Driven grouse - all you need to know

We are out on Bransdale Moor in Yorkshire with two of the best-known faces in grouse shooting - Simon Ward and Mark Osborne. They explain all you need to know about shooting driven grouse - how to do it, what to use and how to behave. If you want to go to the top level of driven shooting, here's your walk-through. This item first appeared in Fieldsports Britain, episode 144. To watch the whole show go to Fcha.nl/fieldsp...
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[@MrWolfyWolfy]

I had the pleasure of loading for Simon Ward on a big day at Stags Fell in Wensleydale, a few seasons ago. I have to say that he is the most relaxed, smoothest, consistent gun I’ve ever loaded for. He is simply a phenomenal shot!

[@mohammadibrahim1836]

Its a great shoot of the day, Simon has solved the mysteries of shooting grouses. Thanks for sharing the discipline, unique techniques of shooting.

[@BenCrenshaw95]

What a great video! Someday I'm gonna do that. It's interesting to see the different traditions in different countries. I'm a pretty doggone good shot--but there's no doubt those Red Grouse would put me to the test!

[@josephhearnden5156]

6:12, that labrador is gorgeous!

[@cowboyupland]

Interesting. Very different from chasing sharptail coveys around the hills of Montana.

[@mannequinfukr]

***** I looked on the website and there was a 20 gauge for £23,000. The 12 gauges were around £1,000-£5,000

[@whhicks]

I'd love to give it a try. I enjoy pass shooting canvasbacks and bluelills in the sleet and rain, so shooting some Ptarmigan (Red Grouse) zipping bye shouldn't be too much of a stretch. It'll be expensive, but its on my bucket list. As to nice shotguns, I've shot a Holland and Holland Royal, and it was surprisingly light and whippy , well adapted for this sport. I just can't justify 60 or $70,000 for a gun (USED).

[@tarkov_gamer9474]

It's much more fun when the grouse are in the thickets, the shot only appears for a few moments

[@AAAGTE]

Joe driven game, is not hunting, its shooting. A true test of a british shooters talent. Grouse are a completely wild species, the grouse moor is cultivated to allow them to proliferate naturally. Its very very different to sporting tradtions in the americas. But each to their own. We here in britain are incredibly proud of the red grouse, arguabley the most testing game bird to be found anywhere in the world.

[@mannequinfukr]

any tips on how to not be scared (startled mainly) by grouse? I live in a wooded area, not a field btw.

[@Ovalbalka]

I hunt with a stoeger coach gun 20 inch barrel, in heavy wooded area's for grouse. It's long walks with quick action when the birds break, you don't come home to offen with something. But to me, it seems I have a lot more fun then these fellows.

[@coreyg7575]

Ovalbalka yup, when hunting ruffled grouse in eastern Canada, if your not bushwhacking, scraping thorns, and cursing a little, you are in the wrong spot!

[@petarbengalov8647]

Are those Rio Birdshot shells in the beggining?.Anyway awsome hunt keep it up guys

[@samduffield]

brilliant shooter

[@Ptarmi]

Are you still using Lead Shot?

[@harry25162136]

Yes, its more humane as it deforms on impact, killing the bird outright. Steel can pass through and just cause suffering

[@sheldream981]

yes they do, even on United Utilities land -- which is water catchment ---- Lead poisoning for the oiks , so who cares?

[@livingofftheland9736]

What shells you using?

[@fieldsportstv]

6s or 6.5s are best. / Charlie

[@STEVE-ow5ki]

5:12 Neil Young in a white undershirt?

[@adamjohnson2624]

what type of side by side shot gun dose he use???

[@tadbarker7082]

William Powell

[@VC57UK]

Why would anyone want to go to all that effort of shooting the grouse when all the keeper needs to do is lay out just a little bit more carbofuran, and they can poison the lot of them in one go - just as they do with the Hen Harrier and many other raptors that dare to enter these over-managed grouse farms.

[@user-vg1fs2uk4p]

VC57UK I guess when it's band and the bird numbers plummet and the Heather turns to scrub.people like you will blame something else.all them ground nesting birds will soon be eaten by predators and the hen harriers will become extinct.but you people are not conservationists are you your course hunters looking for conflict with those who dare live and do things differently.

[@billsiviter9272]

Not very well educated are you Sam? You sound like a typical estate worker, gamekeeper perhaps?

[@poontang8035]

sam smith You chat shit man.

[@shakeybeatz]

@@user-vg1fs2uk4p Stop talking shit and making excuses for this pathetic sport. Wake up!!

[@russellturnbull5384]

Lovely guns!!

[@ThulioASB]

Ai in england need to Tues gun license? And to hunt also need?

[@fraserwalker7166]

armsan or beneli is the best for automatic

[@westlinwinds2202]

What would happen to any hen harrier that attempted to breed on one of these grouse moors?

[@user-vg1fs2uk4p]

westlin winds you will never find out.when it's banned the ecosystem on the moors will crumble foxes crows and other predators will eat everything including harriers.the moors will choke up and burn.who will manage it.the rspb know these rich people are ploughing millions it this pastime and the truth is the rspb cannot match the conservation costs.harriers will be lost through the ignorance of a few idiots.

[@sheldream981]

So Harriers will be lost if Gamekeepers didn't shoot them? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

[@jordanhuggins991]

I have nothing wrong with reared driven game shooting. However I do have a problem with grouse shooting for the sole reason grouse can not be reared like partridge, pheasant and duck so when the snobby rich come and shoot all the birds down into endangerment (which is now the case). It is us the tax payer that has to fork out to restore the wild population through government funded conservation projects and organisations such as the RSPB. So in short the average Joe is paying for the upper class traditions which disgusts me. Other than that nice shooting! God Bless.

