Wing shooting in Scotland

Wing shooting in Scotland is term that generates a lot of confusion between our American clients and the Scottish estates with whom we work. The problem is that the term “wing shooting” does not translate into Scottish (or British in general) sporting parlance.

What we have come to realise over the years is that our valued American clients use “wing shooting” as a catch-all term to refer to any sort of shotgun-based hunting of any bird species.

To a Scottish ear “wing shooting” is a totally alien term. Indeed, wing shooting can have negative connotations to a UK or Scottish gamekeeper as it implies that one is trying to hit the wing of the bird, which is absolutely the opposite of what one should bet trying to do! Indeed, when you miss, or just lightly clip a bird with a shot, in the UK we say that you have “winged it”. To “wing” a bird is certainly not a good thing, it’s something to be avoided, hence why the term wing shooting can sound so odd to a British / Scottish ear, even if it is the correct language everywhere else in the world!

It’s precisely because of this type of confusion that companies like River & Green exists, to help international hunters who do not necessarily speak the language of Scottish country sports get exactly the sort of hunting they are looking for, even if the terminology they use to describe it may be alien to most Scottish Gamekeepers.

So, to clarify, at River & Green we strive to give our clients exactly what they are looking for in a Sporting holiday in Scotland, regardless of what terminology they use to describe their ideal trip.

But, for those who are interested in sounding the part when speaking with British country sports enthusiasts, these are the correct terms for the types of hunting (we don’t even say hunting, but that’s another discussion entirely) that would fall under the American idea of wing shooting in Scotland:

Walked up grouse – walking over high heather moorland shooting grouse as they break in front of you. 2 – 8 guests, 3 – 6 birds per guest per day

Driven grouse – Standing as a line of guns on high heather moorland with the grouse being pushed towards you by a team of beaters. 6 – 8 guests. 100 + birds per day total

Walked up pheasant, partridge & mixed game – walking over lower more arable and woodland areas, shooting pheasant, partridge, duck, woodcock (late November onwards) and pigeon. 8 – 10 birds per guest per day. 2 – 8 guests 

Driven pheasant & partridge – standing as a line of guns shooting over lower more arable and woodland areas, but also some higher ground dependent on the location of the shoot. 6 – 8 guests. 150 – 350 birds per day total

Duck / goose flighting – sitting at the edge of a pond / river at dusk and shooting the ducks and geese as they fly in for the evening. No formal bag limit but very weather dependent. N.B. this can only be done as an addition to a grouse or pheasant & partridge day, it is not a standalone activity. 

Wood pigeon shooting – sitting in hides at the edge of a field and using decoys to attract pigeons. 2 – 6 guests, no bag limit but weather dependent. See further info here

Wingshooting in Scotland – Design Your Vacation

River & Green can organise any of the above listed types of wing shooting. Just let us know what sort of trip you are looking for and we will make it happen.

Fill in one of our enquiry forms (below) and we will send you totally personalised wing shooting vacation itinerary within 2 working days!