Holm Hill Shoot

First work day of 2024 on the shoot yesterday. The day was spent clearing wind blow off the tracks and pens following the winter storms. This allows us to make a start on pen repairs next month.
The gamecrops were also cleared of windblow so that they can get topped and muckspread in the coming weeks.
Lovely to see such a good number of birds left over from the season.

Evening All,

Holm Hill shoot, situated in North Cumbria has syndicate vacancies available for the 2023/24 season.

Holm Hill Shoot extends to just under 3000 acres and is located in North Cumbria overlooked by the Northern Fells at Caldbeck. The shoot is just South of Carlisle near Dalston and only 10 minutes from the M6. Holm Hill has a good mixture of topography with well spaced mature hardwood and softwood woodland as well as some cover crops. Many drives are off rolling hills which present challenging and rewarding shooting. There are notable drives from the mature woodland at Fir Banks which show varied and testing birds over and along the River Caldew.
The shoot has around 15 drives, meaning syndicate members will experience a variety of drives and challenges throughout the season. We have a good show of woodcock in multiple drives, as well as a good show of mallard / teal on our wild duck drive to add variety.
The shoot has a riverside Bothy where we meet and return for lunch and day end refreshments, with 11s in the field.

We are releasing 1950 pheasants and shooting 12 days with an anticipated bag averaging 50 birds per day.
Last season we were admittedly slightly under the 50 birds per day mark, although did average around the 200 shots mark per day.
Going back to the season before we were well over the 50 bird average mark with some days in the 60-80s.

In addition to the game days, closed season vermin access is available, primarily for pigeons / crows as well as foxing.

All our shooting in on a stand one/beat one basis with 9 guns standing in each team, we do not shoot in the beating line. Our members need to be fit as you will take your turn at beating and you need to do it properly! We shoot a variety of 4 & 6 drive day throughout the season (4 bigger drives or 6 smaller drives). We are looking for folks who can appreciate a day in glorious countryside with good friends and enjoy a day out, more than just pulling the trigger.
Shoot days are mainly Saturdays however we have the occasional mid-week day.

Novice guns are welcome and mentors can be provided at no extra cost.

Unfortunately this season due having to pay legal fees on the lease and the uncertainty over prices, subs need to increase.

Both half & full working / non working guns are available.

Prices starting from:
£950 for a half full working gun.

For more information or any questions please drop me an email at:
[email protected]

Thanks

A brilliant photo sent in from David Cowan, who is the local red squirrel ranger on Holm hill estate.

Following on from the £1300 which the members of Deepdale & Holm Hill syndicate raised a further £1020 was donated in the collection box at Robert’s funeral. A brilliant effort going towards a fantastic cause which Robert was so passionate about supporting🙏.

Holm hill syndicate and members are delighted to support David and The Caldew Squirrel Initiative in their efforts to protect the red Squirel population in the Caldew area of Cumbria.

Members of the Holm Hill and Deepdale Syndicate are delighted to be able to support the new Caldew Squirrel Initiative (CSI) which is working to protect and increase Red Squirrel numbers in the Caldew Valley from Caldbeck to Dalston. Our members have raised £1200 to help CSI with some of the costs of establishing the project, we have provided 20 live catch traps and we are making a cash donation of £900 to help with the purchase of a Thermal Imaging Spotter and Trail Camera’s for use by the ranger, David Cowan, who covers our 3000 acres at Holm Hill. David is the dedicated local volunteer Red Squirrel Ranger and almost ever-present on our shoot in his relentless pursuit of rogue Grey Squirrels as well as feeding, monitoring and protecting our fragile, but increasing, population of Red Squirrels. We are proud to support David’s work and the CSI. We thank David for the massive contribution he has made to the Holm Hill estate, he is an invaluable asset.

We will be keeping you up to date with reports on David’s work and the Caldew Squirrel Initiative.

