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NEWSLETTER 2025-26

It amazes me how quickly time passes and yet again the seasonal shooting report is due. This year at Gurston Down, we had a full shooting programme, with no days left unfilled, which was incredibly pleasing.
As always, I have to praise the birds as the star performers, with the pure bred Polish Pheasants along with well grown Partridge producing both stunning and challenging shooting. The shoot days prior to the Christmas break were relatively straightforward – superb days achieving our targets, with the returns closely matching our expectations. However, everything changed in the New Year, with the strong winds and heavy rain throughout January taking the difficulty of the birds to a whole new level! Sadly at times the wind was simply too strong and often from the wrong direction, such as the East. Regardless, we had some stellar shooting days with incredibly difficult birds presented over the gun line. On such days, I feel the bag was immaterial, as come the end of the day, the guns were exhilarated and some exhausted by the challenge. January impacted on the shoot returns, reducing the percentage and increasing the shot ratio. The cartridge ratio increased from the 4.6:1 last season to 4.8:1 this year, with partridge returns 36.9% and the pheasant 39.7%, giving a combined total return of 38.6% on birds released compared to 40.5% last season. To put this in context, had the cartridge ratio been maintained as last season, we would have achieved a 40% return on birds released.

After the horrendously wet weather during summer of 2024, last year proved the total opposite. A wet early spring was followed by a sustained period of drought which commenced from the time we planted our spring peas in early April, until well after they were harvested. Over the growing period, the crop only received 1/2” of rain and suffered a 40% yield loss as a result. The Maize game crops were similarly affected, being stunted in growth to about half the height we anticipated. Along with the game crops, we also grew a large amount of Wild Bird Cover, comprising of Sorghum, Millet, Linseed and Kale, which struggled initially, but filled in remarkably well once it finally received some rainfall. Thankfully, despite the challenges we managed to establish adequate game cover for our shooting needs.

In previous newsletters, I commented on the Dew Pond we re-established in the main valley in spring 2023. During the drought conditions, I regularly had to top up the water level to avoid it completely drying out.
With all the heavy rain since the New Year the pond has been brimful and overflowing! but the level has recently diminished, due to the lack of rainfall throughout April. What crazy weather patterns we are experiencing!!

Although, I have always been fond on our old shoot trailer, which has been a treasured accompaniment since David Hitchings’ shooting days, this season we introduced our newly refurbished ex-Army gun bus. The vehicle proved a much more comfortable form of transport and sped up our journey times between drives.

In September, we were privileged to raise a glass with David on his 97th birthday on a shoot day, truly a remarkable achievement!

We have continued to support the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust with money collected on shooting days and are pleased to report a sum of £5,500 being donated towards their cause this year. Congratulations to Adam Smith for winning the draw for a gun at Gurston Down. And thank you as always to everyone for contributing towards this important and much valued organisation.

15 October 2025

The season has started extremely well, with three very good partridge days, followed by some wonderful mixed days, in which the pheasant have been exceptional. All bodes well for the days to come and the season ahead.

Friday 18 July 2025

Having talked at great length about the wet weather last season, the weather tends to even itself out, and we are now in the teeth of a drought, with very little appreciable rainfall for since the end of March. We have yet to see how much this has impacted our arable crops, but this will be revealed with the imminent harvest. The one crop soaking up the sunshine is the Maize, which bodes well for the both the birds and the shoot. A small crumb of comfort, with the ongoing difficulties the weather is causing to farming.

Thankfully the weather this week was a bit cooler, coinciding with our Polish Pheasant poults being delivered into the release pens, initiating preparations for the coming shooting season. As usual, they have been vaccinated against Mycoplasma which we feel a necessary precaution, even though the perceived threat of the disease presents being relatively low.

NEWSLETTER 2024-25

Having completed another shooting year at Gurston Down, I am pleased to report we have enjoyed a fantastic season, with the star performers being the pure bred Polish Pheasants. The pheasant flew well from the first bird over the guns in October and simply got better and better throughout the season. Last season we shot a higher proportion of partridge, which was not replicated this year due to their tendency to flush in large coveys and not having many favourable winds, to make use of the plentiful birds we had about the bottom of the farm. Thankfully any shortfall in the partridge was more than made up by the stunning Pheasants, standing on their tails and soaring over the guns below. The cartridge ratio increased from the 4.4:1 last season to 4.6:1 this year, with partridge returns of 39.3% and the pheasant 41.2%, giving a combined total return of 40.5% on birds released.

The preparation for last season was not particularly straight forward, due to the sustained periods of horrendously wet weather, which plagued field operations on every occasion, delaying timely plantings and crop development. Having finally established adequate game cover, everything was fine, until we suffered storm Bert, followed by Darrah with gale force winds and heavy rain, which flattened vast stands of Maize, with the consequence that from then forward, any control of birds flushing was completely out of our hands.

As some of you may have seen, with grant funding we re-established a Dew Pond in the bottom of the main valley in March last year. Amidst the persistent rain, the butyl lined reservoir was completely full within a week of construction, the level which has not dropped since. It has been a marvellous addition to the biodiversity at Gurston Farm encouraging a plethora of previously unknown invertebrate species to me, such as Lesser Emperor Dragonflies and Blue Tipped Damselflies. One of the principal reasons for the pond creation is to encourage Turtle Dove, which favour drinking from such areas. Although this is still a work in progress, on a shoot day in October, I saw a Kingfisher at the pond, which was a totally unexpected a mile away from the river Ebble. With nature improvement, very much at the forefront, the farm has entered Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship. As part of the Scheme we have grant funding to remove the invasive Bramble and Hawthorn spread throughout Gravelly Valley, which should allow the rare grasses, sedges and wild flowers to reclaim the areas and return the natural species rich chalk downland to its previous glory. The fallow plots on the farm, have continued to be successful for Stone Curlew, although Lapwing numbers have sadly declined over the past two years. I think this has been a factor of two incredibly wet springs, impacting on the success of the nesting birds, with the site specify being lost as a consequence of the repeated breeding failures.

