Stalker_2 Posted August 12, 2005 Report Share Posted August 12, 2005 Well thanks for the considered responses chaps, so much vitriol and so little comprehension. I understand how difficult it is to discern the true tone of any post so I’ll try to clarify…but then again I might have it wrong and just appear patronising again. :( Yes it’s true I did arrive here seeking the going rate for pigeon shooting. I now know this. I also know that for some strange reason some pigeon shooters believe they shouldn’t have to pay for their chosen sport like the majority of the UK population. It’s true I didn’t shoot any type of shotgun for 15 years before I discovered pigeon shooting. Thanks to this forum I do now…and love it. Before then I used to pay for clay pigeon shooting along with everyone else. We as a shooting fraternity wanted more people in our sport to help safeguard it from the anti’s. The down side is that because of the increase in shooters that for every bit of land available there are probably hundreds of shooters trying to gain access. That creates a fierce competition where once the farmer was lucky to get any one to turn up to shoot the vermin FOC. I don’t claim to be an expert at anything but I have been shooting for many years and if someone asks something that I know the answer to I am not ashamed to answer them if the question is asked. If some on this forum like to play ignorant and not answer a question that’s their prerogative. As to my attitude to shooting sports? My chosen sport is deer stalking and by that I mean “management” and not merely killing a deer because it’s in front of my rifle. I’d much rather see a gold medal head attached to a live beast in the field than on any wall. I like 99% of stalkers pay for the privilege. By my arithmetic it costs me £100 for every deer I cull if I keep the carcasses. It would cost considerably more if I wanted to travel to Scotland to do it, now that I have relinquished those rights. I live about 1 hour from London. There are shooters in London who can write a cheque for £20,000 for stalking without batting an eyelid and then not even bother turning up. I can’t even begin to compete with that. I have to offer the landowner something they can’t…a service that makes me indispensable to the farm. You name I do it…for free. Now the entire farming family trust me. This led them to ask me to set up and run a shoot so that they can maximise the returns on the land even though I don’t shoot pheasants and have no intention to. That led to my original query regarding pigeon shooting rates. The idiot who had the rough shooting rights for twenty years previously squandered the privilege. His shooters alienated the village and were rude to the landowners…and they were paying peanuts. So far starting this January I have worked clearing three woods for pens. That entailed felling some 400 or so trees…some giant 4 foot diameter part fallen Beech and Chestnut trees. That took a couple of months to do fitting in with the day job. I’ve erected three very large release pens with the help of a chap who knows about these things. I finished plumbing them in today…the pheasants arrive next week. The cover crop is in place and growing nicely. The guns are mostly sold with just a few to go. Then we have to lay on 18 days of testing pheasants for the syndicates and try not to poison them with the catering. If we don’t get it right I along with my partner are looking at refunds all round…and I don’t even shoot the bloody things. To add insult to injury I’ve even got to wear tweeds on shoot day!!! Next year we might make a profit…my cut is likely to be £7000. That’s £3500 for each years work…but it will pay for my chosen sport, just. My other chosen sports also require me to pay…like doing a track day and getting my knee down on a circuit and preying I don’t chuck my toy into the kitty litter, or diving any one of the thousands of wrecks around our coasts. Paying for your chosen sport has been a fact of life for millions of sports men and women in the UK for many many years, why not pigeon shooting? So that’s my attitude chaps. I will go the extra mile or two and I will work like a slave for the privilege. I will not apologise for this or sit on my **** and complain that I can’t get shooting for free. And since I am at financial risk if this goes wrong, I reserve the right to do whatever I have to to prevent me from losing my house including court action as a last resort. To finish this rather long post I would point out that the comment regarding livelihood was in quotation marks, and were the farmer’s comments, not mine. Cheers S_2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Red Fox Posted August 12, 2005 Report Share Posted August 12, 2005 To add insult to injury I’ve even got to wear tweeds on shoot day!!! You really are a pompas ******** aren't you.................. And probably a towny too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stalker_2 Posted August 13, 2005 Report Share Posted August 13, 2005 (edited) BRF you insist on posting insults and nothing else. :( I take it therefore that because you are unable to put together a coherent counter point without resorting to such tactics you are unable to. That indicates to me that to try to continue to have any type of meaningful exchange with you is probably pointless. Nevertheless, I may be all the things you say…and more, but that’s the first time I’ve been called pompous. I may be willing to put my point across…but isn’t that the whole point of a forum? You on the other hand are beginning to appear as a boorish clown and I’d like to believe that’s not who you are either. FWIW my comment regarding tweeds was tongue in cheek…my dismay was because I have to buy them and they don’t come cheap. Perhaps next time I’ll use emoticons B) Your comments regarding my background are also wrong, try a Hampshire/Wiltshire sheep farm. Getting back to paying for our sport. There are professional pigeon shooters who post on this forum and they charge for shooting days. I see nothing wrong in that and if the majority of shooters believed that they wouldn’t be in business today. I intend to avail myself of their services at some point, if for no other reason than to witness how the masters do it. Additionally we seem to be getting plenty of uptakes for a day’s pigeon shooting. A father and son can have a great day out for less than what some spend on a single evening down the local pup. The good thing for them is they only pay for what they want and when it suites them. They then get access to land that would otherwise be unavailable to them. Farmers who let the pigeon control for free tend to end up with one or two regular shooters and everyone else in the area loses out. Digger you asked advice regarding shooting near pens. I merely highlighted that there could be potentially more serious consequences than you might imagine…depending on what type of contract the syndicate has with the land owner. I’m unsure what you mean by I keep going away. I assume that you mean I don’t start slinging insults when others do it to me over something they believe I have written. In the wake of any perceived insult I walk away until I can reply with a considered measured response like a normal well adjusted adult. Cheers S_2 Edited August 13, 2005 by Stalker_2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Red Fox Posted August 13, 2005 Report Share Posted August 13, 2005 This really is my final words to you stalker seems like you have a lot of adjusting to do (growing up) I've read most of your previous posts and sorry but I find that you haven't yet had a conversation where your view is offered it seems more like your view is law and you are most times looking for disagreement. Get a reality check mate and I hope your pigeons come home to roost soon. Digger I'm sorry mate this has gone well off your thread and usually I can adjust myself to hold my tongue but the my money is better than your attitude of this guy relly got on my tits........ All the best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invector Posted August 14, 2005 Report Share Posted August 14, 2005 The Big Red Fox, I`m surprised you took Stalker_2 on because, according to one of his previous posts, he can shoot rabbits in the head at 350 yards!!! (I kid you not) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Red Fox Posted August 14, 2005 Report Share Posted August 14, 2005 The Big Red Fox, I`m surprised you took Stalker_2 on because, according to one of his previous posts, he can shoot rabbits in the head at 350 yards!!! (I kid you not) :( B) Some things just get to me man, he who makes the blood boil and all that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted August 15, 2005 Report Share Posted August 15, 2005 Hey come on guys put your toys back in the pram. Bloody glad I don't drink in the same pub as you lot, Friday nights could get a bit lairy! This is supposed to be a gentlemans forum not a rude boys convention. Now kiss and make up before ernya slaps yer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAMMY Posted August 15, 2005 Report Share Posted August 15, 2005 Aww come on Highlander, that was quite entertaining!!!!! Hammy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Red Fox Posted August 15, 2005 Report Share Posted August 15, 2005 Ern take this drivlle away now will you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invector Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 Ern, Just in case you don`t understand he meant DRIVEL!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Red Fox Posted August 16, 2005 Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 That was the Scottish spelling, hey invector are you following me around or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invector Posted August 17, 2005 Report Share Posted August 17, 2005 Just look in your car boot!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROB REYNOLDS UK Posted August 17, 2005 Report Share Posted August 17, 2005 in the good old days the farmer would pay for your shot gun shells for you to shoot the pigeons with ,them days are gone to pay for a days pigeon shoot is wrong, why becouse pigeons feed there selfs pheasents dont, you have to buy pheasents pigeon come free ,you have to spend loads of time bringing on phesents ,pigeons bring there selfs up ..you can say 100% you will be shooting birds on a pheasent shoot you cant say that about pigeons .why should i pay some one like the bloke at garlands clay shoot who takes you out sticks you in some field take £50 to £75 of you and you only shoot one bird as it was the only bird around it happened to my mate its all about the money he was not bothered if you shoot 1 or 100 as long as he gets his money ..if you could say to me i could be shooting 100 birds at the weekend for £100 id say im on my way, just think if we all stopped pigeon shooting how it would efect farming and us in the long term in two years there would be 10 million more pigeon flying around eating your crops i bet them farmers would soon be buying us them shells again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ears Posted August 17, 2005 Report Share Posted August 17, 2005 the keeper of, one of the pieces of land i shoot over has asked me to stop shooting pigeons as from the 21 st Aug until other wise instructed which he means around end of Jan 06. I totally understand no probs. I await the first day of my syndicate shoot in late Oct for some game. until then clays it is. sham though was a great season yet again for me and the woody and i totally enjoyed it. all thanks to the keeper. The other two picees of ground have now also said near on the same thing. but this time comes around every year but a great thanks to them both too. and the beating dates are to follow im sure. now as for others in this debate. yes stay in with the keepers and yes dont become an *** licker either like some. just be yourself and all should be fine and enjoy your sport whats left of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Red Fox Posted August 17, 2005 Report Share Posted August 17, 2005 I don't have the problem with paying for pigeon shooting my problem is with A*******S who think "my money is better than yours" This is the last thing I post on this subject, my calmness is deteriorating again!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digger Posted August 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2005 good points raised there rob.been mulling it over and stand by my posts.if i had the money i would pay for game shooting, why ? because there are expenses,land rental,feed,keeper,beaters,medication etc etc. never been on a bit of land where game breeds freely,truly wild.been on many thousands of acres where vermin proliferates,no overheads,no rearing,just vermin. supply and demand,i know some posters on here sell pigeon shooting days and fair play to them,we all have a living to make.i dont have a problem per se with pigeon guides just those greedy so and sos who seek to profit from others with a far q attitude. shooting times ran an ad last year "pigeon and vermin shooting,excellent format over maize,chance of game in season £100 a day" in where ? hampshire. suprise suprise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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