The Unintended Keeper ( Diary of a keeping blagger )

[socks 32,253]

5 minutes ago, Daniel cain said:

I can't help but think that this bird flu nonsense was released on purpose,same as all the human shit going into our rivers and beaches since the planned demic came about??? all part of the control,don't want us able to catch or feed ourselves from the countryside and rivers ....started the ball rolling when they hit us with the hunting act all those yrs ago....pushing more laws to ban hunting rabbits in Scotland,Ireland will lose its freedoms now soon enough...they only want the f***ing city types using the countryside for walking etc...

And feeding us bugs and synthetic meat. 

[Daniel cain 45,367]

2 minutes ago, socks said:

And feeding us bugs and synthetic meat. 

exactly Ken....f****d all our farmers and landowners over since the 50's...making us reliant on other countries for the most basic of things...

all part of their plan

[shovel leaner 7,650]

I’m going to put a different point of view across. Shooting has it pretty good in this country. I do a bit of loading on various estates . I meet sportsmen/ shooters from all over the world . They flock here to shoot pheasant, duck , partridge, grouse , geese, hunt various species of deer .And fish for Salmon and trout .  No restrictions on numbers. Landowners can do what they want . In America you have tags and complicated rules on what you can release. Holland is practically a hunting free zone . France you have to do a competency test .

           I know a sporting agent who was telling me that he brings over teams of 10 Americans with their wives for 5 days shooting, food accommodation and travel . How much ? £250,000 , and he is fully booked for the season . Shooting is more popular than ever . It provides employment and brings money into the hospitality sector. There is a small country pub near me that is feeling the pinch this season . A couple of shoots that aren’t shooting this year don’t go in there . They would put £1,500 over the bar each shoot day . 
              This season has been difficult for sure , there is a cloud of doom hanging in the air . An increase in feed prices , gas prices , the list goes on . I think shooting is going to be a rich man’s game in the near future . There are rich guys out there who will pay whatever it costs , because if they don’t spunk it , the tax man will have it , but the smaller shoots will struggle. This last season has brought home our need to be less reliant on French birds , not to deal with the Spanish , who have behaved badly and sent crap eggs over and ripped people off . 
     The industry needs to step up bio security and vaccinate birds at point of release for micro plasma. The best will survive and the rest won’t . Natural selection .

     I don’t buy into the conspiracy stuff , but there are tough times ahead for sure .

Edited December 1, 2022 by shovel leaner

[Aled 481]

Good read shovel leaner. Maybe for some of us small shoots with small bags of birds, all of which enter the food chain may be a way to a) keep shooting, and b) justify our sport to those middle grounders as a source of healthy free range meat?

Cheers. Aled

[shovel leaner 7,650]

6 minutes ago, Aled said:

Good read shovel leaner. Maybe for some of us small shoots with small bags of birds, all of which enter the food chain may be a way to a) keep shooting, and b) justify our sport to those middle grounders as a source of healthy free range meat?

Cheers. Aled

Let’s hope so Aled . But it’s going to mean digging deeper and shooting less . 
             A mate of mine who ran a small shoot for the last 27 years pulled the plug this season . He asked the guns for more money , and they said no . The commercial shoots will be asking for guns to pay for shooting up front , with no guarantees . Why  should they bear the whole financial burden? I can’t see there being “ bargains “ on “ Guns on pegs” next year .  Hopefully the small shoot with modest bags will still be around. I wonder how some of the farmers who have been used to getting a cash injection from shooting concerns will feel if the shoot on their ground packs in ? There has been so much money and greed in the shooting world . It would be nice to see it go back to how  it was in the 70s and 80s.  

[socks 32,253]

Do you know what the difference between a conspiracy theory and the truth is …… about 12 months. 

