Your First Day of Driven Game Shooting: Cost, Dress Code and Etiquette

Q: What is the etiquette?

- Reply to the invitation promptly and arrive early. Punctuality matters. - Listen carefully to the safety briefing and ask what the rules are: which quarry you may shoot, whether ground game is allowed, and how many drives there will be. - Keep your gun broken open whenever you are not shooting. - Stay on your peg and do not poach your neighbours' birds. Driven shooting is a team effort, not a competition. - Pick up your empty cartridges at the end of each drive and put them in the bin provided. - If you collect birds, take them to the game cart or hand them to a picker-up, and treat them with care. - Be sociable at elevenses and lunch, and thank your host and the keeper at the end of the day.

Dickie

Oct 13

3 min read

A driven day can feel intimidating the first time: unfamiliar traditions, a dress code, and a lot of unwritten rules. The good news is that the basics are simple, and most hosts and keepers are happy to help a newcomer who is polite, punctual and safe. These are the questions first timers ask most.

How much does a driven day cost?

Most commercial days are priced per bird shot or per bird in the bag, so the price depends on the size of the day. As a worked example from a Sporting Gun guide a few years ago, a team of eight Guns shooting 200 birds at £30 a bird would pay £6,000 between them, or £750 each, and prices have not gone down since. Ask exactly what is included, because cartridges, accommodation, travel and tips for the keeper and staff are usually on top.

What do I wear?

Smart and practical. A shirt and tie is the norm on a formal driven day and is seen as a mark of respect to the quarry and the people who make the day possible. Traditional tweed breeks, shooting socks, a waistcoat and a sturdy field coat are the classic kit, but you do not need the most expensive tweed to fit in. Wear wellies or good boots, bring waterproofs, and leave the camouflage at home.

What is the etiquette?

Reply to the invitation promptly and arrive early. Punctuality matters.
Listen carefully to the safety briefing and ask what the rules are: which quarry you may shoot, whether ground game is allowed, and how many drives there will be.
Keep your gun broken open whenever you are not shooting.
Stay on your peg and do not poach your neighbours' birds. Driven shooting is a team effort, not a competition.
Pick up your empty cartridges at the end of each drive and put them in the bin provided.
If you collect birds, take them to the game cart or hand them to a picker-up, and treat them with care.
Be sociable at elevenses and lunch, and thank your host and the keeper at the end of the day.

How do I prepare?

Driven birds are a different challenge to clays, so a few lessons beforehand are money well spent. If you are new to game shooting altogether, the BASC game shooter certificate course (GSC1) is aimed at adults who need to learn safety and etiquette for a driven day. Most of the teaching is about how to behave safely around other Guns, beaters and dogs.

How are pegs decided?

Pegs are normally drawn at the start of the day, and you move a set number of places between drives so everyone sees a similar mix of good and quiet pegs. If you run the day, a fair, visible draw saves a lot of grumbling at lunch. Peg Draw, from RP Digital Studio Ltd, handles the draw and the rotation for you, and works offline in the field with no signal needed. It is a one-off purchase with lifetime updates and tracks none of your data. Search for Peg Draw on the App Store or Google Play, and see our post on how to draw pegs fairly on a driven shoot for the full method.

Every shoot has its own rules and customs, so when in doubt, ask the keeper or your host before the first drive. Costs quoted here are indicative only.