This afternoons fun- Joys of a gamekeeper.

[Ferretboy111]

Well was doing the rounds this afternoon, when i saw a car parked by my rape fields, automatically knew it was someone shooting pigeons so went and asked the famer whether he had allowed anyone to shoot there, anwser= NO.

 

I get alot of people shooting on my shoot without permission, people just turn up. So i went down and had a word with the guy (i dont mind people shooting as long as they say they are.) Well, Thankfully he dropped himself in it by saying that ive met him before as he was shooting over barley stubble last summer.

 

Now in summer, these people who shot there, really annoyed me as they lied to me saying that they had permission, and after i had a ring around i found out that they didnt so they really annoyed me during the summer- not knowing who is shooting etc. So lucky i manged to have a go at him for that as well, and told him to pack up his stuff and to never come back here again.

 

Alot of "Ive been shooting here for years" and all that stuff came up, and "I know the farmer" etc, but i was firm and told him basically it is armed trespass and he can go and speak to the farmer if he wants to, but he isnt shooting here anymore. ( I rallied it to the farmer and said i had send him packing and told him my views on why he shouldnt shoot here, so i doubt he ever will)

 

Anyway, so thats the first bit of fun for me.

 

Next is that ive been watching a mallard nest for a few days, to which im finding alot of empty eggs, broken ones, it seems that as soon as the duck has laid one something has taken it. Found out the culprit, was a rook flying with an egg in its mouth. Sadly this is at another farm where there is a rookery and therefore i cant shoot them as they like them. Crafty little beggars.

 

Alex

[pavman]

Alex

 

theres only one solution, shooting without permission is ARMED TRESSPASS call the police on 999 and give details as anyone who shoots without permission may well not have a cert in the first place, and or be a danger to others, the armed unit will come out and you will very quickly find your problem is no more. It really is that simple nuggets soon get to know who they can fob and who means business, i have another keeper friend who folows this rule and believe me he seldom has any problems!

[roadkill]

Alex

 

theres only one solution, shooting without permission is ARMED TRESSPASS call the police on 999 and give details as anyone who shoots without permission may well not have a cert in the first place, and or be a danger to others, the armed unit will come out and you will very quickly find your problem is no more. It really is that simple nuggets soon get to know who they can fob and who means business, i have another keeper friend who folows this rule and believe me he seldom has any problems!

 

 

we all work hard for oue permission and for ppl to just help themselfs with out even asking deserves the arm of the law

[Edward]

Alot of "Ive been shooting here for years" and all that stuff came up, and "I know the farmer" etc, but i was firm and told him basically it is armed trespass and he can go and speak to the farmer if he wants to, but he isnt shooting here anymore. ( I rallied it to the farmer and said i had send him packing and told him my views on why he shouldnt shoot here, so i doubt he ever will)

 

 

I get quite a bit of that.

 

When they say Oh I know the farmer, I get a great deal of plesure telling them that my dads the farmer, and shall I get him down here for a bit of a chinwag if you know him that well.

 

the armed tresspass usually sends them packing

Edited April 2, 2008 by EdwardtheloneShooter

[catroofel]

i know of a head keeper some time ago on a very large estate that found a couple of guys shooting onthere when they had no permission.

on asking them to leave one of the men shot him in the face with a 410 and they scarpered leaving him for dead.

luckily he was able to raise the alarm and by some miricle survived but to this day he is still badly scarred on his face.

The morale of the story is i think it isn't wise to approach any one shooting illegally and to let the appropriate authorities deal with it come what may

[Traztaz]

There used to be a keeper near Salisbury who had a bullet hole in his ear!!!

[Blackbart]

Dont get a lot of that up here.Met a few in the woods roost shooting in feb time including one that actually challenged me and asked what i was doing in the wood said he knew the farmer and all the slava but he couldnt even tell me the farmers name.Another instance where a young lad came to the farm and said he had just got his sgc and wondered if he could do a bit pigeon and crow shooting,he seemed like a ok sort of kid so the farmer said go on then and even told him the best place to go.Later that day he went to see how the lad was doing and he met him coming round a wood carrying a dead roe deer fawn!!!!He tried to say he thought it was a hare!And in the process gave lots of genuine shooters no chance of a new permission,and you can bet that this farmer told a few other farmers and they will of told a few more and so on.

[russ91]

i hav this problem a lot but the problem is that the farm s owned by two brouthers and one of them will let any one shoot and the outhere on likes to hav a good chat with you first this it the brouther i asked so some weekends they can be up to 4 people walking around the farm all armed with shotguns.

[Ferretboy111]

When it comes to pigeon shooting on my shoot, i havent really got a problem with people shooting on my land. At the end of the day i dont have time usually to shoot pigeons, so am more than happy to let others shoot. But i think since the rape has been hit hard, ive had about 5 people shoot it, and only 1 had asked permission. And they are the only ones ive caught.

