rimfire4969 Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 We are having our shoot agm soon and I want to try and convince some of the older guns to change things about a bit for the coming season. This last season our birds wondered everywhere expect where we wanted them and had the shoots worst return in the 9 years it's been running. I am trying to convince them that we need to do some major clearing in our wood to open it up as there are bits even the dogs can't get in. Also I would like to feed the wood which they have never done and put out a lot more feeders where we want the birds. We have lost a couple of the less active guns and replaced them with some keen young blood but unfortunately it's some of the others who make the decisions. I would like to go to the meeting Pre-armed with as much info as posible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingEgg Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 (edited) Always feed where you want them, no point feeding away from where you want them to be on shoot day... Clear areas in wood to let light in. We have one area on a drive that is an opening in the wood, and when suns out the birds Fight for a spot in the sun.. Edited February 20, 2017 by ShootingEgg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-dot Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 Hang three or four dead rabbits two feet off the ground inside your pens. Pheasants are addicted to maggots and wont wander when the fruit starts falling. Hang three or four dead rabbits two feet off the ground inside your pens. Pheasants are addicted to maggots and wont wander when the fruit starts falling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingEgg Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 Hang three or four dead rabbits two feet off the ground inside your pens. Pheasants are addicted to maggots and wont wander when the fruit starts falling. Hang three or four dead rabbits two feet off the ground inside your pens. Pheasants are addicted to maggots and wont wander when the fruit starts falling. Would this (opentop pen) not attract the wrong type of visitors to the pen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennett Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 Dogging in and more dogging in and lots of straw with some interesting food (sunflower seeds, peanuts maize etc) scattered on top for a few days before you shoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon1 Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 Clear areas in wood to let light in. We have one area on a drive that is an opening in the wood, and when suns out the birds Fight for a spot in the sun.. Note that this will also get the brambles growing though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 HAND FEEDING on a daily basis. This method cannot be beaten. The big shoots use a quad bike and a spinner. Feed them where you want them. Scatter the feed so that they have to scratch around to find it. Doesn't need much feed but it must be done every day - Twice a day if you can. Feed drums are OK but will never produce the results that hand feeding will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konnie Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 Habitat is the most important thing, in my opinion, if you release only really foxes to worry about, but birds wonder for better conditions like we would, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old farrier Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 Basically birds move to find food water and a safe place to roost and a sunny warm spot So if you're wood is cold they'll move As said food where you want them and better food than they can find wandering So plenty of feeders where you want birds not where it's easy to fill them Water Safe warm cover to flush them from And Important Somewhere to flush them to Just my thoughts All the best Of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-dot Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 Would this (opentop pen) not attract the wrong type of visitors to the pen?Inside the open pen and 2' off the ground, what concerns you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malantone Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 Water is just as, if not more important than food, plenty of drinking stations where you want the birds, one feeder plus one drinker. they do love the sun and as has been said, open the wood up to let the sun in where you want the birds plus all the previous comments including dogging in and you should have some success. you need workers in a shoot and if the oldies wont listen to the workers then ignore them and get on and do the work, I can only imagine how much extra growth there is on briar etc has taken place in 9 years. Every club or shoot will have a nucleus of 4 to 5 workers who are willing to have a go, and the others who want things their way and it`s everyone else`s fault if things go wrong, good luck mate, keep us informed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingEgg Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 Inside the open pen and 2' off the ground, what concerns you? Buzzard, fox attempting to get in or near the pen etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingEgg Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 Note that this will also get the brambles growing though... Giving natural cover that can be maintained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 Well a gamekeeper friend has had two successive record seasons, apart from a large acreage of game crops what he changed was only feeding at night and spending all daylight hours dogging in. Even on