the hitman

I have had a bird table in place for about 4 months,and already it is drawing all types. I have a couple of woodpigeons which love loose peanuts,all the regulars(sparrows etc ). My old man who lives in the sticks has lesser spotted woodpeckers, and an assortment of finches at his table. My bird box was attracting a pair of blue tits until the wasps moved in, which i took pleasure in removing before they had a chance to get a big nest built. What does your bird table attract ?.

Spring rape always worth watching,in my area its pulls more birds than peas. If its the only farm growing it in the area,you might need to order more cartridges

Has anybody in my area fished the watch water recently. I am planning on going tomorrow, the last time i fished there (2 yrs ago ), i nailed them on a small gold head cats whisker. Has it been fishing well lately ?.

I think sonny coleone, meeting his maker in the godfather is a classic.

A bit early in my patch.I have mixed views on laid barley, i love it when a farmer phones to say his field is getting hammered, hate it when you shoot 80+ and pick up 42, which happend to me last year.

Point taken, apologies to anybody i may have offended.

If the question was , what chokes do you use at close range, with a view to eating your quarry, then flytie you comments would be valid.

Good shooting bud , sounds like you had a cracking day. Enjoy a beer tonight to cap a good day . The hitman.

I stop shoting pigeons when the rape comes into flower. If i come across a field of peas or spring rape i would have a go. Aug / sep are good in my patch, then beechmast in oct / nov,which is the finest shooting possible.Then back to winter rape again.

Cheers davhope, i normally fish the tweed ,but i will give the places you mentioned a go. I know a guy who fishes clarabad alot with good results,thanks for the info. Tight lines! The Hitman.

Davhope,I have fished the whiteadder many times,i normally get a day ticket from the farm. Is the whiteadder somewhere you fish ?. I have been told its good near chirnside,so i might give that a try.

Thanks for your reply stuartp. I have never fished for salmon on the tweed (rather expensive), but i have had some good sea trout , mostly at dusk. The brown trout are fantastic ,my best is around 3 pounds, when you hook a wild brownie , it feels like a salmon, they fight like tigers.

Now is the time of year when i turn to my second sporting passion, fly fishing. I am lucky to live on the banks of the glorious river tweed. I also fish local stocked reservoirs for rainbows. Do any other members fish on their local rivers ? And with what success.

Nothing beats a natural hide ,or some camo net in front or behind a hedge, with a bit of bushing up. So no i would not buy a pop up hide, but some might and each to his own.

This is an excellent question and deserves more replies. In the ideal world the wind and sun would always be at your back,but seldom is. You have got to do your reconnaissance, find where they are coming from, and which area of the field they want to be feeding. Some days when i set up the wind might be in my face,or from left to right, it makes no difference,as long as you are in the right place to shot them. You then have to position your decoys to suit the situation. Hope this helps. The Hitman.

Flytie, I was getting more runners with a skeet gun, that is why i changed and now shoot tighter chokes,which has reduced the amount of runners. As for shells, Rottweil 32g super trap no7,perfect for the job. I dont shoot all my pigeons at 40yds,but with this combo i am confident i can when the chance comes along.

If i am shooting birds at 40yds, i want to kill them clean,so my preferred choke combo is 1/2+3/4. Just because you can knock chips of clays with open chokes,dose not mean they are suitable for game(and pigeons) at long range. For many years i shot pigeons with a skeet gun,which was ok up to 25yrds, beyond that i was hitting them but to many runners.

Windy,dry and bright perfect. I have shot birds in flat calm, but wind is always best. Dead birds decoys always look good in sunlight I never go out in heavy rain, but if i'm out and it rains they might still decoy. In calm weather birds are less interested in flying,but if you are confident in your field stick it out.

Im with henry d ,all red meat should be eaten rare,all this well done stuff is a waste. And if you want a nice red wine, try M+S italian table wine ,1lt with a screw top £4.49.

Badgerman, when i started shooting pigeons, i thought if i had seen birds on a field i was going to have a good day, i was wrong.You MUST spend hours watching your land,and even when you'r sure it can all go wrong. I would go out in all the wrong conditions just to be out, and shoot nothing. Keep trying and experience will kick in,we all blank but just not so often with practice.

I hear what your saying chaps,my eldest is 11 and at the rebellious stage. My youngest is 9 and still wants to hold my hand in public, if only time could stand still.

Bertie thats a good price for a cracking shell.I have been shooting them for age's if i could get down there i would buy 1000. Hitman.

congrats on the grandaughter man, she's gonna be a heartbreaker. I have two daughters myself,so havin a grandaughter must be minted.

I always cover my face,it just makes sense.Years ago i would wear a full woolly balaclava ,nice in winter,terrible in summer. Now just a lightweight realtree face mask.