nderfel Posted April 10, 2015 Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 Hi all, I finally have a local permission (thanks mike Collins!) but most of it is paddocks with occupants. The strip down the centre, about 100 yards wide is fruit bushes and veggies and it's getting eaten. Any tips and tricks for shooting around / over horses as the horse owners pay for the paddocks and I don't want any conflict. Cheers Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted April 10, 2015 Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 The problem with shooting near horses is usual the owners rather than the horses themselves which don't seem to worry about gunshots . You don't say what you will be shooting , but be as discrete as possible while keeping noise to a minimum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nderfel Posted April 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 Thanks fenboy, I figured as much, it's mostly pigeons with a few corvids. All with a nice loud 12 bore. Been a couple of times and the horses are more bothered by the magnet than they are gunshots. Land isn't certified for fac as yet but they were saying yesterday the rabbits and deer are having an all you can eat Buffett. That's less of an issue as the horses are inside at night so no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popa bear Posted April 10, 2015 Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 (edited) Hi I shoot and also have horses be careful ours are used to most things but ours go skitso when the shoot is on.Half the problem is they know something is going on but can*t see whats going on and that spooks them more.So if you are trying to shoot you need to be well hidden and that will be a problem with the horses plus if the horses do catch sight of you they will be alerted and looking at you and that could spook your quarry remember after all they are a prey animal Edited April 10, 2015 by popa bear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nderfel Posted April 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 thanks Popa Bear. I have shot there a few times now and the horses aren't bothered at all, the magnet though, that really spooks them so I have been trying to place it where they cant see it. The issue is more the horse owners thinking the horses will be spooked, one lady came and parked in my decoy pattern yesterday, a nice woman who wanted to know why I was training pigeons (the decoys) and when I told her what I was up to warned me that one of the horses has a weak heart and I shouldn't be shooting near it, the horse in question is about 3 paddocks and 250 yards away! To keep the peace I packed up ;( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted April 11, 2015 Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 It is a very difficult situation and as has been said, its more about the owners than the horses. If the magnet spooks them, don't use it, perhaps flappers or floaters will do as well, when added to the decoys. When I have shot in similar circumstances I have kept the sessions short , a couple of hours at most and at times when there is unlikely to be any humans about. I appreciate that the last part may be awkward, but mid morning/afternoon in the week were usually very quiet times, but weekends there were normally humans everywhere. It does sound that the FAC route is probably the best way to take advantage of this permission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westley Posted April 11, 2015 Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 Sounds a bit like an air rifle job really. Obviously a silenced FAC rifle for the deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leadbreakfast Posted April 11, 2015 Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 Horses tend to go mad on the first shot but soon get used to it. But It depends if there are women around, I have never known shooting to be ok around women's horses. Infact I can't stand them and have more grief with them on some game shoots. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbietherimmer Posted April 12, 2015 Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 sorry to say but doesn't seem the most appropriate permission. As said before, maybees better suited to airgun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortune Posted April 12, 2015 Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 If the horses don't like the magnet, don't use it. Make sure that you have good insurance and that it's up to date. Becoming if one or more of the horses does get hurt by freaking out and stampedeing into a fence and a vet gets involved then look out because you are going to get the blame for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfinger Posted April 12, 2015 Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 I always use fibre wad carts near any paddocks as plastic wads can be a problem if horses eat em,also owner will not be pleased to see plastic wads on paddocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepasty Posted April 12, 2015 Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 (edited) I've been shooting a new perm this week, its like a rabbit plague up there, anyways theres horses on the field which have never been shot around and by around the 10th shot they stopped even looking to see where it came from. Luckily the land owner is a hard cornishman with no time or care for pussy footing around horses, when I asked if he wanted me to use a silent 22 he say "No boy, use the loudest you got, it'll do the ******* good!" Edited April 12, 2015 by thepasty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nderfel Posted April 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 Thanks all. I have been a few times just for a recce and I think before 07:30 and after 17:30 is where it's at. The horses are in their stables them so I have free reign. That said I might well try and find the pennies for a pcp rifle to give me more options It's not a permission I can jack in, round here permissions are rare as rocking horse poo so it's a really good find Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoxs Posted April 13, 2015 Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 Personally i think you need to get landowner/ tennant involved. If they have asked you to do a job then they should be on your side and help mediate between horsey owners and yourself. It might be possible say for a saturday afternoon when you will be there to put horses in. Keeping the peace is impossible in this situation. Unfortunatlly you will get the blame for any problem any of those horses get! regardless if it was your fault or not. sounds to me like a safe haven for the pigeons!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanz Posted April 13, 2015 Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 why not invest in an hushpower shotgun,may be worth your while that solve any issues, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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