About Us
David Morris Sporting – Driven Game Shooting in South Shropshire
Our Story
David Morris Sporting runs traditional driven game shooting and simulated game days on the beautiful Hopton Court Estate in South Shropshire. As we enter our 10th season running the shoot, we are proud to have built a reputation for friendly hospitality, well-organised days and quality sport in stunning countryside.
Your Hosts:
The shoot is run by Dave and Helen Morris, who work closely with the estate, gamekeeping team, beaters and pickers-up to ensure every day runs smoothly. Over the years we have been fortunate to welcome many returning guns who come back season after season for the relaxed atmosphere, good sport and enjoyable company.
The Ground:
The ground at Hopton Court Estate and the surrounding land we shoot over offers great variety, with drives across parkland, arable and woodland settings. These varied drives help produce sporting, shootable pheasant, partridge and duck, providing enjoyable days for both experienced guns and those newer to driven shooting.
The Atmosphere:
One of the things people often comment on is the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of the day. Guns, beaters, pickers-up and the gamekeeping team all contribute to the welcoming feel that makes the shoot such an enjoyable day out. Many guests also enjoy ending the day with a drink at the nearby Hopton Crown, a well-known local shooting pub just a short distance from the estate.
Who we are here for:
Whether joining as part of an established team of guns or enquiring about available days for indivual guns, we are always pleased to hear from people who enjoy traditional countryside sport and good company in beautiful surroundings.
We offer driven pheasant, partridge and duck shooting days in South Shropshire, within easy reach of Birmingham, the West Midlands and the Welsh Borders, but we welcome guns from across the country and internationally, with handly accomodation available locally at the Hopton Crown.
We would love you to come and join us for our 10th Season.
The Team:
Behind every successful shoot day is a hardworking team. At David Morris Sporting we are fortunate to have a dedicated group who work throughout the year to rear the birds, manage the ground and ensure each day runs smoothly. Their efforts help create the relaxed and friendly atmosphere that so many of our returning guns appreciate.
Meet The Team
Dave Morris
Shoot Captain & Director
After 34 years in the shooting industry, first as a gamekeeper and now as Shoot Captain, Dave is excited to be heading into his 10th season running David Morris Sporting. His many years working on shoots have given him a deep understanding of how to produce enjoyable, well organised days with sporting birds and a relaxed atmosphere. Dave takes great pride in the quality of the shooting and in making sure that everyone involved in the day enjoys themselves.
Chris Jaynes
Head Gamekeeper
After completing his apprenticeship at Hopton, Chris spent seven years as Head Keeper at Bitterley Shoot before returning to us in 2019. He is now heading into his 8th season with David Morris Sporting as Head Gamekeeper.
Chris has a wealth of knowledge and experience which allows us to rear our own birds and present some fantastic sporting pheasant, partridge and duck throughout the season. His understanding of the ground and attention to detail play a key role in producing enjoyable days for the guns.
During this time Chris has married and started a family. He lives on the estate with his wife Courtney and their two daughters.
Helen Morris
Director & Office Manager
Helen works behind the scenes replying to emails, managing bookings and finances and all the administration that keeps things running smoothly throughout the season. As Dave’s wife and mum to Fraser and Dax, who both enjoy helping out on the shoot, she plays a key role in the family team behind David Morris Sporting.
Tom Forrester
Beat Keeper
After beating at Hopton while at college, Tom joined us in 2021 as an underkeeper. It was certainly an eventful start to his time with us, as his first day of work coincided with the outbreak of bird flu and the restrictions that followed.
Fortunately, Tom must have been something of a lucky charm, as we have since completed four successful seasons with him as valued part of the team. Tom is now our Beat Keeper and part of his role is looking after our excellent partridge drives at Catherton.
The team work tirelessly throughout the year to ensure our birds are well reared and the drives are presented at their best on a shoot day.
Our Philosophy
For us, running a shoot has always been more of a vocation than a career. It is something we do because we genuinely love it — the countryside, the people, and the traditions that come together to create a memorable day in the field.
Hopton has been part of Dave’s life for over thirty years, and over that time we have developed a deep appreciation for the land and the responsibility that comes with caring for it. Looking after the ground, managing habitats and presenting good sporting birds is something we take great pride in.
A shoot day is also about community and camaraderie. It brings together a dedicated team of keepers, beaters, pickers-up and helpers who work together to make the day possible. Many of our guns have been coming to Hopton for years and have become friends as well as clients, which is something we value enormously.
Sustainability is an important part of how we run the shoot. The birds from our shoot go to Willo Game, ensuring that they enter the food chain as high-quality wild meat and play their part in Britain’s food culture. Without shooting, many of the game cover crops we plant — including linseed and sunflowers — would likely be replaced by monoculture farming, whereas they currently provide valuable habitat and food for a wide range of wildlife.
The shoot also helps support other local businesses and the rural economy, from local suppliers to the nearby Hopton Crown. The pub plays an important role in the life of the village and remains a much-loved meeting place for guns, beaters and locals alike — something that feels especially valuable at a time when many small village pubs are sadly disappearing.
Above all, our aim is simply to look after the land, work with a great team, and give people an enjoyable and memorable day in the countryside.
Our Clients
We are fortunate to welcome guns from across the UK and internationally, many of whom return year after year to shoot with us at Hopton. Several of our teams have been coming for many seasons, some dating back to Dave’s time as Head Gamekeeper on the estate.
For many groups the day has become an annual tradition — a chance to enjoy the sport, the countryside and good company. While we value the long-standing friendships built over the years, we are always pleased to welcome new teams and visiting guns to the shoot.
