That pheasant thread got me wondering – does anyone on here go shooting regularly – and how did you get into it?

I have no real interest in spending every weekend at it. I want to shoot a few things, taken them home and cook them every once in a while. Is there anyway you can get into it but not devote half your life to it?

We’ve just had the notification of the shoot dates for this winter from these, or more appropriately the dates they’ll be coming through the garden with total disregard of property in hot pursuit of a stupid f*****g bird.
http://www.brynkinalt.co.uk/the_estate/sporting.html

My dog hunts them every day. Only ever caught 1 though.

Hmmm well my Grandparents were into shooting – indeed my Grandad organized shoots. My Gran kept gun dogs until recently and would take them on shoots and be given a brace of birds to take away. But you have to move in the right circles to go on those sorts of shoots I suppose – and keeping / training those dogs takes time. Maybe just get friendly with a farmer and shoot on his land?

Remember kids

Big gun = small dick

Remember kids

Big gun = small dick
You’d need a big dick to bring down a pheasant.

Only ever done it as corporate entertainment (and not my kettle of fish really) so you can pay-to-shoot but not sure if you can do that as an individual.

Perhaps arrange an STW shooting day?

Actually as I finished typing that the full consequences ran through my head, making me feel quite queasy. Please don’t, there wouldn’t be a living thing within a mile, even helicopters and light aircraft would be downed.

I won a shooting day in a work raffle.

That was clay pigeons, though, rather than the messier kind.

My Grandfather was a game keeper and taught my Father to shoot, who in turn taught me and my Sister, she’s not shot for years, however I’ve kept it up and shoot when I can and beat most of the season (I’ll be out most Saturdays until the end of Jan now).

we have shooting round us – it does worry me when i see the kind of clueless dicks that are wandering round with guns near where i am

Anyone here go shooting or beating?

Having lived in Crawley, I’d say a fair amount of folk in Broadfield do.

Although the choice of implement is usually limited to sawn-off’s and baseball bats.

I shoot reasonably regularly. I have a friend that owns a piece of ground and I get access to that.

Mix of pheasant, wood cock, duck, ground game and also deer.

I guess the OP has the choice of either approaching a local estate and buying a place on a shoot, or approaching one of the several agencies that exist to organise shoots. My suggestion would be to go along to your local clay pigeon club and through that check out the local landowners and shoots that are available.

G

used to do quite a bit of grouse beating,easy enough to get into, but can get a bit boring waiting for things to happen. Tried clay shooting, gave up when i was told i ‘couldnt hit a bulls arse with a banjo’…!

You could try Guns on Pegs to see if there’s anything available locally.

Nothing like a good fair fight.

All those lovely people driving 4x4s out into the wilderness to kill things that make a lot of noise, fly slowly and pose no threat whatsoever. Such fine upstanding members of society.

All those lovely people driving 4x4s out into the wilderness to kill things that make a lot of noise, fly slowly and pose no threat whatsoever. Such fine upstanding members of society.

How much did you pay to keep the “wilderness” maintained and looking nice for when you ride your bike there?

Did you contribute towards the landowners expenses?

So, you’re perfectly happy to freeload off the back of these upstanding members of society then? I mean, they pay a fortune so you’ve got somewhere to ride your bike… Suppose you’re more than happy to ride along the tracks that they put in to get their evil 4×4’s there? Not too good for you are they? 🙄

I am going deer stalking in May – cannot wait! Mmmm venison sausages!

I have to say that I get really pished off when people state that shooting game is morally wrong as you don’t get much more free range!

if you are interested in shooting for the food possibilities then beating is a great way to get into it. There are many shoots that vary from stupid money for the very rich or do it yourself for those of us that are not blessed with shed loads of cash. If you get into the beating or picking up (you’ll need a well trained dog), then you would normally be paid as well as being offered at least a brace (and sometimes a lot more). Have a look around your area, find someone who is already involved in a shoot in some way and go as a beater, they are often looking for new people. Is a great day out, sometime pretty hard work and quite rewarding once you start stocking up the freezer. Beating teams are normally a really good bunch and taking the piss out of the guns without them knowing who it is (mostly) is great sport. You may be suprised at how may interesting old fellas there are as beaters who just love what they are doing, many working with their dog. I really enjoy shooting and beating for the food reward. What area do you live?

Indeed – Chickens make a lot of noise, fly slowly and pose no threat whatsoever, and nobody seems to have a problem with paying to have their heads chopped off in a factory… is that a fair fight Herman?

