Pheasants and Drives at Poronui Lodge

Pheasants and Drives at Poronui Lodge

A tradition of excellence

When it comes to traditional game shooting, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of a pheasant drive.

Celebrated for centuries by landed gentry, a driven pheasant shoot is an exciting and challenging experience for both participants and spectators.

At Poronui Lodge, we offer driven pheasant shoots in the European style, steeped in history and camaraderie like no other sport can offer.

Here’s what you need to know about pheasants and the drive at Poronui.

The basics of a pheasant drive

A pheasant drive is a key component of traditional driven game shooting.

During a drive, beaters and their dogs flush pheasants from wooded areas or coverts, driving them toward a line of guns, who then shoot the birds as they fly overhead.

There is a long and noble history of pheasant drives, especially in Great Britain. The practice emerged in the 16th century, and picked up momentum in the early 1800s when landowners sought to improve the sport by planting woods for shooting. The sport has only grown in popularity since then, thanks in no small part to the shared thrill of the shoot, the skill required to hit a small moving target, and the immersion in naturally beautiful surroundings.

Many of the traditions practised during pheasant drives come from that time, providing us with an enduring connection to the past.

Pheasants at Poronui

We’ve sought to create a quality European-style game shoot experience, right in the heart of Aotearoa New Zealand. And that starts with quality birds.

Richard is one of our four seasoned gamekeepers, responsible for overseeing the health and wellbeing of our pheasants. Originally working in the likes of Cumbria and Northamptonshire in the UK, Richard brings his decades of experience in gamekeeping to Poronui. He’s part of a tightly knit team rearing around 25,000 birds and ensuring a successful drive on the day.

In spring, the gamekeeper’s focus is on breeding and rearing, as well as habitat management. Summer sees new birds released to integrate with the existing stock, as well as supplementing feed where necessary to support the growing population. By autumn and into winter, during the drives, Richard is part of the team managing the big day.

“A great beat experience,” explains Richard, “is in the height of the pheasant above the ground. We want healthy birds to get a good height off the beat, as it gives the guns a good chance to test their skill.”

“Unlike deer hunting, which can be quite solitary, or duck hunting, where you’re waiting for the birds to get over the water, a pheasant shoot has a real camaraderie to it and the team of guns. And seeing the birds rush towards you gets the heart racing. There’s nothing like it.”

Experience a drive

Pheasant shooting season in New Zealand takes place from the first weekend of May and generally lasts to mid-August.

Drives are steeped in tradition – a “suit-and-tie” kind of day, Richard explains. Even today, tweed suits are the clothing of choice (with layering up recommended for those chilly autumn and winter days).

The day begins with a team breakfast, usually around 9am, at the Lodge. There’s a palpable thrill in the cool morning air. Already the excitement is building. Around 10am, shooters meet at the stables with the drive team to prepare, check firearms, and then eagerly move on to the first drive around 11am.

Eight guns line up at the bottom of a hill, each about 40 yards apart. When it’s time to begin the drive, the pheasants are flushed out of the covering, launching themselves off the hill and towards the guns. The autumn air cracks open with shot after shot, and plenty of celebration after a successful strike.

Pheasant shooting is a difficult sport, and it’s not uncommon for 15-20 shots to be fired for each bird taken down – a testament to the skill required. Plus, the drive team ensure that there’s a chance for everyone to be at every place in the shooting line, rotating shooters during each drive for better odds for each gun.

Once a drive has been exhausted, teams move on to a second and third drive. With strong pheasant numbers at Poronui, shooters can expect to have plenty of chances at each drive, and explore more of the estate across the day. And when the day is done, teams retire to the Lodge for a well-earned meal and to swap stories of the day.

Experience it for yourself

Taking quality pheasants is just part of the experience at Poronui. Pheasant drives are an incredible way to gather together, test your firearm skills, and share in the thrill of a drive in stunning surroundings.

For the guests who partake in the pheasant drives, it’s the chance to experience a tradition of excellence, and to share in the camaraderie of a group hunt. At Poronui Lodge, it’s proof of the dedication of the gamekeepers, the enduring appeal of the sport, and the collaboration with New Zealand Gamebirds in organising these exceptional drives.