I have a friend who has run a Sporting Agency in central Scotland for over 25 years. He has more or less given up booking driven grouse there. The vagaries of weather, cancellation of shooting at the last minute, and the general lack of proper habitat management on neighboring estates that attract vermin (eg the dreaded Nordic tree plantings that were going to provide so many jobs - not) are just some of the reasons. Even trip or hunt insurance can't help. He books all his driven grouse shoots in Yorkshire estates.
But I'm sure there are a few estates in Scotland that have good shooting but if you're doing a double gun day you had better go to a shooting school and practice with your assigned loader beforehand. If you've never done it before this is jumping in an inlet with the tide going out after you've learned to dog-paddle!
Walkup is fun but it is not the same experience. You can walk miles on flat land behind pointers north of Inverness or up and down the wee hills else where. Whew!
Finally, I'd do a day where there are British shooters on your team ( like the gunsonpegs suggestion above). They will not take any nonsense from a shoot organizer like so many of the highly advertised shoots in the diversified commercial glossy magazines. My British friends contract for a certain number of brace, not "a taste of driven shooting". It is all spelled out in B&W in a contract. And, if you don't act like a "cowboy or gangster", you'll find a warm welcome, as a rule, and will learn much. I'd book two single guns days rather than one double gun day. In the right butt you'll be overwhelmed with double guns, and will not endear yourself to fellow Guns or the Factor. One needs to be cool.
Oh, VAT. Sometimes you need to apply for a refund as you are leaving for home but the laws may have changed. Some include the VAT in a flat cost - I don;t what you do with that.
Last edited by Niemann; 07/18/16 11:03 AM.
