Timerider

As much as i`ve enjoyed the discussions, and some excellent posts in this section, I am now really looking forward to reading some new posts in the "Talk From The Field" section. I can`t wait to read about people`s trips and exploits back out in the field. We`ve had some great reports that are actually a pleasure to read, and hopefully some new ones will be added very soon. It will be interesting to find out what the pigeon numbers are like at present, and if there has been any significant increase with the recent lower numbers of guns out in the field.

I`d like to think that the lovely Mr Packam and his equally lovely pals are as gutted about the re-issuing of the General Licenses, as the real conservationist were at the revocation of them, but I highly doubt it. He will carry on as usual with his protests, campaigns and crusades against anything he doesn`t personally like, whilst his publicly-funded lawyers sift through the legal terminology of the new GL`s to find a loophole which enables them to be revoked again.

I think that`s a great idea. Cooking programs seem to have masses of viewers, would be good to have a food segment with a household-name chef like Gordon or Hugh. Some people might not like the the whole celebrity culture thing, but lets face facts, the public are obsessed with celebrities, and would check out a program just because they are on it. There`s quite a few tv personalities and sports stars seen enjoying country life and shooting on youtube, I`m sure they would be happy to appear on a mainstream TV program aswell. Well thought out and funded, i`m sure it would be very do-able.

🤣 It`s getting difficult to find a good Butler in Blyth nowadays...... the real toffs have taken them all, my current Butler is rubbish, he can`t load the second Purdey quick enough and is rubbish at polishing the Rolls

I definitely agree they need to know peoples opinions, and how many of us there are affected by this whole farce, and if individuals want to reply that`s excellent. But I also agree that the organisations we belong to will be replying on our behalf. BASC will be sending an E-mail (presumably more eloquent than one I could write) and will effectively be from more than 150000 people. I would also presume the other big organizations will be doing the same thing on behalf of their members. I`d also like to say well done to Mightymariner for for the heads up on this

Yes, as expected, it is pretty much the same as the GL for Crow, and that was deemed "unfit for purpose", so who on earth thought it was a good idea to bring out the pigeon GL that is the same as the Crow?

Anybody been in to the gunshops lately? I haven`t had a chance this last week, but i`d be interested to know if this whole farce has had an impact on them yet. I imagine the sales of guns, cartridges, decoys, clothing etc. etc. has been down.

Apologies if someone has already put this link on https://naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2019/04/30/general-licences-tuesday-30-april-update/

I couldn`t agree more. His Aspergers syndrome means he is unable to see things from anyone elses point of view (regardless of facts presented to him), I imagine his own views often contradict his own views and he will plough on with his cause despite knowing it may be wrong because of his brain`s inability to accept that he could be wrong. It`s a shame he wasn`t given a .410 as a child instead of a pair of binoculars, we might now have him as a champion of shooting, instead of trying to stop all forms of it. I wonder how many of the public,and his obsessive followers are aware that he has Aspergers, which prevents him from understanding reality. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2017/42/chris-packham-aspergers-and-me

Apologies, I wasn`t on here yesterday, I was out shooting 😁

Literally found out about this an hour ago, can`t even put into words how crazy this is. Hopefully someone will see sense and get it sorted quickly.

I had a trip up to one of my farms today, and they had just started putting the beans in 😀. it`s a good few weeks earlier this year than last, due to the good weather we`ve been having. The farmer said the whole lot will be in and disc rolled in 3 days, so i`ll be back up on Friday, and hopefully will get some decent shooting at last (fingers crossed)

I use the A1 bucket seat 👍, excellent bit of kit, I never go shooting without it. My mate has the one pictured further up the post, and his is a bit too low for him. I find mine spot on to shoot sitting down, and just the right height to stand up from. I`m 5.11" and my knees aren`t brilliant either

Well I think if they are arranging your visit that it`s looking positive. I`m pretty sure they will have done your background checks before they visit you, good luck

As a lot of others have said, each application is different and will depend on many factors. A good mate of mine has been in the same boat as you, he knocked a guy out for laying hands on his wife, it was 11 years ago but he was worried his sgc application would be turned down because of it, he received his cert in the post last week.

I would agree with that. Luckily I live in Northumberland, and we have a lot of countryside and farm land up here, but still I haven`t had any permissions from door knocking yet. All of my permissions have come from friends who shoot, or a gamekeeper friend that I have done pest control for, started clearing squirrels with the air rifle, then was given permission for the shotgun. Definitely a case of "who you know" for me.

🤣 Thanks for the advice old`un I will check again on google earth, there must be a farm somewhere, I just haven`t been able to find it yet. I will persevere though because it would be a great permission to get 👍

I don`t shoot clays, most of my shooting is at pigeons or crows, I`ve been using 1/4 and 1/4 for a while, but recently bought a Breda with 3/4 and full, I still miss just as many with the Breda as I did with the 1/4 1/4 😁 but the ones I do hit drop every time. I was told by a very successful shooter to get used to whatever I shot and enjoy! which is good advice in my opinion 😊

I`m having real problems finding out who owns/manages some farm land up here in Northumberland. I`m seeing good numbers of pigeons on the rape in several fields, and have never seen or heard any guns on them, but I cannot find the farm. I know it might seem odd but there doesn`t seem to be a farmhouse anywhere nearby. The advice to knock on the nearest houses to ask if anyone knows who manages the land is good advice, so i`ve had a look on google earth, and located the nearest houses, (which are in the middle of a large wooded area, well away from the nearest road), but when I went to pay a visit I discovered that the houses are behind some very large electric gates, which are plastered with signs saying "keep out" "private estate" "no trespassing". So by the looks of it this was the farm, and it has now been converted into several big posh houses in a gated community, and they seem rather keen on their privacy. As we know farmers can farm land which is quite a distance from their farm, which makes this one a difficult permission to gain, which is especially frustrating as it is closer to home than any of my current permissions, and is being hit hard by the pigeons right now. I think my only hope is to catch someone working the land, but so far I have never seen anyone there. Anybody got any ideas or advice?

I`ve been using my Lowa mountain gtx for about 5years now, best boot i`ve ever had. cleaned regularly and always treated with Nikwax. They still look like new, and i`ve never had a drop of water get in, or ever felt the cold in them. I think the key thing with any leather boots is to keep them treated with a good waterproofer. If we`re paying 100 to 200 quid for boots, the fiver for some decent wax is well worth it I reckon.

I`m not sure whether you mean position in the pattern, or how i`ve got it fixed up? I`ve got it mounted on an old fibre glass tent pole, which I drilled and put a screw into and i`ve attached the spring to the screw so that the wings are level, it works quite well with a bit of breeze. If you mean position, then i`ve been putting it just inside the third decoy from the front, if you know what I mean.

Thanks oldypigeonpopper, i`ve watched the pigeons hitting the Beans for the last few years, but i`ve never seen them being put in so I don`t know what machinery the farmer is using, but they aren`t in very deep, and there`s quite a few right at the surface, so the pigeons usually feed for a good week or so, but having been using an air rifle, and watching them dropping in well out of my range, my only option has been to sit in the woods and await them coming in to sit and digest their feast. I`ve had quite a few this way but they tend to land in the conifers and getting a clean shot even with a good rifle and scope is a bit `hit and miss` if you`ll pardon the pun. I`m hoping this year will be more successful with the shotgun, and i`ll have the option of either setting up the hide and decoys on the edge of the bean field, or just putting the hide at the edge of the woods and hopefully dropping them as they approach the tree tops. It might even be worth getting another gun in and covering both positions at once (what do you think? ) I`ve got a couple of full bodied deeks and a spring wing, and I`ll get myself a couple of bouncers when spare cash allows. thanks for the advice, it`s all good info for a new starter. It`s great to be able to get knowledge from experienced shooters.

