Numpties.

[Scully]

Was at a local, very well attended charity shoot yesterday along the Fell bottom, and whilst awaiting my turn at one of the stands, we witnessed some exceedingly petulant and very embarrassing behaviour from a very well experienced and mature shooter. Admittedly, there were a few problems with the traps playing up and quite a few no birds, but this was just one step up from a straw bale shoot, with all proceeds split between a local foxhounds club and a local charity. 

The wind was driving the birds unpredictably from this particular trap, with no two presentations being the same, but it was like this for everyone, and we just got on with it; it was for fun. As one of the lads watching said: 'He's just made a complete and utter **** of himself.' Quite; couldn't have put it better myself. 

My nephew as a young lad used to find this kind of behaviour very intimidating, and I often wonder if sometimes it's deliberate, to put off an opponent. There was a bloke many moons ago ar Bowscar, who use to cuss and swear and sling his spent cases about if he wasn't doing well. Another numpty. 

Apart form that it was a great larl day; met loads of folk I hadn't met before, and had the craic with those I have come to know on the local circuits; had my first handle of the illustrious Krieghoff K80 Supersport, ( nose heaviness reminded of the Cynergy )  and watched quite a few in action....not always by folk who could use them it has to be said, which just goes to prove the adage that a good quality gun won't necessarily make you a better shot. I even quite cheekily told one fellow who failed dismally on the driven, that if he was considering selling, to let me know. Just banter. 😀 They are without doubt the dogs dangly bits and I want one. 🙂

 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Years ago I was in a shoot-off for first place at a 50 bird shoot in Kent. The other chap won the toss of the coin and went first, he didn't connect with too many and swore loudly and demonstrated how unsportsman like he could be. My girlfriend asked me if he was up to something and all I could say was he is losing the shoot-off. I wasn't intimidated and beat him easily, if he had done it to intimidate me it didn't work!

[Lloyd90]

What did the bloke do?

[Walker570]

Rear orifices of the highest order. You see it almost every sport these days, yawping and gesticulating and of course youngsters coming up believe this is the way you behave.  I shot in a 'make believe day' a few weeks ago and had the great pleasure of shooting with a 14yr old. He was a joy to be with, polite, thoughtful and a ######y good shot ....reason??  You only had to meet his grandfather who was also on my team of four.  Monkey see..Monkey doo.

[Scully]

1 minute ago, Lloyd90 said:

What did the bloke do?

Swearing loudly, shouting, cussing, throwing his empties all over the place. Just being a general bum hole. Embarrassing to watch. 

[Westley]

It does make you wonder if someone with such uncontrollable mood swings, should really have a gun licence  ?

[London Best]

I have seen the same man, on more than one occasion, throw his gun at the floor because he has missed targets. He is well known, locally and not so locally, as an *****le.

[Dougy]

I bet he is a better shot than anyone else in the competition 😂 I'd have wound him up till he cried. Just plain simple mardy posterior. 

[White Rabbit]

Take it this was at Croglin. Name and shame! Initials will do. 

 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

1 hour ago, London Best said:

I have seen the same man, on more than one occasion, throw his gun at the floor because he has missed targets. He is well known, locally and not so locally, as an *****le.

We had a husband and wife in our squad at the Cambridgeshire English Sporting Championship recently, he chucked his gun down more than once and she was extremely embarrassed by his poor behaviour!

[Scully]

16 minutes ago, White Rabbit said:

Take it this was at Croglin. Name and shame! Initials will do. 

 

I have no idea who it was.

[Diver One]

As said before, I am new to this sport ( less than 3 years)

so I have yet to observe this type of behaviour. However I am going to my first Charity clay shoot on Saturday so I will now  be looking out for any person trying to intimidate me....I wouldn't like to be that person

[figgy]

Have witnessed sponsored by on of the big English cartridge shooters,  go and rant and rave try and bully the ref and kick.off big time over a trap malfunction. 

Not the best  brand ambassadors. It's not big and it's not clever to kick off and shout and swear loudly. We all have bad days and cuss quietly sometimes, I've had refs chuckling at some of the names I call myself on missing. It would never be aimed at others or loud enough to offend.

Sometimes a polite word can halt there behaviour.

[goo1]

17 hours ago, figgy said:

Have witnessed sponsored by on of the big English cartridge shooters,  go and rant and rave try and bully the ref and kick.off big time over a trap malfunction. 

Not the best  brand ambassadors. It's not big and it's not clever to kick off and shout and swear loudly. We all have bad days and cuss quietly sometimes, I've had refs chuckling at some of the names I call myself on missing. It would never be aimed at others or loud enough to offend.

