Evil Elvis Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 (edited) I should also point out that the pheasants that i have shot have been wild ones, none of them raised by any game keepers, and not an intended quarry, i wouldnt deliberately go out and hunt pheasants with an fac air rifle. I have been shooting rabbits and the opportunity has presented itself, In my eyes theres nothing wrong with that, except in the eyes of a few elitist "sporting" at all cost types!!! Edited January 26, 2008 by Evil Elvis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clum84 Posted January 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 Carbine, Kipper, Elvis Elvis...............thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trevor Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 everyone on this site has shot a pheasant with an air gun i bet. we should be helping this person to perfect his ways and shooting not tearing strips off are own people and country men poor person i bet he wishes he never joined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cushat Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 You jump to conclusions and assumptions without knowing any of the facts. How do you know that he is on land where organised game shoots take place? =You dont Thanks for the comments. Now for those who still aint happy with the pheasant thing let me say firstly that im shooting on a pheasant estate and the gamekeeper doesnt like the birds to breed so he tries to have them all cleared up at the end of each season. I think the second quote (from page 2 of the debate) answers the question raised by kipper... I've not got an issue with the principle of shooting the odd pheasant for the pot with an air rifle. Sure it's more than up to the job and a nice clean kill will be achieved more times than not. I'm not judging whether getting close enough to a pheasant to shoot it with an air rifle is more skilled than a 45 yard high bird curling on the wind. I know what I would rather do, but each to their own. What I really can't get my head around a keeper wanting all his hen birds shot by someone with an air rifle when he could be making money from paying guns. If he doesn't mind you taking the odd bird for the pot in return for keeping his vermin under control then that's one thing, but actually asking you to clear out as many of his hens as possible??? More fundementally, I guess I just don't like the idea of what amounts to a cull of game birds at the end of the season. Yeah, but what's different from "culling" them with a team of 8 guns and a load of beaters? I think there's a huge difference. I'm jumping to conclusions here (but based on clum84's comments quoted above, I think it's a fairly safe bet) that this isn't a wild bird shoot and so virtually all the birds shot are released. To have a cull at the end of the season suggests over stocking and a lack of respect for the birds. The best shoots "manage" the countryside and it's all about balance throughout the year. They don't just chuck a load of birds down in the autumn and then mop up what's left at the end of the season. It sounds like a put-and-take trout fishery! I'm sure the anti's would have a field day with something like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbart Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 Why do some of you take a negative attitude towards some people You jump to conclusions and assumptions without knowing any of the facts. How do you know that he is on land where organised game shoots take place? =You dont B) Getting near enough to a pheasant to shoot it with a air rifle takes some skill and field craft. and a head shot on a pheasant is perfectly humane with a standard 12ftlb air rifle. I have done it plenty of times (I have also shot pigeon and pheasant with the 12g and needed to finish it off because the first shot did not kill the birld outright) and dont tell me this does not happen on game shoots. What's the chance of this sport surviving when all of us people on hear are disagreeing with each others view on the sport. There are many types of shooting sport but it all boils down to SHOOTING. Clum84. As long as you have got permission to shoot the pheasant on the land your shooting on & you are abiding by the law and you are going to make good use of the pheasant then good luck to you mate. ignore some people on hear that have there heads so far up there own *** they can only see things through there own mind. Well done with your first bag I hope you have many more to come Kipper. Well done kipper for not reading any of the posts but having a say on it anyway "How do you know he is on land where organised game shoots take place"..........Because he said the keeper asked him to kill them Which by the way anyone who goes game shooting will find almost impossible to believe.Also too many people posting are trying to turn this into a airgun v shotgun and you are one of them.I dont have a problem shooting anything with anything as long as its up to the job but no gamekeeper in his right mind at this time of year would tell someone to go and shoot some hen birds with an air rifle or anything else and if he did he needs sacking!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 I should also point out that the pheasants that i have shot have been wild ones, none of them raised by any game keepers, and not an intended quarry........ How on earth can you possibly know that ?? Due to certain types being released on certain estates we have seen them up to 5 miles away from the nearest release pen. I have nothing against shooting pheasant with airrifles, BTW trevor I`ve never shot a pheasant with an airrifle, I just don`t think it sporting at all and after looking closely at the photo I have reservations about it being shot in the head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 Perhaps i'll risk life and limb and post more pics when i get back from shooting on sunday. HMmmmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjdwillis Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 You know what.....i just went out for a shoot on land where the gamekeeper asked me to shoot a few of HIS birds.who are any of you to tell him or me that that is "tosh" or anything else?! and as for being unsporting, while it may not exactaly be what the pheasants were bred for in the first place i cant really see an argument for why using bloody plastic decoys to lure pigeons into shotgun range, or an electronic call to get a fox to practically sit on top of you before you drill it with a .243 is any more of a sport! (neither of which i have a problem with as i do both). anyway im not going to argue or defend myself or my actions anymore as i think its just a case of argument for arguments sake with a lot of people. Shotgun elitists lets say. Thanks to the few of you who have a head firmly screwed onto you shoulders for your kind comments. Perhaps i'll risk life and limb and post more pics when i get back from shooting on sunday. hmm maybe i'll take the shotty and see how many pheasants i shoot then. Sporting though I would not shoot a pheasant with an airgun but if its serving a purpose as you say? then fair enough. however, i would be interested in an explination as to how pigeon decoying and fox calling can be classed as unsporting, while shooting pheasants with an airgun is sporting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjdwillis Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 everyone on this site has shot a pheasant with an air gun i bet. i can guarantee thats wrong...i for one have not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dusk2dawn Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 Perhaps i'll risk life and limb and post more pics when i get back from shooting on sunday. HMmmmmm. I thought i was going to be the only one that picked up on that one. No we all picked up on it, just didnt warrant a comment D2D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 Different people have different ideas, Firstly if you have permission and are legal then happy hunting , regardless of what others may think is or is not 'sporting'. second point, the 'keeper' may well want to reduce stocks for the coming months to save for example, complaints of damage to people gardens ( i know of one shoot which has this problem as it is based on the edge of a small village). third point, the keeper during previous years may have experience older birds wandering more during the season, and may want to keep their numbers low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digger Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 "Gamekeeper" I think not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tikkamark Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 (edited) I cant understand why a so called gamekeeper would want the hens shot at the end of season and not allow them to breed :unsure: my understanding was that they be caught up and lay eggs or be left to have a clutch in the wild.Thats the way it operates here in Ireland anyway hens are not shot all season and left to raise young with released cocks vermin is kept in check for this very reason(also to protect livestock) Also thoroughly disagree with shooting at a live animal to check the zero of any rifle I would not get to drawn into this folks for all we know clum84 could be an anti trying to stir up trouble the story certainly sounds very very scetchy If you are genuine clum you have to be a lot more careful in the way word things and perhaps buy a gundog and shottie for the pheasants and stick to more suitable quarry for the rifle. Edited January 27, 2008 by tikkamark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Elvis Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 (edited) How on earth can you possibly know that ?? Its very simple, the area i shot most pheasants on( With a bsa meteor and a bsa supersport fitted with uprated springs, dad was an engineer) was a working quarry that has thousands of acres of overgrown quarries behind it, it doesnt have any farms or shoots any where near it. i have grown up shooting there and have watched thousands of baby pheasants and partridges hatched there over the years.My father and I had exclusive shooting rites on there, literally, and we never took more than two at a time for the pot.