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SCOTLAND

Driven Bird Shooting Trips

2008  Scotland  2008

Offered By

   Woodcock Hill Inc.

Thomas Bland & Sons

Gunmakers Ltd.

192 Spencers Road, Benton, PA 17814
Phone (570) 864-3242     Fax (570) 864-3232

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2008    Driven Bird Shooting    2008

Once again Woodcock Hill Inc. is offering excellent shooting packages in Scotland

Here is the current weather in Aberdeen Scotland

 35 miles east of Huntley

      DRIVEN PHEASANT SHOOTING   Here are the details for our 2008  Driven Pheasant Shoots. We have booked the weeks of  26 October and 2  November.  We will be shooting five days of driven pheasant, partridge and possibly few duck each week. We have much more information on the Estates and local areas to offer you and the non-shooting guests, please contact us for more information.  

  Call 570-864-3242 and ask for Christa, Ann Marie or Glenn with your questions, or send us an E-Mail to  bland@epix.net

   These are first class shoots; we have been shooting most of these Estates for many years.

We will happily provide you with references. 

                 Have you ever tried shooting Driven Birds?  Try it one time and you will be hooked!

References Happily Provided

  Woodcock Hill Inc. is again offering a variety of first class driven bird packages both in the United Kingdom and Scotland for the year 2008 All of the Shooting Packages as in previous years are offered as virtually complete first class shooting programs. The only extra items are your flight to the United Kingdom, B.A.S.C. (British Association of Shooters & Conservation) membership, transport to the shoot, minders if requested or required, bar bills, incidental items and tips. Your B.A.S.C. membership is a must, it only costs about 40.00 Pounds Sterling and provides you with 5,000,000.00 Pounds of liability insurance while shooting along with supporting Shooting and Game Conservation in the UK plus a well done quarterly magazine on country life in the UK.
 

  We must make our plans early to ensure that we get the number of birds and the Estates that we want. This is why we need to know who is interested in coming along early in the year. The Estates start their planning in January for the shooting season which begins in October. This also allows you plenty of time to prepare and plan for your trip. We do not provide any transportation from the United States as we feel this would drive up the cost of the trip unfairly. By arranging your own transportation this allows you to take advantage of any cheap discount flights available and more importantly to utilize any frequent flyer miles which you may have accumulated. Having said that, Christa will be most happy to assist you in sorting out your travel arrangements. It is imperative that we make our reservations early as this insures that we continuously have the prime weeks available to us. If you are interested in coming with us, please do not hesitate in contacting us. Our shoots often become booked quickly and they are filled on a first come first served basis. We try to give priority to repeat clients.

Driven Shooting

Driven Pheasant & Partridge

  This year, as usual, our Driven Pheasant & Partridge Shoot will be held in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Due to our excellent rapport with the Estates on which we shoot our venues have not changed greatly over the years. We have found these Estates to offer the " best bang for our buck ".

 We offer you shooting over a variety of Estates in Scotland so that you may experience the Grampian region of Scotland and it's shooting.
 Visiting Scotland and looking for a quality place to stay check out the Castle Hotel. We have been there for over 15 years with our parties and have had a wonderful experience with every visit. The Castle Hotel is a 4 Star Hotel so you will not find any unpleasant surprises.  Contact the Castle Hotel by E-Mail (click here)   castlehot@enterprise.net . Or you may check out the Castle Hotel by visiting their Web Page 

The CASTLE HOTEL former home to the Dukes of Gordon is a magnificent eighteenth century stone building set in seven acres of parkland, amidst the tranquil surroundings of the River Deveron and the ruins of Huntly Castle.

Click on thumbnail to view

  The Castle Hotel, Huntly

Visit the Castle Hotel Web Site at

www.castlehotel.uk.net

Click On the thumbnail to view

  Accommodations will be at the Castle Hotel, Huntly, Aberdeenshire, this is a three star Hotel, and caters to our clients uncompromisingly. The Castle Hotel is noted as one of the finest Sporting Hotels in Scotland. The Castle Hotel is a magnificent 18th Century stone building standing in it’s own grounds above the ruins of Huntly Castle situated 1 mile outside Huntly, amidst tranquil surroundings. Sandston, as it was originally known was built as a family home for the Dukes of Gordon, then refurbished and extended with stone from the ruins of Huntly Castle in 1769 and renamed Huntly Lodge. It was sold from the large Estate in 1924, the Army used it during WW II and in 1946 it was sold once more and became the Castle Hotel. 

  The Castle Hotel is owned by the Meiklejohn family (Linda, Andrew and daughter Nikki).  They are continuously improving the Hotel.  Nikki is there to assist  guests as required. Nikki  will make certain that the non-shooting guests are not at a loss for something to keep themselves occupied; be it biking, horse-back riding, shopping, sight-seeing or following the whiskey trail.