Thank you to Ian Watson Wildlife Photography for allowing us to use his Red Squirrel Photo that was taken on our estate.

http://www.ianwatsonwildlifephotography.co.uk/

A few shots of our own Holm Hill Reds (with a Grey interloper) courtesy of dedicated Red Squizza Ranger David Cowan.

What a brilliant season at holm Hill, Plenty of good days with a few standout cracking days. We Shot the biggest bag, As well as recording 3 of the highest shot count days since taking the shoot on three years ago. Some cracking birds were produced throughout the season, this was reflected by having a seasonal average of just shy of 1 for 5 shot kill ratio. Great craic and plenty of laughs were had throughout😀 we’ve Got some new drives and cover crops planned for next season and already in the pipeline, so certainly exciting times ahead for the syndicate!! But for now I’m looking forward to getting the members & beaters out for a few evenings roost shooting and soon to follow some vermin days👍👍💥💥

2022 SYNDICATE VIEWING DAYS & VACANCIES

We are now recruiting members for the 2022/23 season and will have a viewing for prospective members at Deepdale on Sunday 6th February and at Holm Hill on Saturday 12th February. If you are genuinely interested please contact Robert only by email sent to [email protected]

SYNDICATE PROFILE

We lease two estates totalling 3700 acres. We have the Deepdale Shoot which is part of Lartington Estate just outside Barnard Castle (County Durham) and the Holm Hill Shoot which is located 10 minutes south of Carlisle in north Cumbria

All our shooting is on a stand one/beat one basis with 9 guns standing, we do not shoot or carry a gun in the beating line. On the shoot day we are split into two teams, 9 in each team and through the day we rotate shooting and then beating. Guns make a daily contribution of £20 (minimum) which is both a “keepers tip” and wages for an additional 4-6 beaters/pickers-up with dogs to bulk up the line and to keep the day running smoothly. Our members need to be fit as you will take your turn at beating and you need to do it properly! We are looking for folks who can appreciate a day in glorious countryside with good friends and enjoy more than just pulling the trigger. We have no interest in folks who want to turn up with a calculator to work out how many birds they should be shooting in order to get “good value”, we are looking for people who contribute socially and to help ensure others have a great day

Shoot days are Friday and Saturday's. We shoot on 23 days over the season so there are plenty of options for folks to be able to select days that suit them.

Novice guns are welcome and novice guns will be allocated a mentor to help them to settle into and learn about Game Shooting. Safety and understanding of the ethics and traditions of Game Shooting are crucial to us so if you are a novice gun please make us aware so we can help and mentor you.

Deepdale is located 5 minutes outside Barnard Castle at Lartington Village and is a convenient 20 minute drive to the A1 at Scotch Corner and 45 minutes from the M6 in the west. Deepdale is a 700 acre traditional shoot which was planted up and managed as a Sporting estate. Deepdale has a magnificent wood construction bespoke lunch hut that is the hub for many social days. Deepdale has varied terrain with drives from Game Crops, small woods, large woods, the High Lake, the Snipe Bog, Low Lake, Raygill Woods and, as the name suggests, the very deep Deepdale which is a narrow wooded valley running for over a mile from the edge of Lartington Moor down to Barnard Castle. Deepdale has 10 drives in use and we shoot 4-6 drives per day.. Deepdale gets a good fall of Woodcock and on our last day one gun had two brace on his peg at the High Lake. In 2022 we are releasing 1000 birds at Deepdale and look to attain a recovery rate over 33%. We shoot on 9 days at Deepdale

