Mice!

I really wanted to put that 😅😅 I don't know, I drive in the dark a lot, and it amazes me how slow some go just because its dark. Driving on dark roads in good conditions is great because you know well in advance if there's something else coming especially on country lanes, if they have lights 😬 Anybody remember when we had good roads to drive on 😳😳 the A590 lately has been unbelievable with the amount of water on it.

You could probably have got double that!

4 for me yesterday 2853

I bought some night driving glasses, they are yellow but don't fit that well so I tend not to wear them, but I did find they helped. But I brought some yellow safety glasses home that I wear all day in work yesterday 😁 I find part of the problem with new cars is the auto lights, if I put mine on they sometimes take a second or two longer to flick the main beam off, and then some people are muppets.

How nuts is our weather, it was a lovely sunny day yesterday, yet last week there was snow and a hurricane, sort of and hasn't dropped below 9°C in the caravan 😳 I was planning on going to Micks wood yesterday, swapping feeders, mooch about then off to another wood to see what's going on, then add another feeder to the new wood on the way back, only the stalkers were out, which saw me checking feeders late on Tuesday night, one is still quiet and the other looked busier, so that one it is, brolley and nets up, and I've added another half pallet to where I sit lifting me up, what a difference. I was in the wood for 8am and maybe ten minutes later I've spotted my first squirrel, but as soon as it touched the floor the barking started meaning it shot back up the tree. The barking told me there was another squirrel and didn't last long, so 5 minutes that felt like 20 and the squirrel comes back down the same tree, this is maybe 10 metres away at a push, I would definitely have tried moving a few years ago and possibly spooked it, but I just sat still until it went over the lip. It went straight to the feed on the floor, wheat and started taking bits, 1,2,3 4 and 1,2,3 4 it was 1, head down, 2, sit up, 3, eat, 4 head back down. I watched for 3 or 4 cycles then in my head counted 1,2,Pfft Whack bounce, I saw the pellet hit and strike the ground behind. Not long after and #2 is making its way through the canopy, but it was very unhappy, up and down, jumping around from tree to tree, it ended up coming right over me, I could probably have moved and got a shot, but I just sat and waited, only it never came back, even when I waited a good hour plus I wasn't planning on shooting here this week so I'd only topped up with mixed bird seed which clearly wasn't drawing them in today. That'll do nicely. So I went walk about and saw nothing for most of the wood, but this is what thermal shows you, what can you see? I was almost walking along with a set of golfers despite them not knowing I was there in the wood when their talking sent a squirrel up over me in the canopy, and it turned and stopped looking down, the problem being I was pretty close to the golfers who were just about to Tee off and having a grand morning in the sun, so I waited, leaning on a tree with the squirrel in the crosshair. I'd say I was shooting up at 60° ish and the squirrels head was covered by twigs, the last golfer hit his shot and as they moved off laughing I hit the squirrel with a very deliberate body shot, and it dropped like a brick and sounded like one when it landed, but the golfers didn't react at all 😁 I went over to take a photo and pick up when a second came crashing down the tree then back up, hidden in the Ivy, followed by another chasing it, I followed them and managed to shoot one kneeling off my sticks but the third vanished, little and large. I carried on to get my gear and there's another in an oak, now brace yourselves,, I went to put up my sticks only they weren't in my hand I really did look at my hand wondering why they weren't there the squirrel was on the move and I was heading back to get my sticks Back to the brolley and up the bank I can see another up in the pines, like I said earlier the cheap feed obviously isn't making them commit in the warm weather. I was looking at the range and angle and thought it's not steep so no hold under, and got it wrong, I could see the pellet strike the branch above it, and it just sauntered off without a care, along with another the shot disturbed, both within sight of the feeder!! I went up into the pines and watched and waited, 5 or 6 sets of golfers went by, Nuthatch's, tits, Tree Creepers, a Woodcock crash landed and the Tawnys were calling, I looked for ages hoping to spot one before it flew off, it had been sat watching me all along I was in no rush waiting for a msg that never came and it was 20 minutes before I saw movement in the tree tops high up, with the sun and the angle the thermal was showing me nothing, this squirrel would flash a bit of fur then vanish on me again and after 10 minutes it moved away, I followed but couldn't see it, but I could see the other behind me now I'd reduced the angle. This one was probably sat watching me as well, but the thermal showed it up, and I could see it now, another steep angle, I was on my knees again on the sticks, waited for a pair of golfers to go by then took the shot, probably another 60°+ shot, it looked like a neck shot but it went in above the shoulder almost straight up and again fell like a brick. I thought I was just getting one but I managed 4 so very happy with that. After that I went and took a feeder down that goes quiet every winter and added it to the new wood doubling the amount of feed, this is what i found. Carnage. And there were squirrels running around in the wood at the new place but it was a little late on, so they can come and enjoy the feed 😉

They do it on the bird spikes on our garden swing, but that probably means a chick born around February?

