THE PRETEND KEEPER

[stavross]

I’m going to get this season out the way, like I told them I would and then have a good think about it, I’ve been in it about 20 years and have run it for about the last 8/9 not bad for someone who has pretty much no interest in pheasant shooting or shotguns. I love the days and I think I’d miss organising them and running the beaters but the preseason workload is getting ridiculous, most of them have no idea how much work goes into it and are not capable of doing it, especially things like repairing the quad, I did that in my own time for free, where as if they had to take it somewhere they would of been looking at a 500 quid bill. On the up side when the days go well they are amazing and I’ve always used it as a place to invite people for a days shooting ( for free ) and I’ve met and still do meet some cracking people by doing this and forgetting all the pheasant nonsense it’s a lovely place to be on a summer’s evening once the fields are down, so that’s where I’ll be off tonight, see if I can pull a fox from the woods and just watch too see what’s about

 

[stavross]

I had a tootle up the shoot this evening, I thought I’d sneak in but was busted by the old girl, so that was half an hour gone, but I did come away with a box of couchettes and a kilo of brambles for the first of the shoot bramble gin in exchange for cleaning out a drain next time I’m up
I headed over the far side first where I found they had dropped the oats and were on bailing, so I headed back towards the farm, I must of been there 45 minutes when I had one come out 110 yards to my right, so a blitz king put that to sleep, 10 minutes later I spotted another at the top of the field that went into the wood, I kept looking to see if it was heading down the wood towards me but after 20 minutes it didn’t show and it was starting to rain and as I didn’t want to be cleaning a rifle when I got home I called it a night, retrieved the shot fox which turned out to be a cub dog, i would of put money on it being a adult vixen when I was looking at it through the scope, it looked much bigger than what it was, so not a wasted night but I thought I’d of seen more

 

[Phil fox man]

just finished the gape worming and the birds look clear and have just found this little fcuker in the trap this morning.
Mrs is giving the young dog some tlc after a lesson on what an electric fence feels like.

 

[stavross]

Phone call half an hour ago from a farmer near me, “ can you come and clear some of these hares up, they are on the fields like a flock of pigeons or should I ring Andy ( the keeper) “ my reply was “ don’t ring him, I’ll be there in 15 minutes” sod letting him on there, this is one of my favourite bits of land

 

[Nickb]

Sod Andy the keeper

Make sure you do a good job

 

[stavross]

Sod Andy the keeper

Make sure you do a good job

I’ve made him a bit happier, crazy how many there is I jumped on the combine with him and they are just running out of the wheat in front of it, hares everywhere but not one rabbit seen 6 roe as well but all doe’s, its nice to be back at it properly, im spoiled for choice with where to go now

 

[Phil fox man]

just knocked these up from commode frames from a skip.
birds being released at weekend ready for next batch.

 

[stavross]

Seems like everyone is getting along nicely I, as always have left everything to the last minute, I’ve been up there today, sorting a few things out, I’ve put the electric fences on ( the new fence energiser I’ve bought is mental, if anything touches it it will blow them into space ) placed some feeders over the far side of my shoot ( some would call it my boundary, but that would suggest I was trying too pull birds onto my land ) and intended to put up two new tin shelters but ended up cleaning out the gutters and a little drain repair at the farm house for the old girl, to which my payment was an odd looking cucumber and a handful of tomatoes, so it looks like I’ll be up there on Sunday to put the shelters up

 

[kenbro]

Seems like everyone is getting along nicely I, as always have left everything to the last minute, I’ve been up there today, sorting a few things out, I’ve put the electric fences on ( the new fence energiser I’ve bought is mental, if anything touches it it will blow them into space ) placed some feeders over the far side of my shoot ( some would call it my boundary, but that would suggest I was trying too pull birds onto my land ) and intended to put up two new tin shelters but ended up cleaning out the gutters and a little drain repair at the farm house for the old girl, to which my payment was an odd looking cucumber and a handful of tomatoes, so it looks like I’ll be up there on Sunday to put the shelters upView attachment 431074View attachment 431075

Looks like a Hybrid mini cucumber?
Ken.

 

[stavross]

Looks like a Hybrid mini cucumber?
Ken.

Looks like something from Ann Summers

 

[Nickb]

Looks like something from Ann Summers

Enjoy

 

[Phil fox man]

I love the barter system of payment, "anyone got changed for a guinea pig !"

 

[bumpy22]

Birds arriving next weekend so final checks of pens etc.
Water been running for a week with no leaks
Pellets being delivered Tuesday all king feeders out ready
Auto feeder and some more feeders made up in woods and rides

 

[stavross]

Back up today to drop fence posts of for making the shelters tomorrow as I couldn’t get anyone to take them up for me and wouldn’t of been able to take everything up in one go, filled my boundary feeders and go some more water out over the far side, so I’ll be back up in the morning to build the shelters and have another check round in readiness for the flying chickens a week today, I got back to my van and there’s more veg on my front seat, at this rate I’ll be able to open my own veg box business,

 

[stavross]

I’ve got my two shelters up, strategically placed in two drives in the hope I can feed them too the shelters next to the cover I want them in, I really could of done with some help today, not so much with putting the shelters up, but for carrying everything to where I put them, a few of the roof sheets were different lengths and I was going to leave them because it didn’t matter, but my OCD kicked in and I had to go and cut them so they were all the same length, I had a ride over the far side and there was pheasants on my feeders, not loads but they all count, so back up towards the end of the week to put feed in ready for 6am Saturday


I was going to put some pictures up but for some reason it says the file is too large

 

[snoozlecracker]

I’ve got my two shelters up, strategically placed in two drives in the hope I can feed them too the shelters next to the cover I want them in, I really could of done with some help today, not so much with putting the shelters up, but for carrying everything to where I put them, a few of the roof sheets were different lengths and I was going to leave them because it didn’t matter, but my OCD kicked in and I had to go and cut them so they were all the same length, I had a ride over the far side and there was pheasants on my feeders, not loads but they all count, so back up towards the end of the week to put feed in ready for 6am Saturday


I was going to put some pictures up but for some reason it says the file is too large

Re pics,
When this happens to me I just email them to myself of my phone and reduce the file size. They’ll upload no problem then, just abit of a blag doing it.

T

 

[stavross]

 

[Nickb]

I really could of done with some help today

Thought you had an apprentice mate

 

[stavross]

Re pics,
When this happens to me I just email them to myself of my phone and reduce the file size. They’ll upload no problem then, just abit of a blag doing it.

T

It worked, sort of

 

[stavross]

Thought you had an apprentice mate

That soon fizzled out mate, I guess they just don’t make them like me anymore