semi-auto

Thank you all for your advice. He doesn't do this every time, about 80% of the time. Strangely enough, he found a squab the other day, just learning to fly. He picked this with no problem and several months ago he dived into a bush and brought me a woodcock. I do worry though that he is getting bored with dummies, although he seems keen enough. I do limit the number of retrieves and try to vary the distance and type of retrieve (e.g. blind retrieve up to 80-100 yards, together with much shorter thrown retrieves). With the shorter retrieves, he is more consistent and less prone to pausing. As Dave at kelton suggests, this may be self induced as when, as part of his earlier training, I threw two dummies, as a way to choosing which to retrieve, I did chastise him (gently) for not retrieving the dummy I indicated. Perhaps this is the cause??

I am having a problem with my 19 months old Labrador. I acquired him when he was 8 months old. His working pedigree is outstanding, but his previous owner had had a heart attack shortly after getting him and had done absolutely nothing with him. The dog had spent his time in a kennel with another dog and little, or anything else. He didn’t know what a ball was and certainly had no idea what a lead was for, so it was clear that a walk was new territory for him. He was also hand shy and very anxious. That is now largely history! His training was slow, but now he is absolutely steady (even to shot), will respond to the whistle, will take direction and retrieve dummies to hand with good presentation. The problem is that when sent for a retrieve, he will find the dummy and then pause to take a good look around before picking it up and bringing it back. It is almost as if he is seeking confirmation that I want him to retrieve that particular dummy. I have tried encouragement, waving my arms around, shouting ‘good boy’, taking a break from retrieving, but he still pauses for up to a minute or so, before picking the dummy up and bringing it back. If anything, the problem is getting worse rather than better. Any suggestions from those more experienced than I.

It refers to large numbers of people flocking back here from India to avoid situation there - hoping to be safer here - but in fact possibly bringing back infections that may spread here. And have. Just see the rate of infection in Bolton and other places in the North now attributed to people returning from India.

Have just negotiated another Amazon order without falling into any of the Amazon Prime traps laid for the unwary, or at least think I did. My brother wasn't quite so lucky and had to spend a morning disentangling himself from Amazon Prime.

Had an automated phone call a couple of days ago purporting to be from Amazon saying that I had taken out a subscription to Amazon Prime and I should press '1' so that they could deduct the £79 from my bank account. I checked with Amazon and as I suspected, it was a scam. Amazon told me that they never telephone customers. What made me think was that I had placed an Amazon order a couple of days earlier and you are never sure that you have clicked the right buttons to avoid Prime. Amazon informed that this was likely a coincidence, but it's happened twice before.

Justice Sweeny described him as "dangerous", and yet here he is, walking amongst us!

I admit I am addicted to programmes like Police Interceptors, Traffic Cops and more recently that which deals with assaults on police officers.This despite my wife wanting to ban me from watching these, as the paltry sentences handed down sends my blood pressure through the roof. The programme about assaults on officers is particularly galling as the sentences are ridiculously lenient. The programme screened yesterday was particularly bad for the blood pressure. Following a routine traffic stop (no insurance) the driver attacked the officer with a machete, inflicting serious injury. The offender was charged with, amongst other things, attempted murder, of which he was found not guilty. How the devil is this possible? If you beat someone around the head with a machete, how can anyone say you do not intend to kill them? Admittedly, he was banged up for 16 years. Other assaults featured, including punching/kicking and biting officers resulted in ridiculously paltry fines, community service and victims surcharge. Most police officers laugh when you mention community service. I am told that most offenders simply do not bother to turn up and if they do, they spend most of the day smoking and drinking tea. If you strike a key worker in the execution of their duty, this should mean prison time - no ifs or buts! When will the judiciary actually start to support the police? An acquaintance of mine who was a magistrate (no longer) had a very liberal attitude until he was the victim of a street robbery. At this point he was all about taking a cricket bat to the feral gangs roaming the streets with robbery in mind!

Oh dear! The teachers at the school for which I work, have worked throughout the Lockdown period, providing online lessons (more than 200 laptops were provided for students without access to computers at home) and, planning future lessons, just in case they fell victim to the virus. All students were contacted on a daily basis, lessons delivered, homework set and marked and pastoral care put in place for those who required it. This included counselling for those students displaying mental health issues. Meals, not only for students at the Academy, but also their younger siblings were provided. In addition, the Academy's sponsor provided food baskets for the more needy families in the area. Planning for September has been an enormous task, not only in terms of keeping students safe, but also making 'catch up' provision. I cannot understand those who believe that teachers have been sitting on their hands for seven months.

