strangford wildfowler

Where nothing gooes right!!!! Out this morning for flight and I was a mixed emotions from start to finish, but anything that could have went wrong did. Started out promising with a mallard flying straight over, I couldn't get the gun up quick enough and he was gone, shout down to my da but he couldn't pick the bird up. So from there on things started looking good I could hear a lot of ducks on out further in the bay, and as the light grew it erupted with mallard and teal, dad had a few cracking shots on a couple of really testing teal with the wind right up there backside, I on the other hand shot like a complete idiot, although I know where I was going wrong I was way behind them. So for my next shot I knew I had to give that bit of extra lead, anyway looking out into the bay I could see a right few seagulls and other species of birds, but something caught my eye about the seagulls something looked funny about two of them and as they got closer I realised that they werent gulls but two greylag coming straight for me, so I quickly fumbled a couple of steel BBs into the chamber of the o/u and lined the shot up with that extra lead and the moment of truth and....... Click, click the gun packed in and refused to fire!! I was raging, and for the rest of the morning there was mallard and teal flying back and forward and the same thing kept happening, click, click Not a good flight, although it was encouraging to see such numbers of wildfowl

Anyone shooting half decent bags of pigeons yet?? Had one bag of 26 over decoys but very little since.

Loved them when they first came out about 8-9 years ago, got the whole set that year

Excellent bag there dr d, down my way there is a huge amount of birds about, its great to see and the shootings second to none if you can get onto a flight line of birds, I had 25 yesterday for 83 shots not the best going but in that wind yesterday it was as you say memorable

if the wheels are the solid type take them off becuase sometimes the scrapman will charge u £5 a tire which is £20 out of your pocket, as it happened to me at work. We got £150 for are old one at work and we kept the batteries to use at work so u could probably get more if you gave in the batteries too

First year mechanic apprentice

Let me think... the whole list is elusive to me!! Although I was close to a teal last night which resulted in a miss

Nice going dr d, birds down here quite gun shy, but I'm getting a few

Are you lying down in the field? Just at the top of the weed???

Cheers flycoy I must have a go at this. SW

Shot sixteen, 13 crows 3 pigeons, wasn't much but for 3 hours it was great fun and I managed to pull off some nice shots, I'll not say how many cartridges I went through but lets just say it was a lot... Its also the biggest bag ive shot so far

Interesting to see how he does it, my dad has been doing it for years, but he never told me how...

Well an agreement has been made, in order to renew or get a certificate you will now be paying £98 instead of the supposedly £131 that was being lobbied for by the Department of justice. Also a variation has went up to £30 instead of the £89 the D.O.J wanted. Next year I will be applying for my first certificate under my own name, and with the pirces going up I hope that the system speeds up, if not I will be rather annoyed. Shooting as a sport is definitely getting dearer, well from my point of view anyway. Full article here. http://basc.org.uk/blog/press-releases/latest-news/northern-irelands-leading-country-sports-organisations-reach-agreement-on-firearms-licensing-fees-and-the-banded-system/ Edited to say good work from BASC and other shooting associations glad that our membership money is being put to good usage

Thanks MM if I am down your way I sure will get in touch. Atvb SW

Cheers fellas, Marsh man he is starting look housekeeping money off me soon as I'm off to scotland to worke hopefully (electrician apprenticeship) so it shouldn't be long until i'll be able to buy my own gear

Fellas thanks very much the help its very much appreciated. The decoys where fine the was no glare coming them as I moved them about, I had also placed some decoys on top of the laying rape that had not collected yet. Last year I had the same problem, and I had tried them pigeon decoys with the spinning wings on a bamboo cane kind of like an improvised bouncer, and to be honest they maybe pulled one or two birds in but they mainly scared birds away, and I was going to try it today and was hesitant to. I think its a case of not having movement in the pattern, the reason I say is because I was speaking to a local shooter who friend had been out and shot 52 which may not seem a lot to you gentleman on the mainland and of course to shooters on up the country in northern Ireland but for my area that is a stupendous bag, anyway this shooter had all the gear out flappers magnets bouncers you name it he had out. Time to raid the piggy bank I think, or my dads at least! Again thanks for the help, and if anything pops into your head please let me know.

Having a few problems at the minute regarding the decoy pattern... Today was disappointing to say the least, I arrived at a rape stubble and some 200 birds lifted off the field, and I thought to myself happy days I'll get a bit off shooting today, but of course it did not go to plan... I set a hide up which was well made and hard for the human eye to pick up even at a range of 20 yards, which I was rather pleased about considering I'm a young shot and basically a novice when it comes to decoying pigeons. Next was to set the pattern up, so oit I went and set up half a dozen shell decoys and a couple of crow decoys to the side all I have is 8 deeks in total. I began to shoot and the first bird arrived back within 10 minutes and I killed him with my second shot, unfortunately he landed in an uncut field of rape seed on the other side of the field, and I went out to collect him with the Labrador and we had a good look but the dog couldn't find it and I didnt want to damge any rape so I left it for mr fox to find. Back to the shooting and I fluffed a couple of shots then a big shower of rain came through, it rained hard for about half and hour but I stuck jt out in the hope that the birds would feed hard after it ( it had rained all morning amd it was about 2pm ) but as soon as the rain was over the pigeons where out in forceand he the problem lies. The pigeons where quite high and were not being drawsed into the decoys, I changed the pattern round.acouple of times but to no avail, the birds simply didn't see the decoys, is movement a must have in the pattern and if so what is the best way to solve the problem? And also the cheapest. Any advice is greatly appreciated, and if anyone has any other tips on how to draw in birds (the feathered kind please) Thanks for the help, cheers SW

Great vid, always good to get a few corvids out of the way

I thought they would have been a heavier load, I have some of the lead 3 1/2" cases in number 2s and there 66 grams

A friend does crossfit and they dont half turn fat into muscle, hes doing crazy amount of weights and is starting to bulk up very quickly

Well done PC, but there always something I wonder when was the last time you didnt shoot whennout decoying?

My dads a few kicking about somewhere I think, must shoot a few to see what there like

I have one of these, excellent guns imo, and mines battered too and hasnt let me down by which I mean mechanically. Good luck with the sale

U learn something new everyday, thats an interesting post underdog

Fenboy is right baikel are bomb proof, my dad has one and it handles 3 1/2" shells with ease his is semi auto and its reliable too cant go wrong with them I think