the shooting life

[cockercas]

this probably applies to the slightly older shooters but here it gose.

as your shooting years clock up do/did you find yourselves more reluctant to kill things?

ive shot since i could pull the trigger, so you could say ive been doing it 20yrs, but seriously shooting for 10yr. i used to shoot everything when i was younger. the first animals i stopped shooting was pigeons, probably 5yr ago. they got dumped in dykes and it was a shame to do it. so its rear i shoot them now.

then was pheasants and partridge 4yrs ago. used to put birds down, fill feeders ect.

ducks geese 2 years ago. last year i shot 3 ducks and went goosing twice. im not short of duck and geese either.

and in the last year rabbits, unless im shooting them at range, knocking them down with the .22 isnt my cup of tea. i just carnt be *****. id rather take someone eles and let them shoot them with me.

ive found that ive more moved from killing things to the conservation side. planting sources of food, clearing the woods up. maintain the hedges. the only things i shoot now are crows magpies foxes and deer. except for the deer all has a conservation benefit. running a few traps and going to start trapping mink soon.

so anyone eles drifted down this path?

i still put feed down and the local English partridge seem to be thriving.

Edited July 25, 2012 by cockercas

[Bing-Bong]

this probably applies to the slightly older shooters but here it gose.

as your shooting years clock up do/did you find yourselves more reluctant to kill things?

ive shot since i could pull the trigger, so you could say ive been doing it 20yrs, but seriously shooting for 10yr. i used to shoot everything when i was younger. the first animals i stopped shooting was pigeons, probably 5yr ago. they got dumped in dykes and it was a shame to do it. so its rear i shoot them now.

then was pheasants and partridge 4yrs ago. used to put birds down, fill feeders ect.

ducks geese 2 years ago. last year i shot 3 ducks and went goosing twice. im not short of duck and geese either.

and in the last year rabbits, unless im shooting them at range, knocking them down with the .22 isnt my cup of tea. i just carnt be *****. id rather take someone eles and let them shoot them with me.

ive found that ive more moved from killing things to the conservation side. planting sources of food, clearing the woods up. maintain the hedges. the only things i shoot now are crows magpies foxes and deer. except for the deer all has a conservation benefit. running a few traps and going to start trapping mink soon.

so anyone eles drifted down this path?

i still put feed down and the local English partridge seem to be thriving.

 

I no longer shoot woodcock or snipe, both are marvellous birds and I prefer to see them, the same goes for English partridge and also the Hare.

I was out on the crows last night and ended up photographing Comma Butterflies. Totally forgot the corvid population, till one passed angrily overhead. That reminded me of what I should be doing.