What an absolute farce the exams fiasco is proving to be. My granddaughter was offered a place at Durham University on the basis that she achieved three A grades. Well beyond me, but star that she is, she was awarded two A*s and a B (although her teacher graded her as an A). Although we were led to believe by the Government that universities would show some latitude, this was not the case for Durham, who declined her a place. We can't help but feel that this is because of her disability and the fact that she attended a state school. Of course, all this changed when the Government decided to accept teacher assessments. This, of course meant that she now has two A*s and an A - above the required grades. Can she speak with someone at Durham to clarify that she has a place - no chance. Durham issued a statement suggesting that students in her position might (just MIGHT be given a place in 2021), i.e. put her life on hold for a year - not going to happen! My view is that the original offer is binding on the university and they should now reconsider and reinstate their original offer of a place. Can't help but feel very sorry for all of the young people who have failed to secure a place in further education through no fault of their own. If Durham renege on their offer they should hang their heads in shame!

Yes, I remember it well. My shooting partner was in the States on business, and I thought why not? He came back on the same day as the magnet arrived. It had cost in excess of £100 and when he saw it, he fell about laughing, saying I had been ripped off. Off we went, only to find the birds feeding on a drill on the next field over, which we could not shoot. I suggested we try the magnet and pull the birds over to where we could shoot, probably 200 yards or so. He thought it best to look elsewhere. After some argy-bargy, I won the argument and he helped set up in bad grace constantly muttering that it was a waste of time. Five minutes in the hide and two birds came over for a look - their last. Needless to say, the magnet worked like a dream. In fact my mate was so excited that he shot the battery lead! Total score that day was 104. Nowadays, I like to shoot without a magnet or flapper if at all possible - old style!

I can only agree with Retsdon. Just what is the Government waiting for? I firmly believe that the powers that be are waiting for the number of cases to hit a particular trigger figure (perhaps 1000) and then, and only then, will they act. Of course, by then it will be too late - a matter of closing the stable door! I fully expect, within the next fortnight, to see a ban on large gatherings, sporting events behind closed doors and closed schools, not to mention travel bans. Should they not be proactive rather than reactive? I think, in this case they are more driven by the economic consequences rather than people's health.

A good read!

Hi Harrycatcat1, I too have problems with my programme guide, in as much as it only displays the current programme and the next. I contacted Panasonic, who simply said that my TV was an old model and can no longer read the signal. Strange as my Panasonic DVD recorder (bought at the same time) still shows the full range of programmes. It's a real nuisance, but as the TV works fine otherwise, I am reluctant to splash the cash on a new model.

It's not so much the police as the judiciary that are the problem. One only has to watch Police Interceptors or some other such programme to realise that punishments rarely fit the crime. What exactly does 'released under investigation' actually mean. We see criminals stealing cars, driving like lunatics to escape pursuing police and then if caught and charged, which is not always the case because of lack of evidence????, are 'sentenced' with a driving ban (some are already banned, so what good does that do?) and community service, which I am assured by those who know, means absolutely nothing as they don't turn up! Is it not about time that magistrates and judges take a firmer line and actually imprison these people who represent a real threat to society? Even when officers are attacked and injured in the line of duty, the perpetrators are given a desultory sentence, often not involving incarceration. How dispiriting this must be for the officers involved?

My very best day on rape was 196 some years ago. From my lounge window I saw a steady flight line into the rape which was well on. My shooting buddy arrived and we drove up to the hide position and shots for three or four hours, only interrupted by the odd walker and a local gamekeeper from another farm, who lived a couple of hundred yards away. You could see he was annoyed with himself for not spotting the birds before I did. Still, it was a great day. Since that time, if I shoot ten birds, I have done well. At the moment I have some 100 acres of rape and despite visiting it on a daily basis, not a bird to be seen.

Unfortunately my expectations were fully realised. Although there were around a dozen birds on the field, with the onset of cabin fever I felt obliged to set up. Three shots, three birds. Can't say I was gutted as this was in line with my expectations. At least I got out!

My farmer had around two hundred acres of beans in four fields and although I have visited the fields every day since harvest, there have never been more than a dozen birds down on the stubble. The stubbles have now been ploughed and I am hoping that the beans will have softened and will attract birds in bigger numbers. Going to have a look this morning, but with no great hopes.

Hi Marsh Man, I was terribly moved by your account of George's passing and my heart goes out to you. I have been there a number of times and it never gets easier. It is the one thing that all dog owners know they will have to face at some time or another. I guess that those of us who work the dogs are in many ways closer, having shared so many memories with them - good and bad. There is never a right time to make that dreadful decision, but you clearly did the right thing.

