lakeside1000

Great shooting, plenty of birds to go at, I had a single shot hush .410 which I used the magnum cartridges through, it was light and easy to use, very accurate but so restrictive having only one shot so I sold it , the pump looks good, but I think I will stick to my 12 bore, bit more range and knock down power, just need a few more birds .

Hi John, had a short session on the marsh rape by the river yesterday, still a bit soft on the headlands but got in ok with the 4 x 4, shot from 2 till 4.30 with 10 picked and quite a few in the air, just not decoying confidently. I have 2 brand new flappers from Nighthawk which worked a treat bringing in some nice birds from some distance out. lost a couple down in the river, otherwise a lovely sunny afternoon , as you say its starting to pick up , with the drying out and the rape starting to grow again it will be hopefully getting busier , funny thing was, there are normally around 2 to 3 hundred rooks and jackdaws on there but yesterday not one, I had a few black decoys out but I didn't see any in the sky, Good thing was I didn't even put the windbreak up as it was so warm in the afternoon sun, made a really welcome change, looking forward to a gradual improvement over the next few weeks.👍

I started with a fishing box bolted to a luggage trolley, this was ok but was a bit flimsy , so I rebuilt it with a stronger frame, 2 wheel barrow wheels and a swivel seat on top of the box, worked well for the time I used it but old age got the better of me, so I bought a Suzuki 4x4 Vitara 2 door, lots of room in the back with the seats down for my huge amount of gear, the estate I shoot on has green lane and headlands around much of the land, so I can now drive to almost all the places where I can shoot, even in the winter through the mud, if I get too cold I can sit in the car for a quick warm up and a coffee before resuming the testing work, oh yes - good times.

Welcome back,

My missus always say's I am like a bull in a china shop, no patience so probably why they get all ripped up as I cannot be bothered trying to unhook them. Im sure they are good value for the money, I have collected a huge bag full of nets over the years, obviously I have my favourites, but even the rough ones get some use, I even glued one to the outside of my fishing brolly so now it looks like a big bush when I put it up and I don't need to cover it separately .

A good offer but I prefer either 4 or 5 metre nets to make a good wrap around hide. I did have one of the black lined stealth nets but it got ripped up in brambles, the inner mesh seemed very susceptible to any snags and would tear very easily. Now I just double up on side nets with a single over the top if I'm after crows.

We all have our own theories , mine is along the same lines, food and habitat are pretty stable right across the country, with large areas in cereal and lots of berries and acorns etc, To me the critical thing is the weather, I live right on the east coast, in summer we have a warm dry climate, wide open space and an abundance of arable cereal land and low growing willow and hazel style woods, ideal for nesting sites, But come late autumn and through the winter the winds come predominantly from the east or north east, with the winter cold and wind chill the pigeons disappear late November and are absent right through to early March, I have been out this week watching the large areas of rape, and at last I'm seeing small but significant numbers beginning to build up around these areas. This winter has been particularly cold with some very strong and bitterly cold winds blowing straight in from the North sea, 200 yards from my door, The pigeons will already be pairing off for the breeding season, which in a good year will begin now , late February , with nests appearing even before the trees have any leaves showing , last week whilst out in the hide, I had a male calling for females right above my head in some dense fur trees, he managed to avoid my decoys and will be out there for the coming season. Just as a footnote , I used to live in the Midlands near Melton Mowbray, and had pigeons in good numbers all year round, large well sheltered valley's and acres of thick mixed woodland, I never noticed any lack of birds through the winter there and always had plenty over the rape. (think I will move back)😄

Hi, Ant.mass, thats very similar but at that price I think its beyond my budget, many thanks Hi Steve, yes I did see the lifting pole you mentioned, cant imagine carrying that out to the field, quite a novel idea though, Not seen any thing on face book, maybe I can put something of the pole onto a standard flapper if I can work out the mechanics, The bird only need to rise around 12 inches while flapping to create the effect.. thanks

Hi all, I watched a youtube video with Andy Crow shooting pigeons , he had a flapper that rises and falls and looked quite useful, has anyone on PW used one or does anyone know where I can purchase one to try out, I already have 2 standard flappers , just looking for something different, thanks 👍

I only take 3 full bodied flock coated decoys for lofting, they provide just enough draw to bring in any curious birds , with around 20 either dead birds or shells out on the ground it normally does the job very well. Full bodied are bulky to carry, and for lofting, the hook mounts and lofting poles are added weight , ok if you can drive to the tree, but not so if you have a long walk.

