Basic Advice Appreciated

[The_Oakster 2]

I have been shooting on a small 300-450 acre arable farm for the past two months or so with permission from the landowner. The farm is rented out to two other farmers, one of which plants cereals (rape and wheat) and the other grows grass. The landowner has horses. The landowner has no interest in shooting. There are 4 small areas of woodland, the biggest being about 75m x 40m. The landowner has a family shoot in September, organised by a relative, where they buy 200 pheasants (no rearing), release them and try to keep them on the property with feeders. The other two farmers have problems with pigeons on the rape and rabbits that are causing damage to the point in one field where he may stop renting half the field.

 

I have been asked to keep the feeders topped up weekly in exchange for sole shooting rights and a place on the shoot in September. This saves the relative paying someone to come and keep them full and resetting them after the deers have knocked them over etc. The shooting will help keep the newly planted cover crops and the rape and wheat pigeon free and stop the rabbits from losing the landowner a tenant.

 

I know this isn't gamekeeping as such but is there any advice or tips that you all have that could help me out or make things easier or more organised? I have only been shooting for a few months in total so have very little experience or am I thinking this is a bigger job than it actually is?

[SEAN3513 7]

you need to keep the birds fed regulary with decent food ....to stop them wandering.

 

feeding also brings vermin.....you will need to trap as well as shoot......could take up quite a bit of your time.

 

but if you have the time and the interest it will have its rewards

[The_Oakster 2]

I've not trapped before but I've got 20 snares which I'm going to start using from tomorrow on the rabbits and I have some time to check them but as they have to be checked at least everyday I wont be able to use them all the time.

 

I guess that you mean rats when you say vermin? I can shoot them but I guess that the traps have to be bird friendly around the feeders. I don't want to be trapping the pheasants...

[SEAN3513 7]

traps have to be set in tunnels.......so you only trap the target species.

 

you are gonna have to do plenty of home work.....but it will be fun

 

plenty of advice on here with lots of previously posted info......use the search facility and you will have loads of reading to do.

 

cheers

 

sean

[The_Oakster 2]

Looking forward to it. Cheers for the replies.

[SEAN3513 7]

no problem

 

any help needed ....just ask

[comanche 2,799]

Bearing mind that you are not being paid to do this and probably have limited spare time but obviously want to do a good job you don't want this responsability to become a chore .

One tip would be to have your corn easily to hand for topping-up the feeders or you'll get bogged down carting feed about the place .Big feeders mean less topping-up or possibly having a series of corn stores made from 45gallon drums or similar near each feeding area with a bucket to hand will mean less lugging of corn in small batches on foot from the farm-yard or less fuel costs and wear and tear if you are using your own vehicle (which is something many amateur Keepers end up doing). Get the corn bumped out(maybe the farm could lend you a trailer or other Shoot members could spare a morning for a work-party ) and to hand while the ground is dry. Once winter comes the ground can become sticky and with the shorter days good feeding can become a rushed or neglected chore if things are not organised before-hand .

 

As everyone has already said ,a few traps in place will help with the vermin. If you limit them to the feeding areas you will be able to check them at the same time as servicing the hoppers and will soon work out a little round which still enables you to find the time and energy to put in a bit of rough shooting. Traps and snares must be checked every day but you can always leave them in place but disabled or unset if you know you will not be around at certain times .

 

Once the pheasants are out of the pen disturbance to the main holding areas should be kept to a minimum. However combining patrolling the boundaries with a bit of rabbit and vermin shooting can have the effect of driving any adventurous poults back home if it is done with a bit of thought.

 

You may well find yourself enjoying the maintainance side of running a small shoot

quite addictive in itself .

Good luck and enjoy yourself

Edited May 2, 2011 by comanche

[The_Oakster 2]

I *should* have access to the farm tractor and trailer so getting about shouldn't be too troublesome but I'm not going to bet my life on it .

 

There are 8 feeders in total and they hold about 20 or 30 litres. They are the blue plastic tub, 3 legged, screw lid, variety with the springs in the bottom. The grain (2t) should be getting left in the grain store. If its loose I can shovel it into the trailer and if its bagged then I'll squeeze as much into the cab as I can or chuck em in the trailer. I suppose it wont take long for me to work out the time it takes etc, which feeders are used more, which ones the deer knock over and from there I can organise my time properly.

 

I do have more spare time than most due to being divorced and working shifts but I want my main efforts to be spent controlling the pigeons, crows, rabbits and now rats. There is no pheasant rearing on the farm but its been discussed for the future. However if it happens too soon it will be too much for me and I'll probably lose this opportunity. Unless they want to pay me a wage but as its a family shoot I don't think that would happen.

[comanche 2,799]

I *should* have access to the farm tractor and trailer so getting about shouldn't be too troublesome but I'm not going to bet my life on it .

