Elk hunter

Social Zero Day....Spare Places Available. I've a couple of spaces on my zero day in Leicestershire on Monday 2nd November. Plenty of reactive steel for all, starting at 9am till 3pm then down to the farm for a meal. 100-700 yard targets for CF 50-250 yard targets for RF My day has gone from strength to strength and only have a max of 18 on any given day. Many regulars but wish to increase my small data base keeping the days interesting. Great fun day with light minded shooters from all walks of life. Meeting shooters with a passion for long and short range. The is by invite only and £25 including the meal. Open ticket and Shooting insurance in a must. Any more info please contact myself. Andrew. This advertised elsewhere too.

I don't get it I, as I said not every everyone's cup of tea yet some feel the need to express the distaste. Get over it move on if you have nothing constructive to say. Funny how people see stags as this majestic animal that should be wild. But are quite happy to bait, decoy or even trap other forms of wild life and call it sport. So please if you don't like it leave it and look at another topic. Kind regards Andrew

The stag is in a park couple hours south of me and no you haven't seen it. I was told open to offers but I expect over £2-3k he's Woben Abby size but not the price. Kind regards Andrew.

One of my clients is having to reduce his herd and this 30 plus point animal is one of them. Anyone wishing to make a serious offer or any more details please pm me. I don't realy deal in trophy heads now so all offers will be passed on to my client, if excepted he will deal with you directly. It's a park animal that has to be culled and I know not all agree with this but please I wish to keep this thread civil. Kind Regards Andrew.

What a nice way to spend a day. Andrew

Expencive lesson. But just let it go as others have said, saying something will achieve nothing in the long run. Andrew

I like the idea of a smoke pole but I would need a wever rail and some glass fitted. Good fun once you get used to the Click......Fizz...............BANG! Andrew

You don't have to swim in the sea to find sharks. Andrew

There's a debate on the SD that was closed recently to do with this company. The customer has the police involved now and not a good read. Andrew

Done see the issue. Many pay large sums for land leases for deer stalking and may only go a handfull of times a year. £300 is cheap shooting and like many things in this world now you have to pay to play. Someone will snap it up and well done to to op for offering it to PW members. Andrew

Goto Rifle. I'm fortunate to own a good collection of rifles for vermin and deer but alway go to two in the collection 80% of the time. But in my c/f collection for deer I can use .223, 243, 25-06, 257, 6.5 &308. But my 308 TRG only gets used for park deer, stunning old Steyr 243 only goes out if the sun shines, 257 WMag (let's not go there) 6.5 not enough love and so on. Till I get to my Tika S/S in 25-06 bought 17 years back s/h from minsterly ranges. Still has the old 6x42 swarovski with 26mm tube on that I fitted the day I bought it. Took it for a spin yesterday and off the roof of the van using 100 sp home loads still key hole 2 rounds @ 100 yards. It's accounted for more deer than I can remember, when going north it always comes with me even if when I take other rifles with me it will always come out the slip. It's old, not perticularly pretty but so reliable, it's my goto rifle as the rest seem to be luxury items. Do you have one! Andrew Two 25cal but only one got too.

Looks a nice place to sit for a while. Good shooting. Andrew

Thoses who have read my recent threads know I've taken up taxidermy 10 months ago. Although still an amateur my workshop is perry much kitted out and love to tuck myself away there. I've do many corvids on my own and a roe under supervision. It was time to stretch my legs and my Border Fox I shot has been a full solo mount from field to foam so to speak. Well I've finally finished it. My Border Fox. After removing from the tanning solution the skin needed a good wash to remove the formic acid and the fox smell. Warm water and washing powder. Good wash Into the tumbler to remove some of he moisture before I thinned the skin down on my grinder. This is done to help when the skin dries, it shrinks and the thinner it is the less it shrinks. Took me a good couple of hours as the more preparation done the better the finnish. Next onto the test fit. This is to see where the form fits or needs work. Either adding some clay or removing some foam. Although the form was small enough in length it needed building up on the neck and face. All a learning curve but worth the time, but adding the eyes stated to bring things to life. Test fit Filling out The skin fitted well and soon came together looking like a fox although half drowned. My daughter helped where she could pinning up the mouth and ears. Most of my time was spent tweaking, moving and pulling the hide to get the look I wanted. Then a pile of pines were added to stop anything moving as it dried. Helping hand. Pinning. Finally dry and looking good. For my first mammal I'm over the moon with the results. He's not perfect and I've learned plenty which has made even more enjoyable mount to do. Looking forward to doing another when they have stopped moulting. Funny how I take more notice of dead thing at the side of the road. Andrew.

