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I shook the keeper's hand, thanked him for the day, then went to my car and sanitised my hands before driving home. No big deal.

We did, I'm on the right!

Cheers Geoff, they're much better.

I've been playing with the scanner to turn paper into pixels for some old photos. Can't remember why we ended up bottle feeding these orphans. A few years later and after a wet crawl. Must be 25 years ago. This was one of my best days at the pigeons with my mate Jim. Think we got 65. Some time in the '90s A day on the hill with another pal, Bob of PW. This must be 15+ years ago.

So Basil Brush is in Spain now?

Well done. Open sights too.

Imagine the damage he could do in a pheasant pen, duck pond, on the river bank ...

My 8 year old black lab has been having spasms with his back leg. Seems to be an involuntary straightening of his leg like a horse kick. Happened for the first time yesterday when out walking and at times he was carrying the leg, then he went back to normal. I hoped it was finished with but today it's happening again. If it continues I'll get him to the vet obviously but wondered if anyone else had seen this.

Too true!Earlier...

How many of the competition will still be going strong when they're 50+? This spring chicken is only 45.

At about 2 minutes into the vid the wounded goose was shot again at ground level. Not really the done thing in my experience and I certainly wouldn't want any newbies trying it at, for example, a pheasant shoot.

This is why anyone seen being casual with where they point their gun must be challenged immediately. I wouldn't be surprised if there had been earlier opportunities to pull him up about his muzzle awareness. I'm amazed there wasn't more damage done from only 10 feet distance even with clay cartridges! If he was three times the driving limit the morning after, he must have been in a mess the night before.

It happens, you've done all you can and probably more than some to find it. Red deer can go a long way with a hole in them but in this case I would think the beast is only grazed. Next to no blood and a small animal hit with a big calibre would be lying not far away if it was more than grazed. I agree with the above advice - get the target out and try it at 50 yards to see where it goes. I assume you have it zeroed for a greater distance?

'Empty belt and one bird'! Nice one, make that your signature! Missing easy ones and hitting good ones is not an unfamiliar story. Now you've had a taste for it I'll be amazed if you can wait a whole year to go again. The season is only just beginning...

Good shooting and dog work right enough. I got a surprise when you shot over your dog's head! Not something I would encourage unless you were very confident he wasn't going to move.

Avoid cheap Chinese saws from ebay. Ask me how I know! Husky and sthil are expensive but, from what I can gather they are worth it.

A couple of pheasants landed in the middle of this pond and my old lab and family pet showed up the 'proper' gun dogs and retrieved them both. That's my boy! Not quite to hand but never mind. Poor quality video clip....

The person who raised the alarm and collared the dog with his belt was, at the time, walking his own dog. It was a staffie also On the face of it, it seems unlikely a staffie would have the stamina to run down over 20 sheep in a field but then again sheep are the stupidest animals and who knows how long the rampage had been happening. Could have been at it for hours.

Cheers Davy that's interesting. I'll pass that link on.

Sorry if this has been posted before. Here's an email I recieved a few weeks ago. "These two gents were calling elk in the Saddle Hills south of Woking , Alberta when this big guy slipped in on the caller. The Shooter spotted the bear about 8 yards from the caller and dropped him with 5 shots out of his 338 Win Mag.. Farmers in the area knew about the bear but weren’t able to track after it had killed 3 horses, 5 cows, 13 sheep and a pen full of chickens on several different homesteads in the area. Fish and wildlife had bear traps set up in the area but noticed on surveillance video that whenever a he would enter a trap, his hump would hit the top of the culvert trap slowing him enough that the trap door would wack him on the head before he was all the way in the rear. Check out the scar tissue on his face….. Bear weighed in just under 1300 pounds and would have stood 11 ¾ feet tall on its hind legs….." and this was a video someone took while hunting deer from a high seat http://www.wimp.com/curiousbear/ At least we don't have to worry about these beasties when out and about in the UK!!

^^ I hope he was less than 8 years old.

Archie and Murdo

If your unsure always put the lead on towards the end of the drive. Nothing worse than your dog running in or working too far in front and spoiling the drive. Keep it in aboot!

Our shoot is a walk one stand one affair and the bag is normally 80+ per day. This year it has been about half that. The birds have wandered off. Whether this is down to the mild weather and natural food supply or bad management I don't know. It's a diy shoot so only ourselves to blame.