Ok thanks for the input Packham
First casualty of the season.
- Thread starter Stalker62
- Start date
Freeforester
Well-Known Member
Er, not having a wing clipped?The birds on my wee shoot, arrived on Tuesday. They are (I am told) 10 weeks old.
When they were released into the pen, some of them managed to "flutter" straight over the fence and off into the surrounding woods.
The challenge is of course, that they are big enough to "make off" from the pen, before they realise that that is their new home.
This morning, I found a few that had made it across a decent sized field; and as a result I have filled one of the feeders in that area before I had planned to. They are already there, so they will need food and water.
Any hoo.
Just outside the wood that holds the pen, is a large hill/field.
I found the remains of one of my birds about ten yards into the open.
If this were a pub quiz, what killed it?
Stalker62
Well-Known Member
I do go to the pen every day and "hand scatter" to compliment the feed bins. I also "whistle" and "call" the birds in an attempt to reassure the birds and get them used to me.
Stalker62
Well-Known Member
Not sure that I have ever seen one...
Stalker62
Well-Known Member
Absolutely.
I do not begrudge any native bird of prey making a kill.
I will do my best to (legally) ensure that the Guns have something for November and December but you are right.
I know the score. Fairly sure the Guns know the score - they are all county folk and farmers.
I personally (tautology) am starting from a very low number of pheasants: although I get that nationally, there will be not thousands, but millions of introduced birds.
When we get to our shoot days (we have four) if the bag gets into double figures, I am delighted. If it gets into the 20s, then it is a "red letter" day.
Stalker62
Well-Known Member
Right then.
Popped down early (0400 hrs) to the pen to sit up and have a look-see.
Parked up in a lay-by on the outside of the boundary, and turned off the lights on the truck.
Broke out the thermal and it immediately started to rain. Thermals are not great in the rain. Scanned the fields. Too blurry to really make out what the heat sources were. Restarted the truck and went to turn the light on. They have failed. Drove, in the pre-dawn dark, the 100 yards to the gate using ESP...
Into the property and again, parked up and broke out the thermal. Rain has eased off and I can make out a kindle of hares (yes I looked it up - "A Murmuration of Starlings" by Steve Palin). I count twelve.
Drive around the edge of the fields, and park outside the wood which contains the pen. Dismount and wander off. A couple of deer about 400 yards off. A couple of pheasants which I push back into the wood.
Then as the light begins to overpower the dark, the unmistakable call of birds of prey. Directly above me, in what appears to be a dawn dog-fight, are two Buzzards. I watch them in awe as they perform that arial ballet we have all seen - I hope that their morning's breakfast will be other than pheasant.
Return to the truck and grab a quarter bag of feed. Rattling the bag, calling and whistling the birds, I complete a lap of the wood that is their home, scattering feed where I think it will do most good. The electric fence is still good to go. The feeders in the pen are functioning and loaded, the water stations are loaded.
Return home without lights, but at least it is now light enough so that I am "road legal".
Walked the dogs and now it's time for my breakfast.
Later on this morning:-
Fix the lights on the Landy (again).
Popped down early (0400 hrs) to the pen to sit up and have a look-see.
Parked up in a lay-by on the outside of the boundary, and turned off the lights on the truck.
Broke out the thermal and it immediately started to rain. Thermals are not great in the rain. Scanned the fields. Too blurry to really make out what the heat sources were. Restarted the truck and went to turn the light on. They have failed. Drove, in the pre-dawn dark, the 100 yards to the gate using ESP...
Into the property and again, parked up and broke out the thermal. Rain has eased off and I can make out a kindle of hares (yes I looked it up - "A Murmuration of Starlings" by Steve Palin). I count twelve.
Drive around the edge of the fields, and park outside the wood which contains the pen. Dismount and wander off. A couple of deer about 400 yards off. A couple of pheasants which I push back into the wood.
Then as the light begins to overpower the dark, the unmistakable call of birds of prey. Directly above me, in what appears to be a dawn dog-fight, are two Buzzards. I watch them in awe as they perform that arial ballet we have all seen - I hope that their morning's breakfast will be other than pheasant.
