marsh man Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 Just been looking at one of Simon6ppc excellent video's and what caught my eye was our good friend Ditchman remark that he no longer liked to see Foxes shot as they look so much like dogs , maybe he had never liked to see Foxes shot , or it could have happened with the onset of old age . This got me thinking as I am exactly the same and wandered if others who are entering the advanced years in there life if they felt the same ? I know that up to a few years ago I had done over 50 years going duck shooting on the first of September ( on the second if it fell on a Sunday ) and once the season started I was a 100% committed and every day I had to go to get my fix , it really was like a drug , it even got to the stage where I had six hooks on the beam in my shed so I knew what day I had shot the fowl on , now over these last five years I gave up the first day , then the first week , next it was the first month to now where I haven't even made a start , and looking at the marshes and the livestock still on it could well be another three weeks until I get into wildfowling mode , one of the main reasons is I no longer like to see young duck shot , and walking up the dykes in September is not what you can call sport when a family party of young duck try to take off . This is the same with Pigeon shooting , I accept that shooting over a crop warrant shooting each and every Pigeon that come into your decoys as you are protecting the crop you are shooting over , this is not the case for me now while shooting on the stubble fields , I do my best to let the young ones see another day and only shoot as many old ones as I need , I am way past the stage where I need to hide beyond a clock and say I am doing it only for crop protection , or as I keep being told if I am roost shooting in a gale of wind , or standing beyond a tall hedge trying to knock a few down then I am doing it as preventive and not as sport , I know what I am doing it for and it is certainly not to keep the numbers down when I pick up a pile of empty cartridge cases for a bag of around half a dozen . I know that over the next few years that the buzz I get out of shooting will no longer be there and that will be the time I will call it a day and enjoy watching the quarry instead of shooting it . If you are pushing on a bit ( as we call it ) do you feel the same ? , or is the desire to kill as strong as ever ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aled Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 I get where you are coming from marsh man, i don't hammer the sea trout the way i used to. I fish for an hour enjoy the fresh air, if i catch something great if not well.. i'm not bothered....at one time i'd arrive at the river at 9pm, and leave the river at 9am the following morning having fished hard all night covering several pools and runs!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 Not sure about a desire to kill, but at a certain level I know I am hardwired to hunt, the kill is a part of that. Guns are gone now due to joint problems, however I do remember a really nice Aberdonian ex keeper who enjoyed being out in the field, loading and picking up but he said he didn't have to kill (shoot or trap) anymore so he didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clangerman Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 not been happy shooting large numbers since my twenties see even less point in my sixties don’t like some forms of shooting either now think it’s a end of life thing plus a dash of public opinion we can’t expect to survive when people to see large numbers of any wildlife shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 Nope cant shoot foxes anymore...........but im damn glad other people can ...otherwise there wouldnt be any wildlife left... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rim Fire Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 I am 68 i been out three times this week foxing plus doing my moles in day time and shooting a few Fallow bucks and cant wait for November the 1st i look at it now i aint got long to keep shooting i am doing more now than ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wymondley Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 No, I've never had the "desire" to kill, pest control and supplying the larder are necessities. That's not to say that both can't be enjoyable. Knowing when, and when not to take a shot just shows an appreciation that your quarry is not just a live target. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rifleman56 Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 i dont go out like i used to. i still enjoy shooting but have never been out looking for big bags of pigeons,as i said befor some go out and shoot as many as they can,i shoot to give away, not for the money.thats a good post,MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 7, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 Some varied and excellent replies , I am sure you have to have a deep love of the countryside and the surroundings to get the best out of the sport it offer , although the shooting part is starting to fade a bit the lure of the countryside is as strong as ever and I do enjoy watching other people shoot and taking part in the shoots , something I have always looked forward to and still do , we also have to accept that your body can't do the same as it once could , to get the best out of wild fowling often meant being out in adverse conditions , early mornings , late afternoons and late nights under the moon , this was accepted as part of the package and took it all in your stride for a chance