 

I tell them time and time again, i wouldnt mind you shooting, as long as you let me, or the farmer know, saves me the trip of having to storm down to the rape field's and see who you are.

 

Its just damn right ignorance now, next people i catch who havent asked permission, will be off for good- The trouble i have is that the farmer says YES to anyone who asks to shoot pigeons. I mean anyone, anyone of you lot could ring him and say can i shoot and he would say yes.

 

Ive never known so many people who think its there permission to shoot pigeons.

 

Ill get the farmer to start giving the people my number i think. Ill deal with them all.

 

Alex

[ferretman]

WE GET THAT PROBLEM ROUND MY UNCLES SHOOT THERE BEEN MENY TIMES WERE I BEEN OUT FEEDING THEBIRDS AND SEEN PEOPLE SHOOTING I RING THE POLICE STRAIT AWAY SOD THAT I ANT RISKING GETTING SHOT. .AND SOMETIMES ON MY PERMISSIONS YOU GET PEOPLE SO I GO SEE THE FARMER AND ME N HIM GO AND HAVE A WALK WITH THE 12BORES OVER OUR ARMS.THEN THAY TRY TO SAY THAY NO THE FARMER AND HE IS THE FARMER LOL MAKES ME LAUGH LOL.BUT IF I AM ON MY OWN I JUST RING THE POLICE AND DONT GO TO THEM.

[bob300w]

I always think that the reply "I know the farmer" is a giveaway, if they knew the farmer they would use his name, not "the farmer". A gamekeeper round these parts used to use what he called the naval method, a shot across the bows, using his 243! A bit drastic, and not to be recommended, but it worked, I don't know of any that stayed after he knocked over a couple of their decoys from 100 yards back! Edited April 3, 2008 by bob300w

[bignoel]

this bewilders me these poacher shooters are they cert holders they must be running for loseing there certs takeing the risk of poacher with there shotti's surely.i would never even think of doing this mind boggles

[cubix]

It amazes me as well. These people just can't be taking it seriously or realise what precarious position they are in and the serious crime they are comitting.

 

You'd think they'd plead ignornace, apologise profusley and promise not to do it again. That's what i'd do. The best way to get yourself busted is to stand and claim permission when you have no evidence to support it - that's all the courts need.

 

As people point out it's armed trespass!! that's a crime, you are an armed criminal - you can go to prison for that can't you? All it needs is a sniff from the police and you lose your shotgun cert.

 

I wouldn't even put a toe onto anything I didn't know I was definitely 100% OK to be there.

[BSA Shaun]

Next is that ive been watching a mallard nest for a few days, to which im finding alot of empty eggs, broken ones, it seems that as soon as the duck has laid one something has taken it. Found out the culprit, was a rook flying with an egg in its mouth. Sadly this is at another farm where there is a rookery and therefore i cant shoot them as they like them. Crafty little beggars.

 

Alex

 

 

Could you not sit and wait for said Rook and give him the good news when he comes in again?

 

Or set up a decoy nest for him to raid and ambush him that way?

[lurcherboy]

I always think that the reply "I know the farmer" is a giveaway, if they knew the farmer they would use his name, not "the farmer". A gamekeeper round these parts used to use what he called the naval method, a shot across the bows, using his 243! A bit drastic, and not to be recommended, but it worked, I don't know of any that stayed after he knocked over a couple of their decoys from 100 yards back! B)

 

That's the way to do it

 

 

 

LB

[Ferretboy111]

Could you not sit and wait for said Rook and give him the good news when he comes in again?

 

Or set up a decoy nest for him to raid and ambush him that way?

 

"Sadly this is at another farm where there is a rookery and therefore i cant shoot them as they like them. "

 

Alex

[BSA Shaun]

I meant wait on your farm for him to come over and BANG!

[al4x]

Alex

 

theres only one solution, shooting without permission is ARMED TRESSPASS call the police on 999 and give details as anyone who shoots without permission may well not have a cert in the first place, and or be a danger to others, the armed unit will come out and you will very quickly find your problem is no more. It really is that simple nuggets soon get to know who they can fob and who means business, i have another keeper friend who folows this rule and believe me he seldom has any problems!

