kippylawkid

Welcome Eugene, I am with you there. I think a key word that keeps being mentioned is "Sportsman". "Crop Protection" does not cover baiting fields. I have mentioned in other topics my distaste for shooting birds and not attempting to pick them up or shooting them where they can't be picked. Crooked Goose Guides who bait fields sully the names the many honest guides who ply their trade using proper methods. If these sporting agencies start going this with pigeons we will only be shooting ourselves in the foot. Todays climate means we must not present any opportunity to the growing army of antis They will seize on any instance of unsporting behaviour and take great pleasure in twisting the knife. I class myself as a sportsman and I value the pigeon as a true sporting bird that does not deserve to be slaughtered "falsely" like this. Please let's all think of the future of our wonderful sport. :thumbs:

Thanks Cranfield, I will read up on this. I hope my illusions of a top guy aren't going to be shattered. He is so highly thought of in all the shooting press. :unsure:

I agree with TEAL regarding headaches. I have been lucky enough to have had many 100+ days. The first big day I had I did not have my ear plugs with me, and after I had fired over 100 shells i started to develop a bitch of a headache. I tried to ignore it and carry on but without doubt it spoiled what should have been a fantastic day. Even after I stopped shooting the ringing headache stayed with me for hours afterwards. Since then I have religiously packed my plugs and ear muffs whenever I set out after woodies. Any other members get these headaches after a few shots? It certainly must have been some days shooting. Who was the clay shooter guy who shot 500+ on his own a few years ago? He is a world class shot and I remember the day was manufactured for him by a gamekeeper pal who positioned him in the hot spot whilst a few other guns kept the birds moving on other fields in the area. Were these 2 guys top shots?

Respect Ernyha. We are all on the same side and shouldn't be bickering amongst ourselves. The main reason I am a bit touchy on picking up as many birds as possible is that a couple of years ago I went to shoot a rape stubble field on one of the farms on my patch and found that some "Gentleman" had shot the field the day before. This is all well and good, and will always happen. BUT they had obviously made no real effort to pick up around themselves and my dog and I picked up 20+ birds without much effort from the field and immediate grass pasture next door. The birds had been fly blown and were usuless. The farmer had seen this and thought it was me! So that is why I am wary of picking up. Straight powder and good luck on the stubbles.

Ooooops! Looks like I've struck a nerve ernhya. I am well aware of our responsibilities to farmers to provide crop protection. They hold all the aces and as you and I know, if they want a field cleared, you have to do the job or else you will lose your privileges on that farm pretty quickly. If you read my comment I stated that if you use your fieldcraft, hide building and decoying skills properly, you can draw all the birds into your killing area to enable a good percentage pick-up at the end of the day. If shooters don't have these skills then they will just have to keep on "crop protecting". Obviously we need to strike a balance between doing more damage than the pigeons are doing in the first place and trying to pick up all slain, and I know unpicked birds are unavoidable on crops at this time of year. Regarding gaining permission and being reasonably dressed, I have had no complaints from the farmers I provide a service for. I'm sure you must see where I am coming from on this point.

Well done. I always try to do my "Grovelling" to farmers during the week when I do my Recces around my area. I do this during my lunch breaks from work whem I am dressed in my shirt and tie and not like a dangerous terrorist. First impressions definitely have effect and I find that if you present yourself in the right way you are half way there. Your tip to write to farmers is an excellent one. You could add any farmers you already shoot for in the letter. Respect!

Sorry to be a spoilsport but do you not think that if you showed a bit of restraint and used your fieldcraft/decoying skills, you could channel the birds over flat areas where you can shoot them and pick up without losing them. It's simple, if you can't drop it over the flat patch, don't fire. I know it is not always possible to do this and lost birds are unavoidable but to lose so many birds seems terrible to me. Instances like this would only provoke any Anti :blink: to write to the national press and spout their usual tripe that we are murderers and only shoot for the sake of killing. We should not provide ammunition for them! I hope this makes us all think.

Like it. You're not a mate of Craig Bellamy's are you? He is mad too!

I am curious how much members are getting from Game Dealers throughout the UK. I have a very good arrangement with a local butcher who gives me 50p per bird on the feather. :blink: He oven readies them and sells to local restaurants/hotels. This is way above what some local dealers are offering. So how much are members getting. Are you being ripped off. If so who is getting the profit?

What are members opinions on shooting field with livestock in? At this time of year one of my regular farms always has a good show of birds on their grass fields, feeding on clover. I always do well on these fields as the decoys show well and the pigeons decoy in text book fashion. However, I am always wary of livestock in the field. I always try to make sure there is sky below each bird but because of this I have missed many, many birds that have dropped into the pattern and I am wary of firing in case a sheep or cow is in the line of sight at the other end of the field. I am happy with my safety but am I being over cautious? :blink: Memebr comments are welcome. Dave Wright

I can vouch for N&S Supplies. The DB cradles are the biz, and the customer service they provide is very good. The standard of all the kit they produce is excellent. The whirly the sell through Target Sports is a good product. By the way, I have no connection with N&S !

Here is a good one for all members to ponder. I am keen to find out your opinions as many of my mates differ on this. If you are out on recce' one afternnoon and you find a field, with all the pigeons in the area using it. Take it for granted you are able to shoot the following day, do you: a. Turn up at sparrow's **** the next morning, ready to blast them as they arrive first thing. or b. Return say, mid morning, having let the birds back on the field in the hope they will return more confident later in the day.

Shot a sewn bean field on 06 Mar 03. I had been out of the area for a few days and expected someone to have stepped in and filled their boots. But as I drove past the field on my way to work I nearly crashed the car (Am I the only one who does this?) when I saw the field covered with woodies. I made straight to work and grovelled unashamedly with my boss for a half day and was set up at exactly 1pm. As it was a small field I didn't need my rotor and the birds steamed in non-stop until 4.30. A good pick up along a rough hedge resulted in 137 and 6 corbie crows. Marvelous!

The Peter Theobald book is excellent. I found it very good. Mind, He is very lucky with all the ground he has so he can let pigeons build up. We aren't all so lucky.

Do you have the contact details for Debden? Phone or web site would be great. I fancy one of the moorland nets. Many Thanks Dave Wright

I would like to buy some wire cradles for dead pigeons. Not so long ago there seemed to be many adverts in the shooting press for these. If anyone has some for sale or knows of where I can buy some please let me know. :thumbs: