Scully Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 Yeah, Not all are like that. Most of them are fine. The owners of our rough shoot are sheep farmers literally from the Fell bottoms; the Howgills, and you couldnt meet nicer people. Yeah, Not all are like that. Most of them are fine. The owners of our rough shoot are sheep farmers literally from the Fell bottoms; the Howgills, and you couldnt meet nicer people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 Yeah, Not all are like that. Most of them are fine. The owners of our rough shoot are sheep farmers literally from the Fell bottoms; the Howgills, and you couldnt meet nicer people. Yeah, Not all are like that. Most of them are fine. The owners of our rough shoot are sheep farmers literally from the Fell bottoms; the Howgills, and you couldnt meet nicer people. I take it there twins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldfarmer Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 Shooting over someone else's land is a privilege - not a right. There are many more shooters than there is land available - so look after it. Turn up with a few cans of beer or a bottle of wine or offer to do a bit of bale bumping. My advice is find out what his tipple is - call round with it and thank him for all the years of pleasure shooting over his farm has given you - you never know - he might invite you back! If you had done that every Christmas you may still be shooting there. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 I take it there twins Sorry. For some reason when I'm posting on phone I get some carp about admin' saying I'm only allowed to post a certain number of times regardless of whether I have or not, and then when I try again it double posts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39TDS Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 I'm a farmer and my take on it that he has probably been working 100 hours a week, maybe more. When someone comes along that has got enough time to spare that they can waltz round the fields shooting just for fun it kind of grates a bit. Nothing personal, just the time of year etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin lad Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 I'm a farmer and my take on it that he has probably been working 100 hours a week, maybe more. When someone comes along that has got enough time to spare that they can waltz round the fields shooting just for fun it kind of grates a bit. Nothing personal, just the time of year etc. pretty much the point i was putting across, from the outside it looks easy to jump in your combine and cut a bit of wheat, but after working on a farm for the last five years i have come to realise what a stressful job it is, peter the farmer i work for started 2 weeks ago doing his 100 hour a week and will be working like that for the next 8-10 weeks to the op wait till after harvest and go out your way to bump into him again and get chatting to him ask how harvest went etc then drop shooting into conversation he probably would have fogotten about it all and let you carry on colin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 I'm a farmer and my take on it that he has probably been working 100 hours a week, maybe more. When someone comes along that has got enough time to spare that they can waltz round the fields shooting just for fun it kind of grates a bit. Nothing personal, just the time of year etc. I suspect the answer is right there. Bothering farmers at harvest time is about the worst thing you can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe soapy Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 I suspect the answer is right there. Bothering farmers at harvest time is about the worst thing you can do. You got it, i'm semi retired now and like a bit of shooting, so maybe some of the tyro's on here would buy a farm and let me shoot it whilst they scratch a living Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 (edited) The problem with many shooters is that they don't give their farmers good service . Every single farmer who allows people like us to shoot on their land have had the fly by nights on the farm . They will promise the land owner they will shoot their pests and vermin , turn up a couple of times and then farmer Giles dosent see them again as they have moved onto pastures new , literally . I have been shooting the same farms approximately 3 thousand acres for the past 35 years . I have allways turned out to shoot pests and deer when their has been a problem on any of the farms . I make a point of driving around the farms looking for problem areas and sorting it out quickly . The farmer who's land I shoot on has over the years has become a good friend and will not let any body shoot the farms unless they speak to me and it is my decision to say yay or nay . Over the past few years he has started to grow more and more rape . More than I can handle by my self ,so I recruited two good old boys off this forum to help me out through the rape growing season . They and I get to shoot the rape through the winter months and they and I get to shoot the stubbles . I will allways offer my help around the farm if their is a problem and have often spent time helping out on repairs to farm machinery . I am no expert but some times an extra pair of hands can come in handy . Get to know your land owner and strike up a friendship . Just remember , this is your farmers busiest and most worrisome time of the year . A good or bad yield can make or break a farmer ,he only gets one pay day a year . Harnser Edited July 31, 2014 by Harnser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keg Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 I am lucky as my permissions belong to friends who i have known for at least 25 years, some 39 yrs and Hanser sums it up perfectly. Even after all this time, i do not take them for granted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 I am lucky as my permissions belong to friends who i have known for at least 25 years, some 39 yrs and Hanser sums it up perfectly. Even after all this time, i do not take them for granted. Exactly . Harnser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 maybe some of the tyro's on here would buy a farm and let me shoot it whilst they scratch a living Sweeping generalisations such as that do no one any favours and can be a cause of resentment. I have experience of both ends of the farming spectrum, from watching my brother in law suffer a nervous breakdown when his farm went into receivership due to inherited debt, which he flogged himself around the clock trying to work out of, before the bank called 'time' on him, to a local farmers wife who angered many (including other farmers) by writing a lengthy letter to our local rag complaining of the poor price for milk and farm subsidies while she picked up her kids