Hi dead eye, we all get those days , nothing seems to go right but it can only get better, If I'm out on my own I like to set as many flags out as I can to try to keep them from settling, if they keep moving there's at least a chance they will come my way. My main rape area is around 5 fields with a huge surface area , all in one block, so its pot luck if they come to my end of the land, they obviously have their favourite areas which are easy to find from the damage, but once disturbed they often clear off for the rest of the day. I had a hushpower moderator fitted to my 12 gauge Beretta, I use it all the time as I shoot near houses and commercials areas a lot. it is quite heavy on the end of the barrel, but I find it helps stabilise the gun especially as I swing through the bird, with the 1/2 choke its fitted to it gives me a good hit out at range , just a bit frustrating when they come in at 20 yards or less. but I do like it a lot and it keeps the noise down really well.

I shoot all around Norfolk, I never meet many under 50 out shooting, I have tried to bring youngsters into the sport including clay's and vermin control, they are interested at first but soon get fed up and move on to something else, Both my sons would come out with me when they were just teenagers, the oldest is now 51 and has been keen all his life even became very competitive for a while on the clays, but since a move to the USA he now only gets out a couple of time a year when he visits us in the UK. The younger son now 45 very quickly decided he didn't want to shoot , he now strongly disagrees with using guns to control vermin but I respect his right to choose that path. I had a young man shoot with me 3 years ago and proved a very good shot but pressure of work stopped him continuing with it, he may come back to it in time. So its up to us oldies to stick at it for as long as we can still get out there.

Welcome indeed, let us know where you are and how you get on 😄👍

I just think she should have had the decency to come to see me as well while she was out on the road, I'm old and needy , anyway I hope her parents are ok , us oldies are really feeling the lockdown stress , we are lucky as my youngest son lives just round the corner and is able to keep an eye on us. This lockdown has gone on far too long, 28% of British adults , which is most of the vulnerable groups, have had at least one jab, its time to man up and get on with life.

These are a couple of my projects, the large boat I bought sunk, 45 ft x 12 ft, stripped and refitted stem to stern, including engine and drive overhaul, (2006) spent £18000 total and sold it for £32000, the camper in the background was an Adria Duett bought new in France , cost new £22000, lasted 17 years with 2 minor refits, but sold last year completely rusted out with 300,000 km on the clock. We just bought the other boat last month, 37 ft x 12 ft Bounty, so once lock down and the bad weather is over we will be starting on her, not a full refit just a good tidy up ready for the summer fishing on Barton Broad, Norfolk.

Keep the insulation but maybe cut slots to run pipes and cables, just where they are needed. shame to take out all that expensive insulation just to have to replace it later.

Nice one , the hide looks good, makes me want to get out and have a go, I like to cover my dead birds with a bit of camo net as I get the odd bird shy away when they get a flash from the white on the dead birds.( that is when I actually have any dead birds to show for my efforts 😄) 👍

+1 to that Marsh man, I haven't been out since the first snow, way too cold for me, apart from the problems of getting down to the area where we are needed and coping with the sea of mud , I will be waiting for some change in the conditions before I venture out again.

