Big_Sparky
Well-Known Member
How’do! Ok - so there’s half a chance this will end up as one of my long winded posts..... but I’m sat in the truck and need to be off down the road in five minutes so it’ll only be as long as I can type in that time and I’ve wasted 30 seconds with that pointless intro...... 
So, what am I looking for..... (I should probably state I’m looking for someone with the patience to read this lot!!) but basically anything stalking/shooting related on or around the West Coast of Scotland - within a sensible driving distance of the Oban, Argyll area. Probably my only one condition (not that it’s an actual condition!) is Id be mostly interested in shooting something that would later end up on a plate!!
We live (sorry “stay” - have to keep practising my Jockanese) on a little Croft about 10 mins drive outside of Oban. I’m very new to stalking/hunting (for animals at least
) and am as keen to get out and just learn with someone as I am to shoot - so anyone that’s happy with me just tagging along until you get to know me - that’s fine too.
Im more than happy to consider anything - whether at a cost or not - I appreciate you get nothing for nothing in this life - or nowt for nowt as it’s correctly pronounced back home (a Sunderland boy by birth lol). Equally anyone who’d like to look at some kind of barter/exchange would be worth a look too!! I’ve got permission on a neighbouring Croft who’s got a large Canada Goose problem they’d like dealt with so that’s maybe something someone would like to tag along with? We also have a lovely 4 berth touring caravan that’s sited right next to the house and are planning to offer a kind of Airbnb type carryon next season / so if anyone wanted a couple of days accommodation in the Oban area we could swap for that too! I suppose the final offer in the “exchange & mart” would be I’m an HGV driver, I’ve got a ticket for 360 tracked excavator and I ran my own painting and decorating and household maintenance business for a few years - so if you need an employee for an odd day - I’m sure we could come to that arrangement too!!!
I mention all of the above “swap” type ideas as, unfortunately, my wife lost her job a little while ago and whilst she got another quite quickly it’s been a huge pay cut. I took a big pay cut too when we moved up here but it was in order to vastly improve my work/life balance and to help work on a health issue and my fitness. So the original plans and finances have rather gone out the window just lately!! None of that is to make anyone feel sorry for me or anything but simply to point out the reality that I’m a truck driver these days - (whilst I don’t do a right lot lol - 4 on/4 off and only a 10 hour day) I end up with about £400/week in my pocket so if you’re asking for 2/300 for a day’s stalk, plus a few hundred quid for a stag or whatever - well - unless you fancy paying my car finance and the rent - I’ll sadly be declining!! That, of course, isn’t in anyway to argue the rights and wrongs of what folks who run a business do or don’t charge - it’s just trying to state my budget! Ultimately whatever I do that’s paid for - I’ll just have to stick a day’s overtime in first!
Told you I’d never type this in five minutes...... until break time...... STAND BY.....
..... well, who’d know - it’s now 3 hours later and I’m near Glasgow so back to the typing!!
Ok - time to wind this up..... so shooting/learning - really whatever is out there - a bargain, a swap, something to save up for or just someone who wouldn’t mind helping out and having someone to tag along with now and again!
In conclusion - what will you get in return? Clearly earache - I talk as much as I type (avoid politics and sport though and we should be ok ha!!) but you’ll also get a very safe pair of hands. With almost 2 decades of military service in one guise or another I’ve no issues with a rifle, was a qualified RCO upto Stage 5 and held my Dems tickets - I’d have genuinely lost count of the number of rounds fired, range days ran or the number of soldiers I’ve coached and trained. Indeed - you point me towards the quarry and I’ll build a bridge to it and blow it up when we get there!!
Thanks for reading if you’re still awake - be great to see what’s out there and get some learning under my belt!
After all - every day’s a school day!!
Cheers
So, what am I looking for..... (I should probably state I’m looking for someone with the patience to read this lot!!) but basically anything stalking/shooting related on or around the West Coast of Scotland - within a sensible driving distance of the Oban, Argyll area. Probably my only one condition (not that it’s an actual condition!) is Id be mostly interested in shooting something that would later end up on a plate!!
We live (sorry “stay” - have to keep practising my Jockanese) on a little Croft about 10 mins drive outside of Oban. I’m very new to stalking/hunting (for animals at least
) and am as keen to get out and just learn with someone as I am to shoot - so anyone that’s happy with me just tagging along until you get to know me - that’s fine too.Im more than happy to consider anything - whether at a cost or not - I appreciate you get nothing for nothing in this life - or nowt for nowt as it’s correctly pronounced back home (a Sunderland boy by birth lol). Equally anyone who’d like to look at some kind of barter/exchange would be worth a look too!! I’ve got permission on a neighbouring Croft who’s got a large Canada Goose problem they’d like dealt with so that’s maybe something someone would like to tag along with? We also have a lovely 4 berth touring caravan that’s sited right next to the house and are planning to offer a kind of Airbnb type carryon next season / so if anyone wanted a couple of days accommodation in the Oban area we could swap for that too! I suppose the final offer in the “exchange & mart” would be I’m an HGV driver, I’ve got a ticket for 360 tracked excavator and I ran my own painting and decorating and household maintenance business for a few years - so if you need an employee for an odd day - I’m sure we could come to that arrangement too!!!
I mention all of the above “swap” type ideas as, unfortunately, my wife lost her job a little while ago and whilst she got another quite quickly it’s been a huge pay cut. I took a big pay cut too when we moved up here but it was in order to vastly improve my work/life balance and to help work on a health issue and my fitness. So the original plans and finances have rather gone out the window just lately!! None of that is to make anyone feel sorry for me or anything but simply to point out the reality that I’m a truck driver these days - (whilst I don’t do a right lot lol - 4 on/4 off and only a 10 hour day) I end up with about £400/week in my pocket so if you’re asking for 2/300 for a day’s stalk, plus a few hundred quid for a stag or whatever - well - unless you fancy paying my car finance and the rent - I’ll sadly be declining!! That, of course, isn’t in anyway to argue the rights and wrongs of what folks who run a business do or don’t charge - it’s just trying to state my budget! Ultimately whatever I do that’s paid for - I’ll just have to stick a day’s overtime in first!
Told you I’d never type this in five minutes...... until break time...... STAND BY.....
..... well, who’d know - it’s now 3 hours later and I’m near Glasgow so back to the typing!!Ok - time to wind this up..... so shooting/learning - really whatever is out there - a bargain, a swap, something to save up for or just someone who wouldn’t mind helping out and having someone to tag along with now and again!
In conclusion - what will you get in return? Clearly earache - I talk as much as I type (avoid politics and sport though and we should be ok ha!!) but you’ll also get a very safe pair of hands. With almost 2 decades of military service in one guise or another I’ve no issues with a rifle, was a qualified RCO upto Stage 5 and held my Dems tickets - I’d have genuinely lost count of the number of rounds fired, range days ran or the number of soldiers I’ve coached and trained. Indeed - you point me towards the quarry and I’ll build a bridge to it and blow it up when we get there!!
Thanks for reading if you’re still awake - be great to see what’s out there and get some learning under my belt!
After all - every day’s a school day!!
Cheers