from school in her brand new top of the range Audi. Her now ex-husband (she apparently left him for greener pastures) has had to make do with a '14 plate Range Rover Sport as his work vehicle now. There are some hill farmers eking a living from fell bred sheep around here, either on leased or owned land, but that's through choice. The vast majority of farmers around here are very very wealthy, but it doesn't stop them complaining. If they're 'scratching a living' then perhaps it's time to move on, some do. Harnsers post is nearer the truth. Farm work isn't the intense back breaking manual labour work it once was, due to modern technology and machinery, but the hours aren't much different. Giving the landowner a hand when needed goes a long way to earning those vital 'brownie points'. I'm in the enviable position of living in a small rural community where all born and bred locals know each other, and mostly went to school with each other, but if a landowner asks you to sort a problem, and you don't, then it's understood they'll get someone else. They have to live here as do the rest of us, and with it being such a small community word gets around. They're busy people, but the reasonable ones realise most of us are. The unreasonable ones aren't worth bothering with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Edwards Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 The farmers around us are very wealthy. One farmer drives a Ferrari, and another a Maserati. They're a lot like the farmers from the Kronenbourg advert with Eric Cantona. The one who drives a Maserati is about 30 years old, and a bit of a playboy, and thinks nothing of taking a wad of hundreds into town for a night out. He always has a stunning bird on the go too. He works long hours no doubt, but he's definitely living the dream champagne lifestyle. I also notice a lot of them have become more like managers, overseeing things from an expensive 4X4 pickup, rather than driving a tractor and getting their hands dirty themselves. No doubt their farm workers will be working extremely long hours for nigh-on minimum wage, but such is life. The younger generation of farmers seem sound. Down to earth and they know how things are. It's the older generations, who probably can remember using horses and scythes, that seem to be the mardy ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mat Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 The farmers around us are very wealthy. One farmer drives a Ferrari, and another a Maserati. They're a lot like the farmers from the Kronenbourg advert with Eric Cantona. The one who drives a Maserati is about 30 years old, and a bit of a playboy, and thinks nothing of taking a wad of hundreds into town for a night out. He always has a stunning bird on the go too. He works long hours no doubt, but he's definitely living the dream champagne lifestyle. I also notice a lot of them have become more like managers, overseeing things from an expensive 4X4 pickup, rather than driving a tractor and getting their hands dirty themselves. No doubt their farm workers will be working extremely long hours for nigh-on minimum wage, but such is life. The younger generation of farmers seem sound. Down to earth and they know how things are. It's the older generations, who probably can remember using horses and scythes, that seem to be the mardy ones. One farmer i know hates doing things to new more efficient and cheaper way using a machine, he would prefer to do it the move expensive way as thats how its always been done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin lad Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Another way of looking at it is, we the shooters are like cold caller's especially when looking for new permission. so think when you are on your 2nd or 3rd 100 hour week you get home knacked and the door goes it's yet another cold caller what would you do invite them in for a cuppa mmmmm i know what i would do just hope the door don't hurt too much when it gets slammed Colin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobt Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 I walked in the pub the other night, the farmer at the bar bought my first pint, another the second, as I was about to buy a round at 11pm a third came in fresh off the combine, and bought the third round, I may get a go at spending money next week, If you treat them as equals they treat you as such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
propercartridges Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 keep away from him if he is busy say on a combine if he knows you and knows what you r after drive near him if you can and wave to him if he does not acknowledge you go away but if he contacts you by say thums up then I would take a chance and shoot you have been and he has seen you and stop texing him ring him its easy hi bob its Geordie I see there r sum pigeons on such a field is it ok to have a shot finish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben0850 Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 I suspect the answer is right there. Bothering farmers at harvest time is about the worst thing you can do. Pretty much, we've been flat out for seven days. Brother inlaws been baling behind the combine until the dew stops him and is averaging about 2 hrs kip a day (ps no whinge it's our good time although hard graft). I would suggest speaking to the old guy face to face, under no circumstances text him, if he's like my old man or the FIL text messages are like black magic and are to be avoided!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 I pop round mine, without any shooting gear, jeans, shoes and shirt, just normal civvy clothes. But instead of shotgun or rifle I go bearing gifts of food, pigeon, rabbit and pork burgers venison burgers sausages. It's not all about taking. Some are off there land and some not. I've been invited to private family functions from farmers who I've not known for too long, got one coming up soon, I may even get some more land to shoot on, who knows, ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin lad Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 I pop round mine, without any shooting gear, jeans, shoes and shirt, just normal civvy clothes. But instead of shotgun or rifle I go bearing gifts of food, pigeon, rabbit and pork burgers venison burgers sausages. It's not all about taking. Some are off there land and some not. I've been invited to private family functions from farmers who I've not known for too long, got one coming up soon, I may even get some more land to shoot on, who knows, ;-) i quite often take rabbit or game pie's round to one of my farmers he like's the idea of eating the animals what's been eating his crop's colin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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