It certainly will, the first year I got mine I shot a lot more squirrels because I knew I'd see more 👍

Nicely done, your numbers will increase now you have a thermal because you'll go out more, it's that simple 👍

So slow, just restarted my phone because I couldn't get on.

One of the lads on the other forum has had a second hand scope replaced under warranty.

Well last week was fun, freezing cold with snow on the ground up till Tuesday in most places but I got out shooting Wednesday and managed 4, I'd not checked any feeders last week because it just wasn't worth getting stuck, but when I saw this I decided a morning session was needed. There was lots of traffic around the feeder, probably deer, squirrels and birds given the amount of snow that came down, surprisingly only two showed up, but that's 8 in a week from here, and the 4 the day before were off this ground. It's very funny watching the birds squeeze through this gap, and while it's winter I really don't mind. I then popped to another feeder and got another single, it was later than planned so I settled for that. Adding up I realised that I'd gone over the 100 mark for the two areas which are close by, after only getting 49 last year. Off home that afternoon in what turned out to be torrential rain, its shifted the snow, but flooded fields and caused damage again, not a good 7 days in the Lakes

I've heard of Bis mags having this nipple on them but not Baracuda Match, there supposed to be a higher grade of the same pellet. It's worth speaking to your Rfd or get in touch with H&N

I'm certainly seeing a lot more in my garden and at my feeders.

Young pigeons but nothing else.

https://airgunforums.co.uk/threads/king-or-crown-🤔-torn-between-the-two.72423/ That's the thread. But I have a panthera 700 fac I shoot out to 300 yards with slugs and it’s the perfect platform for it. that's the gun he's using to shoot slugs.

Something to consider is the BC I don't think it matters in sub 12, I just shoot what's accurate and kills well. But a fella on Agf posted about shooting long range FAC last week, this fella makes his own slugs and definitely knows what he's talking about. He said he's stuck with .22 because while you can get high energy with .25 you can use longer .22 pellets or slugs which give better balance + BC. I wouldn't have even known an air rifle could shoot accurately at that range.

Sounds very likely and such a shame. I was shooting clays with a borrowed semi auto probably 20 years ago, two or three times the gun didn't fire, I'd just stay in position and each time someone else shouted out then came over and made the gun safe before the gun was put away. Tragically accidents can happen, make sure you challenge any bad gun practice you see.

I've not looked through a thermal scope, but what I've seen on others videos are fantastic. There's not much I can't identify with my thermal, it's never just a blob, and mines an old unit, the newer models will be better again. A good thermal and NV combination must be fantastic for night shooting. I'd be thinking badger for the three?

😳😳 7 for me this week. 2805

You should get out more 😅 I like using the train, the problem is they aren't reliable, there expensive and they only run from train stations 😅😅

Most I saw today were crawling along, I'd say most were going too slow just because there was snow either side of them, later on going slow was a good idea Funny one this afternoon though, muppet in front of me slowed then stopped at a roundabout and all the snow on his roof slid forward and blocked his windscreen, luckily he could just gey out and clear it, wearing shorts t-shirt and trainers despite it being maybe 2°C could have been bad if he'd been going at speed.

Main roads were cleared today, trees cleared, but the roads were freezing again at 7pm, then the snow that hasn't been cleared is freezing hard, which is certainly not good for driving. Rain forecast here tomorrow but I doubt it'll shift the snow. A lad in work got stuck near you mate with his lad and ended up in a church with a load of others, he said folk were trying to drive and just sliding into other cars or walls. I was amazed that a few lads made it into work early, I rocked up at dinner 😁

I saw good numbers driving up the M6 this morning, always around the same farm, just south of the M6 Giraffe, probably more than usual, I'd guess they were gathering ready to leave.

Off your phone, or I'd guess your comp Click on the Add Files below, I then select file and click on the photo I want, I usually screenshot my pictures as they take up less space.

I've seen cars all stopped on Lindale hill mate, amazing how fast things come to a standstill despite the gritters being out. So I cracked a beer 🍺