WOODIES WORST NIGHTMARE

I BET YOU COULD SELL EM ON EBAY !

I have to agree with Teal, there have been some silly prices for what I would call 'Poor Quality' Decoys paid out on ebay since Christmas, some have paid more than they cost from the manufacturer ! Whats that about ? I can only assume that lots of people get bought a gun for Christmas by their partners-decide they want to shoot pigeon and look to ebay for a 'Bargain'. I cant understand it, but then I see people paying £40.00+ for 'Realtree' jackets on the u.k. ebay site? I have bought six since October 03 from the states, and even with postage included, I have paid no more than £21.00 for any of them, they arrive within ten days if you use paypal, theyre new and packaged to withstand the rigours of the post office delivery system( Rugby players !) Oh well, each to his own eh W.W.N.

Hi Mike, calling up foxes during the day requires little more than it does at night, problem tends to be that they lay low and many even go to ground providing they're not hungry. Vixens respond well when they are busy looking for food for cubs........also young cubs will be easy to call, providing they have not been 'squeaked' before and educated through a missed shot etc. During daylight hours you have to move very quietly and get yourself into position where you will not be seen, then try to squeak them up. (I did squeak a couple this year whilst standing perfectly still on a bare field, they both ran to within three metres of me before I stopped squeaking and froze as I greeted them with a formal 'Hello' ! Last year, whilst pigeon shooting, I watched a hard shot bird struggle to the other side of the feild and settle in the hedge, within ten minutes I saw a Vixen pick up the bird and started to make off with it- I squeaked her, she stopped- turned around and made a bee-line in my direction whilst my father watched in amazement. As soon as she was within five metres of the hide, I stopped calling and gave her the obligatory 'Hello', she dropped the pigeon in shock! (Bloody good retreive by any standard !) If you are unable to call foxes using the back of your hand (my preference) then take a piece of polystyrene and a small piece of smooth edged glass with you, dampen the polystyrene slightly and rub it on the glass ( maybe teaching my grand-mother to suck eggs here - sorry if thats so) The sound is supposed to sound like a screaming rabbit (when being killed by a stoat) this will also work well for stoats, wild-cats, corvids, rats etc. (You will know youre getting good at it when you get mocked by Blackbirds, wrens, blue tits etc, Ha Ha !) Good luck...........W.W.N.

ANY OF YOU REMEMBER THE ELEY IMPAX? THAT WAS A GRAND LITTLE CARTRIDGE!.........I USE 'CLEAR PIGEON' WHEN AT THE WOODIES THOUGH, THEY SEEM TO DO IT FOR ME, AND THEYRE CHEAP..........COO !

BUZZER IS RIGHT, SOME OF THE WORST KILLS TO CARTRIDGE RATIOS I HAVE EVER SEEN HAVE BEEN FROM ROOST SHOOTS, BEFORE YOU START, DO TAKE A LOOK AT THE HEIGHT OF THE TREES THEY WILL BE LANDING INTO, THINK ABOUT THAT AS THEY FLY OVERHEAD ! AS THE LIGHT FADES IT CAN GET DECEIVING, ONCE AGAIN GOOD LUCK (WE WILL BE ASKING HOW YOU GOT ON !! ) W.W.F.

YOUVE HAD SOME EXCELLENT ADVICE SO FAR, ALL I WOULD ADD IS TO MAKE SURE AT LEAST ONE OF YOU HAS A GOOD DOG, AND TO LEAVE THE PICKING UP TILL THE END IF YOU CAN WHEN IT IS POSSIBLE TO CONCENTRATE ON THE DOG AS OPPOSED TO SHOOTING.....IF ITS AS GOOD AS YOU SAY, HOPE FOR SOME WIND AND THAT OTHERS ARE OUT AND ABOUT IN THE SURROUNDING WOODS.....IT WILL KEEP THEM MOVING. BEST OF LUCK, W.W.N.

got to agree, tis a wild goose for me !

Reading those recipe's made my mouth water, then I remembered a recipe given me by an old Norfolk Keeper for 'Shellduck' and thought I would share it with you! YOU WILL NEED THE FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS:- 1 x Plump Shelduck, 2x skinned and chopped onions, 1/2 lb streaky bacon, mixed herbs and a piece of chip-board 6 inch x 6 inch (freshly sawn. Take a nice plump Shelduck, skin it and wash thoroughly, pat it dry and wrap in bacon. Fetch a large pan of boiling water, add the Shellduck, chopped onions, mixed herbs and the piece of chip-board, bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for two hours. Check the duck has been well cooked, strain the juice into a bowl (this will be for the gravy) and place to one side. Finally, throw the duck into the nearest bin and eat the chip-board-it tastes better than the bl**dy duck !! :thumbs:

They be carrier pigeons then......................

That 'doggie style' joke reminded me of an incident a couple of weeks back - I walked into a pub and as I looked around whist waiting for my ale to arrive I noticed a group of blokes and a spaniel playing 3 card brag at one of the tables - I walked over as they handed the cards to the dog and watched in amazement as it picked up the cards and started to shuffle em, then it raised its glass, took a good swig of beer and putting the glass down it wiped the froth from its mouth and started dealing the cards !!!! I went a little closer, and quietly I said to one of the locals standing next to me 'Thats got to be the cleverest damn Spaniel I ever saw!' The local turned to me and laughed ' He aint all that clever - every time he gets a good hand, he wags his tail !'

:yp: I LOVE A SHAGGY DOG STORY !!!!!!!!!

Sam, best tip I can give you is dont shoot too many at the start of a drive if youre walking, your arms will be three feet longer by the time you finish the drive and you will have no strength left to raise the gun the rest of the day On a serious note I have always found 5's to be the best bet, and a nice tight choke. Good luck me old beauty!

Wookie, try finding a place where you can shoot em on the ground, throw a handfull of wheat down for a couple of days (same time of the day) then do it again on the third day but this time supplement their meal with a little lead ! They eat well too!

Hi Red Stag, I was thinking of writing a book on the joy's of catching course fish on wet fly, I was going to call it "Getting your flies down" FOR COURSE FISHERMEN :yp:

Depends on what you would use it for, I would also go for a really good second hand gun- Beretta is a good bet. Main thing is that it fits you, and it feels good in the hand....... if your'e using it for woodies, then remember that it may get a little scratched, and if youre not careful (and lucky!) it may get blooded from time to time. If its for clays then you may want to think about inter-changeable chokes. Don't settle on the first one you see (or the price) but do buy from a reputable supplier to save on possible heart ache later, good luck W.W.N.