We have continued to support the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust with money collected on shooting days and are pleased to report a sum of £4,725 being donated towards their cause this year. We will make the total up to £6,000. Congratulations to Hamilton Greenwood for winning the draw for a gun at Gurston Down. Thank you to everyone for contributing towards this important and much valued organisation.

NEWSLETTER 2023-24

We are approaching our 25^th Season, since taking over the running of Gurston Down, it maybe a time to reflect on the past quarter of a century. Having come to into the opportunity somewhat green in the gills, I have seen many changes over the years. The initial days were based primarily on David Hitchings blueprint, which has served Gurston Down so well over the previous 30 years. Nine guns on the day, or Ten when partridge shooting, with numbering up two or three, regardless of how the system resulted in the evenness of shooting. After getting to know the shoot, it became evident that we needed to address such imbalances, which to cut a long story short, was eventually corrected with an adaption to the Belgium system. This has served the shoot well over the past seasons, with the added benefit that after forth drive, all the guns will have stood next to each other and only been an end gun once. Another change has been the reduction in number of drives on a day, in David’s time seven or eight drives would be undertaken, which did not allow much time for lunch. With shooting being as much a social occasion as shooting experience, we extended lunch break and reduced the number of drives being chased through on the day. This allowed for a lengthier lunch and for the days to operate in a more timely fashion, with most being completed by mid afternoon. Having experienced this f impacted on the shooting whether that regimented am looking forward to the day when I can write my Newsletter without it being influenced by the difficulties faced due to major events outside our control! The Covid restrictions, followed a year later by the Avian Influenza outbreaks, have impacted heavily on our shooting industry. With the French closing their borders last season, it limited the availability of game birds to the effect that many shoots simply did not get any birds to allow them to shoot. Moving forward, the situation has not completely resolved, in that much of the French laying stock in the exclusion zones were culled last year, which has led to supply shortages, to the effect that the price of poults have increased substantially and correspondingly has led to an increase in the cost of shooting days.

We were extremely fortunate last year in being able to source pheasant chicks, albeit slightly reduced in numbers, but struggled to get early partridge. We did eventually source some partridge poults from within the UK, but the delay meant our season commenced in mid October rather than late September. Although the dry conditions over summer stunted some of the game crops, they satisfied our requirements. The tinder dry drought conditions in August led to a crop fire when harvesting the Spring Barley at the top of the farm, but thankfully with the help of six fire crews, the inferno was eventually brought under control, which resulted in the loss of 30 acres of standing crop – but luckily that was all!

As for last season, we had a very good year with the partridge numbers holding up until mid December and the pheasant throughout. Considering we put out less birds, albeit with the reduced shooting days, a 40% return on Partridge and marginally less for Pheasant with 39.9% return overall was a pleasing outcome.

Over the last few seasons, we have been rearing our pheasant from day old and buying in partridge poults. A change in policy this season meant we bought both partridge and pheasant poults. With less labour demands, the shoot staff was reduced to one Head Gamekeeper, with extra assistance later in the year. With our pheasant chicks coming from the same source as they did last season and our partridge chicks organised, we are planning on returning to our usual shooting schedule.

Last season I wrote at length about my thoughts on needing to switch to non-lead shot at Gurston Down. With our game dealer still able to market our birds, we have decided not to impose a ban on using lead shot this coming season. In time it will be phased out, but that will be a decision for the future.

The accommodation at West Barn Lodge continues to be popular with shoot parties. Going forward, the conversion of the Dutch Barn next to West Barn Lodge to a function room has now been completed, which will enable the hosting of wedding receptions, meetings and conferences. www.westbarnlodge.com or www.gurstondownshoot.co.uk

We have continued to support the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust with money collected on shooting days and are pleased to report a sum of £5020 being donated towards their cause this year. The winner of the draw for a gun was George Bunn, which is just reward for the six cards he had entered in the draw. Thank you as always to everyone for contributing towards this important and much valued organisation.

NEWSLETTER 2022-23

I am looking forward to the day when I can write my Newsletter without it being influenced by the difficulties faced due to major events outside our control! The Covid restrictions, followed a year later by the Avian Influenza outbreaks, have impacted heavily on our shooting industry. With the French closing their borders last season, it limited the availability of game birds to the effect that many shoots simply did not get any birds to allow them to shoot. Moving forward, the situation has not completely resolved, in that much of the French laying stock in the exclusion zones were culled last year, which has led to supply shortages, to the effect that the price of poults have increased substantially and correspondingly has led to an increase in the cost of shooting days.

We have continued to support the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust with money collected on shooting days and are pleased to report a sum of £5020 being donated towards their cause this year. The winner of the draw for a gun is based in Bermuda. Thank you as always to everyone for contributing towards this important and much valued organisation.

Update Feb 2023

I am pleased to record another shooting season has been successfully completed, thankfully without any interruption from Bird Flu. I realise it has been many months, since I posted the last report, which is inexcusable on my part! As always the birds and the season have flown by and we in the process of preparing for the next. Having been under immense pressure following the Covid Pandemic in 2021 and throughout last season due to the threat of bird flu, it is becoming a running theme that we seem to be unable to enjoy a stress free moment, which is becoming tiresome. Moving forward, bird flu continues to threatens our industry, less so than last year when the French closed their borders and hopefully this will not be repeated. With many shoots not being able to source birds last season and the possible ongoing concerns, unsurprisingly it has lead to some caution in purchasing shooting days. There also appears to be a reluctance to part with deposits until there is clarity that poults have been sorted and that bird flu is lessening. We have secured our pheasant for the coming season, with the eggs coming from abroad (not France), to be hatched in the UK, as they were last year. I also have our partridge poults ordered. There is nothing we can do regarding bird flu, except to comment that we are in a low risk area and away from a large watercourse, with the inherent risk that wild fowl seem to carry.

