Back up at the shoot

[Stavross 16,072]

52 minutes ago, FOXHUNTER said:

Get em shot . Are there still plenty in the rape ?

There’s a few, but because I’ve been feeding them along the edge of the wood, that’s where they are heading now on a morning, it was wet up there last week and they don’t like being in the rape when it’s wet

I’ve’ got the shoot captain shooting on Saturday ( it’s very rare that he shoots there and it means more work for me ) so there should be a few more downed, along with another guest, shooting for one of the members and he’s a good shot as well 

[Baldcoot 2,352]

On 15/11/2021 at 16:41, BenBhoy said:

That sounds painful...! 

Rubber n arses sounds a bit doggy sorry dodgy

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

Decided to try for some rabbits last night , even though its a full moon it was cloudy and windy. The shooting was very challenging in the wind shooting off my bipod sticks , I was blowing about all over consequently I missed a few. I had to really concentrate and did eventually settle down pulling off some decent shots. Eventually though the cloud cover cleared and it became daylight putting a halt to the proceedings. 

[Sausagedog 7,381]

1 hour ago, FOXHUNTER said:

Decided to try for some rabbits last night , even though its a full moon it was cloudy and windy. The shooting was very challenging in the wind shooting off my bipod sticks , I was blowing about all over consequently I missed a few. I had to really concentrate and did eventually settle down pulling off some decent shots. Eventually though the cloud cover cleared and it became daylight putting a halt to the proceedings. 

I'm glad you still have rabbits.

The big wigs around here have spread vhd.

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

That VHD is devastating,  has done a lot of damage to the UK rabbit population.  I am lucky that it has never been released locally and still have access to a few rabbits.

[ianm 2,594]

2 hours ago, Sausagedog said:

I'm glad you still have rabbits.

The big wigs around here have spread vhd.

Yep, that and the myxy spreaders.

Myself and a mate had a spot that had good amounts of rabbits. Two years ago we shot 170 half and three quarter grown ones on summer evenings to eat and give to other people that wanted them.

Then along came network rail electrifying the track. Two weeks after they showed up there where dead and dying rabbits everywhere. They had spread myxy. 

[Sausagedog 7,381]

1 hour ago, ianm said:

Yep, that and the myxy spreaders.

Myself and a mate had a spot that had good amounts of rabbits. Two years ago we shot 170 half and three quarter grown ones on summer evenings to eat and give to other people that wanted them.

Then along came network rail electrifying the track. Two weeks after they showed up there where dead and dying rabbits everywhere. They had spread myxy. 

Yep and they would deny it as it is illegal and they probably have an environment and ecology team to spread BS to us!

I once knew someone that would travel afar to collect a diseased rabbit for land owners! I hate it and the hate I feel boils my blood!

Edited November 19, 2021 by Sausagedog

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

Boils my blood too , disease should never be used as a control mechanism. Imagine the countryside absent of rabbits,  would be a sad day , fortunately the humble bunny is very resilient and has still survived with everything thrown at it.

[Stavross 16,072]

Pre shoot day feeding this afternoon and the dog walkers show no sign of letting up, but I suppose it’s just something I’ll have to live with as if this was private land we as a syndicate certainly couldn’t afford to shoot here, the birds are looking in tip top condition now and were heading back to the pens when I arrived mid afternoon, I’ve made a little plan of what drives we’ll be doing tomorrow but they are not set in stone so I may switch things about a bit, I left just after sun set and over in the west was a lovely orange sun set and to the east was a very bright full moon rising over the moor 

[Stavross 16,072]

Day number 2 over and done with and what a cracking day ( the guns words, not mine ) first drive was the tip drive and as on the first day this didn’t get going until halfway through the drive, I had one out of control dog on this one that push a big group of birds out the top of the drive towards Gordon’s pen, I wasn’t happy about this but to be fair if all them birds had of stayed in the drive it would of been a massacre. Back to the yard now for a sloe gin and a bit of pork and apple pie. Drive number 2, Oakwood, again started off very slow with a few shots then we turned the drive to push the ruff patch towards the farm, my god, it was like a pheasant explosion, birds in all directions, everyone dropped birds on this drive, little Hugo’s dad had a cracking stand in the field behind the house, by the time the birds got to him they were very high and very fast, he had 7 over him downing 3 of them ( no shame in that ). Drive number 3, Gordon’s pen, we struggle a bit to get the birds out the cover at the back of the pen but what did come out over the guns was fast, one bird went down the full line, every gun taking a shot at it but no one bringing it down, these birds please me