What’s worse do we reckon? Upper class chinless inbreds blasting away ‘for fun’ or the witless, forelock tugging sychophants who help them? The countryside got on just fine before they crawled out of the primordial soup and it’ll survive just fine when both die out, probably within the next couple of generations.
😉

Ah, of course, anyone into shooting is an inbred, upper class chinless wonder, and anyone working on a shoot is a prole?

I suppose all mountainbikers are overweight middle class IT bods, failed XC racers who wear dayglo lycra and know nothing about the countryside? you know, if we’re stereotyping like…

PS – good way to get into beating is to scope out some local country pubs on a saturday afternoon – if there’s one with a car park full of rovers etc, then quite often you’ll find the shoot in there.. in for a pint a few times, get chatting…

Given the suicidal nature of most pheasants, and that I’ll probably kill as many with my car as any weekend shooter will, I can’t see the problem.
In fact, I’d say that they have a far nicer time of things than battery chickens to whom death is probably a welcome release.

The countryside got on just fine before they crawled out of the primordial soup

Funny, but I thought hunting was pretty much the first thing we did when coalesced out of the primordial soup, probably before we climbed out of the water, and certainly long before we came out of the trees.

So Zulu-eleven, overbite or underbite?

Neither Yossarian – But Lady Chaterly’s Lover certainly played a role in my young career choice, and there’s nowt as filthy as a posh bird 😉

Funny, but I thought hunting was pretty much the first thing we did when coalesced out of the primordial soup, probably before we climbed out of the water, and certainly long before we came out of the trees.

It’s not hunting my love, it’s a bloodsport. Very different thing.

Fair play z11, what is it about posh birds??? 😉

they like a bit of rough.

Not really into shooting, but one of the local gamekeepers brings along a variety of dead stuff to eat which is nice.

I suppose all mountainbikers are overweight middle class IT bods, failed XC racers who wear dayglo lycra and know nothing about the countryside? you know, if we’re stereotyping like..

That does cover quite a few though 😀
Saw a bunch of shooters all dressed up in Tescos early last Saturday. Looked like they’d turned up for a Jeeves and Wooster casting session.

It’s not hunting my love, it’s a bloodsport.

but as every shot bird is picked up and sold to a game dealer / given to beaters as a reward for their time then it is hunting!

Very different thing.

Why? We hunted because we had to, now some do because they want to.
As children we rode bikes because they got us places faster than walking and we weren’t allowed to drive cars, now we can and still we ride bikes. Is that wrong because we do it for fun not becasue we don’t have a choice?

i go on a rough shoot, they don’t put many birds down and it only costs a couple of hundred a year bags are small only 15-25 birds with about 4-6 guns and as many beaters and guns swap with beaters. it’s just a social thing on boxing day and a few other weekends, no tugging of forelock just a bit of banter and a stretch of the legs.
the woodland was left unmanaged before this and took at lot of work with thinning/brush-cutting/pond dredging etc which was in no way profitable for those involved.

used to beat on a big keepered shoot in my youth, good fun especially doing posh accents over the radios to take the piss out of the guns 🙂

I wouldn’t bother bbsb, you’re clearly floundering after a single post on the difference. I’d just leave it there tbh

It’s not hunting my love, it’s a bloodsport. Very different thing.

Nope – not as far as I’m concerned – I’m sure some people do it just because they enjoy killing, but that’s not what interests me.

I like eating game, consider it to be entirely ethical, and because I’m not a hypocrite, I’m interested in being involved in the whole lifecycle of eating meat. Much better than to have the de-sensitized relationship with a packet of supermarket-packed mince that characterises most people’s approach to what they put in their mouths.

Thanks for the tips from helpful people – I reckon that beating is the way to go.

yossarian says – the acceptable face of animal welfare, and not one of them will get shot

I wouldn’t bother bbsb, you’re clearly floundering after a single post on the difference. I’d just leave it there tbh

I spy an Edinburgh Defence, early variation

I spy an Edinburgh Defence, early variation

indeed, however the sicilian and queens gambit have been much in evidence lately.

Now, now bbsb, where have i advocated factory farming as a suitable alternative to shooting hmmm?? Nowhere, so don’t try and put words in my mouth. Ta.

A bit of honesty is needed that’s all. Shooting is about the social hierarchy. It’s no different from golf or fox hunting. Except you have to shoot animals. Thats the truth.

Helios – If your looking for beating it’s worth having a look at PUBS and NOBs (although it costs £5 to use the NOBs forum!).

Where abouts are you?