Walker570

I'm seeing them more on shoots these days and as said they are clever little birds and will slide out of a drive at every chance and when one goes the lot go. Back in the 50s as a young lad I lived on a 220 acre mixed farm and we always had lots of them and my grandfather organised three walk and stand shoots each season. He grew lots of mangols, swedes and potatoes and stubbles got left through the winter. I remember the expletives from the guns when the first Frenchman was shot as they where called back then. Our next door nirghbour had released some. To answer your question, no I don't believe they should go on the protected list better that shoots look after them like they do all game birds. Most estates I shoot on these days say if you want one to eat then you can shoot it, woodcock included.

I don't think that was it as I had noticed a slight tendency to hesitate a couple of times and thought it was me getting used to all those gears. They have had it two days so far and no news yet. Great disappointment as overall I was impressed with the motor. It does what it says on the box. My Jag X Type engine light kept coming on and eventually my normal nechanic sent me to a guy who specialised in Jags and he had it a couple of days and tough wood it has run far better and no further trouble. All these lectronics are a pain the rear end.

Well, things went from bad to worse. Had the heater plug light go to orange and stay on , so took it back to the garage and after a short time he readjusted the electronics and back to normal. Got halfway down the A14 and it died on me , then suddenly came back to life then died again. Switched off and tried starting it again and away it went as per normal but with the orange light showing again. Limped back home and took it back where it now resides as they sort it out. Fortunately it is covered by a 6 month warranty. Gone are the days when you kept an old Woodbine packet in the glove box and used the silver paper to replace a blown fuse.

Nice pics and nice dog. Last week I had a picker up come to me and commend me on a partridge I thought I had missed. I also said I thought I had maybe tailed a couple of cock birds and she held the one up and said she knew whwere the other was across thenext field. Shooters sometimes don't appreciate those folks standing behind them but I have done both and always make a point of talking to them after a drive. I hate the present 'fashion' of guns walking around picking birds after a drive. That is what the pickers up are there for and enjoy doing it, it is their day out with their dog/s, plus they have usually marked the birds anyway. RANT over.

I have had one for years and used it for driven pheasant shooting until I discovered the folding tripod seats used on the Continent, Excellent and allow full movement with adjustable legs and I am plus six foot tall and need a high seat to get back on my feet as well. Where about £60. I made some 4 inch round additions to the feet using some stockboard offcuts which solved the problem of sinking on really soft ground e.g. recently drilled ground, plough etc.

I'm with Dougy. There are so many variations available these days. I use a simple relatively cheap £125 IR assisted spotter and then add on for the shooting with a screen made by one of our members a few years ago now, still works and a lot of foxes out to 200 have died as a result although most of my shooting is around 150. My spotter will tell me if their is an animal out at 300 no problem and probably the scope set up would also manage to do the job but I prefer to get them in closer, probably with a squeak on the Buttalo. Very few of my fields stretch to that distance anyway. If your on big fields or open moorland totally different.

Burlingham first day then next door centred on the Fur & Feather pub and brewery. Brought a gallon of their Porter back and it is a very nice drink. It was almost Ditchies neck of the woods before he moved.

Heh!! That is one of my favorite meals. Nothing to moan about ther boi. Heh!! had a cracking two days in your woods last week.

Peejay my apolgies, I have not yet heard from Leics FA Licencing and would buy that straight away. I will make further enquiries.

Yes, I can see the likeness. Just had a little taste from a bit extra I put in a cup to try and it is delicious. I think would actually go very well with pork or gammon.

Start not paying folks to have kids. Reduce the population.

Always difficult to say but at a guess on an uncontrolled patch of woodland with good feeding then ten plus per acre would not be out of the question. I live in a small hamlet 140 150 folks max and to my knowledge only three are killing them, two religiously and we still keep getting interlopers and my wife sees three or four most mornings running across the road into an adjacent wood. It will be down to food supply, lots of oak, hazel etc.

There ain't one till we reduce the population and that means population control.

