ehb102
Well-known member
I've just got back from a marvellous simulated game day at the Six Mile Bottom shoot.
At 10 o'clock we met at the Green Man inn for bacon rolls. Good quality bacon and fresh rolls - very important; if a shoot can't get this right it doesn't bode well for the day. Coffee was good, which made us all much livelier. I avoided the sloe gin, but I'm told it was very good.
Guns and cartridges were loaded on to the Six Mile Bottom patented truck. Everyone had a locker and an ammo box to themselves. It was so nice not to have to lug the guns around, especially as the person who wanted to borrow one hadn't told me they had changed their mind and I had several guns with me. It made prepping for each shoot so efficient. People were loaded on to the truck, which was surprisingly comfortable. Not benches but proper seats with headrest,and seatbelts too. Luxury and safety! These two vehicles plus a truck to carry loaders and a big chest of cold drinks made up the convoy.
The first drive was incomers over a hedge. My partner and I were peg 6 of 6 and the first clay of the day was launched. It was a single solitary clay and it was headed straight towards us. Luckily, I broke it! After that, no one was watching whether I was missing or not. I hit some. A few were straight driven, most were quartering crossers from our point of view.
Second drive was in the grouse butts. Low, fast and frequent, I have never enjoyed a grouse butt drive so much. I find the grouse butts a little easier as the clays are fast but close in. There were way too many clays for us too shoot. We could have had two guns in each butt, clays were that plentiful.
Elevenses were smoked salmon on brown bread with champagne, followed by the most utterly delicious sloe port. There were also crisps and chocolate biscuits and bottles of water aplenty- know your audience! We finished with apples and plums picked straight from the trees.
Drive three was great fun, and not just because of the port. Lots of minis and midis mixed in, and more crossing birds off at odd angles.
Drive four was the classic driven, with clays being flung from the 45 foot tower, angled to ascend. By the time they reached us the clays seemed very high. For the first time in my year of shooting I got hit by a clay - I wondered if my loader had pinched my bottom for some reason, but she assured me it was a clay fragment. My last shot was a high crosser sneaking off to my left, and that was the last shot of the day.
Lunch was back at the pub; steak and all the trimmings. My steak was properly rare, which in itself is rare, let alone on a shoot!
We were very well looked after by the hospitality team, the clays were good and the location was pretty. www.sixmilebottomshoot.co.uk
Gallery here:
At 10 o'clock we met at the Green Man inn for bacon rolls. Good quality bacon and fresh rolls - very important; if a shoot can't get this right it doesn't bode well for the day. Coffee was good, which made us all much livelier. I avoided the sloe gin, but I'm told it was very good.
Guns and cartridges were loaded on to the Six Mile Bottom patented truck. Everyone had a locker and an ammo box to themselves. It was so nice not to have to lug the guns around, especially as the person who wanted to borrow one hadn't told me they had changed their mind and I had several guns with me. It made prepping for each shoot so efficient. People were loaded on to the truck, which was surprisingly comfortable. Not benches but proper seats with headrest,and seatbelts too. Luxury and safety! These two vehicles plus a truck to carry loaders and a big chest of cold drinks made up the convoy.
The first drive was incomers over a hedge. My partner and I were peg 6 of 6 and the first clay of the day was launched. It was a single solitary clay and it was headed straight towards us. Luckily, I broke it! After that, no one was watching whether I was missing or not. I hit some. A few were straight driven, most were quartering crossers from our point of view.
Second drive was in the grouse butts. Low, fast and frequent, I have never enjoyed a grouse butt drive so much. I find the grouse butts a little easier as the clays are fast but close in. There were way too many clays for us too shoot. We could have had two guns in each butt, clays were that plentiful.
Elevenses were smoked salmon on brown bread with champagne, followed by the most utterly delicious sloe port. There were also crisps and chocolate biscuits and bottles of water aplenty- know your audience! We finished with apples and plums picked straight from the trees.
Drive three was great fun, and not just because of the port. Lots of minis and midis mixed in, and more crossing birds off at odd angles.
Drive four was the classic driven, with clays being flung from the 45 foot tower, angled to ascend. By the time they reached us the clays seemed very high. For the first time in my year of shooting I got hit by a clay - I wondered if my loader had pinched my bottom for some reason, but she assured me it was a clay fragment. My last shot was a high crosser sneaking off to my left, and that was the last shot of the day.
Lunch was back at the pub; steak and all the trimmings. My steak was properly rare, which in itself is rare, let alone on a shoot!
We were very well looked after by the hospitality team, the clays were good and the location was pretty. www.sixmilebottomshoot.co.uk
Gallery here:
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