eugene molloy

Is this gun still for sale? regards

Ern, Teal, See PM to Ern, todays timestamp. Regards Eug

Shot shortley Ferretysnapfingerry? No Cocoa old beanbaggle, Wanley Stunwin answerry... Pidey Pipeload of Hamling Eug

I'm retired. I need all you fit young nerks to work like stink and maintain my pension values; so get off this forum and get weaving! Life long career in industrial chemistry. Eug

Chris, Merci mon ami, I'll have a poke round the sites. Eug

Sniper. Stuffim. Well done you! Eug

Ryan, Where were you shooting? we need to know because we are tying to build a national picture. The rest of you nerks...thanks. But keep posting, what you see is important to making all the bits fit together. Eug PS ...Sniper; keep up the good work, and thanks.

What was all that about? Even given that the England individuals are perhaps only just about nearly almost on the verge of being close to International class possibly, they looked awful. Cast your vote ....Sven isn't up to job; can't motivate or enthuse his players, and doesn't have a clear vision. Yea or Nay? Eug

VD and Ern, I know "The Boot". My chum and I used to drop in for a pint on Sundays when we were fishing The Grand Onion above Hatton flight. Wroxall? My first girlfriend was head girl at Wroxall Abbey School (does it still exist?) She lived in Chadwick End which ain't so far away. Eug.

Bandit alert! bandit alert! Like what Nicky said. Eug

Thanks lads, that's interesting already. Not much sign of the Midland birdies getting really stuck into the rape, though some are clearly; but a fair to middling show of ivy berries too. Come on the Jocks, Geordies, Tykes, Taffs, 'Ampshire 'Ogs and Janners; let's know the form. Eug VD. Which Hatton, Warwick or where? I guess the "sweetcorn" was from an old maize game strip.

LB Where when what time? Can I bring a friend? Eug

TG, Too wet here (S Shrops) If you took a tractor on the land you'd lose it PDQ! Eug

norfolk.enchance asked in another thread about ivy berries and if the pigeons feeding on them was a regional thing. Answer...don't know, but how about we find out. In the next couple of weeks, if you get the chance to open a crop or two, post the results here. If we each make a couple of reports we should get a fair snapshot. Just a quick one (as the actress said to the Bishop) I don't believe it's neccessarily a regional issue; ivy grows all over the country. However it's my observation that most ivy grows on oaks, so where you have a lot of oaks you get ivy and pigeon feeding on it; and vicky verky if few oak woods are present in your county then the birds have less opportunity. But let's see eh? I shot four flighting yesterday evening; to kick the ball off here's the result.. Area....South Shropshire No 1..........2/3 rds full crop, exclusively sprouting acorns. No 2..........Bung full (stuffed) crop, mostly beech mast plus a few ivy berries. No 3..........2/3 full crop, wheat plus a dozen ivy berries. No 4 .........Full crop, about half ivy berries, then acorns and beech mast equally Between all four there wasn't a much greenstuff as would fill a teaspoon.

Corky, sums things up very well. That's show business! They are wild birds, so as LB rightly says, keep observing and learning. Regards Eug

Ding dong! A hundred plus on chewed up rape is a real achievement; well done youth. I've never broken the ton on winter rape; fifty is good going. If ever the magnet has a place it's on rape in wintertime. Good man, chuffed for you. What did you say the farmers phone number was? Regards Eug PS 111? Nelson. One ball left!

Common or garden decoy pattern, lofted decoys, dead bird lobbed from the hide, corvid deek? Also ... don't shoot the dozy ferals that come pottering round; better let them act as airborne deeks. Regards Eug

Ears, Have you got a handle or reference to the Antimony content of the shot in various cartridges? I'd be interested to see any. My gut feeling is that the Sb % is a lot lower than we think. I could do the analysis myself but I didn't retire from a lifetime in industrial chemistry to start that old nonsense again! Regards Eug

BarrieO, Good man, I'm glad you made that clear. Eug ('Kinajax, awa' ya bass, stickin' out, eh?)

Malc, Just the reverse; birds all over except on the rape. I had a mini flock of about 40 in my garden yesterday, just picking up bugs and sprouting acorns. The roosting has been quite good; never big number in the bag but plenty in the air! Eug

Here you go...Gundog page Eug

Using a 7 1/2 through a tight choke I tend to smash a lot of birds, so I use 6's for pretty well everything. Having said that I once killed a greylag stone dead with a Trap 7, he wasn't far up and I got him in the neck and bonce; nary a pellet in the body. Eug

Big Fish (you aren't related to Jim D are you?) I agree! I disagree! Not if you chin them; it was a ferreting gent wot taught me. Regards Eug

Cranners analysis is exactly my take as well. Bang on. I've got three ginormous rape fields opposite my house with hardly a bird on them all winter; but the Wyre Forest on the other three sides is stuffed with birds. I don't have a measured view of the relative numbers this year, but my gut feeling is that we've got higher numbers than ever with a lot of late season youngsters amongst them. The few woodies I've shot roosting are full of natural grub, beech mast in particular. I'll probably have a pop tonight and check a few crops out; if owt's changed I'll let you know. It's now early Feb. The weatherman says we are in for a cold snap, so the birds might switch their feeding grounds if the natural stuff runs out, and move to the OSR. Once again it's only a gut feel, but I think we won't have a rape shooting season at all round here. Having said all that me Ern, FM, and Ole Man Cranners are all south of the Trent; it might be different oop t'North..I think MRobson in Scotland said he'd got good numbers on the rape. Regards Eug

I find donking things on branches and posts distasteful too; like swinging it looks clumsy and uncaring. I hate the beaters stick thing too; I've seen ever so many "dead" birds still flapping around after half a dozen ill aimed efforts. If you are going to use a priest, get a proper one that's balanced and got a good brass endy bit. One tip is to hold the bird by its wings in one hand; it will then obligingly stick it's bonce out and hold fairly still. It's surprising how many folks don't do this. "Wringing" is second best; bear in mind that a birds neck needs to be fully extended when you are doing it, otherwise it turns into a "spring" form and won't break properly. Tuck the bird under your arm and with both hands extend his neck to its full length. Keeping the tension up turn the head through three complete turns, and then increase the tension and with your thumb under the beak push the head right back. You'll fell the neck joint slip out. The best.....I use the old 'keepers way with small birds like fezzies and pigeons; bite the back of the head hard enough to crush the skull. Instant and clean despatch, and (unless you've got false choppers!) doesn't require any extra gear. Chinning is the easiest way for rabbits; the chop does work but it takes more practice than you might think especially with a jumpy wriggly one. Hold Brer Rabbit in your left hand with the knuckle of your forefinger behind his head, tight up to his ears. Push his head right back over your knuckle; you'll hear the vertebrae crunch, it's the crushing force that kills. Regards Eug