What Are The Biggest Style Faux Pas On A Shooting Weekend?

Being invited to a shooting weekend is about far more than taking advantage of the hunting seasons, but is an opportunity to socialise, network and make a great impression. Because of this, everything you wear, from your hunting cap to your shooting socks, matters significantly.

There is a (likely apocryphal) sequence in the popular Netflix series The Crown that provides several fantastic examples of shooting faux pas. Margaret Thatcher (played by Gillian Anderson) managed to wear an overly loud blue suit, perfume and unsuitable socks.

This meant that anything one intended to hunt could easily see, smell and ultimately hear you if you slipped in the muddy terrain.

Alongside those three fairly common-sense rules, here are some other shooting weekend faux pas.

Dressing For Style Over Substance

Any occasion which involves firearms is a serious occasion, and you must dress not just according to style but also to ensure that you can appropriately participate over the weekend.

Wear a hunting jacket and trousers designed for manoeuvrability across harsh terrain. This will typically be tweed or another prestigious but hard-wearing material.

Not Preparing For All Seasons

One must be a man or woman of all seasons when traversing a hunting weekend, and that means preparing an outfit as suitable for the start of the grouse season in August as it is for the end of the deer season in March or April.

This covers all four seasons, which means that you need an outfit that is breathable and layered to make summer hunting comfortable, whilst also warm enough to make it possible to safely aim a rifle in the deep midwinter, when frosty wind made moan.

Wearing Somewhat Loud Patterns

Tweed will tend to have some type of pattern owing to how they are made, but it is best to keep it simple. Patterns should be practical and help you blend into the countryside, rather than being overly ostentatious.

It gives the impression, rightly or wrongly, that you are not taking the weekend as seriously as you should be. Stick to modest patterns and more natural, familiar colours if you are at all uncertain.