How To Get My First Permission?!

[TriggerPlease 14]

Hello all!

 

long story short, basically I recently graduated university so money is extreeeeemly tight for me. Therefore, over the last few months I've been making small deposits on my very first PCP air rifle (HW110 in .177) as I've wanted one for years and air gunning has been my passion since I was 10 and shot for the first time. I've often considered buying one second hand but as it's my first ever proper air rifle I want it to be brand spanking new and be mine and only ever be mine (I'm weird like that).

 

 

However, I've just got my first proper job and become a teacher at an autistic school, so, over the next few months I should have the stability to purchase my rifle in full and get a decent pump and scope.

 

I currently own two very cheap and basic springers, one is an SMK under-lever which cost me about £120 when I was 18 so 4 years ago, and another which is a gamo whisper springer IGT, both of which have fairly poor accuracy and I've never really had the confidence to take shots past 15 yards with them because past that range my Nan throwing a stone at the target whilst 5 G&T's deep would be more accurate.

 

So ive come across very few air gunners that have permissions so can't really find my breakthrough as I want to be able to use The HW110 to its full potential and really increase my shooting ability. However, with my currently rifles I see it as pointless going out and busting for a permission, and if I landed one, not be able to shoot any quarry the owner would want as my current rifles won't allow me to push past 10 - 15 yards or so.

 

 

SO, the question is, how do I go about finding a permission once I have my 110?! I've come across one lad who I saw walk past my house with an air rifle case and pump and I chased him down the street (probably scared the life out of him as I was wearing a full tracksuit just back from the gym) and he said he shot up the road from me and we exchanged numbers and he said he would give me a shout when he next went out, and haven't heard anything from him in the last 6 months.... SO, how do I get myself into the right places to start to find people with permissions?!

 

I live in in east grinstead (West Sussex) so if any of you on here are locals please give me a help in hand!!

[bigmac 97kt 13,730]

Nice write up and intro

 

First off con grats on the new job .

 

Dress smartly .

 

never take your rifle with you when asking for a permission

 

get some insurance

 

get some vermin control cards made up and put on the cards that you are insured

 

all ways be polite even when they tell you to feck off as some will

 

and knock on a lot of doors and i mean a lot doors

 

try farms as per but factory units ,,garden centers horse paddocks and so on

 

BUT BEFORE YOU DO GET YOUR SELF TO THE SHOOTING RANGE AND PRACTICE LEARN YOUR RIFLE IN SIDE OUT HOW SHE FEELS AND HOW SHE SHOOTS WHAT SHE LIKES AND WHAT SHE DOSE NOT,

 

GOOD LUCK

 

ATVBMAC :thumbs:

[pianoman 3,584]

Welcome here TriggerPlease!

 

BigMac's answer has it pretty well covered but the main thing is persistance and a bit of luck. You could land a cracking permission on your first contact so don't be put off from going forwards. If there is a farm you like the look of and it has rabbits in the fields chances are the farmer will welcome a bit of extra help in keeping the numbers down.

 

Often, once you establish a good relationship with the landowner, you'll be recommended to people he/she knows and add another permission.

 

Just keep trying and you'll land something before long!

 

All the best.

Pianoman

[Jonjon79 13,340]

Hi Trigger,

 

I can't add anything to the excellent advice already given mate

 

....... Apart from - Maybe stop chasing people that have a gun

 

Persevere with it - it will pay off in the end.

 

Good luck and atb

[villaman 9,979]

Nice post TP , try farms , garden centers golf courses , private sport schools , football / rugby clubs , private sports clubs , churches , allotments , fishing lakes , pig farms and chicken / egg farms just to name a few

You will find , once you sorted one permission others will come along , atb with it

[TriggerPlease 14]

Thank you all! Yes once I get my HW110 I will be putting hours upon hours of work in to get to know the rifle and what we are capable of. Once this is done I'll be sure to get insured ASAP and will take what everyone has said and see how I get along! Also if anyone has any second hand scopes (reaaally wanting an airmax 30 sf) or pumps in West Sussex please let me know!

[Jonjon79 13,340]

The Airmax 30sf is an excellent choice

 

I use one with an AMX reticle on my HW100

[secretagentmole 1,701]

Try asking for gearbox oil? Works for me!

