© Jonathan McGee
Perhaps you love clay shooting but you’re drawn to the idea of driven game. Maybe you’re a rusty game shot, nervous about underperforming on the first driven shoot of the season. Either way, why not try a simulated game day? Better still, cajole your best chums into joining you – you’ll have a hoot! Simulated game shoots are, as the name suggests, shoots organised to replicate a driven game shoot, but using clays rather than live quarry. So if the thought of shooting a bird is just not for you, don’t dismiss simulated game – chances are you’ll have a great time.
Richard Jones, owner of the Dovey Valley Shooting Ground, organises simulated days on the neighbouring Brynmelin Estate, which lies in spectacular countryside on the edge of Snowdonia National Park. “The estate has been in my family for 105 years,” says Richard. “My grandfather, Hugh Jones, pioneered clay shooting back in the late 70s, with lots of lads in the middle of nowhere firing traps in all directions. He was a keen game shooter, who wanted to explore how the sport could be developed.”