Tell me how I can carry a muntie and my rifle back home on a bus. Let's talk common sense here. The four wheeled vehicle is here to stay. Back in the late 50s I was office boy in an animal feed stuffs firm and back then the railways failed to handle half the supplies we ordered and a large part was often unusable because of delays in siding etc etc. Nationalised Industries do not work. Again back in the 60s I saw a very expensive cuttng machine delivered to a local coal face only to be filled in a year or two later when the pit closed. On the point of parking, in Atherstone we could always park in the towns car parks free of charge. These car parks have now been taken over by folks working in the town so now we can take a ticket for an hour and after that we have to pay. What's the average age of the membership of this forum? When those folks reach my age you will have to book space to move. Drive down the A5 on the outskirts of Nuneaton and a 100 acres of prime farm land has just gone under bricks and mortar and every house will have at least two cars. Heh!! but I'm just an old experation of wind don't believe a word I say.

I only had one pup chosen for me. Back in the 80s I wanted a GSP to replace Mole who had died in a fit(I'm sure because of parents being OLD when concieved but thats another story) and I went to Mrs Petri-Hey who at the time was producing some excellent stock. I visited and she said she did not have a GSP for sale. She had a yard full of viszlas and I was struck with one and offered to buy it. She smartly told me that dog was far too clever for me. However we parted good friends and a few weeks later received a call to see if I still wanted a viszla because she had put my name on one from the dog I wanted to buy and a bitch at a farm almost in the North Sea. I pointed one out from all the pups when we arrived and that one was the one which Mrs Petri-Hey had suggested. He turned out to be a superb dog............ but there again have any of us ever had a bad one, if they are not a 'tool' but family?

A few years ago we planted a medlar tree in a spare patch of our orchard and this year it produced enough fruit to nake it worthwhile trying to use them for jam/jellies or cheese, so a couple of weeks ago I picked what was on the tree and laid them intrays in our garden room to 'blet' which means you wait until they change from rock hard to soft and spoingy. Checked them this morning and about half had gone through the 'blet' process, so decided to make some jam. Now medalars are one of the oldest fruit trees known and it is believed they where brought into the UK from the Middle East. It is no wonder that they are not used in the kitchen much these days as the process of converting the fruit to jam is somewhat laborious and after about an hour of sifting and sqeezing I managed to produce sufficient to put 2lb of jam sugar to it and bring it up to jamming temperature. I am pleased to say it has set quite well and on tasting the dregs from the jam pan it is also yummy. The medlar is from the rose/apple family so has a strong apple taste. I think the result was well worth the effort.

All but one of my pups I have used my judgement right or wrong. I asked for them to be turned out onto a field or lawn whatever then picked the dog which wanted to go on an adventure. My best dog by far, a chocie lab, broke away from the whingy whiney group and had his nose into the rushes round the garden pond. Try not to buy the last to be sold although that can bring surprises as a viszla I had and trained for a friend for six months also turned out to be a serious character and he never told a lie. He had fantastic drive and nose and was the runt of the litter, rejected by the original purchaser. Yes it is a lottery but by just watching how the pups react can be a big help. I'm afraid I disagree with Nuke. If I'm having a dog I will choose which I buy, so easy to get fobbed off and however the dog turns out is your own making.

Good to hear he is still doing the job. Long long time since I was down at Edwinsford so you brought back memories.

That looks like a proper Labrador. Most I see in the last 20yrs have looked like their mothers had been scared by a lurcher, thin coats snipey noses and curly tails. Rarely see a lab these days with a proper otter tail. BUT if the dog does the job and is fit and healthy go for it, in fact I have seen a few crossbreds which would put field trialers to shame.

I was about to suggest charging the battery and then disconnecting it from the system and see if it loses the charge but it seems you have tried this.

Looks good Harry and like your cottage pie we have two more meals left for tomorow out of our shepherds pie. Yep, we are Aldi fans and have four stores within a six mile radius . A bit off subject but saves a separate thread...Fox biscuits, not cheap but superb quality. The Millionair ones are awesome.

Just ground up the remnants from a superb half shoulder of lamb reared by my naighbour. Some delicious gravy poured over it, made from the drippings from roasting it yesterday, a shake of Tony's spice mixture and a layer of mashed potato. Then a few carrots grown in our small veg patch 8mtrs by 1.5mtrs and an apple crumble made with over ripe bramley fallings and people say they can't afford a good meal

Bear in mind when you vote that Starmer used to be in charge of the CPS and got Knighted for it and don't wind me up about the actions or inactions of todays police....I refuse to use the term Force or Service it doesn't apply today.

It's all hot air anyway

Heh up!! we've wound him up again!