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When I find myself feeling uncomfortable about the safety of a shooting set up I invariably shoot badly & end up moving on anyway? Unless there's serious numbers or the farmer is anxious about the crop it might be worth looking further afield?(But I'm quite nervous about things generally).

Striking picture & you can see the reptilian ancestry of birds;It's a god job you did not take this picture in S****horpe.

The day ended with the satisfaction dial back reading high.Speaking only for myself I know that when the wheels come off shooting wise I can take it out on my dogs,(sometimes they have done no more than sit too close to my feet)! Then when the birds fall more regularly I can find myself making too much fuss of the dogs.No pigeons are really safe in your patch Motty.Exemplary report as usual.

I do like that! A timeless quality.

If you take the sport/pest control seriously then you should always have in the back of your mind a clean tidy up & a respectable outlet for the dead pigeons;It does involve a bit of work.I sense there are quite a few of us out there in our later years & the stamina levels get a little drained.Since last back end I have had difficulty getting an outlet for large numbers of pigeons.Our local big game dealer went out of business & this had a knock on effect on the only other two,smaller dealers who stopped taking pigeons last Xmas time. This now means disciplining myself to smaller bags that I can crown out (the same day in this weather);These I put into a marinade in the fridge for a couple of days & then bag up for distribution to food outlets locally. Crowning 30 or so birds ,cleaning & processing them adds another couple of hours to the day! Stopping at 25-30 birds is not crop control but it does give you more time to accumulate 'brownie points' & do some of the jobs you were going to do before you went pigeon shooting.Although I shall be glad to find another dealer in my patch who can market bigger numbers.

With yourself & JDog having good bags on turnips I shall be looking out for some in Herefordshire...I'm always a bit reluctant on the barley.As usual a skilled performance, making the most of an opportunity & by God you have some stamina!A good read once again.

Jesu joy of man's desire.No prickley barley awns in your socks &one of those unexpected days when it all comes together.I bet you slept well after that little session.Bravo!Was Jasper involved?

Thanks for the feedback 'inthedark', This is obviously a chronic (longstanding) 'otitis externa' which can be a ****** to sort out sometimes! As long as the Vets you saw were careful not to take the ear swabs within any topical ear treatment period,&other swabs were tested for both aerobic & anaerobic bacteria ,then we must assume that this is not an ear infection;(you can rule out ear mites with a chronic condition &many Vet worth his salt can diagnose ear mites with his eyes closed..I hope). That being the case,coupled with the fact there is Labrador in the breeding,might suggest that he may be suffering from 'atopic dermatitis'.This condition is allergic in origin (often difficult to establish the causal allergen I'm afraid), &causes a thickening of the skin lining the aural (ear) canal.This has the effect of occluding or narrowing the ear canal &restricting the amount of oxygen getting into the ear,thereby favouring anaerobic bacterial growth;These cause itching & excessive wax production.treatment with any ear drops will only affect a transient relief.There are three treatments for this condition...some more expensive than others, but I would treat my own dog with a drug called Apoquel if she had this.Prescription only I'm afraid so you need to consult your Vet again. There is an outside chance that the anaerobic culture has not been done,in which case a bug called Psuedomonas spp. may have been missed.This ear infection is severe and often causes ulceration & bleeding in the ear;Has he had any blood in his ears?Psuedomonas is often considered a surgical condition but does respond well to the right surgery.

Hello 'inthedark', I know this is not your dog but I need a bit of history to help you with this ear problem. First of all what breed is he/she, how old is the dog ,how long has the dog suffered from sore ears,what is it being fed on& where is the dog kept at home(inside centrally heated house or outside in a kennel) .Finaly did the vet take any swabs from the ears to identify the causal organism? In North Lincs you are too far away for me to be 'hands on' but I can give you some educated advice maybe?

You were on those birds!As always I like to see a man out with his dogs ,it seems to add a bit extra to the day.Thanks for the entertainment & for teaching me a new way to 'neck' a corvid...that's if I can master the technique;Crows take some finishing off sometimes &I like to do it humanely if poss.

You have a rare talent(s)...some of the best fishing shots I think I have ever seen & thank you for sharing. Have you ever caught a wild trout on a fly made predom. of fox hair,thus combining your various fieldsports? How do you get such clear shots whilst playing a fish?

