Back up at the shoot

[shovel leaner 7,648]

59 minutes ago, Stavross said:

A long time ago I was on a grouse moor and a group of guns ( I think they were Arabs but don’t quote me on that ) had booked a day but didn’t start until lunch time because they were shooting the morning in Scotland then travelling down by helicopter, when they arrived they had new Range Rovers waiting for them ( I think this was the early 90’s ) they were driven to their butts by their loaders, after they had finished their day one of the loaders told me he had been tipped 500 quid and one of them gave the head keeper one of the Range Rovers as a tip,, it’s nothing like  that at my spot with the bunch of raggie arsed misfits I got to deal with

I heard a similar story about some Arabs . They own an estate in Oxfordshire . A very wealthy Arab , maybe a prince or something turned up in a new Range Rover , they had loaders and when it came to tipping them he got out a briefcase fill of £50 notes or as they are known to loaders and keepers (Lobsters) . He picked out a some notes and didn’t count them but but got wedges and asked if that would be enough of a tip . Of course the loaders said that that would be enough. He asked the head keeper later on if he would give him a lift in the Range Rover to the airport to get on his private jet , the keeper was too busy and got one of his beat keepers to drop him off . The beat keeper drove him to the airport, when he left he said here’s the keys to the Range Rover , the Arab said “ keep it , it’s yours “. And that’s a true story , as I’ve loaded on that estate, and it’s often talked about , but typically I’ve not had anything like those kind of tips .

[Sausagedog 7,381]

6 hours ago, shovel leaner said:

I heard a similar story about some Arabs . They own an estate in Oxfordshire . A very wealthy Arab , maybe a prince or something turned up in a new Range Rover , they had loaders and when it came to tipping them he got out a briefcase fill of £50 notes or as they are known to loaders and keepers (Lobsters) . He picked out a some notes and didn’t count them but but got wedges and asked if that would be enough of a tip . Of course the loaders said that that would be enough. He asked the head keeper later on if he would give him a lift in the Range Rover to the airport to get on his private jet , the keeper was too busy and got one of his beat keepers to drop him off . The beat keeper drove him to the airport, when he left he said here’s the keys to the Range Rover , the Arab said “ keep it , it’s yours “. And that’s a true story , as I’ve loaded on that estate, and it’s often talked about , but typically I’ve not had anything like those kind of tips .

Just don't mention journalists!

[Longshanx 832]

On 09/10/2021 at 09:42, Stavross said:

I’ve just been to the farm to bag some wheat up, when I’d finished I pulled into the yard from the back shed where the farmer was stood talking to another farmer, not unusual you might think the other farmer had just got out of a brand new Lamborghini Urus, about 180k worth of car, in a ripped shirt and a pair of wellies and who said there’s no money in farming, I suppose it’s better than giving it to the tax man

Wasn't Jeremy Clarkson was it?

I nearly took the sump off the van getting to the wheat on the farm, was alright getting to it but made a hell of a bang getting back up

Edited October 12, 2021 by Longshanx

[shovel leaner 7,648]

My birds are hitting the Beach mast . I wondered why they weren’t exactly where I want them . I watched some hen birds attacking wood pigeons, fighting for them under a beach tree . I looked and the beach casings are just opening and the seeds dropping, there is a huge crop this year and they are small which means they are easy for the pheasants to eat . I just hope the pigeons finish them off quickly. 

[Stavross 13,711]

They are a massive draw to the birds on our shoot, lucky they are smack in the middle of one of the drives

Edited October 12, 2021 by Stavross

[Stavross 13,711]

Back to feed this afternoon after another member did Sunday, he decided to have a family day out up there ( basically bothering birds instead of just feeding and leaving them to it ) with the young lad and the missus, I’d given him a long winded text on where to feed, when I got there 90% of the feeders were empty and there wasn’t a scrap of wheat in any of the feed areas, so after feeding and the birds following me about because they were that hungry I thought I’m going to have to ring him to find out what he’s done. He said, he’d used 2 bags of wheat at each pen ( I use 5 at each pen every 2 days ) I then asked about feeding around the pen and on the track at forestry ( I feed a bag of wheat around the pen and half a bag on the track every 2 days) he said he fed a bucket around the pen and half a bucket on the track, I give up, it’s a bloody 5lt bucket, no wonder they were starving, all I want is someone who listens and can use a bit of common sense 

my last port of call was the piggeries, now on Saturday me and FOXHUNTER were there on the look out for a fallow buck but seen very little anyway as I took the bike up the ride towards my feeder there was a group of 5 fallow at the top, I thought, typical and carried on with my rounds, getting to the bottom of the piggeries I bombed along the bottom of the trees and as I pulled around the corner there was 11 of the buggers along the tree line, so I think we’ll wait for the first of November when we know we can take doe’s and buck’s

anyway my afternoon wasn’t a total disaster, I managed a rabbit off the veg patch on my way back into the yard and was rewarded with a bag of runner beans from the old girl

Edited October 12, 2021 by Stavross

[Sausagedog 7,381]

Shot hundreds of squirrels this year out of the beaches.