I've not been out for a long, long time. The rape on the farm simply hasn't taken, so there's not been much about. Came past the farm yard late yesterday afternoon and spotted the forklift with what I thought was a bag of seed dangling from the forks. Ah, thought I - obviously drilling. Got home, packed the car, got the dead birds out of the freezer and promised the Labrador a good day out. Turned up this morning, bright and early only to find that they weren't seed bags at all. They were fertiliser bags. Absolutely gutted! Got home, looked for next door's cat to kick (unsuccessfully), unpacked the car and tried to mollify the seriously ****** off Labrador. However, the one thing about pigeon shooting is that you have to be an optimist and I tried to take some consolation from the fact that at least I had the drilling still to look forward to.

A couple of occasions particularly jump to mind - both on the same farm in adjacent fields, but in different years. The first was on wheat stubble. I was shooting alone and set up under a tree in the middle of the field. They came in twos and threes and I lost count of the number of left and rights and triples. In the end I just lowered the net and they still poured in. The dog was knackered so I just didn't bother to pick the birds up but let them lay where they fell. Didn't make a jot of difference and when I finally decided to call it a day, after three hours, I piled the birds up and they still came in. The other occasion was many years ago when I and a mate spotted some laid barley. We could see them leaving the woods, would stand and take two or three or even four out of the bunches of birds. We slaughtered them and after four hours of hard shooting we picked up 328. My face and shoulder were bruised for a couple of weeks and I shoot a semi-auto. The farmer was well pleased but not so other drivers on the motorway. The birds were piled up in the 4x4 and we received many hoots and fist shakes! Much of the farm has been sold to the woodland trust and it is unlikely we will ever realise such big bags again, but for a number of years the farm was prolific and I had several bags 0f 180+.

A good many years ago, a farmer on one of my permissions put spring rape in on a large field backing onto a pig slurry, but it never took. Came up about three inches and that was it with great bare patches. Shot it the first week and downed 140+. Shot it the second week with a mate and bagged 130+. On this occasion I had my flatcoat with me, now long since departed. I sent the dog for a bird dropped behind, which she dutifully retrieved and then disappeared. I assumed that she had gone for another bird. My mate who always dressed the part with expensive, well pressed Dak slacks, sweater and shirt, all of a sudden kangarooed over the front of the net. I wondered what the hell he was doing but then saw the flatcoat coming into the hide from behind totally coated in slurry. Laugh! Oh yes I laughed, until the dog shook itself. Not quite so funny then. Anyway, shot the field the third week and dropped 120+. Turned up the fourth week to find it ploughed in. Gutted! Rarely see spring rape nowadays.

Absolutely feel for you! Been there, done it and bought the tee-shirt. I have spent the last month watching birds on rape on one of my perms. Lots and lots of birds. They pile into one field, after a couple of minutes they all lift off for no apparent reason and fly to another, and then to another, before retiring to the trees and woods. The farmer occasionally lets off a rocket or two which makes them even more spooky. Anyway, last week I simply got fed up with watching them and set up on a field that had no birds feeding, and no birds over flying - in fact there were no birds in sight. I was working on the basis that the birds in the woods would see the magnet and feel obliged to have a look. Actually I was tempted by the fact that with the hide against the wall of an old barn I would only have to walk twenty yards or so - a big temptation for an old boy like me. Did it work? Yes and no. I got a dozen or so but there were long birdless spells which always seem longer when its cold. That's rape shooting for you!

I have often had kestrels swoop onto one of the decoys, even plastic, but many years ago whist decoying, I had a peregrine falcon swoop onto one of my dead birds. Now we don't, as a rule, get peregrine falcons here in North Essex. I sent the dog out to scare it away. The dog, I had a Flatcoat at the time, steamed out towards the falcon and came to a screaming stop a couples of yards away and you could almost hear the thinking, "This isn't a pigeon, and just look at that beak!". It was a stand-off for a minute or two before the falcon thought better of it and flew off. It was at this point that I saw the jesses - clearly a bird that had eluded its falconer. I thought that was it, it had gone but no. The blessed, (I could think of another word) bird kept coming back and there was absolutely no chance of any pigeons coming to the decoys while this was around, so I packed up and joined my mate at the top of the valley. An indifferent day as far as pigeons go, but definitely made more interesting by the peregrine.

With regards to the suggested bale hide - best bird scarer there is. On one of my farms, the farmer very kindly put out a bale hide, exactly where I wanted it and where the birds wanted to be. Trouble is, now the birds won't go anywhere near it. I do sympathize with how impossible some fields tend to be as I have one of these and of course, these are always the fields favoured by the birds

I have just come back in from a scouting expedition on one of my perms. Usual story with rape shooting, I spent my time chasing a flock of around 150 or so, from one field of rape to another. Apart from this flock, there was absolutely no movement; even when they settled into one field, no others came to join them. Just glad I didn't set up and waste the day. Earlier this week there were thousands, murdering a neighbouring farm's rape (where I don't have permission to shoot), and the farmer was sending up rocket after rocket. I suppose I should have given him a knock, but it was getting late in the day.