Ferret Master Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 Hi, It just occured to me that it has been an absolute age since I did a write up and at the risk of being deemed an armchair hunter I thought I would mention my most recent trip out. I spent Saturday morning in the car with my Dad driving to a gunshop half an hour away to pick up a slab of clay shooting loads for my 20 bore as I was running short. Upon paying for the slab of Lyavale Express Special 20 fibre 7.5's I asked if they had a plastic obturator. I was informed that they did not. Anyway I got home and opened the box... only to discover they did. I phoned the shop and the owner was apologetic and offered me a refund but he did not have any other fibre loads in stock for the 20 bore. So another 30 minute car journey each way followed and after getting rid of the cartridges we went to anothree gunshop to pick up some Hull Pro Twentys. I shot these yesterday and was quite impressed with them. I managed a 34ex50 which was enough to get third place at my shoot. Anyway after all of this me and my Dad decided to drop by and see my Grandmother on the way home. Upon arriving at her house I was greeted with the ghastly site of a grey squirrel hanging upside down on her bird feeder. I have trapped and and shot quite a few here lately so this particular one was also on the 'to go list'. Unfortunately us driving into the driveway spooked the tree rat into nearby woodland. I walked into the house to say hello to my Gran with my air rifle slung under my arm (like you do) and was informed there was a 'b***dy magpie on the floor under the bird feeders' and if I would be so kind as to do something about it, then it would be most appreciated. I started to edge the kitchen window open so I could snipe from it with my Air Arms S410k but before I was able to get my gun trained upon the magpie a moorhen flew across the garden from up in the woods and dived at the young magpie. As a result the black and white corvid flew up into the woods with the other young magpies to scream, or rather squeak as the case was, abuse at the territorial moorhen. I waited at the kitchen window for a while with the airgun but nothing else of a verminous nature presented a shot. I left the air rifle with my Dad in the house and grabbed my 20 bore and cartridge belt with the intention of going for a wander in the field behind my Gran's land which I also have permission to shoot. I tucked myself up under an Ash tree and waited for anything to pass by. I could still hear numerous magpies causing a racquet in the woods and it wasn't long before I saw a pair fly across the field out of gunshot and into the allotments at the end of my Gran's garden. I phoned my Dad to tell him to shoot any that landed on the floor in the garden and to make him aware of my position in the field as the grass was long and the undergrowth thick. I gave it a couple of minutes and nothing appeared to have happened so I started to stalk through the long grass towards the garden with a couple of 28g 6's up the barrel. It then became apparent that there was a magpie in a thick blackthorn bush on the edge of my Gran's garden so I started to creep towards this with the intention of flushing it to provide a safe shot. As I got to approximately 15m away from the bush the magpie evicted with an air of urgency about it. I didn't catch a clear sight of him until it was flying above a thick bramble patch heading for the woodland again. I threw the gun to my shoulder and fired. My reward was to see a magpie folding cleanly in the air with a puff of feathers. The distance it fell at was measured at 45 of my big paces. Quick snap of the magpie and my Beretta Silver Pigeon 20 bore taken on my phone. Not particularly exciting I'm afraid but I felt like doing a bit of a write up. Hopefully have something a bit better if me and Stillsy get out decoying on Thursday! Thanks for reading! FM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flash Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 nice wright up ollie. so just how BIG are your BIG paces Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillsy Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 yer, we should indeed olly, aslong as the pigeons start attacking the wheat, or when the farmer realises that 5 days dry weather is long enought to dry out a ripe crop and cut it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Master Posted July 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 Well it's been nice today and is due to be again tomorrow! Wind's also gonna keep up for Thursday! FM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Sweepy Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 The things you do to stay in grannys good books Well done Mr FM xxxxsuzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vole Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 Hey FM ,I dont shoot alot but i enjoy and am quietly proud of every single one. Especially magpies and squirrels.Look forward to more posts.I like the family element to the tale. Nice memories indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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