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PHEASANT
Today, pheasants can be found in almost any part of the world. The common Ringneck is of Chinese origin and is now found worldwide, while other more exotic species are found only in the countries of the East.
Whether walked up with dogs or driven at great height and high speed over the Guns, the pheasant is a very special bird, which provides sportsmen around the world with a genuine challenge and excellent table qualities. On this species rests an immense rural industry of rearing, keepering, shooting and game dealing.
It is no different in Scotland, where game rearing to enhance natural populations has been carried out since around 1900, and where shooting sports are an integral part of rural life. In Scotland, however, there is also the unquantifiable premium of magnificent terrain and landscapes. You will be taking part in a traditional sport with codes of behaviour and dress which will emphasise their origins in good practice and common sense.
From the rocks and heather-clad hills of the North to the rolling low ground, grass and arable farms of the South, Scotland rewards the sportsman with the contentment of being among Nature's finest works of art.
Of course, pheasant shooting takes place not on the highest of our hills but on the medium to low ground where cover and natural feeding are to be found. Huge bags are not a feature of the sporting scene in Scotland, and stocking levels are designed to satisfy the demands of the discriminating sportsman rather than the "big bag" chasers.
A daily bag of about 100 - 200 birds for eight guns is considered very good for driven days, but smaller days with bags of 50-100 are commonly available, and many estates can provide excellent and very sporting walked up days with even smaller bags, or with a mixed bag of pheasant, partridge and ducks
Some estates can, however, offer very much larger daily bags of driven pheasants and they specialise in presenting superb birds which test the skill of every sportsman - these estates can be best approached through Sporting Agents, many of whom will be found in the Business Directory section of this site.
Whatever the type of pheasant shooting you seek, Scotland's rich autumn and winter landscapes will delight you with colour and variety as you take part, and on non-shooting days there will be castles to see and whisky to taste, preferably in the distilleries from which they spring.
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