 

Seriously though, there are ways and means of getting a permission.

 

1) Get insurance, SACS, BASC, CCC, Gamekeepers, it helps!

2) Write out what you want to say, nothing worse than a phone conversation of umm, ahh, well, er,

3) Make a list of what you want, paddocks, golf courses, nurseries (plants not toddlers), farmers, graziers, turf growers etc etc.

4) Start at the beginning of the list, phone, be polite, ask, assure.

 

Now you will of course ensure that before you go shooting quarry that you can actually hit the damned things you are aiming at, as well as learning the art of fieldcraft and laying on top of an ants nest etc etc.

 

I have got a few permissions, the latest one I got by asking for some gearbox oil and commenting I went past their factory on my way to my rabbit shooting (being an agricultural machinery supplier they are used to pest control), she mentioned she wished someone could shoot the rabbits in her garden, hey well I made her wish come true!

Edited June 15, 2017 by secretagentmole

[villaman 9,979]

Thank you all! Yes once I get my HW110 I will be putting hours upon hours of work in to get to know the rifle and what we are capable of. Once this is done I'll be sure to get insured ASAP and will take what everyone has said and see how I get along! Also if anyone has any second hand scopes (reaaally wanting an airmax 30 sf) or pumps in West Sussex please let me know!

HW110 plus Airmax scope will be just the ticket ,will be one hell of a set up and that is exactly what i have

If you can get a dive bottle for filling the gun , seen too many guns go pear shape with pumps ,to much foreign matter can get in ,trust me on that

[Rez 4,957]

My first one came from who I knew rather than approaching... luckily. Then I hit the letters with the a reference from the one that I did have. Went in with the request of 'just shooting' targets as we only had a 10 yard garden at the time. To which I end d up clearing rabbits. Then another reference. And so on. It's still hard even now, but if you can get references, they do make all the difference.

 

One of my manor estate permissions only came about from writing a letter, saying I know so and so who I also had a ref to which the land owners trusts, and it went from there.

 

Getting perms is hard, but it's about research, patience and a lot of brown nosing.

 

You'll get there lad. Don't go spending 750 beans on a 110 without the 60 yards it needs to open its legs.

[PLEDGEY 493]

All the above but also read all you can about pest/vermin control. What you can, and what you can't, not only shoot, but trap and poison. If you start talking to a farmer/small holder and you can talk confidently about all aspects of pest control they'll be more inclined to feel comfortable and at ease with you. I have just got 250 acres of beet to shoot rabbits on. I got this as I had noticed the farmer was piling up mounds of poison for a rat problem. Explained that how he was putting the poison out was ineffective and dosing non target species as I could see birds eating it. Told him to use wax blocks and pasta bags as these can be fixed down, so the rats can't take them away and store them, and birds can't eat them.Told him I would shoot the rats, have shot the rats and was asked if I shoot rabbits. He's got 3 1/2 thousand acres, but I'm starting with the 250, and has also said I can use one of his quads if I want. I'll ask any one and every one. If I see some one in Mole Valley farmers I'll strike up a conversation to see if they got vermin. If you see a sign 'eggs for sale' you know they got chickens, chickens = rats, no harm in asking.

[bigmac 97kt 13,730]

All the above but also read all you can about pest/vermin control. What you can, and what you can't, not only shoot, but trap and poison. If you start talking to a farmer/small holder and you can talk confidently about all aspects of pest control they'll be more inclined to feel comfortable and at ease with you. I have just got 250 acres of beet to shoot rabbits on. I got this as I had noticed the farmer was piling up mounds of poison for a rat problem. Explained that how he was putting the poison out was ineffective and dosing non target species as I could see birds eating it. Told him to use wax blocks and pasta bags as these can be fixed down, so the rats can't take them away and store them, and birds can't eat them.Told him I would shoot the rats, have shot the rats and was asked if I shoot rabbits. He's got 3 1/2 thousand acres, but I'm starting with the 250, and has also said I can use one of his quads if I want. I'll ask any one and every one. If I see some one in Mole Valley farmers I'll strike up a conversation to see if they got vermin. If you see a sign 'eggs for sale' you know they got chickens, chickens = rats, no harm in asking.

:thumbs:

 

out of likes pledgey

 

and spot on

 

atvbjimmy :thumbs: