The Unintended Keeper ( Diary of a keeping blagger )

[Stavross 15,316]

50 minutes ago, bumpy22 said:

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  

There’s always someone who wants something out of something they are not involved in 

one of my drives ( oak wood ) has a boundary with next door and we put walking guns on their field to follow the beaters up shooting at anything that goes back over, next doors keeper hates this but the land owner doesn’t want to upset our landlady because he no doubt makes to much money farming her land, another reason the keeper hates it is it’s his birds we are shooting at

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

3 hours ago, Stavross said:

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

Looking good mate Be interesting to see what numbers you shoot compared to last year ...I think you will be surprised

[Stavross 15,316]

15 minutes ago, FOXHUNTER said:

Looking good mate Be interesting to see what numbers you shoot compared to last year ...I think you will be surprised

I hope so I’ve put some graft into it this year 

I’m happy if I can put some good birds over the guns, up there the amount of birds you see to the amount shot can be poles apart, all comes down to who they go over, for example, if it goes over my mate Mosh there’s a good chance it’s going to die on the other hand, if it’s over me I like to think I’ve given it a fighting chance

[Sausagedog 7,381]

I wish some small shoots would sell a day for muzzleloaders. We only want a few birds a day and four small drives, done slowly would make for a good time for muzzleloaders.

Even walked up would do.

[Stavross 15,316]

It’s a shame you are not closer to me, I’d let shoot a front stuffer on my shoot, I think it’s something I’d like to see

[shovel leaner 7,650]

10 hours ago, bumpy22 said:

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  

Good luck on your first day , I hope everything goes well . People used to ask me if I was nervous on the first day . I never was . I used to say ask me in December and January. That’s when I used to sweat .

[Sausagedog 7,381]

My old keeper friend was a wise humble man. He could magic birds in to his drives. I would hear him whistling them every feed time. He basically trained his birds to the whistle!

He was though fully aware that foxes knew what his whistle meant, dinner time! If he had trouble he would call me and have me just wait on the ride to wait for the attack. Just shoot it and leave it, tell me and I'll sort it tomorrow. Just slip away best you can.

We got that good he just use to say where and a rough time.

I must phone him. See how he is. 87 now.

[ianm 2,594]

Well it was our first day today and it lashed down all morning and early afternoon. There where some really cracking birds considering it is the first stir up. We finished on 52 head comprising of 30 duck, 7 partridge, 1 teal and 14 pheasants. I happened to get a good peg on the first drive and the next to last drive. My own contribution was 6 duck, 8 pheasant and a partridge. 

[Stavross 15,316]

Up to feed this morning and what a wet, foggy, filthy day, the birds were all doing their best to stay dry in the thick cover, they are coming along well and they are looking like in 2 weeks time they will be good to go, I’m definitely drawing more birds into the piggeries, not all of them mine, when I was going through the centre of the drive I was very nearly wiped out by a fallow doe, I sure it clipped the front of the quad. After feeding the main drives I headed over the valley, where I was greeted by 3 of next doors lads walking the fence boundary, so I thought I’d have a walk up for a little chat. Well, I got a barrage of abuse, telling me they were “ on their land” to which I said “I know you are” before laughing and chucking handfuls of wheat along the fence in front of them , so alls looking well at the moment and with a bit of luck it will stay that way until the first day in 2 weeks time

After feeding I took a trip to the farm to bag some wheat up, when I got there there was nobody about so I let myself into the shed and set away filling bags, it wasn’t long before I heard a voice saying “ it’s expensive that you know and I’ll be checking your pockets before you leave” it was my mates old fella, a lovely and very funny old boy, at 84 he has recently been diagnosed with dementia, which is very sad and he is now starting to repeat himself a lot, but I just answer the question or laugh at the story or joke again as we bagged the wheat up together I could see he was enjoying my company and I hope I brightened his day a little, even if he’s now forgotten I was there

Edited October 29, 2022 by Stavross

[Stavross 15,316]

14 minutes ago, ianm said:

Well it was our first day today and it lashed down all morning and early afternoon. There where some really cracking birds considering it is the first stir up. We finished on 52 head comprising of 30 duck, 7 partridge, 1 teal and 14 pheasants. I happened to get a good peg on the first drive and the next to last drive. My own contribution was 6 duck, 8 pheasant and a partridge. 

Who shot the decoy

[Sausagedog 7,381]

45 minutes ago, ianm said:

Well it was our first day today and it lashed down all morning and early afternoon. There where some really cracking birds considering it is the first stir up. We finished on 52 head comprising of 30 duck, 7 partridge, 1 teal and 14 pheasants. I happened to get a good peg on the first drive and the next to last drive. My own contribution was 6 duck, 8 pheasant and a partridge. 

Is that a husky 50? Phoarrrr.

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

1 hour ago, ianm said:

Well it was our first day today and it lashed down all morning and early afternoon. There where some really cracking birds considering it is the first stir up. We finished on 52 head comprising of 30 duck, 7 partridge, 1 teal and 14 pheasants. I happened to get a good peg on the first drive and the next to last drive. My own contribution was 6 duck, 8 pheasant and a partridge. 

Cracking day ...

I was going to say about the decoy and the hare

[Dervburner 2,549]

22 minutes ago, Sausagedog said:

Is that a husky 50? Phoarrrr.

I’ve got a 1981 husky and it still works great. A bit big and heavy but built to last

[Stavross 15,316]

25 minutes ago, FOXHUNTER said:

Cracking day ...

I was going to say about the decoy and the hare

We have a no ground game rule at our spot, but some used to choose to ignore it and shoot at hares running across the field, Now I have a rule that says if you shoot one you will carry it with you all day, no one shoots at them now

Edited October 29, 2022 by Stavross

[David.evans 5,323]

Ian 

glad you had a great day out , and shot a few , please explain how you managed to hang up a plastic decoy pigeon ( see photo 2 )

to much wine may be