A great time to get shooting with BASC

[Conor O'Gorman]

The following is text from an article in Shooting Times, with web-links added, that may be of interest to some forum members.

BASC members can access a range of affordable opportunities for live quarry and target shooting around the UK.

A common complaint on social media is shooters bemoaning the lack of opportunities to go shooting. For sure, permissions for thousands of acres of shooting obtained from a knock on a door and paid for with a bottle of whisky are an unrealistic expectation these days, but if you are a BASC member a visit to our website could prove time well spent. 

Wildfowling 

There was a time when getting into a wildfowling club was dead man’s shoes territory. But most clubs have some member vacancies these days, so check out those in your area and see what is involved in joining them. 

But what if you don’t know whether the pursuit of wildfowl in wild places is really for you?

In that case click here for the wildfowling permit and handbook and you will find opportunities offered by BASC-affiliated clubs, local authorities and other organisations dotted along the entire UK coastline. 

Most experiences are guided by existing club members to ensure participants have the best possible introduction to wildfowling and will always remain safe. Permits might be for a flight, a day or a week. The cost is modest, around £25, for many of these amazing adventures. 

Deerstalking 

BASC offers three deerstalking schemes in England and one in Northern Ireland. The schemes have been developed to provide a variety of different stalking opportunities for members who wish to take up the sport, and to provide those with limited access to stalking with the opportunity to gain practical experience and increase their knowledge. 

The Bowland stalking scheme in Lancashire is predominantly populated with sika and roe deer and the ground is a mix of farmland and wooded areas, with some spectacular views across the River Ribble. 

The East of England scheme is run by Deer Game and Vermin Management on behalf of BASC and operates on several estates around its headquarters at Chippenham near Newmarket. The locations have a good population of fallow, roe, muntjac and Chinese water deer. 

The Hampshire scheme is on a large sporting estate in the south of the county with decent numbers of roe and some muntjac. The ground is a mixture of semi-natural ancient woodland, flower-rich meadows and arable fields surrounded by thick hedgerows. 

In Northern Ireland, there are opportunities to stalk sika on the Baronscourt Estate, which is a mixture of spruce woodland and undulating farmland and scrubland. 

There are various terms and conditions for each scheme, with costs per outing between £100 to £200 — a very reasonable outlay for some unique experiences. 

Other live quarry 

BASC offers one-day shooting and management courses for grey squirrel — usually geared towards young Shots — and woodpigeon at various locations around the UK. There are also introductions to wildfowling days. These events quickly sell out when they go live so do regularly visit the BASC events area of our website. 

In Northern Ireland you can register for the joint BASC/Ulster Farmers’ Union Pest Control Scheme, whereupon you may be contacted by local farmers needing your help — and gaining you various great shooting experiences. 

Target shooting 

BASC members can book on range days at the National Shooting Centre at Bisley and at several sites in Northern Ireland, subject to terms and conditions. The Bisley range days give participants the chance to shoot both static targets and running boar/deer targets with .22 rimfire and centrefire rifles, with the additional option of handguns on Northern Ireland range days. 

BASC is rolling out more sites across Britain for range days in 2025.

There are also ongoing events for airguns and clay shooting, all bookable via the events area of our website. 

 

 

Edited December 13 by Conor O'Gorman

[Scully]

I’m just going to say hurrah for BASC, as any hard questioning of BASC just seems to get the thread locked, thus saving them from answering difficult questions. 
Well done BASC. 👍

[HantsRob]

1 hour ago, Scully said:

I’m just going to say hurrah for BASC, as any hard questioning of BASC just seems to get the thread locked, thus saving them from answering difficult questions. 
Well done BASC. 👍

To be fair Scully, this is an excellent self promoting BASC post where PW folk can see some of the great work. They can get involved or not.

It's a great post. 👍

[Scully]

22 minutes ago, HantsRob said:

To be fair Scully, this is an excellent self promoting BASC post where PW folk can see some of the great work. They can get involved or not.

It's a great post. 👍

Indeed. Like I said, well done BASC. 
I’d consider rejoining, but even members get ignored when the questions get difficuilt, and it’s not just BASC; I left the NGO for just that very reason. 

[oowee]

I would consider rejoining as they do some great work. I bulk at the, close to £100, cost of membership. If it were around £50 (£25 ins and £25 good works) then I would be in. 

I compare it to the other associations I am in for sailing which have more immediate tangible benefits. 

[Rim Fire]

I am sure BASC would double its membership if it was at a fordable price for the average punter 

[Westley]

On 13/12/2024 at 17:17, oowee said:

I would consider rejoining as they do some great work. I bulk at the, close to £100, cost of membership. If it were around £50 (£25 ins and £25 good works) then I would be in. 

I compare it to the other associations I am in for sailing which have more immediate tangible benefits. 

Which is why I bought Life membership in  the 1960's .   😊