This writer left early Thursday morning to attend the Orvis Wingshooting School in Manchester, Vermont. The drive from Brattleboro along Route 30 is a favorite as it winds through the small towns that make Vermont such a special place. The drive evoked memories of the years of deer hunting in Vermont with Dave Loscius, John Kima, Craig Rice and Jay Rossi in the area on the back side of Stratton Mountain in Winhall, Vermont. That crew was always fun to be with and it was mountain hunting with lots of wildlife and rugged terrain.
For a number of years, the Tent Sale at Orvis in April would also lure me to make that drive and it was always rewarding as the treasured Orvis items like Barbour jackets and sweaters and fly-fishing tackle were on sale and very tempting. The flagship store is still a great destination for sportsmen, their spouses, or anyone looking for quality clothing or well-made items for outdoor pursuits. Orvis fly fishing gear remains the best quality available and their upland hunting clothing and accessories are also top shelf. But I digress.
This trip was to participate in the one-day version of Orvis’ renowned Wingshooting School. My recent spate of poor skeet shooting was the spark, but it has been on my list of things to do for some time. I contacted my New York host, Bruce Bennett, and he drove down to join me. We were there when the doors opened at 9 AM, along with seven other students. The group included two women and two men who had driven down from Canada as the school draws from a great distance. The Orvis Wingshooting School has a strong reputation and teaches the Churchill Method, a way of wingshooting developed in England decades ago that still provides great results for both the beginner, novice, or an experienced shooter who wants to get better.
It has been my good fortune to have spent time, back in the 80s, with two of the best-known shooting coaches of the era. While working for Ducks Unlimited, my time and resources were available for such pursuits and, along with Al Mexcur, there were shooting lessons with the legendary English coaches Jack Mitchell at Adieville East in Rhode Island and Neil Chadwick at the Stockbridge Sportsman’s Club. Both experiences helped with form and taught the basics. Al went on to become a very shooter and many a duck and clay pigeon can attest to his skill with a shotgun. Most of my shooting has been upland hunting and a fair number of grouse and woodcock have tumbled as testament to the lessons learned. There has been a slump or two recently and the goal was to improve for the upcoming season.
The day began in the very well-appointed classroom with a timeless video of classic English shooters who were wearing knickers, a sport jacket and a tie. They were demonstrating gun mounting, footwork, swing, and the thought process involved in the Churchill System of Wingshooting. After a brief introduction and safety reminders, it was off to the shooting fields, located on the property where the Perkins family, who own Orvis, call home. The short drive reminds you that you are in a very special place.
Bruce and I were teamed with Mark, a very successful businessman who had decided he wanted to get as good as the Class 1 skeet shooters at his club in Connecticut. He was a man of means with a very nice Webley & Scott twelve gauge over and under. We began our instruction with lead instructor John Skinner, a most affable but serious instructor who first watched us shoot straight-away targets and then offered suggestions. That session also featured incoming clays, always a bugaboo for this shooter and he quickly explained the method of swing-through that made breaking them very easy. His style of observation and analysis was very helpful and all three of us felt good about our initial progress.
Then came lunch at the Equinix Hotel, a grand hotel that was restored impeccably and served an outstanding lunch for the students and teachers. It was my pleasure to sit across from Bruce Bowlen, the former director of the Orvis Shooting School in Manchester who also was the author of “The Orvis Wingshooting Handbook.” It was given to all students and is the “Bible” of the techniques to make you a better shooter. As it turns out, he was born in Greenfield and migrated north to pursue his love of upland hunting. He is also a Brittany fan, so we had a delightful conversation over lunch.
Then it was back to the course, set up with a number of stations in a wooded setting. This second session was with Tom Deck. He was serious hunter, with two young labs in his truck, and he used straightaway clays to get us to learn to really focus on the target. At this point, I had switched from the 20-gauge Ruger Red Label that was my choice for the morning shooting to the 28-gauge Red Label, now my “go-to” gun. Hard to say what made the difference, but his demand that we try to see details on the target such as the shadow formed by the target ridges before shooting paid dividends for me and the targets all broke.
Next, it was on to Bruce Bowlen and multiple targets “on report.” That meant that as soon as you shot at the first target, a second one was released. Bruce was also a great observer and his laid- back style worked for all of us. My day finished on a very positive note and then came “graduation.” The two ladies were named co-valedictorians, and everyone received an Orvis diploma and a shooting school pin. What this writer got from the experience was some clear pointers and advice that should pay dividends once October arrives. This shooter/hunter highly recommends the Orvis Wingshooting School to anyone and my suggestion would be to drag your spouse along and force them to visit the many shops and high-end outlets in Manchester while you are in class. Add dinner at one of Manchester’s fine restaurants and a night at the Equinox and you will be in good standing for some time!