PW Game shooting Poll

[poontang]

You get on a top shoot around me in Yorkshire and you can get drives where the low birds are 35 yards and 50 yards the norm all drive and the best birds 70+

 

 

 

 

George

 

So the higher the bird the more 'sporting'?

 

Have you any idea just how far 70 yards is? and can any shooter consistently kill at that range? Very, very few I should think. You're pushing even a top quality cartridge to it's limit at that sort of range. My idea of sporting is to kill cleanly what I shoot at, not take excessive risks of wounding by shooting at almost double the effective range of the average gun/cartridge combination.

 

 

Nelson's column is 56 yards high, so add a quarter of its height again to reach 70 yards!!

[MC]

I am so glad that someone has brought up how "GAME" shooters take such sporting shots. One on saturday took such a sporting shot that he shot me and my dog. Merlin spent all weekend at the emergency vets with a bill of £800+

 

I fail to see how anyone can class a 70 yard pheasant as "Sporting" at best you are going to wound it, but then you will rely on someone else to find it.

 

I shot on the shoot on saturday and the most sporting drive to me was one between 2 woods with a small gap. you had a split second to shoot and it was good fun.

 

Thats right shock horror, my definition of sporting is having fun. Not wounded or missing all day long at birds that are well out of range.

Edited December 20, 2010 by MC

[Scully]

I agree with the 'sporting' as having fun MC,which is why we all shoot isn't it....because we enjoy it?

And that's just another reason why the antis want it banned,not only do they perceive it as cruel,but we actually enjoy shooting birds.

[al4x]

I am so glad that someone has brought up how "GAME" shooters take such sporting shots. One on saturday took such a sporting shot that he shot me and my dog. Merlin spent all weekend at the emergency vets with a bill of £800+

 

I fail to see how anyone can class a 70 yard pheasant as "Sporting" at best you are going to wound it, but then you will rely on someone else to find it.

 

I shot on the shoot on saturday and the most sporting drive to me was one between 2 woods with a small gap. you had a split second to shoot and it was good fun.

 

Thats right shock horror, my definition of sporting is having fun. Not wounded or missing all day long at birds that are well out of range.

 

ah but you having done some will appreciate the sporting side MC that you simply can't explain to some. I've shot sporting partridges 6ft off the ground, but they were moving very fast and in similar conditions to you but as long crossers of course safely. Out of range birds are to some of us but with the right equipment a good shot will consistently knock them down so is that out of range? If you go prepared it isn't always an issue to the right man. As for the wounding aspect this is more an issue on small shoots than large and I'd say we get very few injured birds left simply because we have a good team picking up. I've seen worse things done by people roosting pigeons shooting at out of range birds and generally taking pot shots. As for being shot sadly that is a risk of being around anyone else who is shooting and possibly again more an issue on small syndicates where the people shoot less, I know on the two small syndicates I go on there is no ground game including foxes for that very reason, the bigger shoots again rarely shoot ground game but foxes when safe.

Hope the dog is on the mend and did you have any pellets lodged in embarrassing places

[MC]

The thing is though Al4x is that there is a world of difference between having a decent picking up team and not leaving injured birds and not injuring them in the first place.

 

I know it happens and it always will but raising a gun to a pheasant at 70 yards? Come one really? and as for shooting a partridge 6 feet off the ground? I thought you would know better. The pheasant shot at on saturday was six foot of the ground, just about my head height and as Merlin was on a bank at the time he copped it as well.

 

But yes Merlin is on the mend and is acting like a puppy at the moment out in the snow. So although he was shot on saturday you wouldn't know it apart from the clipped areas of fur.

 

And no I didn't get any pellets in any embarassing places, I just got one in the neck.

[Rasher]

dont like snobs looking down at me

 

Hmmm...But you think its perfectly acceptable for you to look down your nose at them. There's nothing like a bit of reverse snobbery is there.

 

We'll be having renditions of the Monty Python "we lived in cardboard box in't middle of road.But we were proud" sketch next.