Looking towards next season, the majority of our days are sold, but we do have limited opportunities in October, with one day in November. We can also offer a couple of partridge days in late September.

I will shortly be posting my annual Newsletter, which will report on the recent season at Gurston Down.

If you are looking for a shooting day, please seeing our available dates.

NEWSLETTER 2021-22

It was with a degree of relief that we successfully completed the whole of last season without any recurrences of Covid. As a consequence of lockdown in 2021-22, we carried six days forward which for us led to a congested and long shooting season. The star performers were the partridge with their numbers holding up well throughout the season, which helped compensate for the pheasant, which at times did not fly as well as anticipated. The partridge returns were 48.9% and the pheasant 37.2%, giving an overall return of 41.5% on total birds released, which being over 40% was a pleasing achievement. I cannot remember a season with so many windless days, with literally a handful with decent South Westerlies and a stretch of shooting days from the middle of December to the close to the end of the season when we experienced no appreciable wind whatsoever!! To the other extreme we had a couple of days earlier in the season when the wind was simply too strong, with one having to be curtailed for safety reasons.

I realise it is normal to criticise the weather, but little did we know come the end of the Shooting Season the storm brewing on the other side of the English Channel, with the Bird Flu outbreak in France causing massive supply issues in getting birds into the UK for the following season. I don’t think I have ever experienced a time with such uncertainty. Thankfully, with my Gamekeeper’s contacts and our loyal Game Dealer we have managed to secure enough pheasant and partridge poults in order to shoot this season. In a change of policy we are no longer rearing any birds from day old chicks and will be buying in poults instead.

Over the past six months, literally the cost of everything has increased, be it poults, game feed, cover crops, fuel and electricity. With the inevitable price increase of shooting days in the pipeline for next season, it will be interesting to determine whether a smaller day at the current price, will be more preferable to our usual day at a much higher price?

We were delighted this May to have celebrated Barney and Pippa’s Wedding, the most perfect of occasions amidst sunny weather and the reception held in a marquee down in the main valley – it was lovely to use the valley for such a happy day.

The accommodation at West Barn Lodge has become increasingly busy since the end of the lockdown and it feels good to be getting back to some normality. We are about to open our latest project, the conversion of the Dutch Barn complex adjacent to West Barn Lodge into a function room, which will enable the hosting of wedding receptions, meetings and conferences. www.westbarnlodge.com or www.gurstondownshoot.co.uk

We have continued to support the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust with money collected on shooting days and are pleased to report a sum of £4,200 being donated towards their cause this year, which will be made up to the sum of £5000 by Gurston Down Shoot. Our congratulations to Alistair Robjent for winning our prize draw for a free gun on a day at Gurston Down. Thank you to everyone for contributing towards this important organisation.

Saturday, 20 November 2021

As we reach half way through our shooting days, I am pleased to comment that despite the mild weather, the pheasants as now starting to fly purposely and with conviction, which had been lacking previously.

With too much leaf on the trees and numerous sunny, windless days, meant a couple of days did not go as smoothly I would have liked. But once blessed with cloud and/or windy conditions, the sporting quality is clearly evident to all!! We are still shooting a fair proportion of partridge on our days, which has conserved the pheasant numbers in readiness for the remainder of our season.

Maisie’s puppies have all been sold, going to three lovely families and will be working dogs – as well as being pets

Thursday, 14 October 2021

Maisie, our Cocker Spaniel has a litter of puppies, we are looking for working homes for one male and two female puppies. All are black with white strip on the chest. They will be available in the middle of November. Please contact me for further details.

Shoot days are going well. We did have one day in which we struggled massively from an intensely strong NW wind, which blew our intended plans and partridge awry, much to my keepers desperation!! Such days, are thankfully extremely rare, but do highlight that as much as we think we have all eventualities covered, there are times when very strong winds from the wrong quarter, makes life running a shooting day somewhat difficult!!

The following shooting day was totally calm, with not a breath of wind the whole day, strange how the weather tends to even itself out.

Thursday, 16 September 2021

As many of you will know, we don’t commence our shooting days until later in September, starting our full programme on October 1.

We were hopeful of holding a steel shot only as a trial to evaluate its performance in comparison to using lead shot. Sadly we have been unable to get a team together and decided to cancelled the event. As an alternative, during this season I will offer steel cartridges to certain guns to use along with lead shot on some high drives, for a comparison on how they perform.

NEWSLETTER 2020-21

Last season has to rank as the most unconventional within the living memory of our sport. With basic social niceties being discouraged and everyone being treated as if they were contagious with Coronavirus, it was the most stressful of seasons. Thankfully the guns and our team were accepting and adaptive to the changes needed in order to carry out our shooting days safely and legally. Despite losing some eight weeks to the Government Lockdowns, we managed to complete the majority of our shooting programme, with just six days being deferred to this year. In order achieve this, it did at time mean shooting back to back days which I am not an advocate on, but it was what was needed. Despite this we had an incredible shooting season, and the lockdowns gave the birds a rest mid-season, which benefitted the times when we needed to push a little harder and enabled us to host some fantastic shooting days. Shooting wise, despite the stresses, it was one of the best seasons we have had but I do however look forward to returning to our twice weekly routine, which I know from experience suits the birds and serves our shoot well. With all the negativity being thrust on our industry, our resolve to shoot was strengthened by having supportive clients willing to commit to their days, regardless of the future uncertainties which might have suggested otherwise, and I thank you for this commitment.