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

21 hours ago, shovel leaner said:

Tim I know you personally and I enjoy your company. We are similar age’s but I’m kind of new to Forums , and this is the only social media that I contribute to . I get that you like a laugh , and so do I . But when you and Foxhunter were having a laugh in the thread with Bernard is was a bit uncomfortable, I thought, “I don’t think Sausage is enjoying it”. There are some people who relish a good old “ding dong “ and I get that , but some don’t. You know the guys on here that don’t do “hardcore banter”. Cut them a break . Let’s keep the rifle section “ friendly and cordial . If you want let off steam , you are always well received in the Terrier or general threads , they love it  

Fair play for saying it as it is John .I do get carried away a bit but still feel we are all adults and his right to say that’s enough lads please wasnt taken away at all .
We all have different levels of what’s acceptable John and if you recall I think Bernard may have started it with some jibe or another .He then continued but went silent all of a sudden when I ramped it up a bit ,saying he’d blocked me .Great , block me no probs but to deny you lads the benefit of his experience and outings off the back of that is a bit lame and if he has gone then I’m afraid it’s his problem .

Lifes too short for worrying about the feelings of a grown man ,ask whaler

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

9 hours ago, foxdropper said:

I’ll find out today what the vets report is on those dead birds here Stav .

Ive got a flight pond teaming with wildfowl at moment but I’m loathe to shoot them .Don’t really fancy eating them at moment where normally I’m drooling ,can’t wait to get them home .

Its a shame for those like yourself that have put in the work .

Ok so the vets report is inconclusive .Mentions a few strains of bacteria present but not enough to cause death .I’ve asked the keeper for a copy of the doc but you know what keepers are like miserable feckers .

 

[Stavross 15,588]

Up feeding today and although I found a couple of dead what I seen that was upright was looking in good nick, they were very hungry as I tend to leave them a bit longer after we have shot to let them make their way home, if we only had a couple of days left I would of been over the moon with what I seen, Gordon’s pen, piggeries ruff side, tip drive and roadside drive are holding the majority of the birds at the minute so they will be the main drives a week on Saturday and hopefully the following Saturday ( Christmas shoot ) they will still be holding birds as that’s my day when I put on the hospitality and have a few mates shoot, including Robin Foxer, so that’s the day I want to see them high and fast 

after my rounds I thought I’d check the .22 as I’ve started using the Norma and I missed a lot a few nights ago, turns out it was shooting about 3” low, bit of adjustment and it was almost bullet on bullet, what I noticed is the Norma are very waxy almost like Eley subs used to be, unlike the CCI that I was using that were completely dry

Edited December 1, 2022 by Stavross

[Stavross 15,588]

31 minutes ago, foxdropper said:

Ok so the vets report is inconclusive .Mentions a few strains of bacteria present but not enough to cause death .I’ve asked the keeper for a copy of the doc but you know what keepers are like miserable feckers .

 

There’s a lot of disease around here at the minute, I was talking to next doors keeper and he said micro plasma is in his birds and looking at one I found today it showed all the signs apart from it wasn’t stick thin, my keeper mate on a commercial told me another bacterial infection that his birds have got but I can’t remember the name of it, he said they are all looking for other job’s because they have been told it will be scaled down next season, he thinking of taking a position on a family shoot in Devon, it doesn’t look like things will improve any time soon

[BenBhoy 4,706]

27 minutes ago, Stavross said:

There’s a lot of disease around here at the minute

Just in general life??  That's northerners for ya!!! 

[shovel leaner 7,650]

3 hours ago, socks said:

Do you know what the difference between a conspiracy theory and the truth is …… about 12 months. 

You wear your hat , and I will wear mine

[Stavross 15,588]

28 minutes ago, shovel leaner said:

You wear your hat , and I will wear mine

Have you just spent time putting foil around a funnel to take that picture you have to much time on your hands

[shovel leaner 7,650]

1 minute ago, Stavross said:

Have you just spent time putting foil around a funnel to take that picture you have to much time on your hands

Dam you Stavross, you worked out my manufacturing technique. I’m taking orders for all the conspiracy theorists out there . Just send me your head size and I will see if I’ve got a funnel to suit.  

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

17 minutes ago, shovel leaner said:

Dam you Stavross, you worked out my manufacturing technique. I’m taking orders for all the conspiracy theorists out there . Just send me your head size and I will see if I’ve got a funnel to suit.  

If the shoot goes well ,that will be a traffic cone