The Hill Country of south-central Texas is famous for a distinctive landscape that features rolling hills, limestone cliffs and low-lying creek bottoms. Decorated with live oaks, mesquite and buffalograss, the country is some of the most beautiful in Texas and at first glance looks nothing like the areas in the UK that are home to some of the great shooting estates. And yet the Hill Country’s topography presents a nearly perfect place to push high pheasants over a line of Guns. It was this ability to offer "driven shooting" that inspired Joe and Ann Kercheville to found Joshua Creek Ranch almost 40 years ago. And today, after almost four decades of tweaking and refinement, Joshua Creek conducts high-bird shoots that often impress guests who enjoy driven shooting overseas.
Joshua Creek’s shoots are generally half-day affairs that begin with the drawing of pegs and transportation via a custom-built shooting wagon to the first of three or four drive sites. Each drive site includes about 20-30 minutes of brisk shooting at high pheasants that have been pushed from bluffs and cliffs. The typical Gun can expect to go through a couple of boxes of cartridges per drive site. When a drive is completed, a team of guides and dogs (mostly cocker spaniels) picks up the birds, and there are breaks in the shooting the group moves from one drive to another—or stops to partake in refreshments. After the day’s final drive, the group assembles for a post-shoot reception in the field that includes a photo taken to commemorate the day along with snacks and beverages before heading back to the lodge. (Afternoon receptions occasionally include bourbon tastings.)
There are 10 different drives on the ranch—enough to accommodate multiple lines of Guns simultaneously and to allow a single line of Guns to shoot a full day without having to shoot the same drive twice. Having that many drives also allows the lodge to cherry pick those that will produce the highest birds given the weather factors.
The standard half-day requires four to nine boxes of shells, depending on whether it is a Standard, High Volume or Extra High Volume shoot. The ideal number of Guns for a private line is eight, but shoots can be conducted with as few as four Guns and as many as 10. Joshua Creek also offers open-line shoots on a bi-monthly basis that aggregate smaller numbers of Guns to form a full line. Both of the aforementioned options are available throughout JCR’s entire season. And although many shooters choose to don traditional driven-shooting attire, it is not mandatory.
As word about the quality of Joshua Creek’s driven shooting has spread, the shoots have become increasingly popular. It is not uncommon, for example, for open-line dates to draw enough shooters to form two or three lines of Guns. The lodge’s driven shoots offer shooters a lot of flexibility, too, since they can be enjoyed as freestanding experiences in combination with walk-up hunts, clay shooting or any of the numerous other activities offered by the lodge. To learn more about the driven-shooting experience or make a reservation, call 830-537-5090, email info@joshuacreek.com or visit joshuacreek.com.
Joshua Creek Ranch is also a Shooting Sportsman Readers & Writers Adventures host. Click here to see details about Shooting Sportsman’s hosted hunt at Joshua Creek in December 2025!
Joshua Creek Ranch is a full-service Shooting Sportsman Endorsed Lodge.
Photographs courtesy of Joshua Creek Ranch. Driven Shooting Photos by Joseph Kercheville.
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