Game shooting in Spain

Whether you are looking for sky-high driven partridges or birds presented in the traditional Spanish style, these premier estates offer the experience of a lifetime, writes Sam Rickitt

Does the idea of waves of partridges charging past like Spanish fighting bulls or redlegs screaming high overhead on a hot day in February set your sporting pulse racing? If so, we have curated a list of the estates to visit with the best game shooting in Spain. (Read our guide to the best game shooting abroad.)

Game shooting in Spain

In the UK, we may raise a hand (discreetly) or whoop with glee (quietly) for that sky-high bird taken neatly in front. Traditional game shooting in Spain revels in the exhilaration of taking birds with precision and at pace. Whatever your preference, there are estates that cater for both styles of shooting. They offer unparalleled hospitality and can be better value than the UK: most costs, such as transfers, cartridges, food, drink and accommodation, are typically included in the price of a bird, with only tips to add. Guns shoot with loaders, double or even triple gunning, and have a secretario who counts the downed birds. It’s thrilling sport, and we have flushed a covey of the best shoots Spain has to offer.

EL PALOMAR

Finca El Palomar is a traditional estate set among the foothills of the Sierra De Alcaraz in the heart of Don Quixote country. The 3,000-hectare estate is run by the Flores family, who have bred fighting bulls for nine generations and have 50 years’ experience of driven partridge. Across hills and mountains, forests and fields, each of their 20 drives has a unique feel. Estate owner Samuel Flores, an enthusiastic sporting man, says: “These are wild and natural drives – the birds can fly left or right, up or down or over. The variety is spectacular. There are two drives in particular – Las Terreras and El Cortijo Nuevo – that, according to some, are among the best in the world.”

With beaters blanking-in vast areas of hillside, drives can last up to 50 minutes. Turlough Nolan is a keen international sportsman and has made four trips here in the past few years. “Some places try to replicate that Wiltshire chalk-hill experience,” he says, “but El Palomar is different. It has incredibly varied and authentic Spanish terrain – some canyons, but also the sides of mountains that one would expect to see on a Yorkshire grouse moor.” The estate has won awards for its stalking, offers traditional monterías [driven boar/ deer], walked-up days over dogs, as well as fishing and other activities.

The quality of hospitality is crucial to the success of any estate, and Flores couples superb food with genial company in a stunning landscape, meaning international clients return year after year. “This is their Spanish home,” he says. “They come like hunters and go back like friends.”

 

LA CAMINERA

With undulating hills crossed by plains, mountains and ravines, the 1,000-hectare estate of La Caminera in the La Mancha province of Ciudad Real has an enviable mix of landscape. Owner Salvador Sabater is passionate about the traditions of shooting and is determined to maintain an authentic experience while bringing the estate up to date.

La Caminera has evolved from its origins as a hunting lodge into something different: a country house hotel. There are several shooting estates in Spain that have private airfields but no others have a nine-hole golf course or a Michelin-starred restaurant.

“The birds here are classic Spanish, both fast and furious,” says Matthew Hollington of Atlas Sporting. “They are like slightly less aggressive grouse that are also less aggressive on price.”

LA CUESTA

Among the premier high-partridge shoots, La Cuesta is a purpose-built retreat in the south of the Ciudad Real region of La Mancha, three hours south of Madrid. The 20,000-hectare estate has a vast number of drives and shooting here can be more akin to a high Devon day, with extreme red-legged rockets that require guns to bring their A-game.

Nick Mason, director at Davis & Bowring, says: “I have been involved with the Muela family [who own and run the estate] for 35 years. Their shooting lodge was created 20 years ago and has been continually improved since, so it is up there with the best in the world. Their private landing strip and the amazing health spa and gym attract sportsmen and women who can afford to shoot significant daily bags of extremely high and sporting partridges.”

Regular visitor and seasoned Spanish gun Clive Edwards reports: “The accommodation is luxurious and homely, the food and wines among the best of any shoot lodge in the world. Of course, the best Spanish wine stays in Spain, and everything from the olives to the lemons and all of the food seems to have had its flavours supercharged by the climate. There are very few settings that can match La Cuesta for hospitality or the quality of the shooting.”

Smiling, he adds: “I had the great privilege of staying in the King’s Suite with a tray of Montecristo cigars, which were, of course, most handy for sweetening the loader and secretario.”

LA FLAMENCA

Owned by the Duke of Férnan Núñez, the 4,000-hectare La Flamenca estate can show high birds or the more traditional Spanish style. Led by legendary host Javier Corsini, the hospitality is spot on, the food wonderful and the landscape lends itself well to partridge shooting. Uniquely, the estate is only 40 minutes from Madrid, so guns and guests can stay at the shoot lodge or enjoy the excitement of the capital.

Tarquin Millington-Drake, UK managing director of Frontiers Travel International, has been organising trips to Spain for many years and deals with most of the estates. “La Flamenca shows great traditional Spanish partridges plus some good high ones and is genuinely 40 minutes from the centre of Madrid. I know – I have timed it,” he says.

LA NAVA DEL BARRANCO

The rich heritage of fieldsports in La Mancha is as varied as the terrain, and La Nava embodies this. The estate spans 3,200 hectares of Castilian countryside, with olive groves, valleys and treecovered ravines that create an ideal landscape for driven partridge. Owner Javier Medem, whose father Roberto wrote the seminal work Perdiz en Ojeo, knows the key to a quality shoot. “There are three parts,” he says. “First, the birds: they have to be strong and quick. Then topography: each drive has to be different, even within the drive itself. And lastly there is the rhythm of the drive.” With a huge diversity of ground, La Nava can offer high birds as well as more traditional presentations. “We can do high partridge,” Medem says, “but it is a shame to come to Spain just for this. Remember how low and fast grouse fly.”

