country sport

I had a chance to get out at lunch time for some daylight blipping. I had the idea to go to NT Kedleston Hall as I had noticed at the weekend that an avenue of trees looked good. When I got there the trees had lost too many leaves so took a few geese and estate shots and headed back to the office.

However on passing the Gothic Temple folly I noticed a lot of 4x4's which is usually the sign that a shoot is on. Not to miss an opportunity I quickly braked and pulled in to see the shoot had just finished and the sporting green clad gents (couple of ladies) were very cold red nosed looking and heading back to cars. Having never encountered a shoot before I didnt really understand the protocols but as I jumped out of my car with a camera I attracted a bit of attention!
Not to be put off I walked over to who looked like the organiser (Headkeeper) and asked if I could take a photo, his crew (sorry don't know the right terms) gave me a look which said not likely but probably because I looked pretty smart and stupid he was quite jolly and said "ye go on, he'll do it for ya" laughing and nodding to the youngest, "give him some birds. Do you want a dog?". Job done. Thank you very much.

Would have loved some of the red rugged faces of the others but didnt dare to push my luck any further.

the research

Just 14 days are shot at Kedleston each season, with bags of 150-300 birds. Given the size of the NT estate, the relatively low number of days shot may come as a surprise.

Kedleston estate and shoot are characterised by the excellent relationship between the trust and various invested parties - sporting or otherwise. The house is the seat of the Curzon family, who can trace their roots on the estate back to the 12th century. Richard Curzon, current resident of Kedleston Hall, has been running the shoot since 2000.

It meets at the Gothic Temple, a small folly that has become a popular holiday let, sitting high on a hill to the north of the park with sweeping views of the surrounding countryside.