lunch time

after lunch it was time for the piggeries ( tree side ) right from the off when I lined the beaters out we could see this was going to be a belter as the birds were running about in front of use before we set off, a third of the way into the drive they stopped running and started getting up out of the trees, going left and right, with guns on both sides there was a lot of shooting and some nice birds taken. Off now to forestry pen, this drive produced a lot of birds forcing us to stop it early, once the shoot captain had decided they’d had enough shots on that drive, final drive of the day, roadside, and as always with this one the birds are at the end of the drive and get off the top of the bank and over the guns that are in the gutter below. A great little drive to end the day on, the few guests today were very appreciative of the shooting they had today and it’s very kind of them to show that appreciation, the bag was somewhere in the mid 60’s which is good for up there with the mixed shooting abilities, looking forward to the next one

[Stavross 16,072]

[shovel leaner 7,650]

Looks like a great day Stavross . I do like the look of that pork and apple pie, I am reaching through the interweb  and nicking a virtual slice , and my word , it’s tastes as good as it looks !!!

[shovel leaner 7,650]

Disaster struck on Friday, i trod on two rusty nails . A post and rail fence had been repaired , but part of the old rail with two nails sticking up had been trodden into the ground by cattle leaving the two nails sticking up . Jesus Christ it hurt , and bled . Then when I got home it started to throb , but didn’t swell up too much . 
           All I could think of was how  am I going to shoot at My mate Tim’s . It’s a great little shoot and one of the highlights of my sporting year . But my mum didn’t bring up a pussy . I somehow managed to get a wellie on . And once I got going it wasn’t too bad . But as my wife correctly pointed out , “You could go shooting, but I bet you couldn’t have gone shopping?”  
             Well,  armed with a bag full of Purple fury’s , a 32”Miroku I set about demolishing some pheasants. There was 8 of us shooting and Tim had invited another keeper and a couple of our loader friends, and I would say it was a strong team of guns . There was no wind which would have helped, but here were lots of birds and in credit to my fellow guns I didn’t see any low or unsporting birds shot . There were some really high birds shot , and in spite of my injury I held my own and the purple fury’s are now my cartridge of choice , simply the hardest hitting, fastest cartridges I’ve used . 
          I have been coming to this little shoot which is less than 100 acres for  nearly 30 years, Tim and his late friend Rob used to run it and now Tim and his sons and brother do all the hard work, they sell it as a syndicate or days and I have some great memories. And yesterday was no different , we ended the day with 149 pheasant, a woodcock, 1 pigeon and a jay . 

[BenBhoy 4,706]

1 hour ago, shovel leaner said:

You could go shooting, but I bet you couldn’t have gone shopping?”  

[Dervburner 2,549]

2 hours ago, shovel leaner said:

Disaster struck on Friday, i trod on two rusty nails . A post and rail fence had been repaired , but part of the old rail with two nails sticking up had been trodden into the ground by cattle leaving the two nails sticking up . Jesus Christ it hurt , and bled . Then when I got home it started to throb , but didn’t swell up too much . 
           All I could think of was how  am I going to shoot at My mate Tim’s . It’s a great little shoot and one of the highlights of my sporting year . But my mum didn’t bring up a pussy . I somehow managed to get a wellie on . And once I got going it wasn’t too bad . But as my wife correctly pointed out , “You could go shooting, but I bet you couldn’t have gone shopping?”  
             Well,  armed with a bag full of Purple fury’s , a 32”Miroku I set about demolishing some pheasants. There was 8 of us shooting and Tim had invited another keeper and a couple of our loader friends, and I would say it was a strong team of guns . There was no wind which would have helped, but here were lots of birds and in credit to my fellow guns I didn’t see any low or unsporting birds shot . There were some really high birds shot , and in spite of my injury I held my own and the purple fury’s are now my cartridge of choice , simply the hardest hitting, fastest cartridges I’ve used . 
          I have been coming to this little shoot which is less than 100 acres for  nearly 30 years, Tim and his late friend Rob used to run it and now Tim and his sons and brother do all the hard work, they sell it as a syndicate or days and I have some great memories. And yesterday was no different , we ended the day with 149 pheasant, a woodcock, 1 pigeon and a jay . 

I know what you mean about pain, I did the same thing back in the eighties. The nail went right through. When you mentioned it started to throb, that brought it back to me. I couldn’t put my foot down for days, and as you say, Jesus Christ, he knew what it felt like as well