Hoghton Tower Bloodsports
If you were to believe the Hoghton Tower Shoot's propaganda you would think they only shoot a few birds "for the pot." For example, the Chorley Citizen reported (17 April 2007) that "Sir Bernard denied claims Hoghton bore comparison with larger commercial shoots, where the game birds death toll is in the thousands".
The truth of the matter is that the Hoghton Tower Shoot is a large commercial shoot with up to 8,000 ducks and up to 25,000 pheasants being used as live targets each year.
Thousands of ducks are killed on the Hoghton Tower estate
And just don't take our word for it, Anthony Fisher emailed anti-shoot campaigners on 8 July 2006 stating:
You harp on about Hoghton Tower and the alleged Duck massacres which occur there. I was privileged to shoot the Tower back in 2004... Incidentally, 456 "innocent" Mallard lost their lives that day.
The shoot doesn''t just cover the Hoghton Tower estate, they have recently expanded onto the neighbouring Woodfold Estate in Blackburn.
They employ two full time gamekeepers and the number of birds being reared for 'sport' has increased so much that they've had to move their rearing operation from Bolton Hall, Hoghton Tower to Alum Scar, Pleasington, Blackburn.
Hoghton Tower Pheasant Shoots
Pheasant shoots on the Hoghton Tower estate begin at the start of November. They used to shoot every two weeks to allow the birds to settle after a shoot. However locals have reported hearing the shooting weekly, especially towards the end of the shooting season. A typical day's shooting include several drives (shoots) at:
Owlet Holes Wood nr Riley Green map
Long Barn Lane Wood, nr railway line behind Hoghton Tower map
Wild Bottom's Wood, nr Bolton Hall, Hoghton Tower map
Wild Bottom's Wood, nr Bolton Hall, Hoghton Tower map
Old Woodfold Wood, Woodfold Estate, Pleasington, Blackburn map
Following the shoot we've also found gun cartridges at the locations of the duck shoots. When they are shooting at Wild Bottom's Wood if you stand on Samlesbury bridge overlooking the River Darwen at Samlesbury Bottoms you may see dead birds floating down which the gun dogs have missed.
Hoghton Tower Duck Shoots
Duck shoots on Hoghton Tower estate start in early September with weekly shoots until they start on the pheasant. Shoots will start at 9.30am and finish close to 5pm. A typical day's shooting include several drives at:
River Darwen opposite Owlet Holes Wood map
Pond behind Royal Oak pub, Riley Green, Hoghton map
River Darwen at Hoghton Bottoms map
Various ponds* at Bolton Hall, Hoghton Tower map
Pond off Alum Scar Lane, Woodfold Estate map
Large pond in Old Woodfold Wood, Woodfold Estate map
*Just in the region of Bolton Hall alone there are nine ponds that could be used for duck shooting. As with the pheasant shooting, stand at Samlesbury bridge when they are duck shooting at Owlet Holes Wood or at Hoghton Bottoms and you may see dead ducks floating down the river.