  Huntly is situated on the main A96, between Aberdeen and Inverness, only 45 minutes drive from Aberdeen Airport. As well as an easy drive from the Glasgow Airport (about 190 miles) for those who would like to fly directly into Glasgow. 

Penan on the North Sea

Five Day Driven Pheasant Shoot

 Dates for the year 2008  

    26th October to 1st November

2nd November  to 8th November 

 ( We may add an additional week )

The Cost

The  cost is  £6,250.00 pounds sterling  based upon single occupancy. 

Non shooting guests are welcome. The cost for a non shooting guest is 350 pounds. This covers food and transport. Lodging will be paid directly to the hotel by the guest. We have NEVER charged for guests in the past but due to economic pressures it has become necessary.

There will be a 50% non-refundable deposit of £3,125.00 Pounds Sterling due at time of booking.  Balance due by July 30, 2008. If for some unforeseen reason you are unable to attend the shoot, you may send someone to fill your place. We will also endeavor to fill your peg in the event you can not make the shoot and would like our assistance. The Estates have assured us that in the case of an outbreak of bird flu we will have our money refunded.

Inclusive with the Price: 

1   -   The cost is per gun with eight guns in the group.

2   -   Five days driven pheasant shooting.                                                                    

3   -   Six nights accommodation at a first class shooting Hotel.                                            

4   -   Full English breakfast  at the Hotel.                                 

5   -   Elevenses - Mid-day  refreshments while shooting .

6   -   Lunch on the Shoot.                                                                                                               

7   -   Shotgun shells.                                                                                            

8   -   Visitors Shotgun Permits.                                                                        

9   -   Transport while on the shoot.

10  -  Game License

DRIVEN PHEASANT SHOOTING

Crossing the line in safety

We anticipate shooting the following Estates for 2008 

The Estates may change slightly by day of the week or the Estate itself.

CLICK ON THUMBNAILS TO ENLARGE PHOTOS

Click on thumbnails to view Fyvie Castle Shoot 2005

  Fyvie Castle      John Guald, Christa & Sir George never missed a bird with his walking stick  

    Getting ready for Lunch in the Tea Room      Jim Craig dropping a high pheasant    

                                                                                                                                                                                                               Sir George & Lady Leith @ Fyvie 2007 

Cairnfield House on Tuesday, a beautiful estate of several thousand acres with several of the drives taking place with a view of the North Sea in the background. This is a driven day with a bag of 200 head, the bag being Pheasant Partridge and a few Duck. Our host and hostess David and Fiona Gordon are simply fantastic hosts with a shoot to match.

 Willie & Christa       The most Comfortable Chair in the World, Lunch Cairnfield 2007           Counting the Day's Bag at Cairnfield 2007     The bag was 367 for the day

        Bill, Carole & Glenda ready to go @ Cairnfield  2007                                                               Elevenses in a Force 6 Gale @ Cairnfield 2007

Ralia on Wednesday,  a driven day with a 200 bird bag. A large Estate with over 9,000 acres in the magnificent Highlands.  The bag will be Pheasant and Partridge.

    Click on thumbnail to view      Click on thumbnail to view

                            RALIA HOUSE                                                                           Elevenses 2007

         Glenda on the first drive at Ralia 2007                                   Woodcock taken @ Ralia 2007

                   Ralia Keeper Watching the Line                        Alistar   Who owns Ralia & suffers our visits with a smile (sometimes)                 Carole & Brad Lunch @ Ralia 2007

Clova     Several Thousand acre Estate south of Huntly with fantastic high Birds. The bag is 150 high challenging pheasants and a few partridge.

                       Everly & Ralph @ Clova 2007                                                 Ready to Draw Pegs @ Clova 2007

Glenrinnes  A fantastic Estate with super high birds near Duffton with a 250 birds.

                         Charlie and Paul Glenrinnes 2007                                                                                 Glenrinnes Estate House for morning Tea & Coffee

           Tracie & Jack 2007 @ Glenrinnnes

Phones    In the Highlands where the birds are all fantastic and always a great shoot. 250 to 300 birds.

         Is it too early? Glenda 2007                                                          John, Glenn & Glenda Phones 2007                          John Gauld & Glenda 2007

                  Maurice, & Willie                                                  Line of Guns Vehicles @ Candicraig 2007

 Maurice Young on the left and Willie Gauld ( sadly missed) on the right  make certain we all stay out of trouble.

Click on the thumbnails to enlarge

Whitefield   Thursday, again back to the North Sea to another Estate owned and operated by David and Fiona for another 200 bird day. There is never a soul who goes away from Whitefield or Cairnfield unhappy.

   Drawing pegs at Whitefield 2005       Whitefield Bag 300 + with Christa, David & Fiona Gordon 2005                        

   Ian Hunter, David Gordon and Maurice Young at Whitefield 2005    Marianne Craig & Ivan Bailey Whitefield 2006

Phones   On Friday with near 9,000 acres of fantastic shooting grounds with top quality pheasants, partridge and the odd duck. The grounds are as lovely as any you will see.  250 bag day.