(family of 6) Since my father has passed i have no access to the area, but the pheasants are still there in huge numbers and to a lesser extent the partridges, there is also a huge flock of green budgerigars that live there. Those of you that know Thurrock will have heard of Thurrock Clay plant, part of Blue circle well, it was their pits in Ockendon. I have no reason to keep then quite anymore as I have no access to them myself shame, best rough shooting i ever experienced by far. My other permissions with pheasants on i cant vouch for 100% but the first fellow i shot there was huge with bug spurs and was in woodland that is left rough, he had to be over a year old. As far as Im aware there are no organised shoots in the area, I know all the neighbouring farms, there are several dairy farms and arable farms over thousands of acres and theres not one organised shoot on any of them....though saying that these birds are truly wild is presumptuous but they are about as wild as you can get for free!!! Edited January 28, 2008 by Evil Elvis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Elvis Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 perhaps buy a gundog and shottie for the pheasants and stick to more suitable quarry for the rifle. Why? because a load of stuck up pillocks think its "not sporting"? :unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 perhaps buy a gundog and shottie for the pheasants and stick to more suitable quarry for the rifle. Why? because a load of stuck up pillocks think its "not sporting"? so the next question is will the avid air gun shooters be stopping shooting pheasants on Friday or not :unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight32 Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Hell if I know what the facination people have with air rifles when they could have a proper rifle in the cabinet anyway. I have not used an 12 ft lb air rifle in years because there is simply no point- I have more efficient guns to use. I personally think standard legal limit air rifles are no good for live quarry, I know they kill but you are limited severly. In Europe they are certainly frowned upon for hunting purposes and the authorities prefer you to own a more suitable calibre better suited to the purpose. FAC air is another thing- I have seen good results with 24 Ft lbs ++ and suits the requirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyjaimz Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 (edited) When I first met the gamekeeper on one of my permissions, he told me exactly what I was allowed to shoot at on that land - rabbits, pigeons, crows, rats and also where i could / couldnt venture. A couple of weeks later I saw him again as I was finishing up my zero-ing session (with a pellet trap and paper), we had a quick catch up chat during which I told him that I seen a couple of foxes whilst I had been doing my rounds and they had been hanging around the wooded area where I knew his poults were. I told him to rest assured I'd let him know where and when I'd seen them so that the syndicate members could formulate a plan to sort them out (lest we forget, I am limited to 12 ft/lbs of air). His response was "if you see a fox, shoot it" Now this man is seriously old school and I have a lot of respect for him, I have no doubt that the wellbeing of his poults was paramount in his mind, but there's no way i'm going to do anything of the sort. My point is "it takes all sorts" ie differant people go about theire business in differant ways. This man who cared a great deal about his poults had scant regard for any foxs that may be wounded by un underpowered rifle aimed in there direction, and perhaps there is another man out there who could have given permission to an airgunner to thin out pheasants, who knows? all I know is that its possible. Having said that, checking your zero on anything with a pulse is not acceptable practise (especially for a shooter who has apparantly been granted an FAC for air). As far as the Air rifle vs shotgun debate goes, I am an avid airgunner myself. I have no need for anything else for the shooting that I do. It does sadden me to read 'belittling' posts aimed at airguns and those who shoot them though, as far as i'm concerned we're all on the same team. Anyway clum84, you have certainly had your baptism of fire and opened up a real hot topic. I hope you can take it all on the chin and perhaps post up some pictures of the bags of rabbits you are sure to get from your new permission? p.s the purpose of this post is NOT to create another debate about fox culling with a 12 ft/lb airgun. This is obviously not acceptable practise. I merely posted that information to illustrate a point. Jim Edited January 28, 2008 by monkeyjaimz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clum84 Posted January 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Hell if I know what the facination people have with air rifles when they could have a proper rifle in the cabinet anyway. I have not used an 12 ft lb air rifle in years because there is simply no point- I have more efficient guns to use. I personally think standard legal limit air rifles are no good for live quarry, I know they kill but you are limited severly. In Europe they are certainly frowned upon for hunting purposes and the authorities prefer you to own a more suitable calibre better suited to the purpose. FAC air is another thing- I have seen good results with 24 Ft lbs ++ and suits the requirement. The rifles FAC ate and its really the only sensible thing to use for the squirrels up in trees. The main reason i got the shoot was so reduce the massive squizzer population and firing a rimmy up into the tree tops is just far too dangerous for me im afraid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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