Shooting permissions are a hard commodity to acquire these days. Nearly every inch of the countryside has someone from the shooting community laying a claim to its potential bounty. I have been fortunate to secure crow shooting over a large pheasant estate. The one permission from the landowner and gamekeeper allows me to shoot over all the estate farms, which provide a fantastic and varied lump of ground to get stuck into. It is tremendous permission for which I am grateful, but I have kept an eye out for the opportunity to expand my little empire.
I love controlling corvids but I have coveted ground with a chance to produce pigeon bags. To my mind, there is no greater by-product from the pursuit of shooting than being able to add nutritionally valuable pigeon to my larder.
Prior to the revocation of the general licenses in April last year, Charlie and I decided to have a drive-in our locality with the intention of scouting out a farm or two with a pest problem. We trawled the countryside spotting potential locations and knocking on numerous farmers’ doors, only to discover that pretty much all the ground was taken. We decided to take one last detour down some narrow country lanes before heading for home. In doing so, we discovered a field of wheat drillings plagued by crows and pigeons. As luck would have it, the farmer who owned the field in question was a gentleman I had shot with on a game shoot that he and fellow farmers in the area run. I discussed with him the opportunity to shoot vermin on his ground outside of the game season, which he accepted gratefully.
Making hay
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Denne historien er fra August 2020-utgaven av Sporting Gun.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Thermal spectrum
Paul Austin explores both ends of the thermal market with latest high-end release from Zeiss alongside a surprising entry-level offering from Xinfrared
Roe, rucks and new ground
Jon Snowdon and his team have much to keep them busy and a new tool to help them
Tales from a lifetime of foxing
Join Mike Powell as he explores the evolving world of fox shooting, drawing from a career that spans seven decades
Fox rot about Charlie
Patrick Hook responds to claims that fox numbers are dangerously on the wane
The sniff of success
Join Ryan Kay as he navigates the fascinating dynamic between a handler and their canine companion
Adventures of Nick & Ted
A new chapter in the histories of Sporting Gun and Sporting Shooter has Nick Ridley reflecting on the dogs he has trained over the years he has been associated with the magazines
The problem: Inflammation in the nervous system
Vet's advice
Gundogs Q&A
No problem goes unsolved as Sporting Gun puts your questions to the gundog experts
Stop-start!
Fran Ardley continues her training tips on disciplining your dog to the stop whistle and the exercises you need to do
Gundogs at the Game Fair
Organising the Game Fair's prestigious gundog competitions: behind-the-scenes with Francesca Prentice