Mymwood

Many thanks for the opinions. I will pass them on to our shoot captain and landlord.

Does anyone have any experience of wild boar appearing on their shoot area? In the last week, in Wales and not too far from the Forest of Dean, we have had just appeared in the last week, and just as the birds are moving out into the woods. Feeders turned over, contents eaten and ground ripped up. We've not seen how many or sizes but would welcome thoughts on how best to deal with them.

I've re-posted this in the paid-for shooting section. Thinking 'free' meant free of advert charge, I put it here by accident. Admin - please remove this one if appropriate. We're looking for two full guns to join a walk-stand self-keepered shoot that has decided to press ahead with shooting this year. With suitable contingency plans in place to accommodate social distancing, we've ordered 1000 birds for release in August. Members are expected to do their bit and, even if work parties cannot go ahead, all tasks are delegated. We're particularly looking for someone who is good with machinery maintenance/care but this is not an essential. As we do all the preparatory work and feed duty ourselves, priority will be given to applicants who reside within easily travelling of the shoot. We plan to shoot 8 or 10 days from early Nov. As an experiment, we'll also be organising four evenings duck flighting (mallard and teal) this year on our 5 ponds. Also a Feb roost shoot, and (for deer stalkers) we have a second syndicate of stalkers who shoot over a 400 acre mixed woodland/pasture and have had great success since we started this last year. Shoot is between Monmouth and Chepstow. In past seasons we've released a mixture of phez (1200) and partridge (60) and have achieved an average 50 bird day. With less birds to wood this year we are limiting the risk and therefore expect slightly smaller bags. We are a very friendly shoot with a great sense of camaraderie and a real emphasis on safety. We enjoy good facilities such as a shoot hut and a large, heated lunch facility. PM for details.

After an outbreak of disease in our self-keepered shoot last year, we're looking at providing training for all members in identifying and treating diseases in our released birds. With group meetings still restricted, I've been trying to find an on'line training video (or similar) on the topic. No success so far. Does anyone know of any similar video or advice guidance? Mart.

It's been very upsetting. I was feed duty the day it started, a few days after arrival. I picked up over 100 dead.

'Middle' of the country, you say? I've literally just come to the forum to see if anyone else has had problems this year similar to ours - and it seems we are not alone. We've lost nearly 40% of our released birds within 2 weeks of release. Are there actual 'horror stories' as you say? We've been in touch with the owner and, so far, he's blaming us, the ground, our pen. Even though the delivery was delayed due to unresolved health issue with birds at this game farm. Game Conservancy site says HEX doesn't lie dormant in the ground and dies between 2 - 5 days. But, in a pen, birds exposed to the faeces of infected birds rapidly become infected themselves. All this appears to indicate the problem came in with the birds?

We divide into two teams before the season starts. On a shoot day, 10 guns stand, 10 beat (plus a few friends who also come along to beat). We alternate drives so you would shoot 3, beat 3, on a day.

Due to the recent departure of two full gun members, our shoot has an opportunity for two to three full gun working members. No half-gun places or shared gun places are available.We are based near Trellech, Monmouth on two farms. We have also just taken on a 2000 acre parcel of land (mixed grassland and old woodland) for rough shooting and probable deer stalking. I say 'probable' as shooters would need to be qualified and competent, and would need to be approved by the shoot committee. Given our proximity to the Forest of Dean, it may be that we will also see wild boar on this land soon.On the shooting side, we release 1200 pheasant and partridge and average 50-bird days, shooting on ten saturdays. All work and keepering is done by the membership so you will be expected to do a lot more than simply shoot. We have several duck ponds which also produce some decent flighting.We're a friendly shoot, but we maintain high safety standards and expect the same of new members and guests. Priority will be given to local(ish) applicants.For more details contact our secretary davidjwmoore@hotmail.com.Full gun £875 to include BASC membership.

I'm one of the candidates, so thanks for the compliment. I'm not here to campaign as I agree with some other posts that I dont think this is the place, but I would urge members to try and make a choice, even if they think all are as good as each other. It is very difficult to put a full case in the limited number of words that BASC allow but if you search Google on the candidates you will find that two of them have set up websites and all three have facebook/twitter pages to enable members to talk to them if they wish to before making a decision. With only 3% of the population voting for the new PCCs nationally, I read in the press that there was a serious question as to whether those appointed had a mandate from the electorate. In recent years, a similar small proportion of BASC members have voted. I would, personally, like to see council members with a strong mandate and who put their passion for the sport into an organisation that works for all of us.

If you are a BASC member please take a minute to vote in the council election. It is easy to do, either on-line at www.basc.org.uk or using the voting slip in the March issue of 'Shooting and Conservation'. Previous years have seen a disappointing voter interest of less than 3% of the membership. For democracy to work we should participate, not simply observe.

Hi Jammer, I see you are near Bath, Could you PM me possibly? I've had a look at the Carrs site and the service they offer seems perfect, but you are a lot closer. Thanks for the tips everyone Mart.

