Driven shooting is where a group of people (beaters) strategically push game birds in a set direction over the guns. The guns (people paying to shoot) stand on set spots called pegs. The peg on which each gun stands is detirmined by picking pegs from the organiser (like drawing straws).This is done in the morning before the first drive, then each drive after that the guns will move up two pegs (depending on each shoot) so that everyone gets a go on the best pegs normally 4-5 depending on how many pegs there are.  See image below for an example.

How the Day is Organised?

The day is organised by the gamekeeper and the shoot owner. Firstly they will decide which drives to do and in what order, a drive is where game birds are pushed from one game crop to another, crossing the guns. Next the game keeper will decide how to push each game crop. The order of drives is usually organised in depending on sun position wind direction etc as birds will fly better with the sun and wind behind them. After this the gamekeeper will need to organise  his team, his team will consist of beaters, flaggers and pickers up. The beaters are the biggest group as these will stand in straight lines and try to force the birds in the correct direction, taking your time with this is important so as not to flush the whole crop in one go, you want to give the guns plenty to shoot at. The flaggers stand at the end of the crop waving their flag in an up and down motion, this will encourage the birds to fly higher and not to run as Pheasants in particular will only fly when they have to. Pickers up will stand behind the guns with their trusty gun dog intoe, their job is to collect all the shot Pheasant. Using a gun dog is vital as to not miss any stray Pheasants as these can cost the guns upwards of £25 per bird. See below for how traditional game crop would be flushed. 

Q&A

What is a game crop?

What Are Game Birds?

Game birds are birds that are kept solely for the use of shooting sport they range from in house reared pheasants, partridge or the more elite Grouse. Grouse are not farmed however unlike pheasants, grouse are kept by keeping down predators and protecting habitats so that they can breed plentifully.

When Does The Driven Shooting Season Start?

As there are lots of different birds used for driven shooting it depends soley on the bird or Game your are shooting to to its restrictions Below is a list of game Showing you the different seasons for which they can be shot. This list shows all game birds rather than just driven shooting.

• Grouse: The grouse shooting season opens on August 12th. In Northern Ireland, November 30th is the close of the season, but it doesn't end until December 10th in the rest of the UK
• Pheasants: The pheasant shooting season lasts from October 1st to February 1st in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland, it lasts from October 1st to January 31st.
• Partridge: The partridge shooting season lasts from October 1st to February 1st in England, Scotland and Wales. Like the pheasant shooting season, it closes a day earlier in Northern Ireland.
• Ptarmigan: The ptarmigan shooting season lasts from August 12th to December 12th. The birds are found mostly in Scotland, so there is no shooting season in Northern Ireland.
• Blackgame: The blackgame shooting season lasts from August 20th to December 10th in England, Scotland and Wales. They aren't found in Northern Ireland, so there is no shooting season there.
• Common snipe: The common snipe shooting season lasts from August 12th to January 31st on the UK mainland, and from September 1st to January 31st in Northern Ireland.
• Jack snipe: The Jack snipe shooting season lasts from September 1st to January 31st in Northern Ireland. The bird is protected at all times in England, Scotland and Wales, which makes it illegal to shoot or hunt it all year round.
• Woodcock: The woodcock shooting season lasts from October 1st to January 31st in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, the woodcock shooting season starts on September 1st and closes at the same time as the rest of the UK.
• Ducks and geese: Inland, the shooting season lasts from September 1st to January 31st in England, Scotland and Wales, and this is the same in Northern Ireland. If the HMV is less than ordinary spring tides, the shooting season closes on February 20th on the UK mainland.
• Coots and moorhen: The shooting season lasts from September 1st to January 31st across England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland, the birds are protected at all times, so it's illegal to shoot them at any time in the year.
• Golden Plover: The Golden Plover shooting season lasts from September 1st to January 1st all over the UK (including Northern Ireland).
• Curlew: The curlew shooting season lasts from September 1st to January 31st in Northern Ireland. It is illegal to shoot curlews in England, Scotland and Wales, as they are protected at all times.