THE PRETEND KEEPER

[stavross]

Looking good stav I also have a lot of pellets this year managed to get some grower pellets off a farmer I shoot for. He was rearing quails and had a few tonnes. So I took a punt and so far the birds are doing great. Saved a fortune on the price of normal pellets and have a lot more so hoping to feed the pens well into season on pellets and wheat on outer feeders. Hoping to hold birds to the wood but time will tell.
Bloody pheasants seem to take over my life more than foxes this time of year

I’ve got my fingers crossed that I’ve got enough, I’m working on the rule of thumb that 1000 birds will do 8 tonne of feed in a season, 2 tonne of pellet and 6 tonne of wheat, saying that I only had 500 last year and got through almost 5 tonne of wheat I was feeding birds that I’d pulled in from around me as well, at least that’s what I told the shoot accountant when it was time to pay for it they definitely get under your skin, I love it when it’s going right but when it isn’t I’ve sometimes thought I could walk away from it, but on a shoot day when it just works it’s the best feeling, knowing what you have done has paid off and handshakes and appreciation from the members mean far more than any tips from guests ( but I’ll still always take them )

 

[bumpy22]

Do a tonne of pellets and ten bags of medicated for 600 birds last year. I think it was 4 tonnes of wheat. But I know I was panicking because of wheat prices. Didn't feed as late as we normally do. But I have definitely saved the guns a decent amount on feed just hope wheat comes down

 

[Smellydog]

Heard any fallow grunting yet Stav?

 

[stavross]

Do a tonne of pellets and ten bags of medicated for 600 birds last year. I think it was 4 tonnes of wheat. But I know I was panicking because of wheat prices. Didn't feed as late as we normally do. But I have definitely saved the guns a decent amount on feed just hope wheat comes down

We’ve budgeted for wheat at worst case will be around 200 a tonne, we are quite lucky because my shoot captains brother supply’s our feed wheat and will look after us as best he can, I remember not that long ago we went mental that it hit 90 quid, in them days it was £350 a gun and you got 8 days for that

 

[David.evans]

So in a nut shell stav all this costs a fortune

 

[stavross]

Heard any fallow grunting yet Stav?

Not yet, I’ve only see one decent buck, they know to keep it down around there or the forestry terminator will be on them, my mate “ Longshanx” asked about them last week, so there’s a couple of pricketts about so we’ll probably take one of them, bit easier to deal with and as we only shoot them to eat it doesn’t matter to us if it’s got big head gear

 

[stavross]

So in a nut shell stav all this costs a fortune

Yep, our shoot brings in £10,000 from members and there’s no change at the end of the season, still from 18 members paying £550 each it still just under £70 a day not many places like ours you can get a day for £70 now,

 

[bumpy22]

I have 11 Guns. 10 in the line and one guy not mobile stays near the wood edges. Put down 620 birds at a cost of £550 per gun for ten days . Bloody bargain I would say

 

[stavross]

I have 11 Guns. 10 in the line and one guy not mobile stays near the wood edges. Put down 620 birds at a cost of £550 per gun for ten days . Bloody bargain I would say

You can’t complain about that, shoots like ours are dwindling now, I was invited to join a small farm shoot last year where they put a few hundred birds down, when I asked a member about the days he said a good day would be between 8/12 birds, I said “each” apparently not, that’s for the day, £400 a season, no thanks

The lad who supplies my wheat is in a so called farmers syndicate and they have 10 guns and it’s £10,000 for about 13 days, I’ve worked for the bloke that owns the shoot and it is an amazing place but Jesus they are flying chickens, not grouse

 

[bumpy22]

I got offered a cheap day 10 guns hundred birds £5000
I declined lol me personally I wouldn't pay now to shoot a pheasant got no interest in it.

 

[stavross]

I got offered a cheap day 10 guns hundred birds £5000
I declined lol me personally I wouldn't pay now to shoot a pheasant got no interest in it.

I’m the same, they don’t interest me, to be honest shotguns in general don’t interest me, I’ll have a go one one or two of the good drives on my shoot a couple of times a season, but I normally give my gun away to a mate or to people who don’t get the chance to shoot somewhere like this and like that kind of thing

 

[Smellydog]

Use to look forward to the beaters day. But could do it all season.
Now stalking a bird with a flintlock, that different.

 

[User00053]

No interest in shooting game either or shoot days but still partial to crows, pigeons, wild ducks and foxs for pleasure do miss gun rooms and fondling fine English shotguns and lament the loss of the fragrances of such places

 

[Squirrelbasher]

Use to look forward to the beaters day. But could do it all season.
Now stalking a bird with a flintlock, that different.

Yerr, I’d rather be beating than standing

 

[stavross]

Yerr, I’d rather be beating than standing

I’d rather none of them turned up and stopped bothering me

 

[David.evans]

I love crow bashing every time one hits the ground I come over all funny ( strange that )

 

[Smellydog]

I love crow bashing every time one hits the ground I come over all funny ( strange that )

Just promise not to start sniffing them please....

 

[User00053]

Just promise not to start sniffing them please....

If you can bare it or have not detected the jackdaw has the strongest “ nose” of the crow family its nest been especially pungent.

 

[User00053]

I love crow bashing every time one hits the ground I come over all funny ( strange that )

Yes, one of life’s simple pleasures and so rewarding

 

[Squirrelbasher]

Thought I’d have a go at the feeder I set up recently. Nothing showed for the first hour, then the first customer decided to just carry on without stopping off for a peanut. After about another twenty minutes or so I got my first visit to the feeder so whacked that one with an 18grain jsb running at around 36ft lbs. It’s mate who had obviously seen it’s demise started to bark loudly, I couldn’t see it but the barking went on for some ten minutes. Eventually though, it’s belly got the better of it and it cautiously came down from the tree tops to enjoy a peanut. As it turned out it enjoyed a fast moving piece of lead instead. Only three in total today, which is less than I expected to be honest. Anyway, at least I didn’t blank…