United Kingdom

UK Managing Director, Tarquin Millington-Drake

Mike Fitzgerald with our Scottish Operator, Wlison Young

Shooting in the United Kingdom

As many of our clients know, we have a full Frontiers staff in the United Kingdom who are passionate shooters. When they are not hosting clients in the field, they are there themselves with their dogs and guns shooting most weekends and days when they are not at their desks. It’s a way of life for them, and they work closely with our US office designing shoots in England and Scotland.

If you love field sports, you will grow very fond of shooting in the UK and all the pleasure it brings—from experiencing stunning parts of England and Scotland that you may otherwise not have seen to superb cuisine in beautiful houses and estates, and all the fun of beautiful guns and equipment to challenging driven bird shoots with an exceptional field staff. There is also the pleasure of learning more, improving your skills, and growing into the sport. We have enjoyed witnessing clients come to the UK for the first time, shoot their first drive, and now shoot more than we do and look like a local! Our job is to help make that journey as seamless as possible.

We represent many of the very best shooting estates in the UK. The season starts with grouse in August. Most agree that driven grouse is the pinnacle of driven game shooting. Red grouse are entirely wild birds unique to the British Isles with strongholds in the uplands of northern England and Scotland. When they are flushed, they will fly a very long way at speeds of 40 to 70 mph depending on the winds.

Picking the shooting post rotation, a morning tradition

They also fly low, presenting a challenge like no other game bird. This is partially due to their famous moorland or heather habitat which has no trees or bushes to encourage the birds to land. It is their willingness to fly these long distances at speed which makes driven grouse shooting possible and so special.

Within the UK, there is an option of single or multiple days. Single shooters or a team of guns can form a line and take them as back-to-back days. Bag sizes can be small or large depending on the time of year and your requirements. Larger days are often possible and can be arranged.

Accommodations are at a local hotel, private house, or on the shooting estate itself depending on personal preference and availability. Frontiers will advise on accommodation choice at the time of booking. Whether you want a fun pub hotel in town, a lovely country inn, or a private castle, we will find the right place for you to stay.

The duck and partridge seasons open September 1, and the pheasant season opens October 1. A number of our clients will shoot grouse in September—combined with a day or two of driven partridge and mallards. To enjoy partridges over the stubbles of Hampshire or off the edge of the grouse moors is a real treat. These trips are wonderful, shooting two completely different disciplines. October is the month where it is possible to enjoy all the species with some reliability. Guests can shoot partridge, mallards, pheasant and even some late season grouse. This is a superb time to be shooting.

Most serious pheasant shoots begin in earnest from early November—unless they have a mix of partridges or duck to shoot. November is a prime month when the leaves are pretty much off the trees and the covers are full of birds that are now fully grown and ready to fly at their best. It is the optimum combination of quantity and quality of birds. November is the best time to string a series of days together, or even a whole week of shooting, from Scotland all the way to the West Country.

We do not just arrange shooting—there is a whole lot more we can do for you when hunting in the United Kingdom. Sound advice based on your budget and objectives is the foundation of our services, but there is so much more that today’s shooting community desires for their convenience. With an office in the UK, we know how to provide these services better than anyone. From advising on how to best travel with guns and which air carriers welcome firearms to helping obtain the necessary licenses and paperwork, and arranging third party insurance to confirming ground transfers and safe/secure gun storage, we provide all of the necessary assistance to make sure that you are well looked after in-country.

Our US and UK staff work together to organize an amazing shoot for you on the best estates in England and Scotland. We will carefully discuss your preferred species, shooting experience, bag, budget, and accommodation preferences to customize an itinerary that works perfectly for your line of guns. Call us today to learn more about the lore, tradition, challenge, and enjoyment of shooting in the UK.

Wild grouse is the pinnacle of European bird shooting