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New pond under construction


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On 27/04/2024 at 12:46, Rewulf said:

Good job :good:

Just out of interest , what do you reckon the longest range would be for the hornet to 'do the job' on a fox ?

Im using my Creedmoor on them at the moment, and if I can see them through my NV scope, theyre 'gone' (the longest so far 400 yards)

 

On 27/04/2024 at 11:49, scobydog said:

Was asked by a good friend/ member on here to knock a fox over that had taken a lamb or 2, went on Tuesday evening but drew a blank, friend went on Wednesday, he saw the fox but unfortunately couldn't get a safe shot off. I returned last night at 7 ish, set up in a field opposite to where the fox had been seen, put the fox caller GC350 in a hedge between the fields and proceeded to wait. At @ 8:15 p.m. the fox appeared just behind a hedgerow in the opposite field, watched him as he went along the hedge, then i turned on the mouse call on the GC350, he came through the hedge then stopped to look directly at the caller, fatal mistake, i sent a 35 gr Vmax out of the mighty little .22 Hornet, he dropped on the spot @ 90 yds. Good size and weighty, he was originally heading to the field with new lambs in it so hopefully i've saved a few of the little un's.IMG-20240426-WA0000.jpg.021f0f2135476bdd821dc6e78e4ddd60.jpg

 

12 minutes ago, old'un said:

I’d have made it bigger.

 

Hahahaha

 

Its not so much "deep" as i need to get down to the "level"

 

I will pull back the overburden and reduce the height of the island

 

Looks pretty good in real life 

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6 minutes ago, 7daysinaweek said:

Looks stupendous!

Do the ponds get lined with something to stop the water draining away?

Thank you

No i just track in the clay 

On the odd one - i have moved clay from one piece of ground into a pond - but usually a few test bucket full tell you if a pond will be possible or not

Our shoot for years had so little water - these have changed the whole dynamic - and the amount of insects and small birds / waterfowl is incredible 

1 hour ago, old'un said:

Are those ponds on your shoot?

Hi Old Un - yes - i think we have 25 / 30 now 

16 minutes ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

Hello, Clarkson 👎, Reuben quoted 2 weeks for 1 pond 🤔 and look how many you have done 😄

 

I do some of the smaller ones as above in half a day / day - this large one by the time its all done will be circa 4/5 days

I am a bit of a one though - and when i get in the digging groove i dont get off it all day sometimes 

The machine has been great our shoot and wildlife as it has let me put rides in - creating space and light for wild flowers - i can sort the tracks out so feeding and access is easy too 

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Just now, jall25 said:

I have tried to create various sizes and depths to provide habitat for as many different things as possible - some i plant up - some i leave to colonise themselves

Blimey, are you pulling many duck into them? how does that work for the land owner.

 

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Just now, old'un said:

Blimey, are you pulling many duck into them? how does that work for the land owner.

 

Fortunately its our land - yes we have hundreds and hundreds of duck 

I put lots and lots of duck tubes up 

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Just now, jall25 said:

Fortunately its our land - yes we have hundreds and hundreds of duck 

I put lots and lots of duck tubes up 

Lucky man not having to answer to anyone but yourself, I have watched with interest some of the work you do, well done, what sort of acreage have you?

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Just now, old'un said:

Lucky man not having to answer to anyone but yourself, I have watched with interest some of the work you do, well done, what sort of acreage have you?

We have 270 and rent for the shoot about 50 

I love shooting but i really love seeing all the wildlife 

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Just now, jall25 said:

We have 270 and rent for the shoot about 50 

I love shooting but i really love seeing all the wildlife 

300+ acres is a nice little shoot, well done again on the effort you have put into it, you should give Packham and Avery a tour. :)

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2 minutes ago, old'un said:

is the land farmed?

It was commercially grazed but I turned all the grass into proper old fashioned flower meadows - and we cut for hay but not until August to let the birds get away

Half of the holding is woodland - it was commercial timber - but i clearfelled it and its now natural generating over the last 7/8 /9 years 

It brings in a bit of income from HLS stewardship

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Just now, jall25 said:

It was commercially grazed but I turned all the grass into proper old fashioned flower meadows - and we cut for hay but not until August to let the birds get away

Half of the holding is woodland - it was commercial timber - but i clearfelled it and its now natural generating over the last 7/8 /9 years 

It brings in a bit of income from HLS stewardship

Must say I am well, well impressed with what you are doing and have done. :good:

Something like this should be on Country File, let people see what shooting does and can do for the countryside and wildlife.

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1 minute ago, old'un said:

Must say I am well, well impressed with what you are doing and have done. :good:

Something like this should be on Country File, let people see what shooting does and can do for the countryside and wildlife.

Thank you Old Un

I have some brilliant help from the members of our shoot - guns - beaters - pickers up - even people who come on our clay days 

Its galvanised us all as friends for life

 

Put up a few hundred birds boxes too old un 

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And about 30 odd of these wild bird feeding stations - as well as scattering on all the hard tracks 

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Your a very lucky man, hope you can keep doing what you love and obviously enjoy well into old age.

All the best and keep us up to date on the progress of your shoot and new pond.

PS, I was serious about Country File.

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Thanks Old Un 

I have been advised to enter the Purdy Awards to be honest 

and i was nominated as one of those wildlife heros this Feb - i think that was to Countryfile actually - but to be honest the paperwork and stuff is not why i do it 

Im actually inspiring my neighbours - their words not mine - to do bits - so its all helping too 

 

Thanks for your interest !

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