Back up at the shoot

[shovel leaner 7,648]

2 hours ago, shovel leaner said:

I spoke to one of the guns on the shoot I keeper yesterday who happens to be a retired chief inspector . He thinks I should complain too . I’ve got the incident number of that days date , so they will know who she is . 

I’ve completed a complaint form online. They wanted to know if I was disabled, my ethnicity, sexuality. Good grief!!!!

should I have told them I’m a disabled black pre op transgender? Might actually take notice of me then .

Edited June 4, 2020 by shovel leaner

[BenBhoy 4,706]

44 minutes ago, shovel leaner said:

I’m a disabled black pre op transgender

Did I buy you a drink once?? 

[Sausagedog 7,381]

1 hour ago, shovel leaner said:

I’ve completed a complaint form online. They wanted to know if I was disabled, my ethnicity, sexuality. Good grief!!!!

should I have told them I’m a disabled black pre op transgender? Might actually take notice of me then .

You mean your not! Oh.....

[shovel leaner 7,648]

21 minutes ago, BenBhoy said:

Did I buy you a drink once?? 

Ben you know there are no bars on Hampstead Heath

[shovel leaner 7,648]

6 minutes ago, Sausagedog said:

You mean your not! Oh.....

I’ve been meaning to tell you all that from now on I wish to be known as Shirley hop-along Mugabe .... peace out  

[Stavross 13,736]

Well, back up at the shoot last night to check the traps, I arrived a little earlier than Hugo’s dad so grabbed the .17 and pointed it out the window of the motor, on getting to the entrance of the farm I looked down the track to see a crow feeding it’s young, no doubt with some poor pheasant’s eggs, from there nest raiding along the field fence, so the mother got it first and the the brancher. After that I popped my head over the hedge of the garden and spotted a hopper in the middle of the veg patch, so I chucked another one at that, a miss, but it was very close and I gave it a centre parting, I won’t mention my incompetence to the old girl

 by this time Hugo’s dad had arrived, so I put the .17 away and reached for the .243, setting off towards the traps Andy had a quick look around the field with the thermal, more young crows along the fence, so a walk around with the shotgun is needed here. We got to the traps and once again, nothing in them, any morsels that were left around the traps had gone but the baited traps were still set ( they are clever little beggars). So as I’ve said before there’s very few places to shoot from this time of year so we headed for a far field of spring barley  to have a call for half an hour or so, so setting the caller out around some trees in the middle about 75 yards away as the wind wasn’t quite right and the moon was very large and bright, we waited. After about 15 minutes Andy noticed heat  in the tree line, I glassed along the trees, not a fox but a fallow buck and his missus, they slowly came out into the barley and made there way towards us, they walked right past us, no more that 15 yards away, the buck was almost black in colour, both stunning looking animals, after they slipped off back into the cover we set the caller away again, another heat source, this time in the right direction. Was it a fox on the edge of the wood? Was it heck, it was a couple of lads in shorts and t shirts at least 3 miles from anywhere walking towards the caller, a shout at them and they stopped ( if only foxes reacted like that every time) I asked them very politely “ what the f*ck do you think you are doing “ the reply was “ out for a walk” they were both pissed, so with some gentle encouragement I pointed them  in the way of the public footpath and off they went. Now with our foxy plan spoiled we had a slow walk through the forestry back to the farm and after a cup of tea set off home, even though we didn’t see a fox it was worth the trip out just to watch the fallow

[Sausagedog 7,381]

The moon was very bright indeed. I had to stay in the shadows for my cub.

[FOXHUNTER 5,020]

Do you shoot the fallow stav ?

[Sausagedog 7,381]

4 minutes ago, FOXHUNTER said:

Do you shoot the fallow stav ?

Are they in season?

Thought it was August next for the bucks.

[Stavross 13,736]

28 minutes ago, FOXHUNTER said:

Do you shoot the fallow stav ?

When they are in season we can take them from the fields, but not in the forestry, I haven’t shot them up here for a long time, but we were discussing it last night as we now have someone to butcher it properly for us saving us time, so if we shoot on an evening we can drop it off to go in the chilller on the way home and he will deal with it the following day, taking his share of course, we have a very good head of fallow up here and more recently the roe are becoming more abundant 

 

23 minutes ago, Sausagedog said:

Are they in season?

Thought it was August next for the bucks.

the fallow buck season is August 1st til April 30th, fallow doe is November 1st to March 31st

 

[FOXHUNTER 5,020]

2 hours ago, Sausagedog said:

Are they in season?

Thought it was August next for the bucks.

I know the seasons just wondering if he took them when in season. 

[shovel leaner 7,648]

Well in spite of my best efforts to bring the two cubs to book in the traps they for some reason played hard to get . I tried pigeon , rabbit , squirrel , but nothing tempted them . I thought they may have gone or been moved . So last night I went out with the sole purpose, to get the cubs . The plan was a simple one , set up the icotec , put on rabbit distress, and sit back . 
       The melancholy sound of the of the caller echoed out across the field towards the cubs hideout , and I settled in . I decided to leave the sticks in the truck and shoot prone as there wasn’t much cover .   As daylight turned to dusk and my once razor sharp vision which is now not so good struggled to see , I turned on the thermal . It was now properly dark and I was thinking of moving and then like the proverbial buses , two turned up at once .I turned the caller off and turned on the digisight.  The first dropped and then as quickly as I could draw the bolt back and reload the other cub which had only moved a few yards and was looking back towards it’s  litter mate dropped also . A scan with the thermal and with nothing else around I collected the the cubs, a dog and a Vicky . I sling them on the back of the pickup ( waiting on delivery of my new ATV) . 
           It wasn’t too late and so I thought I’d have a try with the caller in a couple of spots that offer a good view over a wide area . With zero wind I just put to caller on the roof of the pickup, I got on the back so I could shoot of the cab roof . I played the rabbit distress and it wasn’t long before I detected a glow in the wood , a fox came to the edge of the wood but no further, it was about 200 meters away and behind sheep fence so I waited for it to move . I scanned around with the thermal and saw another glow closing in rapidly. I turned the volume down and turned the digisight on , there is always a period when shooting alone when you put the thermal down and look through the digisight when you have to find the target , I struggled to locate it and picked up the thermal, gone !!! It helps to know the ground and having shot over the ground for years I know there is an  undulation and sure enough the fox appeared again . A nice easy shot at less than 100 meters and a vixen was added to the nights tally. 
        On to another stand and same tactics, the icotec proving it’s worth again as a fox appeared in a gateway, hung around for a second or two then committed its approach, I let it close in as far as I dared and dropped it at about 50 meters , a dog fox in fine condition. 
         I tried a couple more places with no success. A successful night , no misses, but there is still a fox in the wood that didn’t get shot , so still one or two about , I can’t rest on my laurels just yet . 
       

[Sausagedog 7,381]

You didn't try tandoori chicken in the traps!

[shovel leaner 7,648]

1 minute ago, Sausagedog said:

You didn't try tandoori chicken in the traps!

 Eew , foreign muck , not likely

[FOXHUNTER 5,020]

Well done , just need to get Slinky 2 now...