I think I'm having trouble loading this?https://youtu.be/4mlmNdgApQw

Following the principle of 'setting up' where the birds want to be I unfortunately forgot about the other principles of getting the wind behind you, not having the sun in your eyes & that church bells will move the flight line;This resulted in a frustrating start to the morning of being unable to see the pigeons coming,shooting at going away birds &into the sun when it came out.I knew I should have moved earlier on but you always think things will sort themselves out. They didn't & I became more & more frustrated. Eventually I did move & wished I had done so earlier.I think I half wasted a lot of opportunities ...

Nice one Ollie.You actually missed a couple for a change!I wish I shot in such beautiful surroundings. TFP.

It's a bit unclear as to how many woods & shooters there are here, & who turned up late the first week? If there is only one wood,no matter what size, then it is not going to shoot two weeks running.Your 'guide' (who happily took too much money off you) should be rotating & resting his roost woods with a minimum of three weeks between shoots to get a likelyhood of sport. Two people in any wood is enough - the birds will flight in on paths as with any other pigeon shooting & weather conditions,but to put two more 'strangers ' in the same area is not on.For instance they may know the wood & likely flightlines etc.. & may well feel a resentment towards two other men shooting;They would then go for the best spots.You 'defo need to speak to both them & your guide to sort out the ground rules.Don't let him 'fob you off with the same wood each week ,that is not OK. Worth a word even if you walk away otherwise someone else is going to get the same ride next year?

I got more pleasure watching your video than I did going out in the constant rain yesterday for 26 birds,numb hands & 40 mins hanging up & cleaning all my gear/guns.Good to see an experienced gun bringing down birds from every angle & height;Also good to see that you eventually gave up telling the terrier to 'stay' because he was going to sniff out every bird he saw his master kill come what may!Keep them coming.

Wow! That is a Planet Earth special. Almost endemic these days. Thanks.

Such beautiful coutryside with the water in the distance.You guys are so quick on these birds-esp. the snipe! I would be standing there with my mouth open & too late to shoot?Savour what you have there.Thanks for sharing.I think the dogs have as much fun as you by the way.

Whilst snipe shooting on Bodmin a few years ago, our guide gave us an hour or two decoying 'Goldies'. He had a pocketful of two dimensional cut-out plover shapes with a wooden spike cut into the pattern & painted like Golden plovers(some very faded with age). He knew they liked to feed & rest up on that part of the moor.It worked quite well & we soon had 3 or 4 in the bag;We used to limit ourselves to a brace each per trip & although there are good numbers of them ,I think it's their beauty that makes you feel bad about murdering too many?I have one I 'stuffed' in my man shed as a reminder. We also used the trick of firing off a shot at out of range flocks of goldies which sometimes made them dive earthwards.

Another fantastic day out on the steep banks;My favourite kind of game shooting with an eager spaniel.A 'Keeper once said he'd had some success with hard mouthed dogs by wrapping a fresh bird in a couple of turns of barbed wire for a few retrieves? Never tried myself though. Thanks for posting.

I think we are all envious of that kind of shooting.minimalistic on kit , every shot in the book & a fine day out for the dog.You were on them too (as usu).Thanks for the post.

What a dog you've got there.Genuine & listens to his master & does not give up.Look after him!Accurate shooting as well. Thanks for posting.

Oh lucky men. I could feel the adrenalin running. Every now & then it all comes together & you guys made the most of it by the look of things;When two guns get a decent bunch come in it's natural for both guns to focus on the same target if they are hardened pigeon shooters.It's natural selection in action to make sure of a kill. This makes it difficult to bag 4 or more from each bunch.You both worked this one out by the look of it. Professional job.Thanks for posting.

You like that spot don't you;I remember previous flightline shooting videos in that same hedgeline?Some difficult curling,high shots pulled off there & great to watch.Typical terrier rushing out to one bird, quick sniff (& crunch??),then swiftly moving on to the next.Who'd be without one? Thanks for posting.

Tourist Board eat your heart out!I was casually having a quick peek between clients at work,& came upon your Scottish version of The Field. Better than taking a holiday yourself.Thank you for the post.