Holm Hill Shoot extends to just under 3000 acres and is located in North Cumbria overlooked by the Northern Fells at Caldbeck. The shoot is South of Carlisle near Dalston and only 10 minutes from the M6. Holm Hill has a good mixture of topography with well spaced mature hardwood and softwood woodland as well as some cover crops. Many drives are off rolling hills or steep river side banks which present challenging and rewarding shooting. There are notable drives from the mature woodland at Fir Bank which show varied and testing birds over and along the River Caldew, the renowned Raughton Wood from the hilltop and over to Clay Bank, Red Ghyll falling down the valley to Gaitsgill and that’s to name just a handful. The shoot has around 28 drives meaning syndicate members will experience a variety of drives and challenges throughout the season. The shoot has a riverside Bothy where we meet and return for lunch and day end refreshments. In 2022 we will release 2250 Pheasants at Holm Hill and shooting 14 days with full members selecting 10 days from 14. We look to shoot a bag averaging 50 birds a day and a return in excess of 36%.. Depending on the drives and the time of year we shoot from 4 up to 6 drives per day.
Members have the option of shooting Holm Hill, Deepdale or a combination of both so there are many options and a great deal of variety.

SHOOT SUBS
In 2022 subs are paid in 3 instalments by 1st February, 1st April and 1st but we are happy to delay this timeline for new members.

There is a one off £200 joining fee for new members. This is due on accepting a place.

Subs options are as follows:

Deepdale only (9 days):
Working Gun - £1150
Non Working Gun - £1450
Half Gun Non-Working (4 days)- £740
Half Gun Working - £610

Holm Hill only (10 days)
Working Gun - £1150
Non-Working Gun - £1450
Half Gun Non-Working (5 days) - £800
Half Gun Working - £650

Joint Gun Holm Hill and Deepdale (9 days)
Working Gun - £1150
Non-Working Gun - £1450
Half Gun Non-Working (5 days) - £900
Half Gun Working (5 days) - £750

Joint Gun Holm Hill and Deepdale (10 days)
Working Gun – £1260
Non-Working Gun - £1600

RESERVE FUND

At the AGM we agree a reserve fund provision. Only if required to maintain a positive bank balance, a one off levy on subs of £50 per full gun and £25 per half gun payable on the 1st October 2022. This will only be payable if rearing, feed and maintenance costs escalate to the extent that the proposed shoot subscriptions will not cover the 2022/23 shoot running costs.

SHOOT DATES

There are 14 days at Holm Hill and 9 at Deepdale. Shoot days are a mix of Friday’s and Saturday’s

ROOST SHOOTING & FOX DRIVES

We arrange regular fox drives, roost shoots, vermin shoots and social activities

The value of traps working 24/7. 4 more Greys today from a group of just 7 traps that have already caught 50 Greys in January. 750 acres and another 10 more feed rides to to still go at once this area is finally cleaned up.

Long day - morning flight at geese, full day at Pheasants and finished off with evening flight back at the geese

A couple of the Giant Wellingtonia in the Kings Walk that splits the Deepdale Game Crops. Thought to have been planted in the late 1850’s and named in memory of the recently deceased Duke of Wellington

January and the Maize is still standing at Deepdale. We’ve successfully done Maize from Marc Bull at Bright Seeds over at Holm Hill but I had doubts it would stand the Pennine winds and snows at Deepdale. Very pleased!

2022/23 Syndicate Places Holm Hill & Deepdale Shoot.