Return to the truck and grab a quarter bag of feed. Rattling the bag, calling and whistling the birds, I complete a lap of the wood that is their home, scattering feed where I think it will do most good. The electric fence is still good to go. The feeders in the pen are functioning and loaded, the water stations are loaded.
Return home without lights, but at least it is now light enough so that I am "road legal".
Walked the dogs and now it's time for my breakfast.
Later on this morning:-
Fix the lights on the Landy (again).
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
Hmm. No experience myself but from what I have read on many, many posts all land rovers and their likes should be quietly taken to one side and shot between the frequently not-working headlights. Or am I stereotyping?
Stalker62
Well-Known Member
How very dare you!
PS
I did have two of the
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
Ahah! Two you say - does that make you a serial defender, then? See wot I did there? Never mind…..
I of course speak from the stiltifyingly dizzy moral high ground (never a problem) of Jimny ownership; always starts, never lets me down, gets me anywhere I want to go (albeit slowly and not necessarily painfree), why even the lights work and water stays outside - where it belongs. Nuff said.
Boring really.
Hunkered down, helmet on, chinstrap tightened. Incoming!!
Stalker62
Well-Known Member
Simple fix, this time.
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Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
Gosh! They have fuses?? Big question of course is why did it blow? Bet I know the answer………
Freeforester
Well-Known Member
Last edited:
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
Whistling in your birds helps keep them in an area however they really need to get used to the whistle before they get out of the pen.
Do you have tunnels and or fox grids on your pen to allow birds back into the pen there will always be some birds get out
the calling of the brds in the pen can help draw them backb
You say it's only a small shoot a few birfs can be worse to look aftdr than a lot, how small a number? I don't need the
Answer to that, how many do you expect to shoot? don't need the answer to that either
Don't expect to shoot more than 40% of what you put down an y more than that and you are doing very well.
Do you have tunnels and or fox grids on your pen to allow birds back into the pen there will always be some birds get out
the calling of the brds in the pen can help draw them backb
You say it's only a small shoot a few birfs can be worse to look aftdr than a lot, how small a number? I don't need the
Answer to that, how many do you expect to shoot? don't need the answer to that either
Don't expect to shoot more than 40% of what you put down an y more than that and you are doing very well.
243 fallow
Well-Known Member
Probably a buzzard, you’d be better off getting birds in at 7 weeks old and clipping them, at 10 weeks they’d be too big for a sparrow hawk.The birds on my wee shoot, arrived on Tuesday. They are (I am told) 10 weeks old.
When they were released into the pen, some of them managed to "flutter" straight over the fence and off into the surrounding woods.
The challenge is of course, that they are big enough to "make off" from the pen, before they realise that that is their new home.
This morning, I found a few that had made it across a decent sized field; and as a result I have filled one of the feeders in that area before I had planned to. They are already there, so they will need food and water.
Any hoo.
Just outside the wood that holds the pen, is a large hill/field.
I found the remains of one of my birds about ten yards into the open.
If this were a pub quiz, what killed it?
243 fallow
Well-Known Member
Also keep a feeder or two around the outside of the pens along with some waterThe birds on my wee shoot, arrived on Tuesday. They are (I am told) 10 weeks old.
When they were released into the pen, some of them managed to "flutter" straight over the fence and off into the surrounding woods.
The challenge is of course, that they are big enough to "make off" from the pen, before they realise that that is their new home.
This morning, I found a few that had made it across a decent sized field; and as a result I have filled one of the feeders in that area before I had planned to. They are already there, so they will need food and water.
Any hoo.
Just outside the wood that holds the pen, is a large hill/field.
I found the remains of one of my birds about ten yards into the open.
If this were a pub quiz, what killed it?
Stalker62
Well-Known Member
This will be my third season.
The number of birds put down is very modest, but has gone up each year.
I keep records (tragic) and for the first season the return was 48%, for the second season (only two of the four days because of Lockdown) so I have extrapolated the dates we did shoot, to give a return of 36%.
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