Photographs of the land you shoot on

[Guest JohnGalway]

Hi folks,

 

I'm going to take a few photos later on, if the weather is good then, of a few spots I shoot. Average spots where I'd actually get a fox or crow Thought it might be nice to see the different types of land we shoot on.

 

ATB,

 

John

 

Some of the commonage area where my ewes graze during parts of the year.

 

Often see foxes around here. It's a difficult place, always wet, most of the good shooting spots are covered in gorse. Someones lost a ram just at the bottom of this hillock, the foxes and greycrows have cleaned him out pretty well.

 

 

This photo is really just to show some of the long dead mountain grass. It varies in height in different places, this is pretty typical. It's hard to see properly from a photograph but a fox can easily vanish in this stuff. When I was out on Nialls permission there a while back, it easily was waist height in some places.

 

 

Trout fishery downstream on the next lake put in this sluice gate years ago. Just the pillars left standing now. I was there not so long back, there was two thick planks across the top, they seem to have gone whatever happened to them. No harm either, they were eaten with woodworm and would have been dangerous to try and cross.

 

 

There's a good current in it today, no shortage of rain lately.

 

 

It's a longer jump than it looks. I was going to give it a go earlier, but taking a good look at the rocks the far side I thought better of it. Summer before last I crossed the small river that feeds into this lake, I took such a dislike to the slippery rocks on the bottom and the almost knee deep strong current I walked a long piece out of my way to avoid doing it again. Crossed at this sluice gate, but that was in summer time and it was a lot friendlier then. Rose some birds on the way there, not sure if they were snipe or woodcock, not the best on game bird ID since I don't shoot them.

 

 

Often seen duck in this little lake, be a nice one to feed if it was in a different place. Used to see a lot of foxes mooch around it's edges when I first started lamping.

 

 

The two below are typical of the area, bog & rock or, if you prefer rock & bog. There are many bog cuttings where people cut turf (peat), so walking out and not paying attention can land you into a lovely cold trench of water, meant to take a pic of one but I didn't think of it until I got home (think there's one in the first photo). Plenty of marshes and swamps too, anywhere with reeds or colour (greens, blacks, reds) is definately to be avoided!

 

 

[SportingShooter 0]

Ah the beautiful hills of Galway in the last shot John. Must admit, very spectacular and breathtaking

 

Anyway, on to my patch...

See the tops of those trees, I'm standing on top of a sloping field, you get the idea how steep it is when I tell you those trees are about 15-20 yards high standing next to them.

 

That view at night, all those streetlamps.

 

Very good field for foxes, crossing from the two woods. Often sat in this corner and stopped them.

 

Another good fox field, sit at the top and look down. Coming out of the woods, feeding on the fields.

 

Always a Bird or Snipe in there.

 

Are you getting the picture? If you stand on top of these fields, you aint got a backstop!

 

Always something in here too, been a good few Rabbits in there this year, and a few Pheasants hiding, and they tuck themselves in, take some getting out of there.

 

Taken a few long shots in here But if you tried to walk through the centre, you'd be up to your shoulders in water, and I mean it. Its a water meadow and with all the rain

 

I took this over one of the fields in May this year, when it was dry and I was out early looking for Charlie

 

A big patch of Common land that we hunt on a boundary day, I missed a Snipe her only recently

 

I'll take some more in due course.

 

SS

[Finkley 1]

Nice thread and post John, you're a lucky man.

 

Here are a few shots of the golf course where I do the majority of my lamping. I've been a member of the club for 24 years so know every hump and hollow like the back of my hand. There's also a turf nursery where I go if I fancy a daylight raid, it can be very productive.

 

I'm the only person with permission to shoot on there and with the green keepers starting before light most mornings the rabbits don't seem to be too lamp shy.

 

There're also plenty of foxes about, but as they're helping with the rabbits this time of year and not bothering the adjacent farmer too much, they're on reprieve, for the moment.

 

I occasionally walk the farmer's fields behind our house, and we have a few wooded acres of our own which are great for a spot of pigeon shooting with the shotties. The course is where I like to be though.

 

It's not the Highlands, but I could spend the rest of my life walking these dunes with only the smell of the sea and rumble of the waves for company.

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Steve

[Guest JohnGalway]

More photos to come later, got some on the camera but am off out now to see about a fox that's getting a bit smart

[jamie g 17]

tonnes of foxes and some muntjac in that wood. and good for long range pratice to. we where shooting at that board in the one picture 500 yards. nice and hilly on the hereford and worcester boundry

 

 

i have some more somewhere of the ground behind me and over the other side of the valley.

Edited November 27, 2008 by jamie g

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

Real good fox country.......

 

 

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

..

..

 

[Guest JohnGalway]

Often called in foxes along this road. One passed between two ewes standing about two feet apart Out to the left of that road there's a mineshaft covered in a thin skin of bog/moss, no one knows exactly where it is, and as you'd expect it's rumoured to be bottomless I am not going to volunteer to find out...

 

 

This is the fox supermarket, or it used to be, now under new management. Since that happened I've just seen one or two foxes in there, before I would be almost guarenteed to see a fox each time I'd visit. It was like the fox Spar, all the needed under the tree at... except no tree!

 

 

And again looking towards the hill, no prizes for rock spotting.

 

 

These are a common type of poxy badly maintained fences I've to cross No, it's not mine But try to get over that quietly... The far side of it has been quite productive for foxes over the years. Saw my first and only owl in there too, he was very interested in a rabbit squeal.

 

 

Random photo.

 

 

There are only so many directions new foxes can come into the area, this ain't one of them, still hoping for that coyote, maybe a breeding pair

 

 

Little wood that runs up along the side of my farm, currently minus 33 magpies

 

 

Only seen a fox here once, but there are a ton of badgers in there. I've not investigated but apparently they've dug out a home under the road Mind them readymix trucks then There's a little drain running along the far side of the fence often see otters in there

 

[SportingShooter 0]

I broke your rifles in those last two or three John

 

 

They're stunning John, all coming back........

 

SS

[ands 544]

a great place here John ring any bells?

[stealthy1 3,964]

After seeing these there's no point in me showing you my farmland and boring pasture, buitifull place.

[Guest JohnGalway]

After seeing these there's no point in me showing you my farmland and boring pasture, buitifull place.

 

I don't have any boring farmland or pasture Stick the photos up

 

Come on fellas, must be more than a few of us taking the odd snap when out

[Guest JohnGalway]

a great place here John ring any bells?

 

Could it be a holy hill that?

[one shot paddy 0]

a great place here John ring any bells?

 

Could it be a holy hill that?

 

looks like croke patrick in mayo

[hily 379]

one view of our shoot great area for a walkabout holds bunnys snipe woodcock hares and the odd fox

Edited December 5, 2008 by hily