 

There are 8 feeders in total and they hold about 20 or 30 litres. They are the blue plastic tub, 3 legged, screw lid, variety with the springs in the bottom. The grain (2t) should be getting left in the grain store. If its loose I can shovel it into the trailer and if its bagged then I'll squeeze as much into the cab as I can or chuck em in the trailer. I suppose it wont take long for me to work out the time it takes etc, which feeders are used more, which ones the deer knock over and from there I can organise my time properly.

 

I do have more spare time than most due to being divorced and working shifts but I want my main efforts to be spent controlling the pigeons, crows, rabbits and now rats. There is no pheasant rearing on the farm but its been discussed for the future. However if it happens too soon it will be too much for me and I'll probably lose this opportunity. Unless they want to pay me a wage but as its a family shoot I don't think that would happen.

I'd knock -up a few more feeders.You don't need to spend money -scrounge some cooking-oil cans or even better some 45 gal drums .

Think of the Shoot as big a pin-ball machine .Stick feed-points along the rides,at the crossroads of tracks ,in little clearings ,at the junction of every hedge where it meets the woods and in sunny ,sheltered positions . Every direction a pheasant wanders it should hit a feeder -just like a pin-ball hitting the bars . That way they'll bounce round the woods and not wander off and out of play .Hopefully .....

Hope you get the tractor !.

Edited May 2, 2011 by comanche

[lanber 3]

Besides making sure the feeders are topped up, make sure they have access to water or they will wander off.. Use some bales of straw with corn rubbed in will keep the birds interested.

If there are any lengths of tin sheeting on the farm, make some little shelters in the woods for the birds, this can be easily done by 2 bales of straw with the sheeting laid across..

 

A good book to buy is The Complete Book of Game Conservation, Fully revised 3rd edition, by Charles Coles.. Don't pay more than £20 for one of the auction site,,

[The_Oakster 2]

I don't have any hay bales but shelters made from other things shouldn't be too hard and the water will be easy enough to do. I think there are plastic containers that were used last year still laying about.

 

I understand the thinking behind increasing the number of feeders. I don't suppose that there is a good rule of thumb for how many birds or acreage translates to number of feeders you need is there? I'm conscious of making too much extra work for myself, especially if more food about means more rats, but if there are small things I can do over time that will reap bigger rewards and brownie points then I'm okay with that

 

A good book to buy is The Complete Book of Game Conservation' date=' Fully revised 3rd edition, by Charles Coles.. Don't pay more than £20 for one of the auction site[/quote']

 

So £75 is too much then That auction site

Edited May 2, 2011 by The_Oakster

[The_Oakster 2]

I don't have any hay bales but shelters made from other things shouldn't be too hard and the water will be easy enough to do. I think there are plastic containers that were used last year still laying about.

 

I understand the thinking behind increasing the number of feeders. I don't suppose that there is a good rule of thumb for how many birds or acreage translates to number of feeders you need is there? I'm conscious of making too much extra work for myself, especially if more food about means more rats, but if there are small things I can do over time that will reap bigger rewards and brownie points then I'm okay with that

 

A good book to buy is The Complete Book of Game Conservation' date=' Fully revised 3rd edition, by Charles Coles.. Don't pay more than £20 for one of the auction site[/quote']

 

So £75 is too much then That auction site

 

FOund it for £9 now... Google is your friend

[lanber 3]

I don't have any hay bales but shelters made from other things shouldn't be too hard and the water will be easy enough to do. I think there are plastic containers that were used last year still laying about.

 

I understand the thinking behind increasing the number of feeders. I don't suppose that there is a good rule of thumb for how many birds or acreage translates to number of feeders you need is there? I'm conscious of making too much extra work for myself, especially if more food about means more rats, but if there are small things I can do over time that will reap bigger rewards and brownie points then I'm okay with that

 

A good book to buy is The Complete Book of Game Conservation' date=' Fully revised 3rd edition, by Charles Coles.. Don't pay more than £20 for one of the auction site[/quote']

 

So £75 is too much then That auction site

 

FOund it for £9 now... Google is your friend

A rough guide would be about 1 feeder for about 15 birds.. You will be able to get away with having to refill them once a week.. Keep on top of the grey tree rats aswell because they like feed hoppers aswell..

£9 for the book is about right too.. You will find alot of the info I have mentioned being in there too..

[Born Hunter 17,645]

If you can get hold of a few bales to break up in sheltered places and hand feed onto them it makes a big difference imo. Just gives the birds somewhere to scratch around in and work abit more for their food. Even if its just the loose stuff raked up and bagged. One of an amateur keepers best skills is to be able to blag all sorts for nowt and make all sorts out of crap. You have been given good advice so far, atb!

[The_Oakster 2]

There are 4 old round bales stacked that have been out for a long time, beginning to collapse and probably full of mice and rats. Would they be any good or is there a limit to how old it can be?