The custom-built lodge was designed to accommodate shooting parties in luxury, with a state-of-the-art spa, sauna, Turkish bath, two massage rooms and a relaxation area to unwind in after a hard day’s shooting. Attention to detail is central to excellent hospitality and the team at La Nava excels in this. “There are many activities for non-shooting guests,” says Medem. He is keen for people to see the other side of the shoot and says: “They can even walk or, as is traditional, ride horses in the beating line.”

Staff are trained to ensure visitors feel at home as soon as they arrive, familiarity being the key. Guns often have the same loader and secretario every year. Medem says: “The word ‘no’ is forbidden here. For something difficult, we say we will do it right now. For something impossible, just give us five minutes.”

This is echoed by Ollie Severn at William Powell Sporting. “La Nava has a phenomenal ability to show a wide range of shooting suitable to guns of any ability, from novice to expert,” he says. “The hospitality and attention to detail is like no other. This, complemented by a keen can-do attitude, creates an impressively unique sporting environment.”

LAS GOLONDRINAS DE SANTA CRISTINA

Located between the World Heritage sites of Cáceras and Trujillo, and in the heart of Extremadura, there is a real sense of history to Finca Las Golondrinas de Santa Cristina. Edward Darbishire, director of Darbishire Sports, says: “The estate has a delightful, distinctive feel about it and stands as one of the few authentic places you can immerse yourself in old-world Spain.”

This unspoilt 17,000-hectare estate has been in the Díaz de Bustamante family since the 14th century. The shooting lodge dates to the 1800s and was formerly a cloistered convent. It has been meticulously renovated over the past 10 years and offers a luxurious yet relaxed atmosphere.

Hosted by owners Jacobo and Fernando Díaz de Bustamante and their wives, and offering traditional Spanish food and wine, the estate is proud of its ‘family style’ approach.

Las Golondrinas de Santa Cristina boasts more than 75 challenging drives presented in the classic Spanish manner, with birds hugging the landscape and screaming past from all angles. Alfonso de la Fuente, managing director at Las Golondrinas de Santa Cristina, explains: “With 45 years of professional experience and centuries of shooting tradition in the family, we guarantee success.”

LOS MELONARES

Fed from rivers in the Sierra Norte de Sevilla, trees and bushes pepper a verdant landscape around the finca (estate) of Los Melonares. These waterways carved out steep valleys, and partridges launch themselves from ravine tops to test the guns.

Davis & Bowring’s Nick Mason explains its appeal: “Los Melonares has a family atmosphere, and tradition is the key at this historic finca. All days are personally hosted by the owner, Pachi Madariaga, and her highly efficient shoot manager and family friend, Jerónimo.

“The initial cost is lower than at some estates as the minimum daily bag is about a third less. This opens the market up to many more customers.”

Mason adds: “Being close to Seville, it appeals to non-shooting companions, and the ability to stay the night after your last day’s shooting is extremely attractive.”

The lodge enjoys commanding views, and nearby ancient Seville gives nonshooting guests a delightful alternative for the day. Madariaga works tirelessly to make guns and guests feel part of the family.

VENTAS QUEMADAS

Sister finca to Ventosilla and superbly run by Antonio Cavero, Ventas Quemadas is located just an hour from Seville. This 19th-century former casino has been sumptuously restored and is luxuriously appointed so that a team of guns and guests can relax and enjoy the convivial atmosphere.

“Ventas Quemadas must challenge for the highest birds Spain has to offer but it is equally capable of traditional Spanish birds too. The house is one of the most ‘private party’ orientated houses for guns in Spain that I am aware of. One really can make it one’s home,” enthuses Frontiers Travel International managing director Tarquin Millington-Drake.

The terrain in this part of Andalusia is more rugged than in others, and the craggy mountains produce extreme partridges that hurtle overhead and are a challenge for any keen shot. If this is not to your taste, with more than 4,500-hectares, the estate has plenty of drives to suit ever

VENTOSILLA PALACE

The classic 4,500-hectare estate of Ventosilla is just over an hour from Madrid, on the banks of the Tagus river and Lake Castejon. The palace was built in the 15th century as a hunting lodge and held one of Spain’s first driven partridge shoots in 1894 for the Duke of Santoña and King Alfonso XIII. This sporting tradition is one that the Mitjans family have carried on in Top: Ventosilla is a traditional partridge shoot with a rich sporting history. Above: the palace was built in the 15th century and guests can enjoy old-world charm combined with fine food and five-star service exemplary fashion to this day. With over 50 drives, the estate has something for everyone. Rob Fenwick, managing director of EJ Churchill, says: “We do a lot at Ventosilla. It’s a traditional Spanish partridge shoot where you shoot over a huge area of land, and the quality of the birds is excellent. You can have very high or traditional Spanish presentation and they make you feel like you are the only person they have seen all year.” Staying in the castle with its old-world charm, guests will find the appeal of the surroundings is matched by a superb level of service: 99% of EJ Churchill’s clients return year after year. “The food is exquisite, the service is better than a five-star hotel’s and the team is charming. In my opinion it is the best,” says Fenwick. “The whole place is steeped in tradition and history. What more could you ask for?”

PLAN YOUR SPANISH TRIP

Book shooting on these top estates through the sporting agents below:

Darbishire Sports

Davis & Bowring

EJ Churchill

Frontiers International Travel

William Powell Sporting