Here's What I've Got To Go Up Against...

[RubyTex 1,957]

Well today i wandered up the reservoir with the dogs for a look about, and decided to go round the outside of a farmers field. It was getting absolutely hammered by 400+ pigeons so i thought this was a perfect opportunity to get some permission on my doorstep.

 

I had a wander up to the farmers house and he was in, introduced myself and the dogs and said about the pigeons down on the bottom field and would he be happy to let me shoot them to thin them out?

 

He said "oh we have someone who does that" so i replied "have you seen how many are on there?! When was the last time he came?"

 

"Well...before Christmas i think"....

 

Me - "surely you need these thinning out ASAP? They're basically eating your money"

 

"I know i know, but i have a lad who does it..."

 

So this lad is nowhere to be seen while the farmers fields get hammered and won't let me on

 

I just left him my number but there's more chance of finding rocking horse shite than him giving me permission. I can understand new people may bring problems such as theft etc, but howay i live 2 minutes away i'm hardly going to shit on my own doorstep am i?!

 

Well, they're lining their stomachs on his money so no skin off my nose! Bloody farmers.

[WILF 46,320]

There's a place near me like that mate, the place is always getting savaged by pigeons but he always says " no, canvey wildfowlers look after the pigeon shooting for me"..........." Err, so where are they then? Cause I have driven past every day the last two weeks and the you are getting cleaned out every day!........I shoot for farmer X and farmer Y who you know"

 

" nah sorry, they have done it for years"

 

 

Done what?

 

Frustrating isn't it but that's life

[paulus 26]

How would you lads feel if you had been doing some land for years only to find out the farmer just let someone on whilst you were away on a weeks holiday or some other reason, just because theres loads of pigeons one day it doesn`t mean they are there everyday.

[BLACK-GUN 94]

You could always join canvey wildfowlers, problem would be sorted for you.

There's a place near me like that mate, the place is always getting savaged by pigeons but he always says " no, canvey wildfowlers look after the pigeon shooting for me"..........." Err, so where are they then? Cause I have driven past every day the last two weeks and the you are getting cleaned out every day!........I shoot for farmer X and farmer Y who you know"

" nah sorry, they have done it for years"


Done what?

Frustrating isn't it but that's life

[WILF 46,320]

How would you lads feel if you had been doing some land for years only to find out the farmer just let someone on whilst you were away on a weeks holiday or some other reason, just because theres loads of pigeons one day it doesn`t mean they are there everyday.

No mate, that's understood but I am not talking about odd days......I am talking year in, year out.

[WILF 46,320]

You could always join canvey wildfowlers, problem would be sorted for you.

 

 

There's a place near me like that mate, the place is always getting savaged by pigeons but he always says " no, canvey wildfowlers look after the pigeon shooting for me"..........." Err, so where are they then? Cause I have driven past every day the last two weeks and the you are getting cleaned out every day!........I shoot for farmer X and farmer Y who you know"

" nah sorry, they have done it for years"

Done what?

Frustrating isn't it but that's life

I think they have thrown in their lot with Kent wildfowlers matey?, it's not an expensive club at £200 odd a year but I was simply trying to bypass all the faffing around as this place is only on my doorstep and so things don't need to be complicated

 

I would be happy to pay who ever, never had a problem with that but I always have a bit of a suspicion of clubs as you can end up being at the mercy of someone else's politics.

 

Like fishing, I just want to get on and do my thing and be left alone

Edited April 13, 2013 by WILF

[Mochastorm 68]

I know a few farmers who are more concerned about who they allow to wander over their land, especially with firearms, than any damage caused by vermin. This often results in staying with the familiar, no matter how inefficient they may be, than go for the unknown or change. It can be very frustrating though.

[sprocker dog 7]

i look after 4000 acres and shoot a lot of pigeons all year,i'll let pigeons build on any crop to get confident and commited and then hit them hard. the farmer knows this works as dead pigeons don't eat anything and my average bag being 100 + and 3500 last year. before i took on the shooting the farmer let quite a few people have a pop at them and the end result was not many being shot and pigeons becoming very wary of decoys etc. people passing today would see pigeons on some of the fields but this does not mean that they will not be dealt with in due course. the farmer if approached by willing shooters would tell them he has someone looking after the pigeon shooting even though they will say they've seen loads on a field. annoying to those it maybe but also if they were to go and 'have a pop' at a field of pigeons that had been left to build it would annoy me even more. the farmer has learnt that some shooters only like to go when the weather is fine and then they won't be seen again until the following summer. by limiting the shooting to just myself and one other he has a bigger yeald return and he knows that they will be dealt with come summer or winter. i'm afraid i agree with paulas on this one, think what it would be like if you lost the land you worked hard to keep.

[mal mason 7]

just keep knocking mate if they dont let you on let the pigeon eat the crop unlucky for them no skin off, just go to the next farm...

[jeffinmarske 0]

Seems to be a common problem, im in East Cleveland, and have knocked on many doors, and left notes with full details of my full time job, references, and full contact details including address, but ive found most farmers seem very dismissive, i suppose they get some suspicious types mooching- the strange thing is, many farms near me are getting hammered for crime, so would have thought a well referenced trusting pair of eyes about might be welcome..nope.

I think ive used the Weirhauch 3 times this year, just in the garden to check the sights, so it doesnt really seem worth keeping it, its becoming an ornament!

I will drive past the fields of crops being pecked out, and the rabbits scurrying through the hedgerows, and hope the local farmer/s might relent so the ferret and the HW might get a few trips out.

Free food?

Only if you can get at it!

[pmiddy 0]

Jeff don't give up knocking try the rugby club at redcar also the golf course you will find not only are farmers getting hammered but others are to keep knocking you will get something , also the problem with marske and redcar there is a gamekeeper that does most of it and its not the farmer who you get the shout off

 

hope this helps

 

paul

[Wildling 520]

Its only going to get harder lads as most farmers are terrified of any potential lawsuit that could come from letting some random with a gun onto his land !

[stubby 175]

I would have said, taking the dogs with you is what put him off, probably thought hello, I give him permission to shoot and he'll be running those dogs on my fields

farmers are funny old things, you need to do everything looking as respectful as possible

[Ratsmasher 36]

It might be worthwhile offering a helping hand with any work on the farm - last year I spend an afternoon weed beet pulling and got 100 cartridges for it not to mention that it was a great help to the farmer. IMO time spent helping a permission owner is time well spent