tell tail signs of poachers pls

[pheasant shooter]

Hi guys this is not a stalking related question but im sure alot of you will give me some pointers , ive recently taken over running a small shoot and over the years up until this time of year theres always been lots of pheasants around come the time to start shooting and there isnt as many .......... theres lots of feeders and plenty of food but few birds, ive got the same idea as most, someone is helping there selves to the birds.

so can anyone give us any little tips on tell tail signs , and also any little surprise we can leave ........ like most people we cant live on there all the time and it really p***** me of all the hard work for someone to spoil it .

cheers

 

[sinbad]

Dont know how your area is doing this year PS but ours is bone dry. the only water the birds have is what we are providing so most of the birds have stayed pretty close despite the abundance of food around the shoot,
may be worth putting more drinkers out.
If it is poachers, start by talking to your local plod, advise them that if you are down lamping etc you will give them a courtesy call.
Then if they get any calls regarding shooting at night they can soon check if you are down.
Sinbad

 

[shootingduckdog]

pheasants arent worth much so most thefts are poults from pens.

Are you on top of your foxes/mink/feral cats etc?

Water also a possibility as would be birds of prey. If you still think that poachers are an option then less than 100 quid will get you a stealth cam, go for infra red not flash though.

 

[gerald]

hello pheasant shooter good idea would be to buy one of those trail cams that way you can see if any undesirables are about next have a good look at your cover crops and vermin control that way you can cover all your bases.
gerald

 

[ajfab]

i used to keeper in north nottinghamshire quiet a few years ago and belive me there are still a few die hards out there.
as long as the food is being eaten you should be ok
if your worried people are sneaking about stretch some black cotton at shin hieght between trees dont have it tight have slightly dipped . if any one a bout they should walk through and snap it and leave some sign.
where about in nottinghamshire are you?

 

[kevhumps]

Simbad's right about the water! But you will lose more birds walking off your shoot than any other reason, provided you're taking care of vermin. So dogging in is a must, not easy if you're away or part time!!

 

[crouch valley]

Poaching normally happens when there is a full moon look under roosting trees for tell tale signs of where birds have hit the ground leaving a small patch of feathers. Are you near the shoot can you hear birds being disturbed at night. Always worth having a few white birds as they are normally the first to go missing and you can always see if they are gone. check gate ways for tyre marks. If there is a Jew on the grass look for foot prints. keep an ear out in the pub see if any one is offering birds about. A good poacher will normally no the ground as well as you put some fine cotton across gate ways see if they are broken. Lots you can do buy some legal trip mines always make them jumpy. wait about on a full moon and keep an eye out. Get a trail cam. A strategic bucket of creosote hung up a tree like an old school prank works well you will soon know who's been about if you smell creosote on some one not sure that would be legal. Get friends to keep an eye out watch gate ways for cars parked up. Speak to your wild life crime officer most police stations have one now. Good luck with catching them.

 

[pheasant shooter]

thanks for that guys, im on top of vermim cleared alot of foxes this summer ok i know others will soon drop into there place, plenty of water about, dogging in most days as well, ive just got the gut feeling someone is helping there selves.
yes the cams are great ideas but it get them on camera and that will p***** me of even more ...... ok i ge them on camera then what go to plodd with the pics ?.

 

[crouch valley]

thanks for that guys, im on top of vermim cleared alot of foxes this summer ok i know others will soon drop into there place, plenty of water about, dogging in most days as well, ive just got the gut feeling someone is helping there selves.
yes the cams are great ideas but it get them on camera and that will p***** me of even more ...... ok i ge them on camera then what go to plodd with the pics ?.

Go to the police with the pictures or if you no them go and see them but be carefull. I had this on an old shoot I keepered I new who it was I went and had a chat with them The poaching stoped from that day on. As I said befour go and see the police any way as the may take a drive by a few nights a week

 

[Gazza]

Agree there still is some die hard poachers but apart from stealing poults from pens it probably is not worth the effort. Lack of water is certainly not a problem around here but could well apply to some areas. Are your feeders being used? This is a good indicator unless you are feeding all the crows/pigeons etc. Dogging in is so important. Not easy if you are doing the keepering on apart time basis but unfortunately pheasants can pick a hedge line or farm track and just keep walking.
Having said that the most common phrase I hear from keepers is that there are not as many birds about as there should be.

 

[roedeerred]

We have a constant problem with dog walkers, Deer Poachers,dont know about pheasent poachers but biggest reason for loss of pheasents this year would have been lack of water near feeders for a week or two it was a constant job every day topping water up.
Yes locals have reported 2 lads mid twenties in a red van loading deer in mid afternoon you cannot be there all the time and keep a job.

 

[alaskagray]

To be honest mate when u are responsible for them they always seem to be missing
as long as you are doing your job correctly they should be there somewhere
As Gazza says check long hedge lines have lost some myself that way. Also railway lines are used as motorways for all sorts of animals including foxxxxxses

 

[pheasant shooter]

feeders being used yes, dont get me wrong theres still birds there as i go up and sit at as its dropping dusk and birds start wandering bk to woods,just not in the numbers i would expect .....maybe the weathers not helping either we need some cold snaps to hopefully push birds bk in a little.

 

[mudman]

Lots of natural food this year, acorns and beechmast, maybe they have found a good supply over your boundary. Fingers crossed they will come back when supplies start to run low.

 

[pheasant shooter]

going back to the water , may be it worth getting more water around about the feeders even this far in .

 

[roedeerred]

never does any harm near feeders any dry spell and they will go looking but as mudman say loads of natural food this year but have you plenty of ponds/ditches with good water in them. 25liter drums cut in half vertically are cheap. good luck its hard work even doing it part time.

 

[alaskagray]

There realy are so many things to suggest

 

[pheasant shooter]

please suggest alaskagray and anyone that can help as ive shot for many years but fairly new to this side of it all .

 

[Gazza]

I know of one very experienced full time keeper who for as long as I have known him gets a visit from poachers every year just about the same time as his shooting days start. He then goes on to produce some cracking days right up till the end of the season and come Feb he will be boasting of doing 50++%. If you have done the feeding, dogging in, provided good cover, kept on top of the vermin your birds will be there. How's the buzzard population? I hand feed as well as feeders. Couple of days back I was feeding with a good few birds on the feed ride. Suddenly a buzzard was shrieking above, not a bird to be seen.

 

[stone]

The problem with this year the harvest has been so long and there is still plenty of natural food about with a bumper crop of acorns
It may be a case of your birds hav walked earlier than normal
Did you or hav you done any dogging in at all
This will help but also what hand feeding do you do
As hopper feeding this year is not as productive as in previous years
Also it has been a good year for predators, both fur and feathered kind
Poachers may be a consideration but I fell the good stint of weather will of had a greater effect