Field Skinning A Fox. I was up in the borders at the weekend deer stalking and Saturday was glorious but windy. Came through the trees onto some clear fell and something caught my eye. A fox in full winter coat trotting through the brash. Quickly lay down and dropped a 6.5 round into it, let's say he stopped abruptly. Good size for up north. Coat almost as good as my dog. He was a beauty and was not going to waist it and I carried it back to base. I got out my Tavel Taxidermy set that I made from the van. As the weather was warm I decided to have a go outside on the grass. I've been dying to do this on an animal in the open for a while now. Just had to try. To start with a couple of measurements were needed, eye to nose and across. After this I could set about capping off the skin. I wanted the skin removed like a glove so I did not have an stitches or cut line showing on the finished mount. Cut all the way round it's torso and lower front legs. As it was so fresh the skin came away easily, but still had to be carful no to nick the skin. Peeled it up over it's forehead and under round the neck. Measure twice. Cut once. Took minutes to get this far but stopped at the eyes. More care has to be taken here onwards as it's very difficult to patch up around the eyes, need to keep all the iner eye lid intact. Down around the lips and over the nose, again care taken as its very thin and hard to correct later if an unwanted hole is here. Almost there. Like a glove. When the skin was removed a took the old converted table knife. This is used to split and part the ears, the result is enabling them to be turned inside out. The first ear went to plan inside out all the way to the tip. but the second I managed to push to hard and fast with the knife resulting in a small rip at the back of the ear. Something to remember but fixable with care. Me old knife In all the hole prosess took no more than 30 minutes to do, so I then capped the rest of the skin off including the tail. Looking forward to mounting it and I feel a David Crokett hat coming on with the rest of it! Andrew

The rabbit could just be changing to summer coat nothing more sinister than that. I hope! Andrew

While on the Bay some weeks back I came across a Victorian Taxidermy Kit for sale. Thought that would be a great thing to have in the back of the van while on my travels as I do come across some interesting things with work. So I set about finding one on the net........like rocking horse poo whould you believe. I found a couple in the states but because it was a full kit with knife it could not be shipped. Found one here in the uk and it was nasty and couldn't waist my money ont. So the only thing to was make my own Victorian travel kit. Went into the workshop and pulled out my leather tools ect and set to work. The idea was a prototype as I'd not used leather in years. The piece was very dry but easy to work with and stitch. Had a plan and the tool intended to fit in so fairly straight forward. All hand stitch with a piece of red antler to finish but I put 3 brass rivets in and I do reget it but I intend to do another with some better leather. After finishing it drank a gallon of oil and although supple again the outside is rough to touch but I'm well happy and looking to try it out. Andrew

