Having first been to the Konopiste estate some 16 years ago, I was very much looking forward to revisiting this stunning estate in the Czech Republic last November for three days of shooting. The party from the US stayed in the Four Seasons hotel in Prague which enabled the team to enjoy the delights of this magical city. We left the hotel at 8am on each day and had a 45-minute drive to the estate. On arrival, we were introduced to our loaders and then had the traditional start to a day’s shooting in Eastern Europe i.e. fires roaring, horns blowing and the whole team showing respect to the quarry. Each day we had six drives with a mixture of game cover and woodland drives. This gave the team plenty of variety of sport with some drives being more challenging than others. Our quarry was mainly pheasants with a few partridges mixed in. The ancillary arrangements were very traditional and the whole team on the ground couldn’t have been more cheerful – you really felt they were glad to see us.
Some of the team hired guns and the estate provided good and reliable Eley cartridges in 12, 16 and 20 bore. Claire in our office did a great job in arranging hunting licences and shotgun permits and this worked very smoothly. You do need to get your shotgun permit stamped by the Czech Emabassy in your country before going, but Claire can guide you for this process. You also just need to let your airline know well in advance that you are travelling with guns and then remind them closer to the time. You then need to get to the check-in desk at the airport at least two hours before you depart!
At the end of the day, our bag was laid out in a beautiful and symmetric formation with more fires roaring, horns blowing and a great speech to show respect to the days bag – what a way to finish your day!
The journey back to Prague took a little longer with more traffic on the roads, but we were back at the hotel for 5pm. Prague offers a fantastic selection of excellent restaurants, and this made for some very enjoyable evenings. There is also a vast array of quality hotels to suit everyone’s needs.
If you’re looking for a fun and traditional experience with the delights of staying and sightseeing in Prague, then Konopiste is a great place to visit.
