In fact, the whole shooting party that weekend was comprised of several Counts, Princes and Viscounts from several European countries. Curiosity compelled me to ask how they had formed such a diverse syndicate. The answer was simply, they all had known each other from school and college.
     Traditional European clothing was the dress of the day, tweeds, breeks, and, of course, collar and tie. I did not see one piece of camouflage during the two days of duck shooting! After a safety briefing, the Guns boarded the shooting breaks and we traveled to the first drive.
     I need to explain how Swedish duck shooting differs from any I have previously seen.

     The estate benefits from several natural lakes and these have been supplemented by digging and damming many more. This has been done in such an authentic manner that, unless told, one would never know the additional lakes were man-made. Each lake is several acres in size, with many even larger. They have been developed and cultivated to offer outstanding habitat for duck and other species of wild fowl. At the end of each lake is a half to a full acre of rough cover, consisting of rush, reed and coarse grasses, that is referred to as “the sanctuary”.
      The Claestorp Estate is on one of the finest migratory wildfowl flight paths in Europe. But to encourage and supplement the migratory birds, over 10,000 ducks are bred annually and liberated here. The ducks are first hatched from egg by incubator, than they are released into flight pens backed onto protected lakes with many islands of sanctuary.
     Here the young ducks are encouraged to quickly find both their water and flight wings.

 

 

 

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     You may not be aware of the fact that this year the Red Grouse population in Scotland was decimated by extremely wet weather during the hatch, followed by an infestation of worm parasites. Many estates were down 80% on their Grouse population and only a few had any shooting at all - then only for one or two days with small bags.
     I had planned to film Driven Grouse for the “Wing Shooting the World” series, had booked the crew and camera time, and suddenly had nothing to shoot! Too early for Partridge and no Grouse, left me in a dilemma. I made a last ditch effort to save the trip when I attended the CLA Game Fair in July - I visited each and every game keeper, estate manger, land owner, sporting agent and syndicate I knew, all to no avail.
      During The Fair, I was invited to lunch with the Famars family, along with several of their dealers from around the world. While bemoaning my angst at losing a filming opportunity (I must have been riveting company!), Staffan Schullstrom, the Swedish dealer for Famars and CEO of Gyttorp Cartridge Company, spoke up. He said that, in addition to owning one of the finest shooting grounds in Sweden, he also operated a sporting agency and had a client shooting ducks on the dates I needed! A short call by cell phone (a modern wonder of the world) and all was arranged!

     I have been fortunate enough to have shot Ducks in several countries – called Ducks in Argentina, decoyed in Mississippi, flighted in Scotland and driven in both Hungary and England. All have been very special experiences, each having its own special flavor and uniquely memorable character.
      Well, as you read on, you will begin to understand what an eye-opening experience my first visit to Sweden became. It was truly some of the very best wing shooting I have participated in, in the world. Swedish Ducks, really “Unlimited”.
      Arriving in Stockholm, Sweden, often called the Venice of the North, was worth the trip in its own right. It is a beautiful city surrounded by water, packed with history, stunning architecture and color. We were met by Hans Morner, Staffan’s partner, then traveled an hour and a half to Katrineholm, just northwest of Stockholm.

The immaculate, litter-free roads and great signage allowed even me with my dyslexic map skills to follow where we were.
     We went straight to Claestorp Castle, a delightful and incredible home, packed to the rafters with history, to meet our hosts, Jan and Celia Lewenhaupt, or should I say Count Lewenhaupt.
The Lewenhaupt family has resided on the Claestorp Estate since 1446 and in the “New” Castle since July 4th, 1776.