We are commencing syndicate recruitment for the 2022 season so that, if they wish, prospective new members will have the chance to come along to one of our January 2022 shoot dates to meet up with our team and see if they like what they see.
The recruitment process will be as follows:
• We are now accepting expressions of interest; we will send you a shoot profile and will add you to our updates mailing list if requested
• Prospective new members are welcome to attend one of our shoot days during the remainder of the 2021/22 season so you can meet other members, view part of the shoot and get an insight into the shoot.
• At the end of January we have our syndicate AGM where we will agree our 2022 recruitment, subscriptions, management plan, shoot dates, work dates, budget and rearing policy
• After the AGM we will send prospective members full details of those matters agreed at the AGM
• We will hold 1-2 viewing days in February 2022
• Following viewing prospective new members wishing to take a place should confirm this via email. We will then advise if you are accepted, and you will need to pay the one off joining fee to secure that place. Places are allocated on a first “paid” basis.
ALL ENQUIRIES TO BE MADE ONLY BY EMAIL AND sent to Robert Griffin at [email protected]
We lease two estates totalling 3700 acres. We have the Deepdale Shoot which is part of Lartington Estate just outside Barnard Castle (County Durham) and the Holm Hill Shoot which is located 10 minutes south of Carlisle in north Cumbria
All our shooting is on a stand one/beat one basis with 9 guns standing, we do not shoot or carry a gun in the beating line. On the shoot day we are split into two teams, 9 in each team and through the day we rotate shooting and then beating. We pay for an additional 4-6 beaters/pickers-up with dogs to bulk up the line and to keep the day running smoothly. Our members need to be fit as you will take your turn at beating and you need to do it properly! We are looking for folks who can appreciate a day in glorious countryside with good friends and enjoy more than just pulling the trigger. We have no interest in folks who want to turn up with a calculator to work out how many birds they should be shooting in order to get “good value”, we are looking for people who contribute socially and to help ensure others have a great day
Shoot days are Friday and Saturday's. We shoot on 22 days over the season so there are plenty of options for folks to be able to select days that suit them
Novice guns are welcome and novice guns will be allocated a mentor to help them to settle into and learn about Game Shooting. Safety and understanding of the ethics and traditions of Game Shooting are crucial to us so if you are a novice gun please make us aware so we can help and mentor you.
Deepdale is located 5 minutes outside Barnard Castle at Lartington Village and is a convenient 20 minute drive to the A1 at Scotch Corner and 45 minutes from the M6 in the west. Deepdale is a 700 acre traditional shoot which was planted up and managed as a Sporting estate. Deepdale has a magnificent wood construction bespoke lunch hut that is the hub for many social days. Deepdale has varied terrain with drives from Game Crops, small woods, large woods, the High Lake, the Snipe Bog, Low Lake, Raygill Woods and, as the name suggests, the very deep Deepdale which is a narrow wooded valley running for over a mile from the edge of Lartington Moor down to Barnard Castle. Deepdale has 12 drives in use and we shoot 4-6 drives per day.. Deepdale gets a good fall of Woodcock and on our last day one gun had two brace on his peg at the High Lake. Our birds are challenging and varied so the final bag doesn't reflect the birds presented or shot count!! Deepdale can be particularly challenging with some seriously tall birds from mid-November onwards. In 2021 we released 1000 Pheasants at Deepdale and shooting 8 days with an anticipated bag of 40-60 head.
Holm Hill Shoot extends to just under 3000 acres and is located in North Cumbria overlooked by the Northern Fells at Caldbeck. The shoot is South of Carlisle near Dalston and only 10 minutes from the M6. Holm Hill has a good mixture of topography with well spaced mature hardwood and softwood woodland as well as some cover crops. Many drives are off rolling hills or steep river side banks which present challenging and rewarding shooting. There are notable drives from the mature woodland at Fir Banks which show varied and testing birds over and along the River Caldew, the renowned Raughton Wood from the hilltop and over to Clay Bank, Red Ghyll falling down the valley to Gaitsgill and that’s to name just a handful. The shoot has around 28 drives meaning syndicate members will experience a variety of drives and challenges throughout the season. The shoot has a riverside Bothy where we meet and return for lunch and day end refreshments. In 2021 we released 2100 Pheasants at Holm Hill and shooting 14 days with full members selecting 10 days from 14. I expect release numbers will increase for 2022. We look to shoot a bag averaging 50 birds a day although with the stocks that remain on the shoot we do hope to shoot exceed this. Depending on the drives and the time of year we shoot from 4 up to 6 drives per day.
New members pay a one off joining fee which has been £200 for several seasons but may be reviewed for 2022
Our 2022 membership option will be reviewed at our AGM but here are the options that have been proposed for the AGM which takes place at the end of January:
SHOOT SUBS
I know it will not be popular but shoot subs must increase. Our feed cost for Poults increased by 50% in the time from our AGM to the feed arriving, that was a £1500 increase. Wheat is over budget by around £1500. The Poult price will increase by at least £900 in 2022 due to the increase in the cost of gas and feed. There is £3900 we need to find that I have managed to supplement through a few let pegs, a small let day at the end of the season and some walked up days. We also need to budget around £1000 for two destroyed release pens (Sewage and the Low Pond) so we are looking at needing to find A MINIMUM of £5000.
I have produced a proposed set of subs based on covering that minimum and that is a £50 per gun increase, so under 5% and that will give us no reserve and will not allow for purchasing new capital equipment such as further feeders, camera’s, traps or new Game Crops.
It’s for you lot to decide if we go with the minimum or do we have a reserve? Here are the minimums needed to run the shoot:
Deepdale only (8 days):
Working Gun - £1100
Non Working Gun - £1400
Half Gun Non-Working (4 days)- £775
Half Gun Working - £625
Holm Hill only (10 days)
Working Gun - £1100
Non-Working Gun - £1400
Half Gun Non-Working (5 days) - £775
Half Gun Working - £625
Joint Gun Holm Hill and Deepdale (9 days)
Working Gun - £1100
Non-Working Gun - £1400
Half Gun Non-Working (5 days) - £900
Half Gun Working (5 days) - £750
Joint Gun Holm Hill and Deepdale (10 days)
Working Gun – £1200
Non-Working Gun - £1550
I need to remind everyone that, as agreed at the 2021 AGM, in 2022 subs will need to be paid in 3 instalments by 1st February, 1st April and 1st June as 50% of the Holm Hill rent is due on the 1st February.
REARING POLICY
The above budget allows for us to continue with 2100 Poults at Holm Hill and 1000 at Deepdale. If you wish to increase on that then we need to increase subs accordingly. It costs us about £8.30 to purchase and feed a Pheasant so every £50 increase in subs will get us an extra 150 birds so over to you lot to argue about the rate if subs and what we release.
SHOOT DATES
Holm Hill
15 October (S)
22 October (S)
28 October (F)
5 November (S)
12 November (S)
19 November (S)
26 November (S)
3 December (S)
10 December (S)
17 December (S)
27 December (T)
2 January (M)
14 January (S)
21 January (S)
28 January (S)
Deepdale
14 October (F)
29 October (S)
11 November (F)
25 November (F)
9 December (F)
23 December (F)
7 January (S)
20 January (F)
WORK PARTY DATES
Slight change proposed to remove the February work day and add October. Work Days would run March to October inclusive. First Saturday of each month will be Deepdale and third Saturday will be Holm Hill.
Working Guns need to attend 7 FULL work days (0900-1700), at least 4 bird checks post-release and 4 feeder filling days.

