Big numbers

[Poor Shot]

3 hours ago, old'un said:

if there's not to much traffic you could be here in 2-1/2 hours

I'd love to but I'm sure spending £80 on diesel each visit would get wearisome quite quickly. 

 

1 hour ago, marsh man said:

When they say they go knocking on doors , is it in the hope of gaining permission to shoot vermin on there land , or have they seen a likely field and that is what they are inquiring about ? , it was also mentioned about Rabbit shooting and vermin control around horse paddocks , I have never seeked permission for either but I would imagine he it very hard for someone who love Horses to let a complete stranger let loose with a firearm where that person have got Horses stabled up , this is where trained pest control workers earn there money . they really should find the birds doing the damage first and only try and get on that one field , if you then do a good job then more land is sure to follow   .    MM

 

I find Horsey people to be on the extreme ends of the anti shooting spectrum. Some are very welcoming and happy for you take care of rabbits and other pests providing the horses aren't disturbed. Some are absolute bat**** crazy and you'll never know which until you talk to them. They do love their animals though so I can respect that at least. 

[old'un]

2 hours ago, clangerman said:

I’m beginning to suspect some are knocking on farmers doors without phone footage of birds eating his profits! 

I would imagine that where Poor Shot lives CF44 the opportunity for door knocking are few and far between as it looks as if there’s very little pigeon pulling crops sown, (sure he will correct me if wrong) what he is saying is, there are plenty of really keen young pigeon shooters but any opportunity for them is already taken by some old boy who very rarely shoots the farm but as perhaps been on the farm for many years and is good friends with the farmer and has the farmers ear.

[old'un]

18 minutes ago, Poor Shot said:

I'd love to but I'm sure spending £80 on diesel each visit would get wearisome quite quickly. 

 

I find Horsey people to be on the extreme ends of the anti shooting spectrum. Some are very welcoming and happy for you take care of rabbits and other pests providing the horses aren't disturbed. Some are absolute bat**** crazy and you'll never know which until you talk to them. They do love their animals though so I can respect that at least. 

over the years I have invited a few people to come and shoot on some of my farms but the one thing that always worries me is telling them to meet me at such farm and when we get there the pigeons have done a runner or is that winged it, I always feel embarrassed when that happens.

£80 on diesel and Its a long way to come for me to say…..well they were here yesterday.

[Poor Shot]

6 minutes ago, old'un said:

I would imagine that where Poor Shot lives CF44 the opportunity for door knocking are few and far between as it looks as if there’s very little pigeon pulling crops sown, (sure he will correct me if wrong) what he is saying is, there are plenty of really keen young pigeon shooters but any opportunity for them is already taken by some old boy who very rarely shoots the farm but as perhaps been on the farm for many years and is good friends with the farmer and has the farmers ear.

Exactly that.. There are some areas locally with arable land such as the Vale of Glamorgan, areas to the east of Cardiff and west of Newport and some small patches in west Wales. There is also a lot of arable in the areas along the A40 and M50 towards the border with England. All this totaled probably wouldn't equal a half of the amount of arable land some of smaller English counties have and there are a lot of certificate holders in the area all trying to get a foot in the door. 

There are two lads from our game syndicate who travel to Lincolnshire to shoot pigeons such is the competition locally. 

[Poor Shot]

3 minutes ago, old'un said:

over the years I have invited a few people to come and shoot on some of my farms but the one thing that always worries me is telling them to meet me at such farm and when we get there the pigeons have done a runner or is that winged it, I always feel embarrassed when that happens.

£80 on diesel and Its a long way to come for me to say…..well they were here yesterday.

Another member of the forum once invited me out to shoot on one his permissions. It look a good while of scouting to ensure the birds would be there and sure enough there was a good flight line on one the fields when we chose to shoot. 

I can easily see how it could become embarrassing if the pigeons had decided be elsewhere practically overnight.  

[old'un]

1 minute ago, Poor Shot said:

Another member of the forum once invited me out to shoot on one his permissions. It look a good while of scouting to ensure the birds would be there and sure enough there was a good flight line on one the fields when we chose to shoot. 

I can easily see how it could become embarrassing if the pigeons had decided be elsewhere practically overnight.  

Yep, what I tend to-do now is what till I find a promising field on the day then phone someone who as asked me for the opportunity of a day on some pigeons, but you will laugh at this...I usually only shoot midweek so most of the people I invite on short notice are retired old boys.

[clangerman]

1 hour ago, old'un said:

I would imagine that where Poor Shot lives CF44 the opportunity for door knocking are few and far between as it looks as if there’s very little pigeon pulling crops sown, (sure he will correct me if wrong) what he is saying is, there are plenty of really keen young pigeon shooters but any opportunity for them is already taken by some old boy who very rarely shoots the farm but as perhaps been on the farm for many years and is good friends with the farmer and has the farmers ear.

that’s the beauty of video a farmer can see for himself if his friend or old boy (and I’m one) is slacking and why I’m asking farms next to town here are so hard to crack no is your starting point while everyone else is using normal methods I’m dressed to go with kit on board and video from ten mins before I knocked offering to keep them of for the day which gets my foot in the door while they go looking for their next no thank you 

[Poor Shot]

57 minutes ago, clangerman said:

that’s the beauty of video a farmer can see for himself if his friend or old boy (and I’m one) is slacking and why I’m asking farms next to town here are so hard to crack no is your starting point while everyone else is using normal methods I’m dressed to go with kit on board and video from ten mins before I knocked offering to keep them of for the day which gets my foot in the door while they go looking for their next no thank you 

Probably the best way to go about it. Just a polite request for a single day's shooting with no obligation for ongoing permission. Let your performance speak for itself. They'll be over the moon if you came back 4 hours later with a 100 bag of pigeons.

[marsh man]

When a farmer or landowner only see Pigeons hitting his crops on odd occasions is he really worried enough to let strangers on his land , or do he ring up his ole retiree to come over and try and shoot a few , his ole hand is just not someone who will try and keep the birds off the crop he is also another pair of eyes who spend a lot of his time just walking around his land and will report back on any wrong doing , would the farmer risk letting anyone else shooting his vermin and risk upsetting his long term friend 

I still spend a lot of my time walking around the estate even though I am not over bothered about taking my gun , if anyone want to go Pigeon shooting outside of the game season then all they are told to do is to get in touch with me to see if I am going on the same field or to ask me where they are likely to get a bit of shooting , I have never said no to anyone and we all get on well together , if I see what could be a good day I very often get in touch with the keeper to see if he know anyone who want some shooting but  normally the Pigeons move on with nobody showing a great deal of interest .  MM