jall25

Same as lots of the lads say though Clanger - whats large scale 50 / 100 / 200 birds a day - or 200 a week or so many birds per acre ? Very hard to say Im not into days now over circa 150 - i like to see the lads shoot and miss the birds which on a bigger day you dont get - as you are simply shooting I wonder though about the loss of supplementary feeding and vermin control in the countryside if driven days have gone - what reason will the landowners have to keep the woods and who would manage them The wild bird plots - would they be gone and the hedges flailed to death ? I think careful for what we wish Im no huntsman - but i tip my hat at the vison the hunters had inn the past when they created the spinneys and woods for their sport

I dont bud - i think you boys that are complicit with this ridiculous practice - if indeed it happens - need to get real and grow a pair As i say Dont shoot there Dont beat there Dont pick up there Dont fox there Soon realise the right way and the wrong way Over the years i have shot on some big days - to be honest massive days - but all the birds were processed or collected by game dealers

Lol - Get real Rim Fire - any idea how many chickens we eat - every day Its about education - and showing people how to use the birds - I wish we could "make" schools / unis / hospitals utilise game birds and indeed venison

If that is the case Rim Fire - i honestly have no idea why anyone would Shoot them Pick up on the shoot Or beat on that shoot

You stated you had seen birds being dumped with your own eyes If they were rotting did you check they had not been breasted ?

🙂

You have an odd take on things really though You like eating it - so whats the problem - eat it ? Unless of course the " i saw people dumping birds " - is someone else told me yada yada yada I dont mean to be funny with you but i have been on dozens - and dozens ..... and dozens of different shoots Some / many commercial - and whilst i have little interest in them - other than the ones that grow wild bird covers - supplementary feed - dont overstock ( not all commercial shoots do ) - ensure all birds pricked are at least attempted to be retrieved - i have never once seen birds dumped

Well i would imagine to eat them ? You saw birds dumped - not good on the shoot You want to eat them Win - win ? No ?

Well why dont you go to the shoot and discuss it with them Or even take the birds off their hands ?

I believe so - but to hear some on here then no We give ours to beaters / guns / pickers up - the neighbours When i shot on commercial shoots many would give and then indeed sell oven ready birds It seems odd to me that Holloway saw birds being dumped - but none were fit to eat -

What and none where were ??

Good points Scully We shoot 100-125 on our shoot - once a fortnight on average We could easily give 200 birds away each shoot I suppose we cant make people eat more game - but its like so mnay have no idea what they are missing When you have seen birds bein dumped - what did you do ?

Been out today too using my thermal and the shotgun I was amazed how many i saw -as im always at them Anyway as i walked and shot - they hid in the trees - on the trunk - in the branches - in the forks I managed 19 in 2 hours Be back out again after our next driven day

Conor I think we have sort of missed the point - i and all my shoot are more interested in song birds / woodland birds etc I spend so many hours telling people of the damage they do and i cant see mention of nest / egg / chick destruction Please correct me if i am wrong and have missed it as i have a bit on Maybe i did read it wrong - was magpie not allowed to be controlled in Wales for conservation before ?

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Thank you for the kind words chaps

Derek Roe - Obituary Last week saw the passing of a true gentleman - a friend - a mentor - a second father. He served as a young man in the Royal Air Force where he found his passion for the countryside. A man i am so proud to have known Mr Derek Roe 92 years of age - and still with a mischievous twinkle in his eye until the very last A key member of Monk Wood shoot in Barlow for over 35 years - during which time he designed and oversaw the establishment of his lake - Derek's pond - he actually dedicated it to my grandfather - such was the man - so it now displays two plaques. This will now become his resting place for eternity as his ashes are to be scattered into its waters. Until his mid 80's he was a regular at "work parties", planting new hedgerows, filling feeders or bagging wheat. Over the years his generosity provided shooting on his peg to his army of friends - as being a member of Monk Wood - Crich - Carlton in Lindrick - Two Dales - Wheatley Grange and Ockbrook shoots opportunities arose , and he got so much pleasure from giving others access to our sport. Being a member and indeed on many a shoot the founding member - gamekeeper - shoot captain all rolled into one, his knowledge, skills and indeed passion were always in high demand, sometimes whether asked for or not ! I have sat in many a shoot meeting that has descended into 3 ,4 or more despite the best efforts of the chairman ! He loved his day's sport and he loved then reliving it in the pub afterwards and as a young lad I have fond memories of evenings in establishments such as "The Three Legged Stool" , "The Hare and Hounds" and "The Red Lion". A self proclaimed "dog man" - and so many that have ever shot with him will recall the shouts of SUE SUUUUEEEEEE - well above the other hustle and bustle of shoot day ! My, how we laughed ! Indeed despite owning many dogs, always Labradors, as spaniels were good, but nothing beats a Lab he would say - he only ever chose that one name - Sue. After the tears and the heartbreak - shoot day arrived last week as it undoubtedly would - he would want the show to go on - no doubt - so out from the cabinet came HIS gun - a William Evans SBS that he had saved up for so hard all those years ago, a gun that could tell many a tale. It was now my gun - gifted to me years ago -I was awful with it - missing waves of birds cleanly - but that day it did not matter - this was a day to hold what was his and remember the good times. My first Canada goose with this gentleman or our days walking up wild grey partridges amongst the sugar beet and potato tops. Maybe it's fitting that the last time I saw him the week before his passing I told him of a large covey of greys frequenting one of our wild bird plots - greys that would be left un-saluted as they passed the gun line. But that's how we were, him, me and so many others, decades or even half a century or more apart in age - connected through a love of our sport and a love of the countryside. As well as a countryman - he was a lifelong "motor man" and had many loyal customers who became friends - and this "motor man" mentality was always evident as when you went to see him never forget his "brace" or his "bit of venison" - and in return some home made jars of pickled onions or cauliflower. His last birthday saw him attend the shoot with his daughter and rock - Gill - the smile on his face and the puffing of his chest as he once again stood proud over his happy hunting ground was enough to bring tears to the eyes. As he recounted how he designed and oversaw the construction of the lake .... again .... I laughed inside, and wondered how many more times Gill would hear that , that particular night and that week ........ Derek Roe - a man small in stature but the biggest giant in personality - shoot well and straight old friend - now you can go and have that day rabbiting with our pal Pat

Not sure about that Vermin is vermin End of I think it did - i think it had long lasting effects We still talk about it - liberty and lively hood

But isnt that the sad sad thing - we have hundreds of thousands of people interested and participating in shooting - but we could not muster more than a handful or sackful of letters

YUCK

Totally agree Many years ago - some chaps in our syndicate were pushing for us to release ducks on our lake over and over again I said to them - good luck in your new syndicate - goodbye Ducks should be savoured at first or last light as they arrow across the skyline - awesome - wild - move at the wrong time and they flare away - a bit like pigeon really

And yet with so little effort - getting wild ones to breed and stay is really so easy We must try harder I think the thing with greys is the fact they flush in coveys too - and are so hard to push over guns

Over 500 now

Yes i totally get that - and they can bury 10 email - or 100 - but once they start getting 1000 ? Then questions have to be asked I think all the organisations should ask us all to put pen to paper - but as i have said before - the death of our sport will be inaction and the someone else will do it attitude

Write and complain Get the syndicate members to do the same