Another thank you goes to the Deepdale and Holm Hill shoots that raised and donated £230. Many thanks for your support

Maybe a little bit of snow for tomorrow’s shoot day?

Many thanks once again to THE HOLM HILL SHOOT who have raised and donated another £70 to the PDRSG. Thank you for your continued support.

Red Squirrels in our main drives over at Holm Hill. Thanks to David Evan Cowen for the images. David is the local ranger from Penrith and District Red Squizzas and is entrusted with unrestricted access to the estate so he can control Greys and protect reds. David is a huge asset to the shoot performing hisnwork discreetly, giving us some really helpful feedback from his trail cameras, controlling vermin and helping us to maintain good relations with other stakeholders. David effectively controls the greys with shotgun and thermal, any disturbance is minimal and far outweighed by the benefits. We are delighted to work with and support David’s work and we are delighted to have a good population of Red Squizzas on the shoot.

Holm Hill, 10th December

A big thank you to THE HOLM HILL SHOOT who raised and donated £70 to the PDRSG.

Handfeeding continues morning and afternoon at Deepdale & Holm Hill Shoot. Feeders still topped daily and hoppers moved around as drives open up or dry up.

So far this winter been lucky on the morning feed round but snow has given way to some proper rain and a typical winter morning.

Maize has stood up well to the storm that’s destroyed a lot of our woodland and ripped the electric poles up.