Shooting Review - School Lane Shoot

If you want variety in your shooting there is no better place to go than School Lane Shoot.

Run by Alan Marshall for the past 10 years you can expect a bag including pheasant, partridge, duck, woodcock and snipe, and all for only £160.  We review this highly recommended shoot in more detail and go over the particular bags on offer.

Read the full article: Shooting Review - School Lane Shoot

Mixed shooting

The first shoot of the season is typically at the end of October, with one or two shoots per week from then until the end of the season. On a mixed day paying guns join the syndicate. The syndicate guns do all the beating while paying guests stand all day. The syndicate guns do contribute to the bag but the paying guns get the bulk of the shooting. The bag is typically between 50 and 80, although the record for a mixed day is 130! The pheasants are not the highest in the world but are more than challenging enough for the majority of guns.

Duck shooting

Shooting over six different ponds means that there is plenty of variety on a duck day. You never know quite what you're going to get. Duck can be notoriously difficult to bring down, and although early on there may be one or two easy ones you will probably soon be wishing for longer barrels and more shot. On a windy day when they are flying high and fast it is not uncommon to see guns shaking their cartridges to check that they do indeed contain lead!

Snipe and woodcock shooting

Snipe and woodcock shooting can be particularly challenging, both for the guns and shoot. Being entirely wild creatures you cannot rely on them to be in a certain spot at a certain time and this form of shooting is particularly weather dependent. This is where someone with Alan's experience excels. Knowing the ground like the back of his hand he can always be relied upon to find the snipe and woodcock. Whether the guns can hit them is a different matter. With their zig-zag and erratic flight snipe can be far harder to hit than even the highest pheasant. It is not uncommon to fire a full box of cartridges and only have one snipe to show for it. Alan charges a fixed price of £1000 for the day irrespective of the size of the team. Snipe days don't usually start until well into December with the arrival of harder weather.

A warm welcome

This is a very friendly, informal shoot. Alan is happy to cater for all standards of gun, and this is an excellent shoot for those wanting more experience. Less experienced guns are taken in hand to ensure they get the most from their day and to maintain the highest safety standards. For those who want it there are gators available to ferry guns between drives. Lunch is taken in the barn with the beaters and includes delicious home-made stew and cakes.

Shooting availability

There is still the odd mixed day available in November and January, and some snipe days in January. We can thoroughly recommend this shoot and if you'd learn like to know more contact us at the Camelot.