 

 

I've had this done to me by a part time keeper who was trying to intimidate us into stopping doing pest control on the farm, despite the farmer setting out he only controlled the game shooting and not the pigeons and rabbits. I might add that when they turned up I was in the farmhouse having a cup of tea and had been shooting with the farmer himself

 

Sometimes its best to check all facts before doing it especially as farmers don't like unwanted police attention and really its them that should be doing the calling

[catroofel]

I've had this done to me by a part time keeper who was trying to intimidate us into stopping doing pest control on the farm, despite the farmer setting out he only controlled the game shooting and not the pigeons and rabbits. I might add that when they turned up I was in the farmhouse having a cup of tea and had been shooting with the farmer himself

 

Sometimes its best to check all facts before doing it especially as farmers don't like unwanted police attention and really its them that should be doing the calling

 

i think your absolutly right there mate as wasting police time is not funny. This only proves a point i made earlier in a post as to the fact that i always ring the person that i have the permission from to let them know where, when & why and i always ask if there is any one else about. this way i am sure that any one shooting there should or should not be there. one place is 4000 acres and i am good friends with the keeper one phone call will see him coming with his bull mastiff that is designed for the job. need less to say that we don't get many problems there.

[Dave-G]

When it comes to pigeon shooting on my shoot, i havent really got a problem with people shooting on my land. At the end of the day i dont have time usually to shoot pigeons, so am more than happy to let others shoot. But i think since the rape has been hit hard, ive had about 5 people shoot it, and only 1 had asked permission. And they are the only ones ive caught.

 

I tell them time and time again, i wouldnt mind you shooting, as long as you let me, or the farmer know, saves me the trip of having to storm down to the rape field's and see who you are.

 

Its just damn right ignorance now, next people i catch who havent asked permission, will be off for good- The trouble i have is that the farmer says YES to anyone who asks to shoot pigeons. I mean anyone, anyone of you lot could ring him and say can i shoot and he would say yes.

 

Ive never known so many people who think its there permission to shoot pigeons.

 

Ill get the farmer to start giving the people my number i think. Ill deal with them all.

 

Alex

 

Not sure I follow you there FB, Is this YOUR land - or the farmers land? Surely if these guys asked the farmer they have permision to shoot there?

[Ferretboy111]

The land isnt mine... but im the keeper on it and therefore have all shooting rights.

 

Every1 who had been shooting on the rape hadnt asked permission, whether from me or from the farmer... they just turned up and started shooting.

 

 

Alex

[ferretman]

are you the number 1 keeper there then mate?

[Dave-G]

You might be able to help me here Alex, this actually sounds like a situation I'm in on one of my permisions.

 

As I understand things, a farmer - or a farm manager in this case - has a duty to grow crops and the right to protect them from vermin. A Gamekeeper runs a shoot on the same land. I believe both work for the same estate, but have interests that sometimes clash.

 

One morning I was shooting and the gamekeeper who I had never met, drove up and we had a chat. In brief, I was not supposed to be there according to him. I pointed out that I was aware that a shoot was being run and that it was agreed with the local farm manager that I would control vermin while it had no effect on the pheasant shoot. I stop shooting from the end of August - so the birds don't get accustomed to the sound of gunfire - and resume after Feb 1st.

 

He eventually conceded that I was sympathetic to his needs and doing no harm to his birds. Although he wanted me to stop shooting as from then (end September) I maintained that a rabbit problem still existed well away from his pens and that I would control numbers till end of august. He gave me his number and also suggested I make contact with him next Feb (that's last feb actually) but he has since left the area "with everything that has happened" Which I take to mean under a cloud of some sort.

 

I'm considering trying to locate the new keeper but a part of me feels i may bring things to a head and lose some permission that I value immensly. The local manager retires in about a year and i'm thinking that may be the best time to look up the keeper. what do you think?

 

EDIT: Interestingly, As I sometimes leave a dead bunny in a place it will be seen by the manager, the keeper said he "just knew! someone was shooting here"... but the manager had (past tense) denied he had anyone doing it. I'm not too bothered by that - as the permission is in writing and I have recently been given access to more land from the same manager. This is the conflict of interest that bothers me.

Edited May 28, 2008 by Dave-G

[Ferretboy111]

Yeah i am the only keeper on the farm, its only a small shoot and isnt my full time job.

 

Id say personally that the farm manager should let the gamekeeper now who is shooting etc.

 

It was the same for a friend of mine, who was the keeper for a large estate and didnt know who was shooting or where cos the farm manager didnt tell him, needless to say he was annoyed and he too quit the place.

 

Id say speak to the keeper.

 

Alex

 

(In my case, the farmer doesnt know what is going on on his land most of the time, or who is about on it... but as im out and about everyday checking traps etc i know who is shooting and where etc..... so i deal with that side of the farm.)

[Dave-G]

Another point that made me more resolute to keep shooting up till the agreed "poult"? time was that the keeper agreed he had little time for vermin control himself.

 

The suggestion that I call him at the end of the season was that there is potentially thousands more acres to go at and he might have been willing to put them my way.

Edited May 28, 2008 by Dave-G