My bags are packed and I'm ready to go......

deeksofdoom

I have the following preparations completed;
1. Car turned and faced for the road,
2. Trailer hitched up and new padlock in place
3. gun cleaned
4. Cartridge belt filled
5. Leads organised.
6. Whistles in the car as they'd be the first thing I'd forget.
7. Dogs fed

All i need now is a good nights sleep,

Best of luck tomorrow lads and have a good season and be safe out there.

It wasn't me!

Best of luck lads. Would love to be out but I'll be up all night writing an essay, so no stalking tomorrow for me.

wicklow newbie

Hoping to get off work a few hours early tomorrow to give the pointer her first run Good luck and safe shooting to all.:):):)

Double Barrel

Good luck Deeks.
And the best of Luck to ALL and be safe out there.

A Fathers Advice

If a sportsman true you'd be
Listen carefully to me...

Never, never let your gun
Pointed be at anyone.
That it may unloaded be
Matters not the least to me.

When a hedge or fence you cross
Though of time it cause a loss
From your gun the cartridge take
For the greater safety sake.

If twixt you and neighboring gun
Bird shall fly or beast may run
Let this maxim ere be thine
"Follow not across the line."

Stops and beaters oft unseen
Lurk behind some leafy screen.
Calm and steady always be
"Never shoot where you can't see."

You may kill or you may miss
But at all times think of this:
"All the Pheasants ever bred
Won't repay for one man dead".

Mark Beaufoy, 1902

vermin hunter

straight powder lads and safe shooting lads.

blackstairsboy

Gun Cleaned
Belt Filled
Boots and Bag just inside the back door
Hat and Waistcoat cleaned and hanging ready
Dogs fed watered and rearing to go
Alarm set
Now just to try and sleep. Best of luck tomorrow lads and remember to pick your shots and try and leave the young cocks alone as some of them from late clutches might want another fortnight or so. Dont forget to post tomorrow to let us know how you get on.

poulo6.5

Best of luck tomorrow lads and have a good season and be safe out there.

Cheers decks.
I'd be heading out my self tomorrow only my springer bitch is knocked up. She will be having pups in the next week or so.
So best of luck from me and rosy. Who can't make it

tikkamark

I made similar preparations to dod,belt filled with eley 4's and the over and under cleaned about 4 times now!
Had the 2 springer's out for a walk this eve,the mother is an old veteran and the other her pup is 18month's old so i cant wait to see how the two work together!:)
Still haven't figured what spot to head to 1st!Its a bit of a lottery to find an old bird with a good tail,hopefully i come across one,and hopefully don't mess the opportunity and miss!
Think the weather's supposed to turn bad in the afternoon so i plan ta have most of the walking done by then.

Best of luck and safe shooting to you all.

sikastag

It wasn't me! wrote: »

Best of luck lads. Would love to be out but I'll be up all night writing an essay, so no stalking tomorrow for me.

I genuinely though I'd be the only one at that malarkey tonight! Unfortunately Im in the same predicament IWM!

Anyway, best of luck to those who do head out, hope everyone's day turns out the way it should! Safe shooting.

Lucky gits! Grumble Grumble!

It wasn't me!

sikastag wrote: »

I genuinely though I'd be the only one at that malarkey tonight! Unfortunately Im in the same predicament IWM!

Anyway, best of luck to those who do head out, hope everyone's day turns out the way it should! Safe shooting.

Lucky gits! Grumble Grumble!

Grumble grumble indeed! Six hundred year old Florentine business diaries for me. I can think of far better things to be doing. Most of them start in "s" and end in "leep".

kay 9

Have a good one lads and ladies and mind yerselves. Safety first. Lovely weather for it too.

vixdname

Hope ye all have a great day - enjoy yourselves - but most of all, be safe
Looking forward to reading about how ye all get on................:)

homerhop

Safe shooting all and have a good start to the season.

Tackleberrywho

Up she Flew, Then the Cock Flattened her!

I'll be sleeping in the AM and working in the PM, I'll be out the Second and third though

If there is any left :D:D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZThquH5t0ow

Birdnuts

For a moment there going on the thread title, I thought we were about to lose another to emigration;)

Tackleberrywho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx2jq184

These boys know what today is about

ferrete

i wont get out for the next two weeks because of work i am wondering will there be any left for me??

flanum

just back... dont forget to bring the milk for the flask of tae ... OOPS!

homerhop

ferrete wrote: »

i wont get out for the next two weeks because of work i am wondering will there be any left for me??

All the soft shots will be gone ferrete, it will leave you with some right good hunting cos you will really have to work for them.

J.R.

Just back - days turned wet & misty. Out since 7.30 a.m. so called it a day.

No luck - met five hens...no cock.

Enjoyed the day...lovely to be out...cocks live to fight another day!

buck hunter

Only in the door there now, was out since 08:00 this morning (thats when the rain started) meet a couple of hens and 5 cocks. only got a shot at one of them, the others were either at the wrong side of the ditch or too far away. got a snipe so wasn't too bad. was thinking of going out after a doe later but im running out of dry clothes:D:D:D always enjoy the first...

dicky82

was going to head out today but was put off by the amount cars and trailors i saw pulled up in gate-ways when i was coming home at 07.30. think ill let it be for a day or two. dont fancy tripping over lads around the place.

dev110

Just home at 4.30 and have been out since 7.30. Saw 16 cocks and about 20 hens and bag filled with 14 cocks. Not to bad for a 5 man team and 1 german pointer

macadam

Went out this morning with the new semi auto, first field shot two cocks and my partner got one, I had my quota 3 before 10am massive amount of birds around the usual club members were out heading down to the local now for weighing and measuring.

