Funny things that have happened in the field

[Brian Carpenter]

Hello everybody, I am new to the site, I have been pigeon shooting for about 14 years. Some strange things have happened but one of the most funniest things I have ever heard about is as follows.

There is an old friend of mine who I go pigeon shooting with. He is quite the character and has very little common sense. Anyway picture the scene a recently planted triangular field, with pigeons dropping in to it by the dozen. This person did have the right to shoot the field. However, there were several things that should of stopped this person from shooting it. Firstly there was a major dual carriage way running down one side, a single road lane down the other and to the back of the field there was a garden centre. Well with lack of common sense he set up, sat down and waited for the fun to start. About fives minutes later the next thing he hears, "Come out with your hands up." Baffled he stands up to find that his barbor jacket had developed little red holds in it, which were in fact from the lasers of the guns of the swat squad. He then left his hide and was told to lie down in the mud, (it had rained several days prior to this). After the police had checked him out, his gun certificate and other things, they told him he was alright to continue. Regardless to say, he never shot that field that day or another other day. I donot think he thought it was funny at the time but I always laugh when I think about it. Has anyone else got any such like stories?

[kevin15]

A friend of mine who works at a shooting ground as an instructor was shooting alongsside a combine a few years ago when a Transit van pulled up at the side of the field in question. Six armed response guys got out and through a load speaker one of them told my mate to put his gun down and lie face down on the ground which he did, Then two of the officers started to climb over the fence, seeing this my mate called over to them but the guy with the loud speaker told him to shut up. three times my mate tried to speak to the two climbing over the fence but every time was shouted down by the officer with the load speaker. The two climbing over the fence jumped into the field and dissapeared into a large ditch covered by brambles it took two other officers five minutes to help them out with all thier webbing and helmets all over the place scratched faces and embarrassed looks.My mate knew the ground and was trying to warn the officers not to jump over the fence. the guy driving the combine was the landowner so hence there was no problem but it must have been the funniest thing to see.

[Cranfield]

Welcome Brian,

 

I have been fortunate in never having had this type of contact with the Police, when shooting.

 

A friend of mine was zeroing a rifle, on land he had permission to shoot over.

When THE helicopter appeared and hovered some distance away, he ignored it and carried on.

The next thing was, two cars and a van appeared, with a dog.

He went through the lay down, gun to the side etc . etc.

 

They eventually sorted it out, but it appeared a passing motorist had heard the shots and telephoned the Police.

 

What I can,t understand in these instances, is that it is obvious that the person with the gun, is not in a public place, threatening or causing harm to any person.

The complaints to the Police can,t say that they are.

Why does it need such a "heavy-handed" approach ?

I know the official answer will be, "we have to make sure" and "we don,t want any Police Officers put at risk".

I don,t like to see the Police ridiculed, or made to look less than efficient, but these situations don,t help.

 

Interestingly, when we have reported poaching, an unarmed Police attendance has always been made.

Why ?

[ernyha]

I think when the police get a call to a "gun incident" they go through a set routine and follow it through to the end even after realising early on that it is an innocent sport shooter. Have also heard on good authority that they use it as a good training exercise for the real thing.

[brooktrout]

As Ernyah says, Im sure that they know exactly the situation but relish the chance to exercise the procedure. Its probably a good thing really, as it hones themup for the real thing. But it must surely give a shooter some idea of what its like to be hunted for a change! I bet the laughter comes a long time after the incident though!

[red_stag88]

Very funny!

[Hammergun]

The thing is, poaching needs to be reoprted as aggravated armed trespass to get an armed response. Saying that there are "armed intruders" should usually be effective.

 

In fairness to the police, even if it is a hoax or a sporting shooter, and even if the police believe it to be so, they are required by procedure to follow up with an armed response right to the end.

 

It is exactly the same for the fire brigade. They must respond to all calls, even hoaxes which they know to be so. This takes up huge amounts of their time whilst lives are put at risk.

[neil]

I remember once,quite a while back before things were to strict about people being out and about with a gun a good family friend brought a new rifle & scope,as was quite common round here at the time (Cornwall has lots of sea & cliffs )he took the rifle down to the cliffs one summers evening when the water was like a sheet of glass to get a rough zero sorted on the scope (you fire into the water from whatever distance from the cliff above and adjust the scope to "look" where the bullet pitches in the water,this then gives you a rough zero that you can fine tune on a target but means that however far out the scope is the bullet will allways fall in a safe place, ie the sea as opposed to flying past a backstop in a field.He had been shooting for a little while and probably fired about a dozen or so shots until he got it near enough,he then sat back and rolled a fag.All of a sudden from a little lower down in the ferns a half dressed courting couple stood up and ran for thier lives,perhaps they thought it was a jelous husband or enraged father

[Yorkshire Pudding]

Neil

 

 

all the best yis yp :ph34r:

[daviddjlloyd]

 

Well it certainly was not funny at all. You might laugh at it when you hear the tale . It happened a few years ago now ( and i`m lucky to be telling it). My daughter worked on a farm where the rape had been cut , so the time of the year was about August. After she gave me a lift to the farm I set up on a likely spot ,deeks out ready for some action. However after a while nothing ,so, I moved, and had a few pigeon. Later I moved back to my hide, on entering it Iwas stung on the face then again on my hand .then ZAP ZAP ZAP ,they were all over me ZAP ZAP ZAP . By now I was panicing, discarded my gun, running away wiping them away from my face ,away went my hat ZAP ZAP ZAP they were rearly hitting me, away went my GLASSES. I eventually knelt down and pulled my coat over my head shaking.

Eventually I got up and staggard towards the farm and put my HOT THROBBING head under a tap to cool off.

I got my histerical daughter to take me back to retrieve my glasses on all fours, eventually found them and then got my gun and set off homeward.

 

I was stung scores of times about the head, neck and hands. I foolishly did not go to the hospital, it could have been FATAL.

 

WARNING WHEN SHOOTING IN AUGUST BEWARE

BEE SWARMS AND WASPS.

 

 

:*) :*) :*) :*) :*) :*) :*)

[neil]

Ouch,what were they?bees or wasps?

[columbus]

D LLoyd lucky it wasnt me. When we were kids we used to rob wasp nests for the grubs for fishing (no finer trout bait). It went like this first you located the nest, secondly you got some oily rags and set them alight in the entrance of the nest, then when the wasps were in a stupor you made a dash for a few combs with the grubs in. Well one day it went horribly wrong and i got coverd in wasps, all stinging me like hell there wasnt a part of my body that didnt have a sting on ,and i mean no part. the upshot of it is it has left me with an allergi to wasp stings if i get stung now the part of me that is stung swells to 3 times the size that it should be, and if that happens to be in the throat area then i could choke to death quite literaly. The moral is, buy maggots for fishing dont try to get grubs for free.

[columbus]

Just read through what i had written, perhaps i should keep a few for special occations. :*)

[daviddjlloyd]

:huh

 

columbus At the end I think they were bees .I didn`t stop to inspect what veriety of insects they were. All I knew was they had a hell of a sting . What must have happened was that a wild swarm must have settled for the night in my hide.

 

:*) :*) :*) :*) :*)

[daviddjlloyd]

 

I see theres a a programme about KILLER BEES on tele tonite , wheeeeel I might watch it .

There again I might not.

 

 

As long as they stop over in the states

wont mind, good veiwing to all