For the record we barely shot in September, November and January – barring the walked up non-commercial family days towards the end of the season. To satisfy Covid precautions, guns were permitted to travel in their four-wheel drive vehicles on shoot days where we would park and walk to the pegs to save damaging the valley with the long convoys. This did enable a safe method to walk and talk with guns, which is something I know Barney appreciated, when he would normally be stuck in the Tractor. We also shot through with lunch at the end of the day offered to those that wanted it, in their groups of six of course! Considering the potential problems and pitfalls, I was delighted we all came through the ordeal relatively unscathed and I know myself, the guns and our beating team were all relieved and thankful to be out in the field during away from the news and restrictions. Hopefully next season Coronavirus will be less impacting on the running of our days, although should it be the case we are geared up to face such an eventuality.

With the curtailment of the season in the first week of January, it is difficult to reasonably compare returns. The partridge numbers were 2% lower than last season, but with the last 6 days not being shot, the pheasant returns were a considerable 10% lower than normal. We did manage to have some small walked up days during January, which helped trim down the cock bird numbers to more manageable proportions but the overall returns for the season were 43.1% for the partridge and 30.5% for the pheasant. This is a combined total 34.4% on total birds released, which would have been over 40%, on a normal season.

Our accommodation at West Barn Lodge near Fovant was used by the majority of our shooting parties last season which has been a successful addition to the Gurston Down Shooting experience. Since its completion in 2018, the accommodation business has grown rapidly, aided by the current booster year with staycation market. We are now nearing completion on our latest project at the neighbouring Dutch Barns, which will enable the hosting of weddings and events in 2022. Given the future uncertainties within farming, I feel such diversification is so important in future proofing the farm and shoot, and certainly something that is proving a success. To manage this expanding part of the business, we have recently employed a manager called Petya, who looks forward to welcoming those staying at the Lodge alongside myself and Barney this season.

After 20 seasons providing delicious shoot lunches my wife Jeanne took the opportunity to take a step back, with local caterers Forking Out stepping forward to take on the responsibility. With West Barn Lodge now being part the majority of the days, the catering requirements have somewhat expanded from old days of elevenses and lunch in the shooting Lodge. As standard we know offer canapes, three course meal, cooked breakfast, elevenses, lunch and tea which are served in three different locations within a 24 hour period, twice a week! No easy task, but Forking Out have been brilliant through such a difficult year and I’m pleased to confirm that they will be catering again for us this season. I will be sending out this season’s dinner and lunch menu choices very shortly.

Gurston Farm is part of the Chalke Valley Farming Cluster Group, which aims to improve habitats on farms and estates within the locality. With the protracted Lockdown period this Spring it allowed time to investigate and discover the diversity of wildlife, both Flora and Fauna existing on the farm, which has been incredibly rewarding and fulfilling experience. Over the past months I become quite adept at bird and butterfly identification, as well as Chalk Downland plant species. Recognising and recording such things has become immensely important in demonstrating how shooting estates such as ours work in harmony with the landscape and to the benefit of the wildlife – rather than to its detriment. Wildlife sightings are recorded on the Chalke Valley Cluster App which can be viewed by other members of our group. Last year Mike Swan of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust carried out a Biodiversity Assessment at Gurston. Other than highlighting some woodland management needing attention, he concluded “I think that Gurston Down is a great example of a well run and well ordered commercial shoot that is delivering significant conservation benefit far in excess of what farming alone would produce” We will have already started acting on his helpful advice with an extensive removal of conifers along the top edge of the Rowberry release pen, and will continue clearing areas of woodland to enable light to permeate down through to the lower canopy.

The issue of lead shot lends argument to anti shooting lobbyist on the impact it has on both the land and threat it constitutes through ingesting shot game. In order to sell shot birds to supermarkets, the Game Dealers Association have intimated that from the 2022 season, they will only market non lead shot birds through their supply chains. As much as one should welcome their announcement, it appears the commitment was made in advance of consultation with the cartridge manufacturers, who may struggle to supply the quantities of steel shot as a readily available alternative to using lead. If supply issues can be resolved, it would appear we have this current season as a transition period to become less reliant on using lead. I am encouraged that steel appears to be a credible and affordable alternative – although the extra percussion pressures will render some guns unusable, it should ultimately be to the benefit our sport. In preparation, we will hosting a steel shot only day on Friday, 24th September to access any impact it may have and we will be selling steel shot cartridges as an option for use at Gurston Down this year. If you would be interested in taking a gun on this day, please let me know.

We have continued to support the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust with money collected on shooting days and are pleased to report a sum of £3,040 being donated towards their cause this year. Due to not completing our shooting calendar the sum is less than normally collected, so Gurston Down Shoot has made up the donation to £5000. Our congratulations to Tristam Constant winning our prize draw for a free gun on a day at Gurston Down. Thank you to everyone for contributing towards this important organisation.

29 March

Looking forward to finally get out of the Lockdown and the opportunity swinging a golf club – albeit very badly!!

The lettings for next season are pretty much complete – depending on whether we want to add some more partridge days to our shooting programme. It is encouraging looking forward that everything looks positive, allowing one confidence for the shooting season, with a touch of wariness towards Government restriction – should they deem it necessary?

Time has not been wasted during the Lockdown periods, as Barney and myself have busied ourselves with our latest project of converting the Dutch Barns adjacent to West Barn Lodge, into a function room to cater for weddings receptions, conferences and meetings etc. It is an exciting build, with Industrially Agricultural features incorporated into the design. At least it has enabled us to be productive over the past few months and brought it closer to completion, which all going well should later this year in readiness for opening in March next year.

