Shooting season by helicopter: a planning guide

Key points

• The shooting seasons are set in law and differ by quarry. Grouse starts on 12 August, and partridge and pheasant seasons run through autumn and winter. Individual estates choose their own shoot days.
• Carrying firearms is regulated. Guns and cartridges must be carried and stored lawfully, and the guns' owners hold the licences. We do not give legal advice.
• The aircraft company's own rules on carriage apply, and we confirm them before we book. Guns travel unloaded and cased.
• Guns, cartridges and bags add weight, so we need accurate figures.
• Landing at an estate is subject to permission and site suitability, and winter daylight limits the day.

When is the shooting season?

The season depends on what is shot. In Great Britain, grouse shooting opens on 12 August, known as the Glorious Twelfth. Partridge and pheasant seasons run through the autumn and winter, with the main pheasant days generally from the start of the season in autumn until the legal end of the season at the beginning of February. Estates choose which days to hold, and many shoot on set days each week.

For you, the point is that the busiest travel days are on a handful of dates. Ask the estate for its calendar, and ask us early, because helicopters and landing permissions are in demand when many shoots take place. Our shooting by helicopter page covers the service itself.

How does a shoot day by helicopter work?

Shooting season by helicopter follows a usual pattern: an early departure to arrive by mid-morning, a day on the peg, and a return in the afternoon before dark. In midwinter that return can be tight, since sunset is just before 4pm in southern England. We plan backwards from the last practical departure time and tell you plainly if the day is too long.

The helicopter lands at the estate, where the landowner agrees, or at a nearby airfield with a car to the shoot. Many estates have a lawn or field suited to a helicopter, but each decides for itself. We approach the estate for you, assess the area and confirm the plan. See landing a helicopter at a private site for what the site needs.

What about guns and cartridges?

Firearms law applies to carriage as much as to ownership. We do not give legal advice, and each gun owner is responsible for the licence and for lawful transport. As a rule, guns travel unloaded, in a slip or case, and cartridges are packed separately and in line with the rules for carrying them. The aircraft company has its own rules on whether and how guns are carried, and we confirm them before booking. For the legal position you can read GOV.UK's guidance on firearms law and check with the police force that issued the certificate.

Tell us at the quotation stage how many guns, how many slips, how many cartridges and the weight of each. They count toward the weight limit, and a long gun slip affects loading. The page on passenger and luggage weight explains why.

What else should I pack?

• Soft bags for clothes, boots and waterproofs. Wet kit is better in a separate bag.
• Hearing protection and shooting glasses can go in a small bag in the cabin.
• A dog, if you are bringing one, must be agreed in advance. See flying with pets by helicopter.
• Photo ID for anything leaving or arriving at an airport.

Muddy boots and wet dogs are ordinary in shooting, so tell us and we can plan the cabin accordingly.

Which routes are popular?

Shoot days draw guests from London, Birmingham, Manchester and beyond to estates in the Cotswolds, East Anglia, the Borders and the south. Our figures give London to Newmarket as about 30 to 35 minutes by helicopter against 1 hour 44 minutes by road, Birmingham to Cheltenham as about 20 to 25 minutes against 1 hour 13 minutes, and Leeds to York as about 15 to 20 minutes against 49 minutes. Our Cotswolds, Norwich and East of England pages show the nearest sites.

How do I brief guests who have not flown before?

Shoot guests often include people who have never flown in a helicopter. Brief them on the essentials before the day: the arrival time, the soft bags rule, what to wear for the field, how the safety briefing works and what happens with their gun. Our first-time passenger guide covers the rest. Tell them to bring a small bag for cartridges and personal items, and to keep wet boots out of the cabin until the crew say otherwise.

What should I tell the estate?

Tell the estate that guests are arriving by air, how many, at what time and in what size of aircraft, and ask where the helicopter may land and where guests should wait. Ask also about the dogs, the cartridges and the lunch arrangements, so that nothing surprises the keeper. Estates are used to guests arriving by car, and a helicopter is a new item in the day's plan, so a clear request from us and a courteous word from you works best. We follow up with the estate directly and confirm the arrangements to you in writing.

How do I plan it?

Give us the estate, the date, the number of guns and guests, their weights, the guns and the times. We approach the estate, check the carriage rules, plan the day and quote it. For the ground side at either end, Executive Global Travel provides cars. If the flight is cancelled because of the weather, you pay nothing. Request a quote when you have a date.