Jim Neal Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Hi all, I've been "lurking" without posting for a while but thought I should come out of hiding and say something! This is a great forum; I've found it very interesting seeing what everyone has to say about various subjects and picked up a few handy pointers. A little about me... I've been involved with shooting about 5 years now. I started off taking my first springer beating on a small farm game shoot. I then got myself a gun and did a fair bit on the clays before joining in with the shooting. Being a glutton for punishment, I got myself a second springer! Unfortunately we lost our shooting last year to a syndicate with deeper pockets :( Through a few carefully bought pints at the pub, I managed to get in as a beater with a syndicate of 20 guns who shoot over our local estate. They have several days front and back end of the season where the beaters are invited to bring their gun, so I'm keeping myself in the loop even though not shooting game full time. I shot one cock pheasant the whole of last season - but boy was it a memorable one! Another thing we do in the syndicate is roost shoot the woods every Saturday through February, which has ended up turning into a bigger interest in our friend the woodpigeon! I've built up quite a library of pigeon books - the usual ones from A.E.B Johnson, Archie Coats, through the years up to Will Garfit's most recent. I've read them too! All this reading about shooting pigeons was getting me jumping up and down with anticipation - but where to shoot? I'm fortunate in that my work introduces me to lots of different people, so a few phone calls later I was meeting up with a local farmer who has a few hundred acres and plenty of pigeon problems. Only got permission on a couple of backward rape fields to start with but got myself kitted up with some basic gear and went to have a go! Took me three visits to actually shoot a pigeon but I did it! What a buzz when you realise it's your hard work and cunning that is making these wild creatures come and try to land in front of you, oblivious to what's about to happen! Managed to bag 9 that afternoon session, missed a few more and found out I need to shoot a bit straighter! Anyway, nice to meet everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Welcome to PW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loriusgarrulus Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Welcome to Pigeon Watch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prem1234 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Welcome to PW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooterluke Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les*1066 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Hi .... welcome to PW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bala Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Hello Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy bingo Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 to pw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carman06 Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Hi and welcome to PW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeds chimp Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Welcome to the PW forum :welcomeani: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olly321 Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 Welcome bud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liamey Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 Hello and welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wilksy Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Good write up mate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linny Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 good introduction welcome you will get hooked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outlander Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Hello and welcome from over the border in Beds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted May 10, 2015 Report Share Posted May 10, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris1961 Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 Hello and welcome to the insanity that is pigeon watch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
numpty Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 Hi fellow Northants shooter. Great introduction and pleased you are finding the joys of pigeon shooting as intriguing as I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Neal Posted May 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 Hi guys, thanks for the welcome Not really got off the ground properly yet, a bit frustrating. It turns out I can't shoot any more on the couple of fields I started on. They have a livery at the farm and (apparently) my shooting on that afternoon I mentioned above caused a horse to buck its rider. Strange, seems as a gas gun has been firing two shots every 45 minutes in exactly the same place for the previous 3 months. I know it's quite likely it was me, a 12-bore has a more imposing report over shorter distances.... but I also know horses can spook at the stupidest things, and horsey people do tend to blame anything other than the horse when it goes mental. Hey-ho. The rest of the farm is a no-go until bird nesting season is over. I actually really respect the farmer's approach because he takes a serious interest in maintaining natural habitats and has a lot of less-common bird species inhabit the place. He doesn't hack the hedges back to nothing and disturbs things as little as possible. Obviously someone tramping around shooting pigeons doesn't mix very well with sensitive bird species nesting in hedgerows! He's even asked me not to walk round just to do reconnaissance for the time being. So hopefully once we get to standing crops, stubbles and drillings as the year goes on I'll get my teeth stuck in to it a bit better. In the mean time I'm going to make a couple more enquiries for shooting permissions and see what I can come up with. Nice to see a few local guys on here - if there's ever an opportunity for a learner to come out and sit with an old hand for a few hours in a hide I'd gladly take up the offer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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