of a shot , now at nearly 75 and suffer with a worn out back plus the normal aches and pains that are a part of getting old will begin to take it's toll ,now getting up at a silly hour with the rain hitting your bedroom window don't seem quite so appealing at it once did , same with pigeons ,now going for a few hours , having a few shots while enjoying everything going on in the countryside is ideal , whereas , making two trips with your gear where you could had easily done it one , sitting there for a number of hours until your back start playing up , all the bending involved in putting out your decoys and picking up the dead ones , making possibly three trips back to your motor at the end of play and then sorting your bag out when arriving home would go way past enjoyment , more like hard work and for nowadays what ? , now it is all about moderation and listening to what your body say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 Hello, I was out last night on the rats, there was a few rabbits about as well but they seemed happy running about through the night vision so I left the CZ 22 in its case, 🤔😁, 10 rats even with a bright moon, 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westley Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 (edited) Back in the 1960's and early 70's I was out at least twice a week. Shooting pigeons, then duck and game in season. Mid 70's I was fortunate enough to have the shooting rights on nearly 3000 acres of land and was out almost every day. I worked shifts back then, so could get out during the day, you don't need much sleep when you are younger ! I also had 'game' days during the season, with driven English Partridge and Pheasants. Never big bags, around 30/40 birds, but all driven. Then about 15 years ago, farms changed hands, new houses were being built and an entire nature reserve plus a new 'forest ' created. This, coupled with increased public access, mostly illegally, it became unshootable. The current owner has stopped ALL shooting on the land, but is unable to stop the poaching with dogs and hawks. It became a vermin reserve very quickly. I went back to my Clay shooting and relied upon others to provide me with a bit of pigeon shooting. Now even that has dried up. It is amazing how many 'friends' fall away when you have nothing to offer ? I now buy a couple of game days per season and I have 1 friend left, who is very good to me. I have given most of my decoying stuff away, just a hide and a handful of pigeon decoys,'just in case'. I don't miss killing stuff really (I still miss plenty of clays), but I in no way condemn today's shooters. Just look after what you have and NEVER take anything for granted. Now I am late 70's, I just enjoy being able to still shoot, in any form. Edited October 7, 2022 by Westley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 Not having the same vintage as several on here, but today I had my first fowling trip of the year. That says something itself. Even more so when I was more interested in taking a picture of a stunning sunrise than the odd teal whizzing past. Having said that I’ll be out again in the morning, and have a nice field of maize stubble eyed up for an afternoon on the woodies … so a long way from giving up yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jall25 Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 I think as you get older you perhaps appreciate things more and where things have come from and the struggles they have and pressure from normal life I used to love shooting woodcock but as i grew older and got educated the fact they travel so far and their habitat is being lost i take more pleasure from seeing them than shooting them - i have no issue at all with anyone who does - and i realise if they were not harvested so much more of the habitat would be lost and their predator control would not be carried out to the same extent. Its the same with the wild duck on our pond - if we had a couple of pairs breed i was over the moon and shot a small harvest - now with work - and the construction of more ponds - predator control - supplementary feeding - nest boxes - and a suitable habitat on the various islands their numbers are booming - i might have 500 plus ! I should be taking a far larger harvest but get more pleasure from letting other do so and i think i see the ducks as mine - something i have created. I shoot hundreds of pigeon on neighbouring arable farms - but on ours which is mainly grass and woodland i let them be I take far more pleasure / interest in shooting predators and vermin - crows / rats / squirrels and foxes because of the damage they do. That said i really really cant wait for the first pheasant to come over my / any peg in the morning ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wisdom Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 40 minutes ago, Westley said: Back in the 1960's and early 70's I was out at least twice a week. Shooting pigeons, then duck and game in season. Mid 70's I was fortunate enough to have the shooting rights on nearly 3000 acres of land and was out almost every day. I worked shifts back then, so could get out during the day, you don't need much sleep when you are younger ! I also had 'game' days during the season, with driven English Partridge and Pheasants. Never big bags, around 30/40 birds, but all driven. Then about 15 years ago, farms changed hands, new houses were being built and an entire nature reserve plus a new 'forest ' created. This, coupled with increased public access, mostly illegally, it became unshootable. The current owner has stopped ALL shooting on the land, but is unable to stop the poaching with dogs and hawks. It became a vermin