The Unintended Keeper ( Diary of a keeping blagger )

[Stavross 16,029]

Second batch of the bramble gin on the go, going to have to get another jar if I’m to get the other 3 done by Christmas

[Stavross 16,029]

This weather needs to sort itself out, rained for days then 16 degrees today the birds don’t know what’s going on, the cocks are out on the rides fighting and younger birds are heading out far and wide

i’m seeing a lot of tree rats around the feeders now the natural feed is disappearing, so the little.22 got an outing and I managed 5 of the buggers,

it’s taking longer to complete my rounds now as I’m feeding right throughout the shoot, even feeding well away from the main drives, trying to create some smaller fill in drives by drawing a few birds in

[si brown 8,486]

1 hour ago, Stavross said:

This weather needs to sort itself out, rained for days then 16 degrees today the birds don’t know what’s going on, the cocks are out on the rides fighting and younger birds are heading out far and wide

i’m seeing a lot of tree rats around the feeders now the natural feed is disappearing, so the little.22 got an outing and I managed 5 of the buggers,

it’s taking longer to complete my rounds now as I’m feeding right throughout the shoot, even feeding well away from the main drives, trying to create some smaller fill in drives by drawing a few birds in

Still 16* now.  Just driven past your area, surprised there any birds left, deer and pheasants splattered all over Rd from Helmsley to thirsk

be a steady drive home down suiside lane later. 

[Stavross 16,029]

46 minutes ago, si brown said:

Still 16* now.  Just driven past your area, surprised there any birds left, deer and pheasants splattered all over Rd from Helmsley to thirsk

be a steady drive home down suiside lane later. 

There was a lot of road kill up there today, I turn off to go to the shoot at the Wass/Ampleforth junction ( if you ever go that way towards Helmsley you pass a field on your left and when the trees start that’s my shoot right down to the little caravan park ) and that little patch of grass is where the fallow like to jump into the traffic, there’s always at least one dead a week on that corner 

Edited October 22, 2022 by Stavross

[Sausagedog 7,381]

Put a woodcock up Sunday.

It was an area with a indigenous population.

It was nice to see, especially for a sportsman.

[shovel leaner 7,650]

2 hours ago, Sausagedog said:

Put a woodcock up Sunday.

It was an area with a indigenous population.

It was nice to see, especially for a sportsman.

It won’t be long until we see the migratory ones drop in . I always reckon about bonfire night . My favourite sporting bird . 

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

59 minutes ago, shovel leaner said:

It won’t be long until we see the migratory ones drop in . I always reckon about bonfire night . My favourite sporting bird . 

Better ask our mate Packham if it’s ok to shoot them this year mate

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

5 hours ago, shovel leaner said:

It won’t be long until we see the migratory ones drop in . I always reckon about bonfire night . My favourite sporting bird . 

November full moon brings them in which is 8th November

[Stavross 16,029]

We have a good number of natives up at the shoot but don’t shoot them until after Christmas allowing the migrants to settle in a bit, a lot of the guns don’t shoot at them and that’s fine, some do and we have a couple of members that like to eat them, that’s fine too, I will shoot them late in the season, they are unbelievably fast through the trees and a real test, I won’t shoot at them going across a field but that’s just me

[shovel leaner 7,650]

1 hour ago, FOXHUNTER said:

November full moon brings them in which is 8th November

You are right . This year the full moon is the 8th , you must of been checking your moon phase app . I always used to start either seeing them in my ATV headlights or the dogs would start moving them on shoot days on the Saturday after or near November 5th approximately .

[Sausagedog 7,381]

I've been out when they arrive. I was a young man and a few basically dropped out of the sky and I could walk up to them they were so tired.

Foxes must take a few on that night.

I've seen two tonight.

[shovel leaner 7,650]

17 minutes ago, Sausagedog said:

I've been out when they arrive. I was a young man and a few basically dropped out of the sky and I could walk up to them they were so tired.

Foxes must take a few on that night.

I've seen two tonight.

When I was a youngster out with my Lurcher , I had an old motorbike battery and car headlight torch . I used to spot a pair of eyes , lamp off , check the wind and make off over the field to close the gap . Lurcher running the beam and a woodcock gets up . I wish I had a pound for every time that happened.

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

My old lurcher took a couple on the deck as well as partridge and even a duck off a splash .She was bird mad .Be seeing a few soon here I guess .

[Stavross 16,029]

Well my birds are getting there, hopefully they’ll will have tailed up probably by the time we come to shoot, 2 weeks on Saturday, they are hammering the feed and I’ve managed to pull a few more in a bit further out to where the majority of our shooting takes place, the only place that seems a bit light on birds is the 2 piggeries drives, but this is to be expected as the forestry pen feeds these drives and that pen is 200 birds light this season, I am starting to see more every time I go up and I’m pulling a few into the tree side by feeding up the hedge backs so with a bit of luck they will get into the drive and increase the numbers

[bumpy22 414]

Got my first shoot Saturday birds are looking well.

Had to change the one main drive completely as one of the landowners wanted me to pay him for the guns to stand on his boundary. I am tight as a ducks ass so the guns are now 50 yards in the wood