Thanks for the advice and encouragement guys, really appreciate it. I`ll get as much time in the hide as possible, and get some instructions on the clays when I get a chance. I`m loving it so far, and surprised at how well the pigeons are decoying now the big flocks have started to break up, they are coming in well considering i`m just shooting over grass with a dozen half shells, I think they`ll come in even better once the beans go in, (any advice on shooting over beans) do they they find them as soon as they are drilled?

Yes you are right dougall, I am aiming the gun instead of just watching the bird, The gun does feel short so I will put an adjustable butt pad and spacer on as soon as I get a chance. I`m also stopping the gun as I pull the trigger instead of swinging through,( I`m definitely doing everything wrong), it is very different to what i`m used to with the air rifle. I`ll improve my technique with practice but again you`re right I would benefit from some time on the clays, I live about 2 miles from a clay ground and my friend/neighbour is the chairman, instructor and top shot at the club so i`ll get some tips from the best. I`m loving learning the new techniques of shot gunning, I think i`m hooked already. Thanks for the advice, very much appreciated.

Hi Guys, total newbie here so be gentle. I finally managed to get out again yesterday after weeks of bad weather here in Northumberland. It was only my 4th time out with a shotty after about 35 years as an air gunner. I`ve been fancying a shotgun for years but just never got around to getting my application in, and always spending my spare cash on air gunning gear. Anyway a good friend of mine is a passionate shotgunner, and judging by the amount of trophies he has he is a top class shooter, he finally persuaded me to get my finger out and get my sgc. I got it last year, and since then we`ve barely had a decent day`s weather. First trip out was with a couple of experienced shooters, and we set the hide up to shoot over a rape field. we had a couple of magnets, a couple of bouncers and about 20 shell decoys. we watched huge flocks of pigeons dropping on to rape about 1000yds away but they just wouldn`t come anywhere near the deeks. I didn`t get a single shot at a bird, and at the end of the day I fired a couple of cartridges just to feel what it was like to fire a shogun, and to see if my gun actually worked (louder than I expected but not as much recoil). Second trip out I by went by myself to one of my own permissions that i`ve shot for years with the air rifle, I know the usual flightlines, and after watching all the vids of messrs Garrod and Crow, I decided to test my knew found expertise (haha) and set up my hide on the edge of a wood with my decoys just on a grass field which has a lot of clover. It actually worked exactly like in the videos, and the birds dropped into the pattern perfectly in two`s and three`s. Everything was spot-on (except my shooting) I had about 20 shots and only bagged 2 birds. I reckon if a good shooter was there they would have probably bagged about 30 or 40 but I just kept missing what were pretty easy shots ( yes I really should have gone to the clay range first to find out where to point to the gun). Third trip out was on my own again to the same spot, but hardly saw any birds. Had about 10 shots and having only bagged 1 single bird and missing 9 easy ones I decided to see where I was firing, so I stuck on old plastic drum in the middle of a very large puddle and paced out 30yds, had several shots and discovered I was shooting way too high, I adjusted my aim point lower and lower till I was hitting the drum cleanly with each shot, and felt a bit more confident for my next trip out. Yesterday was my fourth time out and it was quite a nice day, the temperature rose to a balmy 8 degrees and the sun made an occasional appearance, although the wind was about twice as strong as the 15mph forecasted. I set up the hide in the same spot, which wasn`t easy in that wind, and waited for the pigeons. They decoyed very well again and a good shooter would have probably had 20 or 30 again, but in that strong wind they were moving pretty quick so I chose not to shoot at a lot of them. I had 18 shots and ended up with six in the bag, including a really high one straight above me which seemed to take forever to hit the ground. (not great shooting yet I know, but getting better) I just need to suss out lead now and I should improve a lot more. I can`t wait for my next trip out, and i`m looking forward to the beans going in now as the pigeons have hammered them the last couple of years (if the ground ever dries enough to get them in), and there`s a large field of wheat which should be good shooting come harvest time, and hopefully the rape will bring them in this summer too. I`m still very new to this and i`ve got a lot to learn, but i`ve got to admit i`m loving the shotgun after so many years sitting under the trees with the air rifle. Any advice for a new shooter would be very welcome. Cheers guys.