reserve very quickly. I went back to my Clay shooting and relied upon others to provide me with a bit of pigeon shooting. Now even that has dried up. It is amazing how many 'friends' fall away when you have nothing to offer ? I now buy a couple of game days per season and I have 1 friend left, who is very good to me. I have given most of my decoying stuff away, just a hide and a handful of pigeon decoys,'just in case'. I don't miss killing stuff really (I still miss plenty of clays), but I in no way condemn today's shooters. Just look after what you have and NEVER take anything for granted. Now I am late 70's, I just enjoy being able to still shoot, in any form. That is so true.What a belting thread this is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 Its something that just comes with age, you don't have the spark you did when you were younger. Over the last few years I have on occasions found a field of winter rape with pigeons piling into it and looking shootable, but they were at the other end of the field and a 300 yards walk with the gear, I just could not find the spark I had when I was say 30 to get out of the car and do the walk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 1 minute ago, old'un said: Its something that just comes with age, you don't have the spark you did when you were younger. Over the last few years I have on occasions found a field of winter rape with pigeons piling into it and looking shootable, but they were at the other end of the field and a 300 yards walk with the gear, I just could not find the spark I had when I was say 30 to get out of the car and do the walk. over my last forays out...i would get loaded up in the landrover take the dog..flask of coffee and a few ginger nuts...and just go for a gentle drive round to see what was moving...then used to park up...turn the engine off and listen to the drizzle on the roof of the landy and the board huffing of the dog....sip my coffee and dunk my biscuits and watch the fields.......... looking after a wife of 40 years that had dementia .........those short minites were like diamond dust to me and reset my mind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 (edited) I've only shot for the table, for me its the most honest way to eat meat. I marvel at the beauty of fowl passing over but will still enjoy a freezing night, waiting for a chance at a duck or a walk on the hill with dog after a woodcock. A wild seasonal harvest akin to picking blackberries or catching a codling 16 minutes ago, ditchman said: .........those short minites were like diamond dust to me and reset my mind Spot on Edited October 7, 2022 by islandgun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 52 minutes ago, ditchman said: over my last forays out...i would get loaded up in the landrover take the dog..flask of coffee and a few ginger nuts...and just go for a gentle drive round to see what was moving...then used to park up...turn the engine off and listen to the drizzle on the roof of the landy and the board huffing of the dog....sip my coffee and dunk my biscuits and watch the fields.......... looking after a wife of 40 years that had dementia .........those short minites were like diamond dust to me and reset my mind Yep, I think I know you mean, been there a few times myself, apart from the looking after the wife for 40 years that is. Think shootings a bit like sex when your a youngster, you just cant get enough of it, then many years on from that you would rather have a nice glass of scotch, go to bed, roll over and drift off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adzyvilla Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 This is something I think about a lot marsh man. I've watched my dad go from an acute case of shooting addiction when I was growing up, through his early 50s when work overcame everything and there was little time for shooting, through to where we are today. He still has a couple of guns, and goes out from time to time, the odd beaters day or a bit of roost shooting. But wildfowling has gone, driven shooting gone, his rifles went by the wayside years ago. I asked him about it once and he didn't really have an answer. I think the interest is still there, but the fire has dulled over the years. He loves being out in nature, he's happiest there. It was never about the kill (excepting his years as a gamekeeper with pest controlling duties, but that was his job). It was more about the thrill of the chase, the companionship and camaraderie of shared experiences, and the need to scratch an (in his case) extremely pressing primal itch. At 76, he simply doesn't have the drive anymore. As for me, I'm still enjoying it all as much as I did 25 years ago and will grasp every opportunity with both hands as with the way the world is, who knows how much longer we will be able to do it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westley Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 I still enjoy the social side of things when I go clay shooting, but with far less hassle. One of the group at 86 is still going strong. After a fall and broken thigh bone, he was out on crutches last Wednesday, rain or no rain. I just miss the conversations we had when in a pigeon hide. Even the roost shooting was stopped when the Farmer was worried about the General Licence rubbish. Maybe try and encourage your dad to have a go at clays, you never know, he may just enjoy it. I know of a lot of game shooters who refuse to shoot clays and from what I have seen, they would struggle to hit them anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 I haven’t shot foxes for quite some time. I’ve always quite liked foxes anyhow, and only shot them as and when