16 February 2021

With the season effectively ended in early January due to the lockdown, we did manage, under the rules allowing walked up shooting, to reduce the cock bird numbers a bit prior to the end of the season.

Despite the ever present threat of Coronavirus next season, nearly all our days are booked, with the prospects for shooting looking decidedly positive.

5 January 2021

Happy New Year and thank goodness 2020 is now consigned to history.

I cannot recall a more stressful shooting season, with the Coronavirus precautions put in place affecting everyone and everything. Despite the disruption to our normal normal, we have managed to get through the majority of our shooting programme with just six January days being deferred until next season. With the announcement of country being placed in another Lockdown today, the season is effectively over and time to draw up pegs and start planning for September.

Although it has been an incredibly difficult season and one I would not wish to repeat, by going ahead we have retained our existing shooting clients, leaving just a handful of shooting days to market next season. These will be mainly accommodated by shooting a few more partridge days in September.

We have been fortunate to have been placed initially in Tier 2 and then Tier 3, which allowed us to continue shooting. I am deeply saddened for anyone having been placed in Tier 4 or within lockdown restrictions, not being able to continue their shooting activities. As of today this of now applies to the whole country, I just hope businesses can survive the financial disruption.

Let’s hope for a speedy Vaccination programme rollout to reduce the spread of Coronavirus and we can get back to our lives in the not to distant future.

18 November 2020

Now two weeks into our Government imposed lock down, I watch the day length reducing and contemplate on the prospect of a busy shooting schedule throughout December and January. Despite the four week curtailment of shooting activity, we have managed to move all our teams to dates later in the season.

We have had ten days so far, all of which have been incredibly successful. I had been concerned that a number of parties not using loaders, would impact on the days, but this simply has not been the case. We are choosing to shoot through on days to allow the opportunity for any guns who want to head straight on after the last drive.

I hope everyone is safe and well and I look forward to welcoming some of you at Gurston Down in December or January – Government allowing.

1 October 2020

As we commence our shooting season, I cannot remember a time when everyone has been under more stress and uncertainty. With the assistance of BASC, we have carried out the our Coronavirus Risk Assessment and implemented their recommendations. Our first two shooting days have been extremely successful, with the bird flying as well as ever. It is just the issue of adapting to the restrictive measures and trying to retain a sense of normality as best as one can – despite the difficulties we are facing.

NEWSLETTER 2019-20

As seasons go, the last one will be remembered for the disproportionate number of mild and wet days throughout, being either immediately prior to or coinciding with the shooting day, with little time for coats to dry in between! This became wearing on the birds and keepers in equal measure, but despite the damp conditions and its associated disease risks, through diligence and attention to detail our stock remained healthy throughout the season, as shown by our shoot returns which are available on the Gurston Down Record Sheet 2019/20. It always bodes well when the partridge numbers contribute sizeably to the bag, which they did through to the end of November, leaving an abundance of pheasant to take us to the end of the season. Our returns were practically identical to last season (2018/19), with partridge at 45% (cf. 46.1%) on birds released and the pheasant 40% (cf. 39.5%), giving a combined return of 41.7% (cf. 41.5%) on total game released.

Despite the financial pressures to do otherwise, we remain committed to the principles and standards as set out by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust. We continue to release a similar number of birds, shoot the same number and size of days as we have for the past decade. From experience we release at a level to provide sufficient numbers of birds for our shooting programme without compromising our farm wildlife and SSSI downland. In addition, besides blocks of Maize we plant nearly as much Wild Bird Cover to enhance the environmental habitat, benefiting the songbirds as much as the game we release. As a commercial shoot we are proud of the wide variety of wildlife we have on Gurston Farm and as an industry if we are unable to demonstrate the benefits that shooting engenders on our landscape, I believe we will lose public support for what we are doing, and rightly so.

I have redrafted my Newsletter for as I write we are gripped by the Coronavirus epidemic, which is shutting down the country. One can only hope the forecasts do not become factual. Only time will tell the severity of the disease and cost to the country, which will sadly impact on everyone. Despite the current turmoil and postulated time frame, being six months away, we remain intent on hosting shooting days at Gurston Down for this coming season. Should as a consequence of ongoing Governmental restrictions we be unable to do so, our policy is that the 50% deposit will be held in advance for a shooting day in 2021 season. Let’s hope such action will not be necessary.

On a separate note, our new accommodation at West Barn Lodge which is run and managed by my son Barney has been a successful addition to the shooting day, with 21 teams hosted this season. Being so close and ‘in house’ it forms an integral part of the shooting package and knowing that the guns are replete from breakfast and awash with coffee, we can simply draw cards and on occasions have been on peg by 9.30am, saving crucial time throughout the day. West Barn Lodge is also available for luxury stays for groups of up to 20 guests and soon our Dutch Barn next door will be available for weddings and corporate hospitality events, please do contact Barney for further information. www.westbarnlodge.com

We have continued to support the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust with money collected on shooting days and are pleased to report a sum of £4,175 being donated towards their cause this year. Our congratulations to Richard Wingfield for winning the prize draw for a free gun on a day at Gurston Down and a big thank you to everyone for contributing towards this important organisation.

With best wishes to all in staying safe.

30 March 2020

With the ongoing Coronavirus crisis occupying everyone’s attention and admiration for our NHS front line services trying to combat the epidemic, there is little one can say at this difficult time. Hopefully the situation will improve over the weeks to come and allow the country, as best it can, to return to normality. Meanwhile please stay safe.

4 February 2020

Having completed another shooting season, it is time to reflect on the mild, wet weather, which accompanied our days on to many occasions!! Having suggested that the ratio, would climb higher, due to some less windy weather and competent shooting during the last few weeks of the season, the final ratio was 4.8:1. This was also a factor of the high proportion of partridge shot.

