Centrepin Posted August 14, 2022 Report Share Posted August 14, 2022 Since the end of lockdown my local ground has stopped doing a midweek shoot and now only does Sunday mornings. Most stands now don't have bins within reach if at all and most shooters have now given up picking up empties, they lay where they land week in week out. I always kick the empties from underfoot before shooting and still feel wrong ejecting to the floor. In the last few weeks all birds are barrel enders rare to get a bird over 20 yards. It's not uncommon to get 20 or more No birds in a 50 bird shoot. Pick ups are loaded even when cracks are visible. Traps are by the stands or within a few feet as it appears to be too much effort to set them. One trap fired 6 feet direct into a tree. Another had no battery connected. Yet another no cable or button connected. Last week 4 shooters 6 or 8 staff, I can never tell how many are staff how many are hangers on, the only difference is staff wear scruffy combat gear and think they are invisible and hangers on tend to wear cleaner combats and talk loudly about when they were competitive shooting or two kills with one shot at 130 yards and so on. Last week also, I was loading and saw a slow descending bird right to left 20 foot in front of me. Said to my son, "I didn't call pull and don't want to see one". @£&%** he pointed to the next stand who had decided not to shoot me in the face with his going away bird. The guy just gave me a sort of embarrassed grin and a half hearted wave before we put the world to rights with a 5 minute rant but couldn't get the staff off their bacon sandwiches. He his mate and my son and I then decided to miss that stand out. This week we decided to miss going out, save our money and think about another ground. I think we've joined the long list of regulars no longer bothering. Other than groupon shooters I wonder if anyone bothered turning up today. Shame as its just about 10 mins from my door by car. Rant over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wylye Posted August 14, 2022 Report Share Posted August 14, 2022 Vote with your feet. If they cant be bothered why should you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stockybasher Posted August 14, 2022 Report Share Posted August 14, 2022 And this was where.......?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted August 14, 2022 Report Share Posted August 14, 2022 Why are you still giving them any money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centrepin Posted August 14, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2022 3 hours ago, Wylye said: Vote with your feet. If they cant be bothered why should you? 3 hours ago, stockybasher said: And this was where.......?? 3 hours ago, TIGHTCHOKE said: Why are you still giving them any money? How strange! My friend having seen the above post, he's a non ever poster on here, just rang me to tell me that on Facebook (I don't do FB) today, the lady who owns the ground turned up, walked round then closed the ground and sacked all the staff. Back to sleep now. Pigeons in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted August 15, 2022 Report Share Posted August 15, 2022 9 hours ago, Centrepin said: My friend having seen the above post, he's a non ever poster on here, just rang me to tell me that on Facebook (I don't do FB) today, the lady who owns the ground turned up, walked round then closed the ground and sacked all the staff. Well that solved the problem then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmaxphil Posted August 15, 2022 Report Share Posted August 15, 2022 There's an opportunity for you your own private shooting ground 👍😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centrepin Posted August 15, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2022 9 hours ago, vmaxphil said: There's an opportunity for you your own private shooting ground 👍😁 My son rang today to make an offer but only if the land was sold too. The answer was a fixed NO. Apparently she is now looking for someone to run two shoots a week Sundays and Thursday afternoons. Good opportunity for someone but a working party to clean up the accumulated trash will take a full day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr grumpy Posted August 15, 2022 Report Share Posted August 15, 2022 Which ground is this? Sounds like a good opportunity (not that I'll be making an offer) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRINITY Posted August 15, 2022 Report Share Posted August 15, 2022 I believe you are from South Yorks and I see sycamore is temporarily closed, am I on the right track ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northstar Posted August 16, 2022 Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 Nail on the head Trinity !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRINITY Posted August 16, 2022 Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 43 minutes ago, northstar said: Nail on the head Trinity !!!! Hmmm, i shoot occasionaly with a couple of guys from Sheffield and well over a year ago i asked them what it was like as its not that far from me. Put it this way, i have never been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wylye Posted August 16, 2022 Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 Try offering £5 per entry as rent and run the place yourself. There's a demand for club shooting and money to be made! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centrepin Posted August 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 3 hours ago, TRINITY said: Hmmm, i shoot occasionaly with a couple of guys from Sheffield and well over a year ago i asked them what it was like as its not that far from me. Put it this way, i have never been. Before lockdown it was excellent, 2 shoots a week, 50 bird sporting, DTL, compaq, double trap, always busy, differant set up every time. Since lockdown its got lazier with only 1 shoot and staff that think you are only there to support them and buy knock off gear out of their car boot. Shooters have been getting less and less each week. Now it's hard pushed to get 5 or 6 sporting stands with poor birds and the high chance of shooting the next stands birds. Such a shame as the potential is massive. It also has an adjacent .22LR and air gun range reaching out to 110m although the actual land extends far more. Plenty of open ticket users firing 308, 243 and 17hmr during the week. 110m is the railway sleeper backstop. 3 hours ago, Wylye said: Try offering £5 per entry as rent and run the place yourself. There's a demand for club shooting and money to be made! Unfortunately I'm not young or fit enough to run anything other than a car engine and then only occasionally. 🤔😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRINITY Posted August 16, 2022 Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 Lets hope someone decent takes over, i am always interested in grounds available mid week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westley Posted August 16, 2022 Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 I can assure you that it is hard work running a shooting ground. I only ran a DTL and Compak layouts and that was hard enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northstar Posted August 16, 2022 Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 (edited) Lets see who takes over ! Edited August 17, 2022 by northstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centrepin Posted August 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2022 21 hours ago, northstar said: Lets see who takes over ! Apparently the range is staying in the same hands: gunsRus, aka Velocity armouries, aka Teal chokes amongst other names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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