Magpie 102 Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 (edited) As some of you may know, I recently embarked on a career as a professional pest controller. All my initial training has gone very well. So much so that I had not dropped below 91% on any of my end of week exams. I achieved a mark of 83.5% for the overall exam at the end of the six week course. I just have to wait now to find out when my BPCA level 2 exam is and then I'm all done. I've been on a number of training courses whilst with my new company including, A high level access equipment course ( IPAF). A stored product and textile pest ID course. A few others that I can't be bothered to go into right now and a safe use and handling of air rifle course. The air rifle course consisted of a bird pest species ID program, Which for an ex twitcher like myself, I found very easy and duly won the ID competition with full marks. My prize was a Field guide which I gave to the guy who had got the lowest marks as I thought he would benefit from it more than me plus, I've already got several field guide and didn't really need another. The safe handling and use air rifle part of the course was instructed by ex moocher mod Garry Cooper also of airgun world fame plus numerous air rifle field target shooting championship titles. I have to say Garry really knows his stuff and I picked loads of useful tips from him. At the end of the day a shooting competition was held and eerr' yeah, I won that too which was a little embarrassing really but F##k it. My prize was a cracking pair of compact binoculars which I now keep in my van just in case. Now, I haven't owned a gun of any kind for about fifteen years, I just haven't had the need for one plus, I am and always will be more interested in my running dogs and ferrets. However, having sat the air rifle course and seeing plenty of opportunity for over time at work, I've now invested in a BSA super 10 carbine. Last night was the first real opportunity to put myself and my new toy to the test. The location was a business park somewhere in deepest darkest Cambridge that has a abundance of rabbits, no that's the wrong choice of words, It's completely riddled! All the flower beds and shrubberies have been stripped of all edible foliage. So with Mr plod notified of our intentions and all on site security put to bed we set out to thin the population. 'Urban warfare rabbit control' is probably the best way to describe the evening which, is a far cry from the open fields and meadows that I last shot over almost twenty years ago. That night we used .22 rim fires to thin the rabbits out but, A rimmy has no place in the built up environment of a modern business park. We got off to a good start with twenty rabbits going into the bag on the first drive round. All of which we count as bonus rabbits while we still have day light to see by. As the evening wore we gradually picked off more rabbits, stopping occasionally for a brew and a biscuit to allow our quarry time to re-emerge and get their heads down. Graeme my Co shooter and driver for the evening was in top form with several shots resulting in clean kills well over the forty five yard mark. Grea also shoots a super 10 and is well versed with it's capabilities. By the end of the evening we'd put sixty six rabbits in the bag and were feeling pretty pleased with ourselves. Not bad work if you can get it. Sixty six rabbits to feed the dogs and ferrets with plus a good rate of overtime pay to boot. Can't be bad ah! And the end of day eerr' night shot. -------------------- Come the revolution! Edited July 13, 2008 by Magpie Quote Link to post
Guest buster321c Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 Great read , welldone and good luck with the pesting Quote Link to post
Magpie 102 Posted July 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 Cheers pal! Quote Link to post
ferretville 69 Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 Well done mate your making it look like a doddle keep up the good work atb FV Quote Link to post
undisputed 1,664 Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 As some of you may know, I recently embarked on a career as a professional pets controller. All my initial training has gone very well. So much so that I had not dropped below 91% on any of my end of week exams. I achieved a mark of 83.5% for the overall exam at the end of the six week course. I just have to wait now to find out when my BPCA level 2 exam is and then I'm all done. I've been on a number of training courses whilst with my new company including, A high level access equipment course ( IPAF). A stored product and textile pest ID course. A few others that I can't be bothered to go into right now and a safe use and handling of air rifle course. The air rifle course consisted of a bird pest species ID program, Which for an ex twitcher like myself, I found very easy and duly won the ID competition with full marks. My prize was a Field guide which I gave to the guy who had got the lowest marks as I thought he would benefit from it more than me plus, I've already got several field guide and didn't really need another. The safe handling and use air rifle part of the course was instructed by ex moocher mod Garry Cooper also of airgun world fame plus numerous air rifle field target shooting championship titles. I have to say Garry really knows his stuff and I picked loads of useful tips from him. At the end of the day a shooting competition was held and eerr' yeah, I won that too which was a little embarrassing really but F##k it. My prize was a cracking pair of compact binoculars which I now keep in my van just in case. Now, I haven't owned a gun of any kind for about fifteen years, I just haven't had the need for one plus, I am and always will be more interested in my running dogs and ferrets. However, having sat the air rifle course and seeing plenty of opportunity for over time at work, I've now invested in a BSA super 10 carbine. Last night was the first real opportunity to put myself and my new toy to the test. The location was a business park somewhere in deepest darkest Cambridge that has a abundance of rabbits, no that's the wrong choice of words, It's completely riddled! All the flower beds and shrubberies have been stripped of all edible foliage. So with Mr plod notified of our intentions and all on site security put to bed we set out to thin the population. 'Urban warfare rabbit control' is probably the best way to describe the evening which, is a far cry from the open fields and meadows that I last shot over almost twenty years ago. That night we used .22 rim fires to thin the rabbits out but, A rimmy has no place in the built up environment of a modern business park. We got off to a good start with twenty rabbits going into the bag on the first drive round. All of which we count as bonus rabbits while we still have day light to see by. As the evening wore we gradually picked off more rabbits, stopping occasionally for a brew and a biscuit to allow our quarry time to re-emerge and get their heads down. Graeme my Co shooter and driver for the evening was in top form with several shots resulting in clean kills well over the forty five yard mark. Grea also shoots a super 10 and is well versed with it's capabilities. By the end of the evening we'd put sixty six rabbits in the bag and were feeling pretty pleased with ourselves. Not bad work if you can get it. Sixty six rabbits to feed the dogs and ferrets with plus a good rate of overtime pay to boot. Can't be bad ah! And the end of day eerr' night shot. -------------------- Come the revolution! Top job! not often you get to do something you enjoy and get paid for it. Quote Link to post
Magpie 102 Posted July 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 Your not wrong there Undisputed, I consider myself very lucky. We're out again in a fortnight, can't wait. Quote Link to post
SEAN3513 7 Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 GREAT POST MAGPIE!!!!! well done with your exams.......glad its going well for you. keep it up mate and keep us posted on progress. all the best sean Quote Link to post
breeze 1,386 Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 Well done Magpie mate, good read that was. I bet every night when you got home the missus would say "How did the course go today then" ???? Oh.... I won it " AGAIN".... Keep up the good work mate Quote Link to post
will.f11 24 Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 a nice bit of shooting there mate! also which 'pets' do you controll. U may wanna go spell check haha Quote Link to post
Magpie 102 Posted July 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 Yeah something like Breeze. How are you getting on with the ferret kits? Quote Link to post
Magpie 102 Posted July 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 a nice bit of shooting there mate! also which 'pets' do you controll. U may wanna go spell check haha OOPPS! corrected. Quote Link to post
breeze 1,386 Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 Yeah something like Breeze. How are you getting on with the ferret kits? Just the job mate.... They will be bang on for the coming season Quote Link to post
will.f11 24 Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 a nice bit of shooting there mate! also which 'pets' do you controll. U may wanna go spell check haha OOPPS! corrected. I was going to ask if you had been shooting small childrens pet bunnies!! lmao Quote Link to post
m.hubbard 1 Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 well done fellas awsome bit of shooting Quote Link to post
LOGUNSOLO177 0 Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 Great read mate!!! Hope the new career is a sucsess!!! Quote Link to post
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