  Aswanley      Ready to move to your peg @ Aswanley 2005      Myself & Jerry Poole, lunch @ Aswanley

Candicraig   Thousands of acres of grouse shooting and has recently begun pheasant shooting at the lower levels and on the second week produced lovely high birds.

   Jim Craig waiting for the birds @ Candicraig 2007

Inclusive in the price is five days driven shooting, six nights accommodations with breakfast at the Hotel, mid morning refreshment and shoot lunch, cartridges and shotgun permits and Game License.

                                     Morning Briefing                                                                        Waiting for the Drive to Begin                                         

Please contact us for more comprehensive information on these shoots, do not delay if you are interested in having a memorable shooting experience. We have much more information on the Estates and the local areas to offer you and non-shooting guests but space is limited in this catalogue. Call 570-864-3242 and ask for Christa or Glenn with your questions. Or send us an E-Mail to bland@epix.net

Do you ever feel as if you are in a rut? Remember; the only difference between a rut and the grave is the depth. The moral being; enjoy life while you can still do so.

TUFFPAK

The Adventure Begins When You Pak

Tuffpak is Simply Efficient, it is unlike any Gun Case you have ever seen! With room for up to 3 scoped rifles or 5 shotguns, travel with a Tuffpak means more gear with fewer bags. Plus it is light years stronger and easier to carry than any other case out there on the market. There are no dividers inside which means you decide how many firearms and how much gear your require for your trip. Your firearms travel secure in their padded slips ready to pull out for easy Airport examinations and your adventure with no agro from damaged cases or cases with no wheels to facilitate easy travel.

Each TUFFPAK comes with the following:

• Tamper-Proof key Lock or New TSA Lock with Molded Ribs                                 

• Removable Lid

• Tuff Webbed Strap

• Twin Carry Handle

• Side Release Buckle

• Made from High Tech Lightweight Materials

• Sturdy Built In Rollerblade Wheels

• New Upgraded Rubber Handle to Pull TUFFPAK Using Roller Wheels

•               

                       Eleven's at Drummuir                                                             Fire Power                                                         Jack & his 2007 Woodcock  

        Jerry & his 2007 Woodcock one of two                                                                                    Kildrummy Castle for a Pre Shoot Dinner

 Jimmy & two of his superb dogs at Cairnfield 2006                                                                                     Ready to go                                                 

             Glenda @ the North Sea, the main Street of Penan                                  Jamus, a great kid
 

                                    Click on thumbnail to view a brace of grouse 2006

         One of the Lines at Cairnfield overlooking the North Sea

                                                                              Lunch at Fyvie Castle Shoot

Harold & Vickie

Entertainment at the Castle Hotel

        DRIVEN BIRD SHOOTING SCHOOL

  If you accompany us or are going with another Shooting Party to Europe, it is NOT cheap and it certainly is foolish to go without being prepared. THOMAS BLAND & SONS® GUNMAKERS Ltd. SHOOTING SCHOOL offers one or two day instructional courses which will prepare you for your journey, be it for grouse or pheasants. We will offer you instructions so that you will be able to deal effectively with:

• Shooting Etiquette - How to present yourself properly at a driven shoot.

• Shooting Technique & Requirements for your trip: - You will learn how to deal with:

1. High Incomers.
2. Incoming targets to the left or right.
3. Birds coming up or going down the line.
4. Going away targets & how to deal with them.
5. How to work with a loader.
6. How to load quickly when you do not have a loader.
7. The clothing you will need.
8. The equipment to bring with you.
9. How to develop the proper style of shooting.
10. How to shoot properly with double guns.
11. When to shoot and when not to shoot.
12. What to shoot.
13. Plus dozens of other suggestions.

• We also are able to provide you with all of your travel & shooting needs.

   You will shoot as much as you like and will certainly be well prepared for the events with which you shall be faced. Even if you are an experienced gun, it is certainly worth while to ensure that you will be ready and not let the team down. The targets that are presented resemble closely in speed and flight pattern the birds that you will be shooting.

   Should you wish, you will be afforded the opportunity to have a TRY-GUN FIT at no extra charge.

Cost: $385.00 per day + cartridges & clays. Lunch is provided

                       Unloading for a drive at Drummuir                                  Beaters being observed at break

Christa & David Gordon at the Grouse 2006

                                                            Christa managed a retrieve where the dogs failed                               Christa and Maurice with the same grouse

Red Grouse Scotland 2006

Check things out and if you have any questions give us a call at

 (570) 864-3242

or E- Mail us at bland@epix.net we will happily provide you with references. We are also thinking of putting together a Driven Grouse shoot this year, let us know if you are interested.

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Text & Pictures Copyright 2008© Woodcock Hill Inc.
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