Five Things You Mustn’t Miss At the CLA Game Fair

Come and see us

Don’t leave the Game Fair without saying hello to us (stand T1505). We would love to meet you. Pick up a terrific offer of three months’ subscription to Shooting Times for £19.50 with a direct debit. Each new subscriber will receive a bottle of Naked Grouse whisky and the first 10 each day will get VIP badges to our hospitality area. If you stop by on Friday, 31 July, at 2-3pm, you’ll be able to talk to gamekeeper Liam Bell, who will be signing copies of his new book, On Your Shoot: A Practical Guide to Running Your Own Shoot.

Subscribe to Shooting Times and get a bottle of Naked Grouse whisky

Have-a-go on the clay line

The real excitement will be on the clay line. Eight stands will provide different types of simulated game or sporting targets and there will be expert tuition available from BASC, the Countryside Alliance and the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association (CPSA).

Guests can also enter the 40-Bird Re-Entry Competition. You can take part as many times as you like and your highest score will count towards the prize.

On the Saturday, head to the clay line to watch as the CPSA County Champions compete to be crowned the Champions of Champions, while on the Sunday, the top Shots in the country battle it out for the Professional Shoot Trophy.

Air Arms is bringing along its Speed Shoot Challenge to the CLA. The aim of the game is to knock down eight targets using 10 shots as fast as you can.

There’s also something a little different this year, as the CLA has partnered with GUL Watersports and Channel Kayaks to offer a 30-minute kayak experience.

Ready for your ferreting needs

Deer, dogs and ferrets

Stalkers will be well catered for, with the British Deer Society on hand with a range of products, services and expert staff, while the CIC UK Trophy Evaluation Board will be evaluating deer heads and awarding medals on the Blaser stand in Gunmakers’ Row. A number of gundog competitions will be held, while our own Simon Whitehead will take care of your ferreting needs on the Pugs & Drummers MAKE A WEEKEND OF IT stand (Y1096).

Make a weekend of it

Starting at £80, there are a range of caravans, tents and pitches to settle down in, closer to the entrance than ever before.

For food, look no further than the Picnic Lawn, which will be based on the sloping grassland in front of historic Harewood House, while the Gunmakers’ Pub is ideally situated on Gunmakers’ Row.

And don’t miss the Great British Village, which will showcase the quality and variety of the Great British countryside.

Gamekeeping

The hard work of UK gamekeepers is celebrated at the CLA Game Fair every year, no more so than through the presentation of its Long Service Award. It is given to keepers who have completed at least 40 years’ continuous service on not more than five estates.

And if you’re interested in shoot management, then you need to head to Gamekeepers’ Row, which will be your one-stop shop for products and advice.

Oh, and the answer to our visual quiz, is of course the striped band on a Panama hat. Hopefully we’ll see a lot of these in evidence as the sun will be shining down!