 

I have always found that those with the chip on their shoulder or are the biggest critics are usually the ones who have never tried it.

Decent, first class game shooting that is.

 

Personally I don't enjoy late spring, summer pigeon shooting. I find shooting young inexperience just of the nest pigeons rather unappealing, I also find the thought of shooting brooding parent birds slightly distastefully. So I don't do it. I also find the those that like to dress from head to toe in realtree rather ludicrous. But thats my choice. I don't decry those that choose to shoot during the late spring and summer and I say wear what you want if it makes you feel good. Just not for me thanks.

[Rasher]

So the higher the bird the more 'sporting'?

 

Yes! Whats sporting about shooting a flopper?

 

Have you any idea just how far 70 yards is? and can any shooter consistently kill at that range?

 

Yes I know what a 70yd pheasant looks like, and no not all those that shoot game can consistently kill them. That's why they leave them for those that can if they have any sense.Those that regularly shoot on "high bird" shoots are not your average game shot and they tend not to shoot with your average cartridge or shotgun. Horses for courses.

[Rasher]

This shows what little you know about game shooting. If you think that commercial shooting is all people who can't shoot for toffee blasting away at very low birds then you are very very wrong indeed. The big commercial shoots have the ability to put consistently very high birds over the guns day in day out and thats why they have grown as large and popular as they have. Having grown up in and around shooting experiencing it all from rough, walk one stand one 30-70 bird days, mini driven days on farm shoots right up to large days of 400+ days on the big commercial shoots in yorkshire and can honestly say that driven shooting attracts all sorts and many who I have met on the bigger days aren't 'toffs' in any way but often the self made old boys who have made their cash and are spending it on shooting and are genuinely nice people. Admittedly I have met some who are just out to shoot as many as possible be it low, high or anything in-between with a if it flies it dies mentality and that really gets at me, watching people shoot a high bird then one skirting along the tree tops and it makes me feel sick. You get on a top shoot around me in Yorkshire and you can get drives where the low birds are 35 yards and 50 yards the norm all drive and the best birds 70+ and I'd like to see how all those knocking game shooting as shooting being to make people feel happy with them selves have a go at a drive like that and see if that makes you feel about your shooting and it wont be what a great shot you are.

 

 

 

Yeah you are right tradition is such an awful thing I might turn up to the next funeral I go to in a bright yellow tracksuit as the tradition of a black suit white shirt and black tie is such an awful thing....

 

As for tweed on a shoot day I think you'll find +4s to be practical with wellies and that tweed is both highly warm and wind proof and whats really wrong with looking smart and showing respect? its just inverse snobbery that often rears its ugly head in debates such as these.

 

Just my tu-pence worth.

 

George

 

All very well said George.

 

Good to see that at least some of the younger entry have the right ideas.

[al4x]

The thing is though Al4x is that there is a world of difference between having a decent picking up team and not leaving injured birds and not injuring them in the first place.

 

I know it happens and it always will but raising a gun to a pheasant at 70 yards? Come one really? and as for shooting a partridge 6 feet off the ground? I thought you would know better. The pheasant shot at on saturday was six foot of the ground, just about my head height and as Merlin was on a bank at the time he copped it as well.

 

But yes Merlin is on the mend and is acting like a puppy at the moment out in the snow. So although he was shot on saturday you wouldn't know it apart from the clipped areas of fur.

 

And no I didn't get any pellets in any embarassing places, I just got one in the neck.

 

 

good to hear both are on the mend and it is a reminder that it is all too easy to have happen just lucky it wasn't worse.

 

70 yards you only have peoples guessing at that and as we all know some people have small yards I can happily say my partridge shot was perfectly safe as its on ground I have been shooting on for 20 years I had approx 400 yards of open field that rose steeply behind it with no hedges and no footpaths etc so it can be done but only if you know the lie of the land. I've seen people shoot over hedges just etc and it is frankly scary, as for pickers up they shouldn't be needed but everyone pricks a bird from time to time and that includes vermin shooters so the fact they are there makes it as likely as possible that any injured birds are picked.