Despite the weather, my keeper Duane Hart and new under keeper James Greenwood have done an excellent job in keeping the birds healthy, culminating in having plenty enough birds throughout the season to meet our shooting requirements.

West Barn Lodge has been incredibly successful with the majority of our clients staying at our local accommodation at Fovant. We have just received planning permission to convert the adjacent Dutch Barn into a Function Room, allowing a diverse option of uses for the building complex outside the shooting season.

I will post a full newsletter shortly and once I have received permission will post the name of the winner of the draw for the Gun at Gurston Down. The money raised for the draw amounted to the sum of £4100 being collected on behalf of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust.

13 January 2020

Happy New Year and best wishes for the new decade.

Despite the inclement weather and the bottom of the valley in places being extremely rutted, we are continuing to enjoy a fantastic shooting season. As mentioned previously, with a lot of partridge being shot through November, we have conserved our pheasant stock, so have plenty of birds for the remainder of the season. We have on been blessed with plenty of windy day, which has provided some incredibly sporting days, much to the enjoyment of everyone, including me!! The cartridge ratio this season is approaching 5:1 – and with now shooting more pheasant, I can’t see this decreasing. Next season’s letting as usual are close to being completed, with just a few shooting opportunities available.

13 November 2019

Very pleased to report that everything is going well at Gurson Down. We are still shooting a sizable amount of partridge along with increasing numbers of pheasant and if yesterdays birds were anything to go by, we are in for a great season ahead.

26 October 2019

Sad news: our 12 year Cocker Spaniel Chloe passed away this morning. Many clients will have memories of her posing for the team photo at the beginning of the day. She was out at Gurston yesterday, still retrieving birds – dutifully loyal to the end.

2 October 2019

Amazing how a drop in barometric pressure and some stiff winds can return normality. The partridge shooting day last Friday was exceptional in terms of quality. It was one of the occasions when the strong SW/W wind blowing across Gravelly Valley, creates an updraught, making the partridge very high and fast on the first drive and even higher on the return.

25 September 2019

Incredible how quickly the shooting season comes around. We have commenced partridge shooting, which this season does not seem quite so straightforward as normal years. The birds, although released some 6 weeks before our opening day, have tended not a spread out and away from the game covers as usual, to the effect that some birds are showing reluctant to leave their sanctuary, thus complicating the management of the drives. It seems a fairly general complaint, which must be tied up with the variable weather conditions we have experienced over the past couple of months. Now the weather has cooled, I am sure the partridge will start to exhibit more characteristic behavior.

I dropped in to see my uncle David today, who 10 days ago received a pace maker, literally days before heading off for a river cruise on the Danube. He is very well and in good spirits, with the surgery rectifying a health problem he was unaware of. Despite turning 91, he plans to greet all the guns at 11’s on our shooting days this season.

NEWSLETTER 2018-19

It is with a degree of surprise that I report on our twentieth season running Gurston Down Shoot, it simply does not seem possible that so many years have slipped by so quickly. The past year has been one of many highs – our shooting days have been as successful as ever, we launched our new accommodation at West Barn Lodge and my uncle David Hitchings celebrated his 90 birthday in September 2018, a rare family occurrence to reach nonagenarian status. Sadly our good news was tempered in February by the loss of David’s wife Gwen, who after a couple of years ill health and increasing frailty, passed away peacefully with David and family around her. As many seasoned guns will know, Gwen was central along with David in the successful launch of Gurston Down during the high bird ‘concept developing’ years, typing up the shoot cards and cooking for the 607 teams of hungry guns over a 33 year period. She will be sadly missed by all.

It is difficult to differentiate between shooting seasons when things have gone well, one can only comment on the returns and reflect gratefully that inclement weather, particularly thick fog, did not impede our shooting itinerary. The shooting days have been both testing and satisfying in terms of the quality of birds presented. The partridge numbers held up well through most of the season, dropping off in late December, yet regardlessly delivered a return of 46% on birds released. The Pheasants were as stunning and testing as ever, generating return of 39.5%, which combined to give an overall return of 41.5% on total game released. The cartridges used and ratio was down slightly on last season, from 5.2 to 5.0:1, this reduction being a factor of some very tidy shooting exhibited by a number of the Gurston teams. For further details please send an mail to receive our Gurston Down Record Sheet 2018/19.

I mentioned in past newsletters a building project we were embarking on, named West Barn Lodge located just outside Fovant. I am delighted to report after much hard, we successfully opened in early October 2018. Our conversion of a set of redundant farm buildings into nine bedroom accommodation including dining hall was occupied by twelve shooting teams last season, with nearly twice as many booked for the coming season. Without exception, all parties who stayed at the lodge were positive and enthusiastic about using our new facility. When not occupied by our own clients, the accommodation will be available to be booked by other parties shooting within the locality. Outside the shooting season West Barn Lodge will be available for self catering holiday use. www.westbarnlodge.com or www.gurstondownshoot.co.uk

We have continued to support the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust with money collected on shooting days and are pleased to report a sum of £4,400 being donated towards their cause this year. Our congratulations to the winner of our prize draw for a free gun on a day at Gurston Down, who has requested his anonymity. Thank you to everyone for contributing towards this important organisation.

With the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduced in May 2018, I have deliberated over whether to continue sending out our annual Newsletter. Although, invariably I receive a few responses asking for email details to be removed from our data base (which is immediately actioned), a good number of clients like to read the report and view our shoot statistics for last season.

20 January 2019

With the season now close to the end, we have had another good year, with a number of very windy days contributing to some fantastic sporting shooting days. The average cartridge ratio presently sits at just over 5:1 which echos our previous year result. I thank all the guns this season, who have adhered to only using fibre wadded cartridges at Gurston Down, the valley is completely clear of plastic wads, which is great not to see!! This season 12 teams stayed at West Barn Lodge, with everyone enthusiastic and positive about our newly built accommodation. The bookings for next season are practically complete, with a high proportion of clients retaining their shooting dates as usual.