It'll be acorns and hawthorn next for pheasants but they prefere insect of which there is still plenty.

Need a touch of frost.

Wheat will be the last resort for the pheasants

[Stavross 13,711]

My lot have eaten every berry and seed in sight and are now doing half a tonne of wheat every 10 days, it’s almost time to get them spread out through the drives and cut back on the feeding around the pens

[Stavross 13,711]

Feeding again this afternoon and I feel I’m turning into a proper keeper, I’m constantly angry, about things people haven’t done properly and I’m sick of telling  people to put dogs on leads, I also keep finding idiots walking through my drives instead of sticking to the public rights of way, why is it when you tell them they can’t be where they are they look at me like I’m the dickhead

Anyway the birds are looking ok, the ones I could find that the dog walkers hadn’t terrorised, they are using every feed area throughout the shoot and with 4 weeks to go this is what I’d expect at this time, I’m starting to see a few tree rats hitting my feeders now and managed a couple free hand off the quad as I was passing a couple of feeders

Edited October 14, 2021 by Stavross

[Sausagedog 7,381]

1 hour ago, Stavross said:

Feeding again this afternoon and I feel I’m turning into a proper keeper, I’m constantly angry, about things people haven’t done properly and I’m sick of tell people to put dogs on leads, I also keep finding idiots walking through my drives instead of sticking to the public rights of way, why is it when you tell them they can’t be where they are they look at me like I’m the dickhead

Anyway the birds are looking ok, the ones I could find that the dog walkers hadn’t terrorised, they are using every feed area throughout the shoot and with 4 weeks to go this is what I’d expect at this time, I’m starting to see a few tree rats hitting my feeders now and managed a couple free hand off the quad as I was passing a couple of feeders

Welcome to over crowded Britain. Where you can't spit without checking first incase you gob on someone's shoes!

[Sausagedog 7,381]

I can't believe how quick the year has gone. The seasons change was so rapid. It seems like yesterday I would be out at 3 or 4 am and back in bed for 7am after a quick first light foray. Now it's so dark again.

Gone for another year the watching it go dark for a chance at a fox emerging from cover.

That was a lamp shy one, but I knew she would be out on fresh cut grass. It looks to be closely related to a vixen I shot whilst chewing the head off a cub two springs back.

Another one taken off cut grass on dusk.

Now it's night work. No bird song or views. ☹.

Roll on December 21st.....

[Stavross 13,711]

This year the seasons have been a mess, snow in May, no spring then hot and dry, it’s only in the last week that the leaves have started to fall from the trees around the shoot

[si brown 8,486]

1 hour ago, Sausagedog said:

I can't believe how quick the year has gone. The seasons change was so rapid. It seems like yesterday I would be out at 3 or 4 am and back in bed for 7am after a quick first light foray. Now it's so dark again.

Gone for another year the watching it go dark for a chance at a fox emerging from cover.

That was a lamp shy one, but I knew she would be out on fresh cut grass. It looks to be closely related to a vixen I shot whilst chewing the head off a cub two springs back.

Another one taken off cut grass on dusk.

Now it's night work. No bird song or views. ☹.

Roll on December 21st.....

Nice work sd I’ve always preferred finish work get your tea down and get out back home in reasonable time:)

It’s crazy how the seasons change over night, had a couple of cold nights in august when I was working all day in a T-shirt then shivering me nuts off at night. 

Wanted to re zero the .204 the other night but the nights are drawing so fast it was dark by 6.30 and I couldn’t be bothered fathin about in the dark:(

like you I’ve been waiting on a cut that never comes cos it’s rained so much!

had the pooch out training yesterday and he’s pretty good at tracking fox

there about the evidence is on the floor

[Dervburner 2,548]

11 hours ago, Stavross said:

Feeding again this afternoon and I feel I’m turning into a proper keeper, I’m constantly angry, about things people haven’t done properly and I’m sick of telling  people to put dogs on leads, I also keep finding idiots walking through my drives instead of sticking to the public rights of way, why is it when you tell them they can’t be where they are they look at me like I’m the dickhead

Anyway the birds are looking ok, the ones I could find that the dog walkers hadn’t terrorised, they are using every feed area throughout the shoot and with 4 weeks to go this is what I’d expect at this time, I’m starting to see a few tree rats hitting my feeders now and managed a couple free hand off the quad as I was passing a couple of feeders

Yerr, dog walkers...why is it they always “get lost” but still think they’re on the footpath? what rifle are you using on your rounds Stavross?

[Stavross 13,711]

3 minutes ago, Dervburner said:

Yerr, dog walkers...why is it they always “get lost” but still think they’re on the footpath? what rifle are you using on your rounds Stavross?

I just chuck the little cz .22 in the front of the quad, I used to take a semi auto shotgun with me but it was making a mess of the feeders