I like that little beauty, hope it shoots as well as it looks. Andrew

I like the Pheasent in flight, cracking. Andrew

This morning I went out with the dog and my daughter wanted to come. "you can't come like that your all dressed up" I said as nail polish and a dress arent shooting cloths. "I'm in flower camo and I can" she said. "you can drop her off at her cousins party then" came the voice from above. "ok let's go" I said. Grabbed a gun and headed up the farm. On our travels I saw a nice fat crow still in winter plumage, ideal to mount. Trying to keep a 4 year old quite while stalking is dam near impossible. As we crept within range of sub 100 yards I lay down with daughter in "camo" stood still. Either I was lucky or I'd found the dumbest crow on earth. We were so visible we could be seen from space. Never the less I managed to squeeze a round off and the crow dropped on the spot. Willow run to retrieve it shouting "I'll get that pesky crow". She bloody fearless, it's the Scottish blood in her. She insisted on a trophy picture to sent to her gran. God love her she even carried the bounty all the way back to my van. Then had another picture for the dad & daughter album I have. One for gran The green mile One for the album By 10.30 we were back in the van heading to my brothers for a birthday party. A perfect morning, happy dog, happy dad, happy daughter. Such a cool kid even in camo! Andrew.

It amazes me how the wing tips turn up and it perfect symmetry. Andrew

That's a nice fox, little different in colour to the normal. I'm desperate to shoot and mount one as my next taxidermy project. But Unfortunatly down here they are starting to molt there coats, so I'm just going to have to wait for a month. Andrew

15 years ago I bought a Rimfire from Western Game Fair when all the dealers took all there stock giving us all plenty to choose from. Anyways I found a beautiful Wather Sportmodell V in a heavy walnut stock, with fine checkering, inlay and horn forend. After research through the walther forums and contact with Walther the rifle was an Nazi SS Training rifle and made 1939. It was heavily sporterised after the war by a Gentleman who had it to look like his large game rifle, as they were a very well built and accurate. The rifle was originally a single shot but was converted to a magazine fed which is extremely rare, the workmanship is amazing and also a small fortune was spent on it. I bought for a song but came with a couple of issues, no magazine and no scope. I've managed to adapt a BSA Sportman 5 magazine over the years, which works well. The gun is very accurate and the bolt is silky smooth. But the scope, now I've been hunting for year to find the correct one. The rifle has peep mounts and originally had an Ajax x2.5 powered scope with a diameter of 26.5mm with elevation only. A couple of weeks back I tracked one down and bit the bullet. It arrived last week and could not wait to get it on and try. The rifle is (almost) back to how it was when customised 70 odd years ago and with the mulit shot convertion it may be the only one, as ive been unable to fine another. Plus being able to use open sights and telescopic on the same gun is a bit of a novelty but fun. After a right good plinking section yesterday afternoon, using both sights on paper and rocks, I need to take it into the field. Early evening walk around the farm was needed. Around 6pm saw a rabbit near the lakes and crept in. Kneeling shot at 80 yards, rolling the bunny over using the scope. Over the moon and looking forward to summer evening walks this year. For a rifle the same age as my father is in far better condition. Andrew

The easiest way to get out is to buy a day or two peigion shooting. At £30 a day DIY setup its a cheap sport plus crows and rooks will be on the menu too. Good luck. Andrew

I've been trying to purchases a 3 Axis Mounting Stand of my taxidermy for the past week. There's nowhere in the UK that has any, then buying one from abroad becomes very expense. The only alternative was to make one. Went up to the farm workshop and went through the scrap bin and steel pile looking for suitable bits. I had the dimensions and a rough drawing to work from. Found what I needed and started with box steel and steel pipe. As I was working I could here a commotion coming from the back of the lambing shed. Looking Rough. Grabbed a rifle and headed over, to find the corvids dancing around a young lamb. Found a suitable hole and nailed a sucker. Nipped out and collected my bounty before heading back. Over the morning I bagged another 3 rooks, two with one shot by the feed trough and another on the water trough. Bounty Floater Managed to get my stand finished by mid afternoon. All to do was paint after sanding, the wields aren't the best but acceptable for an amateur fabricator. Back home I set up the mount on the bench and it works a treat. But I had 4 birds to bone and pack into the freezer before finishing. Painted And it works Didn't stop there after boning the crow I carried on and mounted it athough not fully finished. But all in all a very productive day. Andrew. Finished for the day

I think roe, red, are majestic. Still shoot them. It's not endangered, so what's the problem. Andrew.