24 November 2018

We are delighted to report on the opening of our building project West Barn Lodge situated just outside Fovant. So far, six shooting parties have used our new accommodation with everyone commenting positively on high quality bedrooms and bathrooms, the character of the dining area within the main barn and the high standard of catering provided. Although in its infancy, I feel we have rapidly reach a high level of standard whereby it is reasonable to expect that all Gurston shooting parties will stay close by at West Barn Lodge next season. West Barn Lodge is also available for booking by other shooting teams. enquiries@westbarnlodge.com

27 November 2018

I am pleased to report that our shooting season is progressing well, with birds flying strongly and proving suitably testing for the team of guns. Since commencing pheasant shooting, no party has yet been inside a 4:1 cartridge to bird ratio, which is consistent with experiences over the past few years. Currently cartridge ratio is 5 to 1. It will be interesting to see by the end of the season whether the ratio is higher or lower than at present? Shooting today was blighted by misty start and ended by unrelenting rain, thankfully shot through and watched the worst of the deluge from inside the lunch hut!!

NEWSLETTER 2017-18

Having completed our nineteenth season running Gurston Down Shoot, I am delighted to report on another successful shooting year. The partridge set the bench mark at the beginning of the season, before the Bazanty strain of Pheasants took the shoot to a higher level, culminating in what I consider to have been the best shooting season we have ever experienced at Gurston Down. Similarly to our previous stellar season of 2014, we had many shooting days on which we benefitted from the aid of stiff westerly winds, but that said, even on the benign days the birds flew very well. The ratio of 5.2 to one speaks volumes for how the birds performed relative to the guns, the figure eclipsing the previously highest average ratio of 5.1 to one at Gurston Down in 2014. Once we commenced pheasant shooting the cartridge ratio never fell below 4 to 1 on any day for the remainder of the season. Although it goes without saying that healthy fit birds are the prerequisite, another change this season was having our day old pheasant chicks delivered two weeks later, the delay meaning that by the time the poults started emerging from the release pens, the surrounding crops had been harvested and we could exert control over the extent of their wanderings. Though one should not be overly fixated on returns, were are delighted to report a 53.0% return on partridge and 38.0% on pheasant, with an overall 42.90% return on birds released. As I have said many times, the most meaningful return is that of clients, demonstrated by the high level of retained bookings for next season.

My keeper Duane Hart has been at Gurston Down for 10 years, starting as a fresh faced, sprightly 28 year old, having previously been underkeeper at Bowcombe on the Isle of Wight. The decade seems to have raced by in a blink of an eye. The early years were prioritised in rebuilding confidence and mitigating the effects of loss of clients due to the recession. After a great deal of hard work for many years, I feel as a team we have successfully re-established Gurston’s credentials as a quality shoot and regained our cherished position within an increasingly competitive shooting industry.

During much of the season our shot game went to the dealer free of charge, with a cost being incurred late on. We must be doing more to promote the eating of game both in the UK and beyond our shores, as we clearly need to be consuming what is produced, if we are to avoid criticism as an Industry.

A few years ago we were granted planning permission to convert some traditional Greensand farm buildings just off the A30 near the village of Fovant into accommodation for shooting clients. Work began on the project in November 2016 and it is on course for completion in July in readiness for next season. It will provide nine double bedrooms, each with en suite bathrooms, a reception area and a large spacious barn – which will function as the dining hall. I have already taken a number of bookings from clients wanting to use our new facility: West Barn Lodge for the 2018-19 shooting season. Our accommodation will also be available as general holiday use.

We have continued to support the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust with money collected on shooting days and are pleased to report a sum of £4,090 being donated towards their cause this year. Our congratulations to Keith Holman for winning the prize draw for a free gun on a day at Gurston Down during the coming season, and a big thank-you to all who contributed.

With the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) being introduced in May, I am not sure whether it will be possible to continue sending out our annual Newsletter via email and may have to rely on posting the Newsletter information on our website.

1 January 2018

Happy New Year to all. In the run up to the Christmas break, we have had some wonderful shooting days. The difficulty of the task borne out by the a cartridge ratio sitting at 5.2 to one, currently one of the highest averages on record at Gurston Down. Partridge have featured strongly throughout the season, constituting at times one third of the bag through November and into December. With a 45% return on partridge released thus far, it is feasible that the figure will reach 50% by the end of January. The pheasant returns being lower is a result of the heightened difficultly they have presented rather than any lacking of birds.

Delighted to report our barn conversion project to provide nine bedroom accommodation nearby at Fovant is progressing well and available for bookings next season.

1 October 2017

We have thus far this season had four partridge days, all which have gone very well, with a cartridge ratio of 4.5:1 indicating some tough shooting conditions. Towards the end of the drives, it is always encouraging to see the pheasant flying vigorously across the valleys, whetting appetites and boosting confidence that they will prove suitably testing when the time comes.

1 August 2017

With the current shooting season rapidly approaching, it is time to put ‘pen to paper’.

In late April enjoyed a wonderful shooting trip in South Africa with Wayne Dunn at Wildwings Safaris. Shooting Rock Pigeon in the Orange Free State plus Duck and Geese near our base at Winterton in KwaZulu-Natal, we also included a break at Zingella Camp on the Tugela river for a much needed respite before heading to the coast off Durban for exhilarating game fishing. Had a great time and well looked after by Wayne and his expert team. (www.wildwingsafaris.com)

I attended Game Fair last Friday and was encouraged by the number of exhibitors and public visiting the show. I thought Hatfield House was an excellent venue and did a wonderful job hosting this years event.

