Driven Pheasant shoots

[Leo Sayer 3,052]

A lot of the smaller shoots around me haven't bothered to put birds down this season due to the bird flu ect.  Shame to see these small shoots fold. What's the situation elsewhere up and down the country ? 

[bell 3,606]

Same all over mate, a few have poults down round here, but a lot havnt bothered especially with the cost of them this year. 

[keepdiggin 9,567]

Gamekeeper round he just released his birds out of season and packed up  

[DIDO.1 22,851]

Sad yes and another nail in the coffin of fieldsports....but the shooting world did need its wings clipping. Alot of shooters aren't sportsmen...they are shooters, nothing more. The shooting of pheasants in huge numbers by people who wouldn't know a dog or a ferret if one bit the end of their nose and the wholesale shooting of foxes with military hardware has put me off shoots. And that's coming from someone who has done plenty shooting and keepering 

[Qbgrey 4,176]

True most of them just drive out of London with thier rangerover and blast away.  But it will also effect some of the smaller syndicate type conservation shoots.I love it when people say I’m cruel shooting pheasants and I say I’m a conservationist really!!! They laugh and say why you kill birds???? Well I reply we buy 600 birds shoot around 150/200 so the rest go on to breed etc,all our feeders support other birds in harsh weather, are wild bird cover feeds songbirds,our maize feeds badgers what the f**k do you do to support birds????

[Born Hunter 17,837]

It's the cost of poults, wheat and fuel that has f****d them.

Everyone still has birds around here, even a new one popped up. Dates came through last week.

[Greyman 29,807]

Don’t no if it’s just me but there seems to be loads of last years still about, is that because the covid stopped a lot from getting shot or are they just shit shots round here, I could take a good bag most mornings with my catty from the van on the way to work, I don’t only an odd one for the pot, but there are loads

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Place I go beating has put more days on this year .

[cragman 2,809]

Put some birds down the last two weeks, no partridge, so the season will be shorter. Started on grouse last week then earlier start on the pheasants. Will be back stronger next year I think

[Bobtheferret 1,262]

I know some shoots wanted to put birds down but couldn’t get them due to the issues with bringing in poults from France etc. Sad as is it is I can’t see big shooting carrying on for that much longer, just the way the winds are blowing. Would have a horrible impact on the countryside and nature but the Packams of this world are unfairly supported by powerful idiots. 

[Gypsydog94 4,629]

4 hours ago, Leo Sayer said:

A lot of the smaller shoots around me haven't bothered to put birds down this season due to the bird flu ect.  Shame to see these small shoots fold. What's the situation elsewhere up and down the country ? 

Small shoots around me putting down less one big shoot had only put down enough for house days and another is only putting down 25% these are shoots that were 5-6 days a week. If they can make abit this year and costs drop won’t take them long to build numbers back up. As dido said they needed to calm down a bit 800 bird days is not good for the sport in anyones eyes. 

[fireman 11,040]

6 minutes ago, Bobtheferret said:

I know some shoots wanted to put birds down but couldn’t get them due to the issues with bringing in poults from France etc. Sad as is it is I can’t see big shooting carrying on for that much longer, just the way the winds are blowing. Would have a horrible impact on the countryside and nature but the Packams of this world are unfairly supported by powerful idiots. 

That is true for the partridges and those who have good reliable game breeders are mostly ok the ones i know but i know a fella who just sold some 6 week old poults for £10 each and that was a thousand birds going down on 8000 acres as there the only birds that shoot could get,it is a shame as only the better off can afford the price rise per bird and most of them ain't countrymen or ever will be.Me myself it affects me not and as it goes i think feck em make them pay extra as all they do is come into the countryside to kill stuff and that ain't what it's about imo..Packem is doing a study of what a release of gamebirds does to native fauna and wildlife and them results will have a chance of changing things is his favour,the days of releasing game to shoot are numbered....

[Gypsydog94 4,629]

1 minute ago, fireman said:

That is true for the partridges and those who have good reliable game breeders are mostly ok the ones i know but i know a fella who just sold some 6 week old poults for £10 each and that was a thousand birds going down on 8000 acres as there the only birds that shoot could get,it is a shame as only the better off can afford the price rise per bird and most of them ain't countrymen or ever will be.Me myself it affects me not and as it goes i think feck em make them pay extra as all they do is come into the countryside to kill stuff and that ain't what it's about imo..Packem is doing a study of what a release of gamebirds does to native fauna and wildlife and them results will have a chance of changing things is his favour,the days of releasing game to shoot are numbered....

Keepers will have to learn to keep again. Rear there own birds what they can cope with not just buy them as poults and Chuck them in a pen. I can see other forms of shooting jumping up in price. I hear of people paying to pigeon shoot etc 

[Leo Sayer 3,052]

Am not a shooter and am not particularly into guns, but I have shot plenty on a variety of game. And have an old mate who was a grouse moor keeper. Beating was never my thing but have done a bits, I don't particularly like the type of people that pay for a days grouse or higher end driven, they just not my cup of tea. But in the bigger picture as Dido said it would be a shame if it all went to pot, as shooting is our heritage and brought jobs and a certain degree of balance to the countryside. 

[Leo Sayer 3,052]

7 hours ago, cragman said:

Put some birds down the last two weeks, no partridge, so the season will be shorter. Started on grouse last week then earlier start on the pheasants. Will be back stronger next year I think

Am not far from you, and 3 little shoots near my business just haven't bothered. Hopefully your right about next year mate.