The Unintended Keeper ( Diary of a keeping blagger )

[Sausagedog 7,381]

2 hours ago, paulus said:

Something to think about. a mate of mine shooting a few years ago, legally and with no public rights of way, He is in a spiny looking for squirrels, unknown to him a lady has decided to walk here dog along the outside of the same spiny, He fires at a squirrel. Scaring her and allegedly her dog, A heated conversation took place, He then had a visit and a verbal warning from his FLO for causing alarm and distress to this lady, I wouldn't of accepted it but he did at the time. 

When I find walkers think they have found a nice new walk I go zeroing my rifles, test black powder loads and shoot pigeons, in fact anything that makes as much noise as possible.

The last time someone kicked off I told them to phone the police. Gave them my name and phone number I'll be waiting for their call.

Never happened.

Another time I had a nosey magistrate woman ask me what I am shooting. I informed her it is of no concern of hers. She didn't know what to say. She ain't wearing the trousers in my presence!

[Longshanx 833]

On 09/01/2023 at 13:54, FOXHUNTER said:

This is what a woodcock actually looks like

Mine didn't look like that

[BenBhoy 4,706]

1 hour ago, Longshanx said:

Mine didn't look like that

In fairness Glen, it might not have been a low bird, just that you're further up in the air than most!! 

[brambles 3,192]

What's happened to this thread lads always enjoyed the progress report on how things were going, shame if a few shitty comments have ruined it

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

I know mate .Few need to grow up a bit

[shovel leaner 7,650]

I’ve been busy for a week or two , thought I’d drop in to see how things have been doing . It’s like a teacher that leaves his class and comes back into a chimps tea party !!! 
        FFS , what did Jesus say ? Let he without sin cast the first stone . I remember when I started shooting and had my first shotgun , I was like a man possessed. I shot things that I shouldn’t have . I made mistakes, felt bad and didn’t do it again . The trouble with the tinterweb is that you can post pictures like that , let’s all learn from it and move on . 

[shovel leaner 7,650]

On 08/01/2023 at 12:47, Stavross said:

I agree, and to be honest the amount of grief I got yesterday about certain people’s behaviour and shooting has made me think I’m about ready to fu*k it off, I don’t need the sh*t, I haven’t bothered doing a write up of the day because I’m that sick of it, my job is keeper not shoot captain, but for some reason I get it in the neck for how adults conduct themselves on the shoot, there was a couple of instances where someone should of been sent home yesterday and it’s no good having a go at me about it when I turn up at the pub afterwards, it may be the case where we get rid of a few members and make it a closed syndicate again because that’s what a few of the old members want 

I feel for you Stavross. In my experience and in my opinion there has to be someone in charge of the day  . The gamekeeper usually runs the beaters, but not always as he might do the job of putting the guns on their pegs and have a beat keeper running the line .There  has to be a zero tolerance of bad behaviour. There are rules and etiquette that must be observed for safety and so that everyone has a good day with sport for all . Ungentlemanly or unsportsmanlike behaviour should not be  tolerated, bad language, too much drink , might be alright for the pub , but have no place in the field . Disrespect for the quarry is another no no . There has to be someone watching what is going on , or someone who other shooters can turn to , to voice concerns. A zero tolerance approach has to be kept to avoid a shit show . Shooters look forward to their day and pay a lot for it . Just expecting people to behave properly, like adults, doesn’t always work. There has to be a point where a quiet word is had or the last resort , “ put your gun back in its slip and kindly leave the shoot “. 
            I truly hope that you can resolve your issues with the shoot . ATB 

[bumpy22 414]

I just hope that stavross has not given up completely on this thread with all the bitching over recent months.

Really enjoyed reading his posts on the shoot

[shovel leaner 7,650]

25 minutes ago, bumpy22 said:

I just hope that stavross has not given up completely on this thread with all the bitching over recent months.

Really enjoyed reading his posts on the shoot

And I do . I would like to know what happened on the shoot to make him feel bad . It would be a shame if something or someone has so badly aggrieved him that he is thinking he has had enough. But there are some tossers  out there . 
               

[Stavross 15,288]

Well that’s it for another season 

last Saturday was game shooting at its best, lovely clear day, freezing cold and just syndicate members shooting ( and my mate Mosh, but he’s with me, so that’s that) they had some cracking drives, we even decided to walk the edge of the oak wood and the rape, this produced some unbelievable high birds, the birds that got up a third of the way up the field were next doors and wanted to be back at the bottom, so we put a few guns on our boundary at the bottom, they were probably some of the highest birds I’ve ever seen there, a good few missed but for the people that downed 1 or 2, them birds made their day ( maybe their season) my favourite part of the day, elevenses was no disappointment as we all just try to out do each other when it’s our turn, I can honestly say I’ve been to worse wedding buffet’s than what was on off last weekend 

 

yesterday was the last one and although there’s not to much left we definitely made the best of it, we had no shoot captain and I wasn’t beating as I’ve got a bad foot and am not walking too well, so I decided to ride around on the quad pulling up where I felt like shooting and barking orders down the radio the beaters and members did a cracking job, everyone got to pull the trigger and we had a modest back of around 18 and a handful of woodcock, we finish mid afternoon as we have a shoot meal on the last day, so as the guns and beaters left I hung around for an hour and bashed some squizzers out the tops of the trees, not everyone goes back for the meal but it was a respectable turn out of 17 and it’s a lovely way to finish the day off with good food, good company and a few laughs, after we had eaten the shoot captain asked for quite and did a little speech, thanking me for what I’d done this season and handed me an envelope which he said was a keepers tip from the shoot, obviously it would be rude to open the envelope in front of them, so 5 minutes later I went for a piss, I can’t work out if it’s a thank you for my hard work or a bribe for me to do it again next season but it was a hell of a chunk of money to me. Even after all the ups and downs of this season I’ve overall had a good time and have made some more good memories with people who for the most part I like spending time with, maybe I’ll do it again next season, who know, at the moment I’m definitely having a few weeks away from the place before I get back into the pest control up there 

oh, I forgot to mention, we finished on just over 250 birds shot, I don’t think that’s bad at all when I only managed to get hold of 500

[Sausagedog 7,381]

Good to hear from you buddy.

Beautiful photography .

What's up with your foot, planta fascitis?

[BenBhoy 4,706]

11 minutes ago, Sausagedog said:

What's up with your foot, planta fascitis?

You're welcome Stav 

[shovel leaner 7,650]

10 minutes ago, Sausagedog said:

Good to hear from you buddy.

Beautiful photography .

What's up with your foot, planta fascitis?

Probably Gout. The Bain of the shooting man . It’s a build up of Uric acid . Too much port and Stilton at the shoot lunches . 

[Stavross 15,288]

7 minutes ago, Sausagedog said:

Good to hear from you buddy.

Beautiful photography .

What's up with your foot, planta fascitis?

No, they are all split on the soles and and the skin is coming off, just with all the crap weather I’ve been working in for the past 2 weeks, but I’ll soldier on

[shovel leaner 7,650]

Glad to hear that you had a successful season . And good to see your write up . Nice photos too.