Having enjoyed a long period of dry and very hot weather, as usual a period of wet weather as payback is underway. In July, we completed harvesting our Winter Barley and Winter Oil Seed Rape, thankfully just prior to an overnight heavy hailstorm, which would have devastated the ripe Rape crop. We are now waiting for the weather to improve to harvest our Peas, Winter Wheat and Spring Barley.

The rearing season has gone well with the pheasant poults now at wood and the partridges set to be released shortly in preparation for our first let day in mid September. The game strips have benefited greatly for the hot weather, have grown well and are fit for purpose – so everything bodes well for the season ahead.

NEWSLETTER 2016-17

Having completed our eighteenth season running Gurston Down Shoot, I am delighted to report on another superb shooting year. I have no doubt releasing Bazanty Pheasants contributed markedly to this success, proving very testing and forcing the cartridge ratio higher than the previous season. Two years ago we had an excellent season and this one came very close, despite not having the number of windy days we did back then. In addition, I should praise the partridge which as always set the tone in the early part of the season and continued to fly over the guns in good numbers throughout the year. In September we had the rare occasion of one party exceeding 400 partridge on a day with a cartridge ratio under 3:1, which is a reminder of what can be achieved when all guns shoot proficiently. Other than one very wet day, we satisfied our aims of providing good sporting shooting days, with proof of success being the unprecedented levels of return bookings for next season. Partridge returns of over 47% were very pleasing, indicative of the good numbers shot throughout the season; pheasant returns of 37% highlighted the difficulty most parties had with shooting them compared to the partridge, with this being manifested by an increase in the cartridge ratio from 4.6 to 4.8 to 1. Although an overall return exceeding 40% is always to be welcomed, it is relatively meaningless in comparison to the resounding endorsement of clients rebooking their shooting days.

For those who came to Gurston this season, the Rotunda shelter built at the top of the farm has proved a popular addition to the mid-morning break. Constructed from a Victorian round cast iron tank called a Mash Tun, it was originally used for steeping grain for the brewing process. With an opening exiting out to a balcony and a view over the main shooting valley, it has provided an interesting and comfortable stopping off point on a cold, wet and windy day.

A couple of years back we gained planning permission to convert some traditional greensand farm buildings just off the A30 on the outskirts of Fovant into accommodation for shooting clients. We have commenced work on the project, which will include eight double bedrooms, a reception area and a large spacious barn – which will function as the dining hall. The facility will be ready for shooting clients at the start of the 2018-19 shooting season.

It is with sadness that I report the death of Eric Penny, our original Gamekeeper at Gurston Down Shoot, who for thirty years worked alongside David Hitchings. Eric started before and during the time that Gurston was announcing itself to the shooting world in the mid 1970’s and was pivotal in our shoot gaining its reputation. During these formative years, with much experience gleaned ‘on the hoof’, he proved not only successful in rearing game, but also driving the birds over the wide valleys for the guns below. After his retirement he continued to help out on the shoot up to last season, and he is greatly missed by everyone.

We have continued to support the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust with money collected on shooting days and are pleased to report a sum of £4,280 being donated towards their cause this year. Our congratulations to Jeremy Bradley for winning the prize draw for a free gun on a day at Gurston Down during the coming season, and a big thank you to all who contributed.

Newsletter 2015-2016

Having completed our seventeenth season running Gurston Down Shoot, since taking on from my uncle David Hitchings, it was with great pride that in January we commenced our celebration of 50 years of shooting at Gurston. On such notable occasions, comparisons are inevitable which focuses one’s mind on how shooting has altered throughout half a century. From what now appear humble beginnings when starting out with intentions of presenting high birds over the guns, we have seen many changes. The cold wax jackets, unlined wellington boots and Eley Impax or Grand Prix cartridges have practically been consigned to history. In the early days, side by sides were the fashionable weapons of choice, shortly to be superseded by over and under guns becoming favoured by the majority of shooters. Throughout the advancing decades we have remained resolute in our ambition of Gurston Down Shoot striving for quality shooting days, rather than quantity of shooting days.

With our previous season being exceptional, it was always going to be a challenge to match this year. The incredibly mild weather throughout the season seemed to affect how some birds flew. Possibly due to the warm conditions and abundance of food causing excess body fat or the lack of cold rain delaying the hardening of feathers, whatever the reason it was noticeable how a proportion seemed to struggle when attempting to combat strong winds. The situation was not helped by the unjust number of wet shooting days encountered and high proportion of Common Ring Neck strain of pheasant among the stock. Nonetheless, we still had a very good season with plenty of challenging birds testing the gun line. The early partridge shooting went very well, with a cartridge ratio of 4.5 to one indicating their difficulty, similar to the overall ratio of 4.6 cartridges to one, though lower in comparison to the previous season’s ratio of 5.0 to one. All things considered, a return of 38.7% on our partridge and 37.1% on pheasant, 37.6% in combination was not disappointing, but more a reflection on how the mild weather conditions impacted on the shooting.

As mentioned in my previous newsletter, we are still progressing the hill shelter at the top of the farm for the mid morning break. It is being constructed using a couple of Victorian round cast iron Mash Tuns, originally used for steeping grain for the brewing process. Although a bit quirky, if it works as intended, the large glazed doorway will enable the guns to look across the shooting valley in sheltered comfort and should prove both an interesting and comfortable stopping off point on a cold, wet and windy day.

We have continued to support the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust with money collected on shooting days and are pleased to report a sum of £3920 being donated towards their cause this year. Our congratulations to Liborio Avvoltoio for winning the prize draw for a free gun on a day at Gurston Down during the coming season, and a big thank you to all who contributed.

Author: admin

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