cumbrian top shot

PM's sent chaps.

Evening everyone, I am looking for some new beaters this year as some of the old guard we have are retiring from doing most days we hold, and poss looking for some extra flankers to assist us this coming season, if you would like any details please PM me for further details, we usually have a keepers day as well if stocks permit, we had a cracking season last year breaking all records. Many thanks

Hi Kelvin, Best thing to do is apply to one of the gamekeeping college's like Sparsholt or Newton Rigg and gain some extra qualifications and you'll prob get a placement on a shoot as part of your course, you'll get more experience working with headkeepers or beat keepers on shoots and maybe just maybe you could get taken on once college is finished, speaking from experience a lot of jobs you see advertised nearly all ask about experience, its not all about shooting vermin, its bloody hard work and can be very long hours,I'm not saying you won't get a job without going to college but it will make it easier to get a job in the keepering world, I hope you find yourself a job even a part time one just helping out, the more experience you get the better.

There is no minimum height for the ladder traps but I have two running now one 8x6 and the other 6x6, and there working fine, we have made the holes big enough for the crows to drop in but you need to hang mesh down either side of the ladder to make it harder for them to fly back up and attempt to get out of the ladder also both ends of the ladder blocked off or they climb up the sides and out, I'm not telling everyone how to do it as everyone has a way what works best for them but this what works best for us and were catching now.

Evening all, I know its probably been asked before, but what size ideally is the holes in a ladder trap for carrions to drop through, many thanks.

Anyone come across any fox cubs yet?

Had Kings game cover chaps out today, doing soil tests and talking about improving our crops, they will send out a full report in the next few days regarding what the different plots need and we are getting a bespoke seed package for each plot, as we had the same trouble as some of the posts above regarding crops becoming flat before Christmas, I know it will cost us but if we do it right our crops should be shootable right through the season as were fairly exposed where we are and get hammered by wind in the winter months.

Just out of interest what breed of pheasant do you guy's release on your shoot and your reasons for choosing that breed, you hear so many stories regarding these "wonder breeds" nowadays, personally I think its just down to management and the topography of your land.

If anyone is interested from roughly 9-30am until 3-00pmish Newton Rigg college is having a workshop day about a few different things including gamebird welfare and disease issues, then as far as I know the afternoon is talks by guest speakers including Lindsay Waddell from the shooting times and a few others from the shooting world. I should mention the workshop day is tomorrow 4th March.

As the title says we are having our Christmas clay shoot this coming Sunday the 22nd December, it is a 50 bird sporting shoot with various bottles down to 10th place, there will be food on the day as well as cartridges, the ground itself is strictly fibre wad only. The shoot will start at 10-30am and last entries taken at 2-30pm. The price will be £15 first entry followed by £12 re-entry, the ground will be signposted from the village of Greystoke on the day of the shoot, if you require any further info feel free to PM me. I will also be posting this on our facebook page. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a great new year, Good shooting wherever your at.

Evening all, As the title says I am looking for a couple of beaters to assist us this coming Saturday, I know its short notice but a few of the regulars are away this weekend and I am short, so if your interested PM me and hopefully sort something out, beaters with dogs preferred please, we maybe have a space for a picker up to, we are located near melmerby in Cumbria. Many Thanks.

As the title says we have to cancel this bank holiday mondays clay shoot as the heavy snow and large drifts have blocked some of the ground and the whole access road we apologise and have no other choice, but the next shoot will be going ahead on the 7th April as we will have the snow cleared by then if we don't get anymore. If you require any info about the next shoot on the 7th April let me know on here or our facebook page. Thank you.

As the title says we have no choice to cancel this coming bank holiday mondays clay shoot as some of the ground and the whole access road are cut off due to heavy snow and large drifts we apologise but it can't be helped and the next shoot is on the following sunday 7th April by then we will have the snow cleared if we don't get anymore and hopefully see you on the 7th April. If you require any further info on the following shoot please let me know via here or on facebook. Thank you.

The RC50's are a 3" shell, the Hull Solway are ok but lack the firepower of the big shells in my opinion, my top choice by far is Winchester XX BB's best shell ever made its a pity Winchester stopped producing them you may get a similar load from Winchester in a turkey load or something in lead.

I used RC40's last season on decoying and had good results with them and will def use them again, as for RC50's top shell for when your flighting geese in scotland inland.

Its a tricky one when there is a shoot that release birds neighbouring yours and you don't put any down it does get frowned upon especially on the shoot which releases them, but what can they do if you don't, as you say it would go down better if you just put a few ex layers in and a few hoppers out and its showing them at least your putting some effort in, it happens all over the place shoots releasing and others not some work it out and have good relationships others just do there own things, I was just talking to a keeper today who rears 20,000 on there shoot and some of the woods over their boundaries are shot and they don't relase any but again what can you do apart from trying to keep dogging in on your own boundaries.

Sounds just like a partridge release pen especially with the panels around the bottom for shelter and netting over the top and there would be no pop holes in partridge pens, you probably could release birds in the pen but not so many by the sounds of it, also you say the wood is bare and not very warm so the birds will soon wander to find warmer shelter and cover, Ideally you need a good amount of cover to hold birds if its getting the wind alot the birds won't even roost in there.

neither did I but it's the way things have gone I have alwys thought whatever you want to know ask for it be it knowing alot of people or joining a forum as they seem to do nowadays if they don't know many people in the shooting world.

I think the whole idea of this forum is for people to ask for advice who are new to our sport which we all love, alot of the post's are from young ones coming through who haven't much idea on what to do, not all of them have been taught and past on the right and wrongs of shooting like some of us on here by our grandfathers, fathers,college etc, its good to see them asking advice before they go out and shoot something there not supposed to, I know sometimes they make mistakes and they learn from them, its good people post on here on whats the best way to go about gaining experiance, I will gladly help anyone wanting advice especially young guns as they are our future of shooting.

I like to decoy pinks inland and enjoy it its the same old thing like so many have said "restraint".

Glenogil is a osbourne run moor, he has a bit of a reputation for being ruthless on keepers but is very highly regarded and respected and is involved in alot of the big moors, I know one of the keepers there and it has been heavily invested in over the years by Mr Dodd as someone has already sais in a previous post and its certainly paying off it certainly is getting a reputation as one of the big moors to shoot over the border, lets hope this years weather is a bit kinder for those king of the gamebirds.

In some respects we haven't got the pigeons around here like they have further down the country but I do believe it's getting better all the time as more farmers seem to be growing more arable up here these days, I have seen some good numbers around over the past couple of months all be it I have put the miles in, I have had a few days this year around here on barley stubbles I had two 100+ days and a couple of 50+ days so my point is there around if you know where to look. I know guys who have been on guided days on the pigeons as I have myself up in north east scotland but there usually a few days shooting in the package as its a long way to go for one days shooting but beware they charge and it aint cheap but people pay for it and he is always taking people out, but don't go thinking you have booked a guide you'll get shooting.

Yes next shoot 3rd March, we now have the DTL trap so work is beginning asap to get that up and running just to add something else on aswell as the sporting as sporting is not everyone's cup of tea.

Sometimes we see him swinging through the tree's on the estate, the local village pub is full of pictures and posters from the legend of tarzan.

Thanks for all the replies guy's some new sawmills on there quite near to me that I have never even heard of.