Sporting course design

[smokin12g]

I've been invited to help set up my local hay bale shoot. It's 50 bird sporting with access to 10 auto traps, two of which are looper/rabbits. They also have 3 or 4 manual traps. There is a gradient to the shoot, but it isn't the steepest. They don't have access to any lifts or cherry pickers. What kind of combinations do you guys like shooting and any suggestions you could make would be welcomed.

 

 

Many thanks

[100milesaway]

I've been invited to help set up my local hay bale shoot. It's 50 bird sporting with access to 10 auto traps, two of which are looper/rabbits. They also have 3 or 4 manual traps. There is a gradient to the shoot, but it isn't the steepest. They don't have access to any lifts or cherry pickers. What kind of combinations do you guys like shooting and any suggestions you could make would be welcomed.

 

 

Many thanks

If you have manual traps you could put the clays in upside down, which creates quite an interesting result if the trap is set fairly high. Also with a manual trap you can put one smaller clay inside another which again gives another option off the same trap arm giving more variety with less traps. If you have a pick up truck you could have some bales up to make a stand in the back of the truck to give height. Good luck . from Auntie.

Edited April 20, 2011 by 100milesaway

[vmaxphil]

quatering rabbit down the slope with a fast driven from the top of the slope, that should get the oldies moving a bit !!!

[hcarlos]

quatering rabbit down the slope with a fast driven from the top of the slope, that should get the oldies moving a bit !!!

if you have a cattle trailer to hand we stand infront of ours and have the clays come over the top of our heads from behind thats always a talking point afterwards

[smokin12g]

Thanks chaps. I've seen upside down clays thrown before but find them a bit gimmicky to be honest.

 

Never thought of putting a midi inside a standard clay, i might give that a go and see what results it gives. How do you get a clay to curl of an auto trap. Do you set it on an angle? We do have some tilt and turn bases but not all of them.

 

 

Thanks

[VicW]

How do you get a clay to curl of an auto trap. Do you set it on an angle? We do have some tilt and turn bases but not all of them.

 

Put a block under the trap base,the side dependant on which way you want it to curl.A word of warning though,be careful not to go for too much of an angle otherwise the trap may fall over while in action.

It's almost impossible to suggest what to put on without seeing the ground and its limitations.

Have a good day.

 

vic.

[HDAV]

If you have trappers for the manuals then you can do a bit more, midi in a standard as a sim pair sound s fun, a cunning one is a rabbit running behind some bales with a short window to shoot. Another is hand rolled down a slope (drain pipe,steel tray etc) then down the bank to the firing point (slow quartering rabbit/squirrel) can be done with bales or other obstacles.

[smokin12g]

Thanks HDAV,

 

I was considering butting a stake in the ground to shoot the rabbit before. Nothing to tricky but something that is in the back of your mind before you get in the cage.

 

I was thinking of trying to combine the manual traps with on report autos as i find the flight of simo pairs off a manual trap very unpredictable. I was also thinking of putting on a teal but turning the trap 90 degrees so the bird was edge on.

 

I prefer sky birds myself but we do struggle for gradient to get much hight on things

 

 

Al the best

[Dustem Dave]

If you have trappers for the manuals then you can do a bit more, midi in a standard as a sim pair sound s fun, a cunning one is a rabbit running behind some bales with a short window to shoot. Another is hand rolled down a slope (drain pipe,steel tray etc) then down the bank to the firing point (slow quartering rabbit/squirrel) can be done with bales or other obstacles.

Thats a classic tree tops target i believe

[HDAV]

Thats a classic tree tops target i believe

the gravity fed Rat/Rabbit yeah it is (also used in world class sporting events) an easy way to make the most of the ground you have.....(and a tricky tricky shot)

 

Bales work better than a stake (as no arguments) you hit the clay or the bale.....

 

Edge on Teal sounds tricky if there is a slight lean towards the cage how about throwing one up and towards the cage?

 

Another option if you have the ground is a quartering incomer. Covering the trap or obscuring some of the flight makes a straight forward target much trickier. Low crosser that has a rick of bales where most would shoot at it? Leaving a fast snap shot or a late dropping bird?

 

Mix it up a bit and hopefully you have some bales (disposable coverings) to play with...

 

Or if your near essex hire one of these for the weekend http://www.monkeytower.co.uk/index.html adds 5m to your high birds straght away! Infact speedy hire do them http://www.speedyhire.com/Access/Towers/Monkey-Tower/p-1-1-2-5/

Edited April 20, 2011 by HDAV

[100milesaway]

If you use the low incomer always have it as your second bird ' cause you don't want clay bits heading towards a loaded second barrel. :look: If you are having a simultaneous pair always put the extra pairs on this stand it avoids queues. from Auntie.

[smokin12g]

If you use the low incomer always have it as your second bird ' cause you don't want clay bits heading towards a loaded second barrel. If you are having a simultaneous pair always put the extra pairs on this stand it avoids queues. from Auntie.

 

 

2 top bits of advice, thanks for that. The first one i wouldn't have thought of

[Diceman]

Get a few boxes of battues for the manual traps. They are expensive and so are the battue auto traps so not many strawbalers use them, but they make an interesting target and everybody like to see them. Land them on some deep grass and you can always pick up the unbroken ones and sell them again to recoup the extra cost

[HDAV]

SO how did it go? What worked what didn't, how many complaints did you get?

[smokin12g]

Hi HDAV

 

It went well thanks. I didn't alter things a great deal to be honest. I'm going to do similar things next time I set up but with an overhead looper. Probably want to shoot that one at the apex before it starts dropping!

[bakerboy]

Put a block under the trap base,the side dependant on which way you want it to curl.A word of warning though,be careful not to go for too much of an angle otherwise the trap may fall over while in action.

It's almost impossible to suggest what to put on without seeing the ground and its limitations.

Have a good day.

 

I would never advise placing a block under a trap, the vibration can topple the trap and make it potentially an unsafe area to approach.

I know I sound like a goody goody, but each to his own.

 

vic.

Edited April 26, 2011 by bakerboy

[bakerboy]

Where abouts are you? you may get some new visitors if we knew.

Unless of course I am stupid and missed your location.

 

Terry