[@gazpal42]

Incorrect regarding shooting numbers to the point of endangerment. Grouse are at greater risk to harsh weather conditions, wet springtime and parasites in particular, than organised shoots. You'll rarely find the birds displayed during a shooting day exceed 50% of the existing population, as they migrate between areas of moor.

[@ralphmodjeski2020]

Oh the grouse populations are not in dwindle as the head keepers number one priority is to preserve the grouse so there is a stock for the next season there is more going on than shoot them into extinction We have been doing this trade since the game parks of Africa where keepers would protect and make sure the animals would breed so there were some to be shot. These animals only started going into extinction when poachers began the uncontrolled shooting of them ( after the British couldn't be arsed to use game parks anymore ) so the populations became unstable and they are going extinct

[@blackbob3358]

where's the patsy, botham ?

[@coconut54]

I wonder if the shooters clean them themselves.

[@Ptarmi]

With the news of the landmark decision by Scottish National Party delegates to adopt officially a policy supporting licensing of driven grouse shooting estates, it would appear that Scotland's largest party are not convinced by this video.

[@sergefog]

Having your gun reloaded for you (2:20)... I think I misunderstand something in this life...

[@MuppetNLL]

I think his walking stick costs more then my car... Still, he probably did something very well and is rewarded for it. Or it's family money, in wich case he's just lucky, Or he has established a business of some sort. Good for him in either case.

[@jimmyhumes9615]

Why don't you just shoot skeet, driven birds seems very unsporting.

[@Learnsom]

Improve your shot today at Tru-Shot. Learn from the best for free, and get feedback on your own performance...

[@kevinbyrne7963]

the gun comes out of a slip not a sling Sir

[@drgerardhobley1599]

Isn't this the Mark Osborne that had his tenancy revoked by the National Trust in Derbyshire for illegal raptor persecution?

[@JesseP.Watson]

Mmm. "Glorious" they say... Stretching the usage of the word I reckon. Nope, try as I might to see something valid here, I remain unconvinced. "Mindless" fits better, to my eye.

[@AmericanHero911]

How much does it cost for a shooter to take part all day provided they bring their own ammo and gun. Lets say they'd want a reloaded, a full squad of beaters and bed and food. I know it may vary but I want to get an idea if that is okay.

[@fieldsportstv]

+Bruce Hood Have a look at GunsonPegs.com for a quick answer.

[@AmericanHero911]

Fieldsports Channel That's not a quick answer, I have to fill out a form lol I just want a ball park figure

[@MrAngry3232]

A 125 brace bag would be around £2500 ($3200) with full hospitality on the day. Excluding hotel, cartridges, keeper's tip, travel which youwould have to add another £500 for that.

[@AmericanHero911]

WJ Cooke £3000 in total, that's pretty easy going :)

[@AmericanHero911]

Here's an idea - find a way to support all populations of bird without anyone shooting anything.

[@auchen888dolly8]

To many predators today hunters make the best conservationists fact …

[@shaunythefaunyfauny8545]

why should someone even buy a expensive gun ive there are cheaper and maybe more reiable and better shotguns its not because the manufacturer is british that they are the best guns to hunt grouse i have a chapuis armes artisan round desing with side plates lovely gun and shoots so smooth and its only 4410 euro!!

[@gazpal42]

Chapuis are good guns. Expensive guns tend to be far better made to much tighter tolerances, so capable of being put through much more punishment re number of shots fired through them from season to season and year to year. A top grade gun will remain tight for much longer than an off the shelf gun. Many are more than capable of firing approaching 1 million shots with negligible maintenance during in excess of a 100 year working life. try the same using less expensive guns and you tend to find them breaking down for various reasons - most often parts wearing out due to poorer quality steel used for parts. There's often a trade-off when certain gunmaker's name elevates the price, but you can always have a problem dealt with without much trouble as they'll stand by their products and don't fob you off to some customer service dept where all you amount to is a number among the thousands of gun buyers they've sold to.

[@ralphmodjeski2020]

Britain is the staple shotgun manufacturer of "British shotguns" ie the over & under or side-by-side and you can get a good shotgun for £10 000 if you look in the right place

[@sofalugger]

Was £2-3K a Day. . Only for deep pockets . . .

[@billsiviter9272]

How many raptors successfully reared young on this moor for the last 4 years? Grouse aren't royalty the raptors are! It's a privilege only a few very wealthy clients can afford!

[@andrewwilton6809]

What a bunch of flankers

[@moomars]

At 10.14 The gun takes a shot when the beaters look to be less than 80 yards or so in front of him. Not good. Not good at all

[@ralphmodjeski2020]

He shot behind the but, the beater you can see is the front flanker the shot he made is not ideal but it is safe enough

[@ralphmodjeski2020]

Ps I'm a head beater on davegill moor

[@diamonddog257]

Everybody Shut the Hell Up.....this is fascinating: ] the best 'Shots' in the World ]years of expert preparations ] If I had to Pay for this; I'd make sure I was Olympic-level first ] WPowell guns are cheap - compared to 'London Best' ] if North American land-owners knew game management as well as Europeans.......

[@shakeybeatz]

Pathetic sport. Should be ashamed of yourselves.

[@gbshreds]

leave it to the excessively rich to ruin hunting...

[@gbshreds]

omg cant even load your own gun for yourself!