a shoot day a trusted beater or two would be tasked with dogging the stubbles and hedgerows back home. Lots of work but it has paid off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornish lad Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 Hi rim fire ,by any chance did you have any caulis growing on your shoot as it seems most of us down here in Cornwall do at the moment ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted February 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 Hi rim fire ,by any chance did you have any caulis growing on your shoot as it seems most of us down here in Cornwall do at the moment ?? Yeah plenty of caulis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsonicnat Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 Hand feed and whistle them in,the old way.. It is very labour intensive,morning and evening. Dog in and keep them tight,loads of cover to keep them warm and dry.. = Very good returns.A T B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornish lad Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 Hi rimfire you have a pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnytheboy Posted February 24, 2017 Report Share Posted February 24, 2017 We are having our shoot agm soon and I want to try and convince some of the older guns to change things about a bit for the coming season. This last season our birds wondered everywhere expect where we wanted them and had the shoots worst return in the 9 years it's been running. I am trying to convince them that we need to do some major clearing in our wood to open it up as there are bits even the dogs can't get in. Also I would like to feed the wood which they have never done and put out a lot more feeders where we want the birds. We have lost a couple of the less active guns and replaced them with some keen young blood but unfortunately it's some of the others who make the decisions. I would like to go to the meeting Pre-armed with as much info as posible. For a minute there I thought you were in our sydicate, I noticed you are in Cornwall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted February 25, 2017 Report Share Posted February 25, 2017 Only one way to run a shoot. Have a Shoot captain. Elected or appointed makes no difference. Let him/her run it. Judge by the results. If it's going right then keep him/her. If it's not then get another one. Nothing runs by committee. This is even worse if the work is on a voluntary basis. Got to have someone in charge who will take the can when it all goes wrong. (And the praise when you have a good season). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 Find where your birds went and preferred to be and see why. Butbales of straw with wheat thrown on for birds to scratch around in will keep them amused. Trouble is when it's sunny and warm during the season it's will wandering to cropsto eat the bugs and flies rather than th wheat. A warm safe wood to roost in not hit by high biting winds. I've been on shoots where part of the woods is inaccessible and no girding where the birds go come shoot day racket. Thin them out to allow at least dog access. Mixed cover crops to give different feeds and cover throughout the season. Most syndicate farm shoots were poor last year due to very warm weather and wandering. Only fully keepered shootscan dog in and hand feed daily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 This is my observation from being allowed on two game shooting grounds.They complain about the lack of birds and put down poults each year. They have copious feeders around the woods but when I'm pigeon shooting we see lots of birds in the hedgerows and in the taller crops they never seem to dog in and if we are on the rape on shoot days the birds are confidently walking round the field edges. If we walked the edges and let the dog flush we would shoot more than the guns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptC Posted March 29, 2017 Report Share Posted March 29, 2017 May I add a comment or two? Open up your woods for light as said Encourage members to dog in on a rota basis so everyone knows where to go. Feed rolled wheat, crushed maize fed ad lib on straw bales or loose straw in your pens and rides. Add aniseed to your hoppers which should plentiful and be where you want the birds. If possible pollard the younger trees in your pen - they will add cover and regrow vigorously. Cut good rides for the beaters as there is nothing worse than a beater and his dog(s) not coming back due to the assault course! Oh, and if possible, always carry a gun when on your ground(s) as there is always the chance of meeting Reynard! We had just over a 58% return this year (54% last year) so it seems to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 (edited) Rent the shooting next to a large commercial shoot. Seems to work for a lot of folk. Edited March 30, 2017 by scolopax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennett Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 Rent the shooting next to a large commercial shoot. Seems to work for a lot of folk. But how your feeling on this depend on how the boundary shoot behaves. Last year my returns were 88%, I fully admit that we benefit from birds from the neighbouring shoot. However, we only shoot 4 days and release 1000 pheasants and this year 250 partridge which I believe shows that we are not setting out to "steal" their birds. We have an old boy that dogs in nearly constantly from August to Nov and plenty of straw and spinner feeding. The boundary drive is fed no differently to any other on the shoot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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