I have to agree , wind at your back so the birds come in facing you, head shots or crossers are always better than shooting them in the back side, I always carry a large fishing brolly, so if there is no cover I can build a hide around the brolly, it keeps the wind off and can be disguised as a large bush, ideal for shooting out in the field rather than getting in under a hedge, gives a slightly better field of view and larger angle to take your shots.👍

Hi, Take a look on youtube, there are hundreds of camper conversion videos, you can cherry pick the best tips , but before you start any lining , floors etc, get the plumbing and electrics planned and installed, as all pipes and cables need to be hidden and terminated at the point you need them, so a good layout plan is essential. good luck.

Well done Alan, good effort, I had a go Friday with just 9 birds down but efforts thwarted by fog, Had the covid jab on Saturday so was a bit under the weather for the weekend, woke this morning to 30 to 50 mph winds , driving snow and temperature below freezing, so it looks like shooting is on hold again until this lot clears, lovely British weather.

The wife and I had ours Saturday morning at 10.00, no effects until around 10.00 in the evening, we both had muscle pains, mainly legs and neck , my wife had sickness and an upset stomach, and ravenous hunger, I had a really stiff neck and pounding head ache, Its now Monday morning , my aches and pains have subsided , just a slight stiff neck, my wife is still not good, but is getting better, We expected some side effects, but they were a bit worse than we expected, we have spent the last 48 hours just napping, and consuming boxes of paracetamol and ibuprofen while staring at the telly, As to its effectiveness, any is better than none, we are all still locked down until a high percentage have been jabbed, If I have to go back for a modified jab later I will be first in line, We have had 2 close friends die from it so far with a further 5 in hospital now with serious problems, and we are in one of the less affected areas in the outback of Norfolk. Its a personal choice as to whether you go for it or not, but the sooner we get this under control the sooner we can get back to some sense of normality ,

Hi Marsh man, I checked the forcast in the week and it was good for today (Saturday) for a first chance at roost, but we went off to the doctors for our covid jabs this morning and it was horrendous, freezing cold, almost horizontal rain with a wind that would freeze a brass monkey. So it looks like the roosts will have to go on as normal for this week, as I for one most certainly will not be disturbing them. maybe next week will be better. If you are looking for somewhere to go where you can drive, the gate access along the river bank through the skip yard, is ok, good track as far as the ruins, a lot of crows about. as well as a few pigeons. yard is open weekdays up till 4.30.

I agree we need at our age ( I am 73 with a bad back ) to keep the weight down, but on the other side you are in the hide for anything up to 5 or 6 hours, a comfortable seat with a good backrest , to me , is well worth the extra effort to carry it out to the hide. I have had some horrendous days perched on tiny flimsy stools or buckets that will not stay level, and do not offer either the height adjustment or the swivel seat that save on twisting the back and shoulders , often resulting in firing in a very poor shoulder mount position. The legs can be set at different heights to allow for sloping or uneven ground or set low or high depending on your preference. I like to shoot sitting down but with the legs at full height its very easy to rise into the standing position to take standing shots as well. Since I have had the Bergara I tend to hit a lot more birds as I can swing comfortably through the bird with good posture for the best shots without having to continually stand up to get a good line. Its so easy to clean with a hose pipe spray to remove mud, a quick wipe down and a shot of WD40 on the leg adjusters and seat pivot bearing. Its only my opinion but for me its a no brainer.👍👌

Yes please, especially that bunch of sprouts in Brussels, we shoot on the marshes on the Norfolk coast and in the main use steel shot for everything, in winter we get thousands of swans grazing along with many thousands of pinks, so lead is a no-no , even shooting pigeons on this land where the shot falls in open grazing areas where it can be picked up by these birds its better to go with steel. As for the air rifle , where do we get an alternative to the lead at a price we can afford, I dont use it very often but still cant see the harm a single pellet would cause. Years ago they hit the fishermen with a lead shot ban on all fresh water fishing which caused many problems as most of the alternatives at the time were absolute rubbish, things thankfully have changed and these days some decent alternatives are readily available, so if a lead ban is imposed on the shooting it may take some time before a good alternative is available at a fair price.