asked, but grew heartily tired of rattling around the Lune valley and closer to home in a Landrover at stupid o’clock. I don’t shoot Roe anymore as no one wanted the meat and to be frank it’s not exactly a challenge. So the CF is superfluous and ling gone. I shoot pigeons, corvids and rabbits with a passion as it’s pest control, and relish a moving target so much more than a static. Can’t see me ever growing tired of pest control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westley Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 1 hour ago, old'un said: Its something that just comes with age, you don't have the spark you did when you were younger. Over the last few years I have on occasions found a field of winter rape with pigeons piling into it and looking shootable, but they were at the other end of the field and a 300 yards walk with the gear, I just could not find the spark I had when I was say 30 to get out of the car and do the walk. I can empathise with that, but I am going to a large clay ground later this month and will probably walk a lot further than that ! 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 This is very much the case with me. When I restarted shooting after several years lay off there were squillions of rabbits almost everywhere I could get shooting permission for and went at it with a relish - freely admitting it was because I wanted to do so whilst enjoying a walk around with the rifle, although it was easy to pass it off as pest control. My best was some 320 one overnight session at a 'new' farm whilst on holiday with family in Cornwall. I've gone from doing about three time a week to maybe three times a year now, and driving rather than walking for health reasons. Its fair to say I seriously overshot them to the point of being now almost pointless even looking for them due to their scarcity, and petrol is too expensive to waste on unproductive boys toy jaunts. An occasional fox was a real treat then but about four years ago our boy bought the wife a Papillon pup that I've grown very fond of, surprisingly, because I never though of myself as a dog person. He has some very fox like features and as none of my remaining permissions have fox issues I let them be now. My sister has two Alsatians that she raw feeds and I took her shooting sometimes. When I took my last fox just before the lock downs she asked why I shot it and I rather sheepishly admitted it was just because... Yes I think growing old has made me less selfish, I've discovered I have some autism in me, and am now more thoughtful and appreciative of animals amongst many other things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 7, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 2 hours ago, old'un said: Its something that just comes with age, you don't have the spark you did when you were younger. Over the last few years I have on occasions found a field of winter rape with pigeons piling into it and looking shootable, but they were at the other end of the field and a 300 yards walk with the gear, I just could not find the spark I had when I was say 30 to get out of the car and do the walk. I think my spark lasted a bit longer than 30 but I know exactly what you mean , at that age nothing was an obstacle and just about anything that cropped up or got in the way you could get over it , I remember a time we were putting up a security light for one of the tennants on the estate and I was half way up an extending ladder when the lady came out holding two cups of tea , one for my mate and one for me , I was talking to her when I was coming down and when I came off a double rung to go on a single one my foot slipped and my foot went between the two rungs and took the skin off off my shin and hit the bone , you talk about hurting , anyhow we finished the job and that evening I had invited my mate for a flight as several duck were getting on one of the marshes I had . Time I got home I was limping a fair bit and was in two minds to , as my mate had left off early I decided to battle on , not only was my leg playing up it had started to rain hard just to add to the enjoyment , we didn't have far to go and it was already getting dark when we pulled up to the gate , I told my mate to go on one bit of water and face the town when it get dark as you will still see till late in the towns light , he went one way and I set off to another big splash of water , I must had looked a good un as I had my gun under one arm and a walking stick in the other , I managed to get to my flighting place and knelt on my game bag with my hood up and very soon the fun began , several duck came in and we both had a nice lot of shooting , after a while my leg was as stiff as a board and with the light now gone it was time to call it a day , it took me ages to limp back to my motor and wasn't sorry when we finally got home to have a cuppa , when I tipped my bag out I had nine assorted duck and my mate had three , While having a cup of tea I said to my mate , that was a decent flight Bob , yea it was a pity it was raining hard and until he mentioned it I hadn't gave the rain a thought . Now just thinking about would have kept me confined to barracks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted October 7, 2022 Report Share Posted October 7, 2022 Still quite keen but this morning went for a first light session in a highseat, mainly for a fox. A nice young roebuck came wandering up to me from a couple of fields away. All I could think of was reasons not to shoot it, and it gained the sanctuary of the wood unharmed. It was no challenge to shoot it and the carcass would have been a problem to dispose of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.