OffAim

Or was it................? Date : 23 May, 2015, midnight. Location : West Dean, West Sussex. A taxi driver driving down a country lane spotted a very large black cat in the road. He said it filled half the road. It stopped and looked towards him before disappearing into bushes. He said it was jet black and massive with a very long thick tail. Source : sussexbigcatwatch. http://www.sussexbigcatwatch.org.uk/13.html I assume there must be some truth in these sightings.......... Where I used to shoot in Essex, there is a small wood of conifers and other trees on the perimeter track of an old USA airbase.......... I was surprised to see what were obviously claw scratch marks in a few tree trunks.......they were just like my own cats' attempts on table legs (and trees in the garden) only 50 times larger and about 5'-6" up the trunk from the ground. Too high up for badger and definitely not fox (scratches too large). I would expect a large cat rather than a dog prowling around a sheep pen could cause a number to die of fright..............I nearly did when I saw the claw marks.

My Baikal did exactly the same to the point the spent case was getting well stuck in the chamber............I got rid of it to an RFD and traded it in...........I did tell him why...........

Yes you did..........You mentioned I could get done for hare coursing or poaching..........read your own almost intelligible posts.........you obviously don't read mine properly........ I'm glad I didn't move to Campbeltown (which I nearly did) if this is the sort of level of intelligence I have to deal with..

I was hit in the back of the thigh by a few pellets on the third driven shoot I was on..........That was the last drive I ever went on. Much prefer pigeons and walking up shooting.

So do I...........Unfortunately my dog has a bit of Border Terrier in him as well as the other breeds..........I had his DNA tested when he was about six months old, so I could anticipate what traits he was likely to develop. The hound / chase part is the only worrying bit, which I hope will calm down when he becomes adult.

I bought the Lidl under layer for keeping warm while motorcycling.........but it is useless in the winter and too hot in the summer.......like you, I feel the cold badly so I tried it while shooting.........still no good, so reverted to my old army clothing and philosophy (more layers). Long johns and camo trousers; vest, plus tee-shirt, fleece and lined camo jacket......and if the wind is really bad, a lined waterproof windproof waistcoat under the jacket.

A simple calculation given the number of years I have been shooting will indicate I have outlived all but the current dog........ I had the Afghans in the 70s.........they can't really be trained because they think they are cats. Gordon Setter and Springers in the 80s and onwards were perfectly OK. Current dog......if you read my posts properly; you will see that he is a mix, but predominantly Border Collie............however, he will chase........(could be because he is still a puppy)..........but not caught or killed anything. As I mentioned earlier, he unfortunately has the attributes of all the breeds in him.......It will a job to curtail just one. It was just a thought if a dog chasing was classified as Hunting with Dogs (IIRC according to the legislation, it has to be more than one dog and coursing has to be a 'meet', so you are wrong with that accusation). Judge for yourself if he is killer.

Top barrel @1/2" choke....Winchester Super X 00 Buckshot:............bottom barrel @1/4 choke.........No.5 or No.6 shot................don't hit a pigeon at 25 yards with top barrel.............You won't find much of it...........

In the late 80s into the early 2000s I used to be the passenger on race sidecar outfits............GP medicals cost me £50 regularly.. Luckily the insurance company is paying for the latest £225........

I shout 'Come here, you *********** ********** dog!' but it doesn't make any difference..........He knows the commands perfectly.............just closes his ears..............but always comes back. What can you expect from Border Collie x Austrailain Kelpie x Ibizan Hound x Wiemaranar and others.............?

Try a few old Baikals through your guns...........2-'0" of concrete like soot in the bores...............a report as loud as a Mills grenade...................and a flame about 3'-00" long on a roost shoot............... They launch the lifeboats for them.

Anything flung at a surface wiil bounce off if at the right angle..........

I have just had a GP complete a form for an Insurance Policy............OK it's a large form, but .........................£225

Either of you two ever owned an Afghan Hound?.......or three? No I thought not.... Try stopping a sight hound from chasing and you will probably get a medal from Crufts..... I have been air rifle shooting for 54 years.......and shotgunning for 39 years.......trained my Gordon Setter as my gundog from 8 months old and two Springers..............Do you think I don't know what I am doing or dealing with? In your eyes, I guess I would be better off shooting the dog., I guess........ Seems to me there are too many people on this forum that want to sit back and wait to 'have a go'..................

My dog is almost Border Collie but has got hound in him and is seriously fast..................at just over a year old he is prone to chasing hares, rabbits, birds and deer............before long he is going to catch a hare and most likely will kill it (or get fleas)........He is good at retrieving but his mouth is too hard IMO, so it is unlikely he will be on the gun, even though he is really good at flushing gamebirds. I wonder if the chasing is classified as 'Hunting with a dog'...........Even though I am just taking him for a walk and letting him off the lead.