Spunk84

Excellent shooting today lads:D put up 2 cocks and a ton of hen pheasants { great to see hens about}

first cock i couldn't take the shot as the dog was way to close and didn't want to kill me friends dog;)

second LOL don`t LAUGH :(:( i had my safety on and missed the shot:eek::eek::eek: hehehheehheeee

a well thats shooting, ill be out in force this week thou

excellent day thou, weather terrible but it was worth it!!!!

meathstevie

The powers that be in work decided Stevie had to work while a day off was scheduled for about 2 months ahead....wait until they come calling for a favour..;)

bibio

Great day, apart form the weather. Three of us got six cocks, and a red legged partridge, missed same amount of cocks and saw a good few hens. Rain got too much by about four pm, stopped off for a pint and enjoying a botlte of red wine now.:D

deeksofdoom

I only got one cock, and missed a few, need to get my eye in. Same last year missed a lot of birds at the start of the season and then as soon as I got me eye in I flattened nearly every bird I met.

tfox

Didnt get out myself, work duties got in the way !! Did watch a few does in the fading dark on the way home on bit of ground I have which is always good to see. Plenty of pheasants knocking round work but been feeding them last 4 years and havnt had the heart to shoot one of them yet !! ( Woe-betide anyone else that had a crack aswell ) Might hit Wicklow on wednesday and mayb slieveblooms on sun weather permitting !! Kinda glad hadnt taken today off as being a glasses wearer, drizzle like today is just a right pain in the ass !!

macadam

Just back from the weighing and measuring, longest bird shot today 39" and the heaviest 3lb 12oz, 35 birds present and 3 lads didnt show so we presume about 44 cocks shot in the club today.
Plus whatever the few non members got, really enjoyed today especially after the closed season earlier this year, roll on saturday.

tikkamark

macadam wrote: »

Just back from the weighing and measuring, longest bird shot today 39" and the heaviest 3lb 12oz, 35 birds present and 3 lads didnt show so we presume about 44 cocks shot in the club today.
Plus whatever the few non members got, really enjoyed today especially after the closed season earlier this year, roll on saturday.

Just in the door from our weighing and measuring as well!Our longest was 37"-not as good as some years,last years winner was a 42" long bird!The heaviest tonight for us was 3lb 9oz and i thought it was awful heavy,that 3lb 12oz bird must have been feeding well!

I seen around 20 hens which is good to see but mad frustrating when your expecting a cock to break.Walked from 7am and seen/heard a few cocks but unfortunately all to far or the wrong side of the hedge!I was doubting if id manage to get anything till the luck went my way at 2.30 got a grand bird with a nice shot.
The walk back to the car in the rain wasn't so much fun as i lost track of the plantation of trees i was meant to go through to get back ended up around 4km further away than i should have been!:rolleyes:

Birdnuts

Tried some snipe yesterday - twas a bit embarrasing in that I only got 2 out of about 70 flushed, think I'll stick to the deer and bunnies:rolleyes:

PS: In my defence, it was pretty windy and my m8's dog was acting the b*llox:(

bunny shooter

Birdnuts wrote: »

Tried some snipe yesterday - twas a bit embarrasing in that I only got 2 out of about 70 flushed, think I'll stick to the deer and bunnies:rolleyes:

PS: In my defence, it was pretty windy and my m8's dog was acting the b*llox:(

When they flush they fly off and they'll generally turn in/out as they fly. So when it breaks face in the direction of it's flight, it will turn out, then in, then out, then in......... As it turns in the the 2nd time fire straight ahead and it should fly into your pattern. All you need is 28 gram 7/8's

An old shooter, many years ago, told me this, and it REALLY works

Snipe & duck are my favourite game bird shooting, no fathom on pheasants at all

Birdnuts

bunny shooter wrote: »

When they flush they fly off and they'll generally turn in/out as they fly. So when it breaks face in the direction of it's flight, it will turn out, then in, then out, then in......... As it turns in the the 2nd time fire straight ahead and it should fly into your pattern. All you need is 28 gram 7/8's

An old shooter, many years ago, told me this, and it REALLY works

Snipe & duck are my favourite game bird shooting, no fathom on pheasants at all

Thanx for that - will try it out next WE:)

blackstairsboy

Left at 7.30 yesterday morning. First pheasant I met was a cock and he dropped stone dead at 35 yards to an Eley 32gram Grand Prix 7. My young springer made a lovely retrieve through the cover. It is a grand well feathered young bird. I passed up a couple of chances at young cocks after that as we have a bag limit of two pheasants. Missed an absaloute turkey after that though. Met up with my shooting partner for the afternoon and brought my 18 month old springer pup. He flushed a lovely cock which my friend shot. Met some ducks but did not get a chance at them so went roosting pigeons and got some great sport in the high wind back in the woods. Dogs are recovering today and will be rearing to go for next saturday.