ClemFandango

It does look sort of like blackthorn but it's hard to tell from the picture. the blossom has five petals and those long stamen, the bark looks Blackthorney rather than Hawthorney. Can you get a close up photo of the bark on the trunk please? and a closer photo of the twiggy ends and the blossom?

and less likely to cut your toes while snedding!

lot of sense in that. Don't be seduced by a gert big bar. You can fell a tree at 32" diameter with a 13 inch bar if you know what you are doing, the longer the bar the more chain your engine has to drag round. I have a husky 346xp among others with a 13" bar, it would handle everything a home/garden/farm user would need it for with ease.

The British deer society's logo is a deer. The Wildlife Trust manage foxes and deer on some of their reserves that I personally know of. anyway they wouldn't have any input into a change in legislation or the badger cull.

Not much more to add other than the fact that I suspect the decline of bumblebees to be linked to the increase in Badgers. I can't understand why they can't change the badger act to allow them to be shot or add trapping and shooting to the general licence, they could even have a close season. The setts could still be protected making it an offence to dig and effectively keeping badger baiting at bay(as much as the law does that anyway) but landowners would have the choice whether or not to control them.

definitely worth it

not in function I wouldn't of thought.

what did you get for winning that bet?

Not directly aimed at you, you were probably edge of the pattern. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the job, it wouldn't get done to anything like the level it does and needs to be done if it was a boring chore. like I said the General Licence is easy to comply with and you and others I have no doubt are in full compliance. Your explanation there is fair enough.

I'm one of them people.

PPP is correct in that in killing any species on the general licence you must comply to the terms of the licence otherwise you are in contravention of the Wildlife and Countryside act and could (although unlikely but it had happened) be prosecuted accordingly. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prevent-wild-birds-damaging-your-land-farm-or-business#general-licences It's not hard to comply with the GL especially in the case of woodpigeons but flagrantly saying you only shoot a species for enjoyment is a little irresponsible. Like with all the things we do there are organisations out there who seek to stop us, all of us from doing what we do. Everything we do. How to Oppose Shooting: A Practical Guide - ... PDFhttps://www.animalaid.org.uk › 2016/10 They are not the only ones, them and others like them have the motivation, political clout and funding to drive prosecutions.

I would agree. People have been prosecuted for being in breech of the general licence in the past. I can remember an old guy who was prosecuted for shooting starlings in his back garden with his air rifle (they were on the GL at the time.)

The general licence hasn't got anything to do with Brussels has it? It's issued by Natural England and allows you to break some of the terms of the Wildlife and Countryside Act as long as you comply with the stipulations in the licence. Or that's how I understood it anyway.

I close both eyes and hope for the best.

I just use morris grease for all my gun greasing needs, rifle's, shotguns, the lot! https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Morris-K99-Water-Resistant-Grease-500g-KNN500/263573740020?epid=1757133791&hash=item3d5e3819f4:g:4T4AAOSwgmJXzdI~ abso-flipping-lutely! Couldn't have said it better myself.

homeload?

I have used a semi on two game days with permission of the keeper and the okay of the other guns. Both times they were the only gun I had available and I had been offered a lend of another gun but turned it down as I prefer to use something I am familiar with. To be totally honest I love shooting with my semi auto at pigeons, wildfowling, rabbits etc but it did feel out of place on a driven day.

Damn It!!

I was being a grumpy ****, it just irritates me. I can't see how saying that the company that rhymes with the vapo rub is any different from just saying Wickes. Maybe a mod can answer?

Why are people cagey about saying a companies name then make some daft clue that identifies the company? Wickes. you mean Wickes.

apparently if you keep bees Himalayan Balsam gives a really early, clear honey.

Christ on a bike! You have been ripped off! https://www.screwfix.com/p/oregon-16-40cm-double-guard-chainsaw-guide-bar-a041-mount/3994V?kpid=3994V&ds_kid=92700031339364437&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1249484&gclid=CjwKCAjwwPfVBRBiEiwAdkM0Hcz_MXro6j_NO7MqO7syRAuAFKTVJTxfsdjJ_tzkLX2y4y09pRF1dhoCYREQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CMiuupOxlNoCFUyMdwodbnoO9w

You are right there, having taken clients in the past that give it the biggun in the van about how they have shot foxes at 300yds and their stalking setup is the mutts nuts only to have them shoot like **** for their whole outing.

Himalayan balsam is an annual with a fairly shallow, weak root system. Pull it all up before it flowers and sets seed and you'll be fine. The trouble with knotweed is that it comes from the root, and the root system can be deep, far reaching and is strong enough to damage foundations etc etc.

Thanks. So not even a mega supa duper custom rifle. but homeloaded ammo. I've never homeloaded as I am too lazy! I have done a bit of rook shooting with my .25-06 on freshly drilled maize at some extended ranges, 3-350yds, that was with factory ammo, Federal premium 85gr BT. I could sometimes group ragged hole with that but it would be far more honest to say the grouping capacity was more like half inch at 100 so by 300 that's inch and a half which is getting open enough to be in hit/miss territory. Did you ever stretch your .223 out to any further ranges on paper to see how that ragged hole at 220 opened out?