shovel leaner

Dunno what he gave me …… pizza ?

Yes that’s the drive mate , on that beaters day. As regards getting up and running I know of a couple of interested parties who are negotiating the sporting possibilities. I think the keeper is relieved it’s all over . I’ve never seen someone look as downhearted. But it will never be the same . It’s always the people who are involved that make a shoot what it is . When it finishes, they scatter to the four winds , and things change forever.

A shoot local to me , that I have been helping on in various capacities/ beating, picking up , loading and pest control for 27 years has it appears shot it’s last pheasant. It is now in a Defra controlled zone because of AI and won’t be releasing birds next year . They have I think taken a massive financial hit last season , and the shooting rights are now up for let and all the rearing equipment is being sold off . I haven’t spoken to the keeper yet as it still early days and he must be feeling down . Even though I suspected that they might be in trouble it still came as a sh

An acquaintance of mine is as on tv the other night lambing his Texels . Aubrey Andrews , apparently he is a bit of an authority on them . He favours Texels because they are good for meat . Which is I suppose a good enough reason .

Let’s see what happens. If there is any money for shooting foxes I want some of it . But I can’t see any of it filtering down to the likes of us , the actual one’s pulling the trigger. It will be to the farmers or organisation or some quango or contractors who know Jack shit , but have some sort of university degree in rural something.

Am I one of the 3 ? Or the 6 ? Please don’t tell me I’m a 75% ‘er !!

I had an MX8 years ago . It was the first 32” I had . I loved the trigger on that gun and I regret selling it . But my interest moved to rifles and I gave up shooting clays at a competitive level . I replaced it with an 32”MK38 with the Teague chokes , which makes it more like 33” in reality. It is a perfectly sound gun and if I’m honest I don’t shoot worse with it . Reading your list of guns they are all very desirable. I noticed you have not included a Kreighoff , do you not fancy one ? I personally think they are ugly and expensive, but they do shoot fantastically well.

People are so quick to pick up on the negative things you do . It doesn’t matter that I have provided faultless loading services all season . An out of control cocker spaniel that I avoided killing, got me the cock head award . Take you for example , you are no doubt an attentive and caring husband , do people say there goes Ben , the great husband ? No they don’t . You are a great father to your kids , do people say “ there goes Ben the great father ? No they don’t. You are good at your job , do people say “ there goes Ben the greatest Shepherd “? I doubt it ………. You shagged

It’s just the crumbs from the rich guys table . I don’t get carried away thinking I’m in that world, but it is nice to get just a taste of it . It’s a sport on that level that would be otherwise out of my reach .

Go easy on me sausagedog . My ego has taken a pounding as it is without you lot chipping in . I thought I might of got a bit of support. You are as bad as the rest of them !!!

Last day for me yesterday . Plenty of birds , started off with the duck with instructions to clear them out , if it’s safe shoot them . Well I obliged as it would have been rude not to . I had some memorable birds , some maybe not so memorable. The day was a very mixed bag and I had a fantastic day out with my mate Tim who tries his best to stitch me up and take the piss . I often think to myself ,”with mates like that , who needs enemies “. There is an award on this shoot for the loader who drops the biggest bollock . I’ve dodged it for years but I guess it was my tur

Out again today . A famous Oxfordshire shoot that I have been loading on this season . They split us into two teams , one team shot three drives before lunch while the other beat , then we swapped. I copped the morning and had two very good drives . Unfortunately a stray dog got to the third drive before we did and emptied it . So as a consolation the head keeper said we could all stand on the last drive which was the duck . I had been shooting well on my previous days and was confident of showing the other loaders that they were in the presence of “ greatness “. Shall we just say that my shoo

I did , it’s one of those air horns that plays Dixie . It was early, you would have still been in your Jim jams dreaming of black powder.