Field Notes

A defense of the driven shoot

It is not American. It is also not wrong.

Ben Ardrey · May 2026

A defense of the driven shoot

The driven shoot has a complicated reputation in the United States. It is not how most of us learned to hunt. It is associated, fairly or not, with class and tradition that does not always travel well.

And yet. A well-run driven shoot is a different kind of shooting — a kind of group ceremony, with rules, that produces some of the highest-quality wing shooting on the continent.