metal detectors with the wrong attitude

[PEREGRINE]

Went to recce a farm where I have permision to shoot on Sunday with a view to shooting it on Monday, Got to the field and watched the pigeons going in. Not thousands but a few hundred or so were going in to the stubble and thought I might be on for a hundred plus on the day so I built the hide where I wanted it, all in preperation for an early start the next morning. 7am Monday morning found me approaching the field with great expectations only to find two guys metal detecting the field. one was wearing a bright red shirt and the other a bright yellow one you could see them for miles,when I spoke to the farmer the previous evening he never mentioned that someone would be on the feild and so I suspected these did not have permision to be there. I approached and asked them if the farmer had given permision and they said yes, however they did not know his name or in fact where the farmhouse was, I asked them to leave as I was about to shoot this field and got a lot of verbal in return, the crunch came when red shirt said i was only "mouthy" because i had a gun with me (which was cased and over my shoulder) so I put my gun down and Im ashamed to say my patience snapped and I threatened to remove them physicaly. Discretion proved the better part of valour and they left the field only to start in the field directly in front of me, Now I have no say over that field and so could not move them on but with them standing out like a sore thumb all I could do was watch the pigeons giving the field a wide berth.After 1 1/2 hours these guys were still mincing around in this field and so I went home. later that afternoon I decided to go back and see if they were gone, they were but as I approached my hide I saw that they had destroyed it and stolen all my camo netting!! As this field is nowhere near a footpath or the general public in any way I can only assume these morons decided to ger there own back. I shot for 4 hours and fired 70 cartridges for 40 birds, imagine if I had the whole day there as planned. Has any one else had problems such as this, I dont want to spoil anyones fun but these guys had no permision to be where they were and they were stopping me from doing what I had a legitimate right to do, the whole thing left me feeling bitterly dissapointed that I didnt slap them when I had the chance and I lost a 30 quid net into the bargain

[Cranfield]

I wouldn't leave a "permanent" hide in place, unless it was made of 100% natural materials. Even these get destroyed, or damaged, usually by kids.

 

I have heard that metal detector enthusiasts can be a nuisance in some areas, but it does seem to be a localised thing.

They have never been a problem where I have shot.

Speak to your Farmer and perhaps he will speak to his neighbour.

If these people wander on the fields and don't get removed, be sure they will be back.

 

Now, if you want to talk about ramblers who can't read their public footpath maps, we could start a very long thread.

[The Sniper]

I would have thought the more appropriate person to discuss this matter, with them, would have been the farmer.

[matto]

I know the feeling all to well,Dog walkers,picnicers,metal detectors,even some tw-t firing bloody golf balls directly at me in my hide.

 

I have approached them on several occasions only to get verbal.

 

I spoke to the farmer about them and jokingly he told me to shoot the ********,if only...ha ha.

 

On a serious note though i think we just have to put up with the morons,for now anyway.

 

I do tell people if there is no footpath in the field,it's mainly dogwalkers,and if there is a footpath in the field i put signs up warning them to keep to the path.

 

Still it's bloody anoying.

[jimdfish]

I used to metal detect across masses of fields and never met a shooter. In my experience you will find that a tector will be as aggreived that you are on his field as you are. I know that these tectors behaved badly but as a rule they are usually good blokes

jim