I have a Beattie damascus barrel b.l.e made in 1895. Have used it every season for many years. This year, one of the ejectors snapped in half during use. Local gunshop tells me it's not repairable and needs replacement, but, not surprisingly, they are no longer made. So, I need to find someone who can make a bespoke ejector or a pair of ejectors or I face not being able to use my favourite gun again. Anyone have any contacts/tips? My budget is not unlimited Mart.

Is the RSPCA becoming more of a militant animal rights movement than an animal welfare charity? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/countryside/9780817/Our-once-great-RSPCA-is-being-destroyed-by-a-militant-tendency.html … Read this informative and thought provoking article before you vote.

Talk to BASC firearms dept about the revocation. It may be that representation on your behalf will give you a better idea as to when, or if, your SGC may be returned to you.

I contribute to several. Depending on how the article develops really. Different editors have varied requirements.

I'm researching an article for a Shooting national on taking up pigeon shooting. Could anyone recommend good guides/professionals/characters hopefully within an hour of Monmouth, SE Wales? Looking to spend some time with several in order to gain a variety of perspectives on how to take up the sport, how to gain permission, equipment choices, that sort of thing. Particularly interested in interesting and unusual characters who may have alternative views to put forward. If you are such a person please do pm me and also if you are able to recommend someone. Mart.

Thinking back to my previous life my recollection is that dogs worrying pheasants cannot be shot legally and a person that did so could be prosecuted. Thats criminal law. Under civil law the shooter might be able to use the dogs actions as a defence to a civil action for damages. In this case I would have hoped that if the keeper had mentioned the sheep at the beginning then no prosecution would have taken place. Where I live there is a lot of livestock and, sadly, several stray dogs are shot every year by local farmers when they are found attacking or worrying livestock. In addition, the dog owner, if identified, can be required to pay compensation to the farmer for the damage/danger to the livestock. I say sadly, as its sad for the dog, and I blame owners, not dogs when it happens.

Many thanks for the feedback. Some beautiful pictures as well. I've now been up to Cotswood Gun Room to see a few and fired a few at the local range including a Norman of Framlingham, a Purdey and a Boss. All handled superbly and I learned what is meant by 'balance' such as is found with a good quality english gun. It was also a pleasure to experience the smooth trigger action. The real-life experiences described are reassuring and go a long way to dispel the seemingly unwarranted reputation that hammerguns have in terms of safety. In truth it seems they could be argued as being safer as a hammerless is cocked and ready to fire once closed and if dropped the firing pin can be released, in the case of a hammer gun it seems that if closed and at half-cock it cannot fire and also at full cock is unlikely to go off if dropped as it requires the trigger to actually be pulled before the hammer releases? Do correct me if I am wrong.

I think what I mean is the speed of getting onto the quarry when rough shooting or pigeon shooting. Is it a question of practice?

I'm thinking of buying a hammergun. Interested to hear from others who use a hammer gun and what they think of them. Particularly interested to hear how you get on rough shooting, pigeon shooting?

Pinkfooty Thanks for the opportunity to read those manifestos. Should I be fortunate enough to be successful it would be an honour to serve with and learn from such experienced and capable individuals. I look forward to one day being able to call them friends. Mart.

Woodcock11 I was contacted, as I presume were all candidates, and invited to contribute.

Mudpatten Having no wish to further a debate which you clearly wish to present as an 'exposure' of my failings I will close this discussion with a response to one point in your post which I feel should be answered. In my defence, I would point out that at the very least I have taken the time to come on these forums to talk to members even if some are clearly highly prejudiced against my candidacy. I do not believe that the role of the CE is just to 'do what he is told' by council. I believe that the role of council is to act as a 'critical friend' to the CE to enable the CE and his/her staff to do the very best job they can. In selecting a CE I do favour sourcing a person who is charismatic and of high leadership quality more than favouring a person who 'knows how BASC works' and has an intimate knowledge/understanding of every single facet of the role. I would expect the appointee to develop that knowledge, but would not see it is essential to appointment. Knowledge can be acquired, qualities such as leadership, vision and charisma are either there or they are not. Mart.

Banning of lead shot? My favourite shotgun is a 110 year old damascus barrelled s/s ble. Its been my regular companion for longer than I care to recall. So I have to declare a personal prejudice in favour of keeping lead shot. For shooting on the river I have had to switch to a newer gun that can handle non-lead shot. That said, I understand the public discomfort with the potentially toxic effects of lead. Public discomfort can be exploited by politicians keen to win votes and therein lies a very real danger to shooting. Were a viable alternative to lead available then I think most shooters would accept change, but there isnt and until there is I believe that lead shot must stay. And now I must offer my apologies if I am absent from the forum for a while, I have about 40 messages from people through facebook and on email who are also asking questions of me. Mart.

On the CE qualities, the response is an adaptation of a list that I put together with a school governing body when we were faced with recruiting a new headteacher. It is from a research project conducted, I think by the LSE, and was adapted by us to recruit a head. Its not 'all my own work' by any means but it is a most useful framework to use. Interestingly, the selection process for headship identified a man who turned a school with 36% A*-C pass rate up to a school with 80% pass rate in five years. A remarkable endorsement of the selection criteria. Its from my school web page.