pattern. We managed to cram three pigeon expeditions into our five days of sport, firing more than a thousand between the six of us. The birds that didn’t end up on the lodge’s dining room table went to locals who welcomed the extra protein with open arms.

Idiot’s Guide to Booking Shooting

Howard — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:00:44 +0000

I’m sure you get the picture. The more specific you can be, the closer to your dream spec I can tailor the day. Of course, giving me plenty of notice always helps…