Sometimes a polite word can halt there behaviour.

The problem is mate the sponsors know exactly how they conduct themselves and it doesn’t effect there sponsorship 

[figgy]

If that's how the sponsor what's their products representing it's doing them no favours.

[ditchman]

well i have been very lucky...i used to shoot skeet at billy bells every week without fail....all i can remember is failing to hit birds cause of the laughter and wind up....the swearing was appalling always at yourself...and for the benifit of making other people larf.......god how we used to irritate each other with slow press of the buttons of purposly the wrong button.....but it kept everyone on their toes expecting a low and getting a high then another one on retort.....and on the last trap (low house ) we used to see who could shoot the quickest gun down for the low house...............it was shear fun and with purpose as we all shot game in the season and took no prisoners

lots of dads used to turn up with their kids ..cause it was so informal and friendly and used to relax the kids straight-a-ways

but during the summer we used to get summer visitors from down south on holiday in the camps...they would turn up in matching shell suits and patches that said CPSA instructor....what a joke....it was just like only fools and horses..

[TIGHTCHOKE]

8 hours ago, ditchman said:

well i have been very lucky...i used to shoot skeet at billy bells every week without fail....all i can remember is failing to hit birds cause of the laughter and wind up....the swearing was appalling always at yourself...and for the benifit of making other people larf.......god how we used to irritate each other with slow press of the buttons of purposly the wrong button.....but it kept everyone on their toes expecting a low and getting a high then another one on retort.....and on the last trap (low house ) we used to see who could shoot the quickest gun down for the low house...............it was shear fun and with purpose as we all shot game in the season and took no prisoners

lots of dads used to turn up with their kids ..cause it was so informal and friendly and used to relax the kids straight-a-ways

but during the summer we used to get summer visitors from down south on holiday in the camps...they would turn up in matching shell suits and patches that said CPSA instructor....what a joke....it was just like only fools and horses..

I found a picture of a younger you when at the skeet range!

[ditchman]

do people still wear shell suits on the range ??.............they were terrible if someone had a stiffy on........

[stu64]

1 hour ago, ditchman said:

do people still wear shell suits on the range ??.............they were terrible if someone had a stiffy on........

I really enjoy my shooting.... but not that much!!!

[Gordon R]

1983 - last time I shot at Billy Bell's. Top bloke.

[ditchman]

1 hour ago, Gordon R said:

1983 - last time I shot at Billy Bell's. Top bloke.

he dosnt look much different now...........

[Dibble]

My best shooting last week was a pair, both broke up leaving the trap and I hit both big bits.

I shoot at a few grounds and the formal ones where the clays follow exactly the same path time after time are boring, you could strap your gun to a tree pointing in the right direction press the button and pull the trigger and the shot and clay would meet at the appointed spot. I prefer the more characterful grounds.

It's the odd random bird, the unexpected gust of wind makes it fun!

I do see a lot of tantrums and complaints of ruined concentration but if it's shootable, shoot it...........

 

Or take up small bore target rifle.

[Scully]

18 minutes ago, Dibble said:

My best shooting last week was a pair, both broke up leaving the trap and I hit both big bits.

I shoot at a few grounds and the formal ones where the clays follow exactly the same path time after time are boring, you could strap your gun to a tree pointing in the right direction press the button and pull the trigger and the shot and clay would meet at the appointed spot. I prefer the more characterful grounds.

It's the odd random bird, the unexpected gust of wind makes it fun!

I do see a lot of tantrums and complaints of ruined concentration but if it's shootable, shoot it...........

 

Or take up small bore target rifle.

Quite. You’ve just got to take these informal shoots as they come. 

No birds, traps which run out mid stand, inconsistency in flight, only one of a simultaneous pair appearing, bad scoring, bad trapping, loud conversation and laughter behind you from those waiting their turn.

If you can learn to shoot well with all that going on it bodes well for the times you don’t get it. 

I enjoy scoring on occasions and you see all sorts. 

[JDog]

This type of behaviour is precisely why I have never shot a clay pigeon in my life. My petulance and generally poor behaviour would be off putting for other shooters so I avoid the sport altogether. Alone in my pigeon hide my actions go unseen by others.

[Walker570]

It is not a new thing. I shot thousands of rounds at clays in the mid sixties until the late 70s and you had the prima donas back then.  I agree, pity the FLOs don't hang around clay shoots and issue a few warnings as you can bet those people are the same in life outside the range environment.