My son 1, local stoat population nil.....

merlin

Well-Known Member
My 12-year old son is MAD keen on shooting (dunno where he gets it from....:D), and so we ventured out for a spot of roost shooting a couple of nights ago.

We got to the copse on the shoot, got into position and waited. After about 25 minutes of no action at all (I don't think working on a crick in your neck scanning the sky counts as action does it?:confused:), I heard 'BANG, BANG'.

"What were you shooting at?" I asked, not having seen a thing in the sky, pigeony, crowy or magpie-shaped.

"Stoat..." came the reply.

I've never even shot AT a stoat, ever mind nailed one :confused:. The result did nothing to curb his enthusiasm - which is a good job, 'cos we need him for beating this Saturday!!

One very pleased with himself son :D, one proud as punch Dad :D!!

View attachment 3359
 
pass on my congratulations i've never managed to bag one with the gun, had one in a fenn trap but thats cheating.....now give him a bollocking for wasting the 1st cartridge does he know how expensive they are now ! but seriously well done. sir-lamp-alot
 
Cheers guys - I'll pass on the congrats. (...and he said the 2nd barrel "...was to make absolutely sure...." :D).

Said stoat is now in the freezer, destined for the taxidermist. My wife's face was a picture when I told her......:eek:

ATB,

Merlin
 
Well done that man, please pass on my congrats, I have been try to trap one for mounths now, have court just about every thing els in my traps , so you can tell him he has got one up on me !

cookingfat
 
Well done that man, please pass on my congrats, I have been try to trap one for mounths now, have court just about every thing els in my traps , so you can tell him he has got one up on me !

cookingfat

I don't bother with traps
we hav a decent cat:lol::lol:
P1010021.jpg


this was her first weasel:cool:
she caught quite a few now and stoats too:eek:

Merlin
Proud as punch aye... so you should be:thumb:
well done to the young un
 
Well done that young gun but i must admit to admiring the stoats they are fantastic looking animals.
 
Well done to your son. Not an easy thing to shoot stoats, they never stop moving:)

Once as a young gamekeeper, I caught a stoat in a fen trap, and the head keeper asked if I wanted to catch another one?? I said 'of course' so he told me how to "butter the trap"?? He explained that if you apply GENTLE pressure to the stoats scent gland, it is possible to put a drop of scent on the pan of the trap and then make it irresistable to any other stoats in the area and so dramatically increase your chances to catch another the following morning.

Well he roughly showed me how to do this 'milking' of a stoats scent gland, and then handed me the animal to watch me 'butter the trap'. Well I pressed lightly and then gradually more heavily but nothing came out? I was baffled and the keeper said have another go, so I pressed and pressed getting increasingly desperate to impress my teacher when the inevitable happened........ The scent gland exploded with the pressure I was putting on it, and I got a face full of stoats scent gland juice........... Well the smell is indescribable. It is the most strong, rank, long lasting pong you have ever smelled in your life ( I later read in a book that it is worse than skunk at close quarters- and you can get much more close quarters that right in your face!!!). well having managed to try to wipe off the foul liquid off my face (without success) I tried to get back in the landrover for the trip home, only to be told "Not smelling like that your not!!" so I ended up walking home the three miles back to the keepers cottage. All the time stinking to high heaven.

Well a lesson well learned for me, and now somebody else gets to "butter the trap" in future

Well done again on your stoat!!

ATB

Lakey
 
I shot a stoat about fifteen years ago when pigeon decoying. Was shooting not from a hide but sat in a dry ditch in a field corner using the hedge behind me as my "hide".

I used to smoke at the time and I had just put my gun down to take a cigarette and was having my first draw when Mr Stoat comes into view.

It was one of those "Can I spit my cigarette out and reach an pick up my gun before you can get away?" moments!

My reactions were lightning fast in those days and I "just" managed to get the stoat before it could reach cover.
 
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