Hi All,

I have decided to cut down the number of pheasants we release on the shoot next season for a few reasons.

we are going to add a few partridges for the hell of it but I heard that there were some shoots releasing exotics.

I've heard of Reeves Pheasants which could make up a few of our pheasants but I heard that some Black Turkes will also fly in a pheasant drive.

If I can get hold of some then I'll put a few out just to see the faces of the boys when they come over on the first day!!!!

Has anyone seen any other exotic specials on shoots around the way?

We are out tomorrow to try and outwit some of these late season pheasants.

I might even go down early and not shoot a deer.

Rgds,

The shoot I beat on had all sorts this year including a few reeves, chinese, kansas? oh and some ginea foul!
The exoctics are off limits to the guns so the shoot captain puts them in so he can fine them £50 if they shoot one by mistake!

451

451,

Do the guinneas fly?

Rgds,

quote:

Black Turkes

What are these FB?

Sounds like a fun plan btw.

Reeves cock birds are incredibly aggressive, particularly when they want to hump a normal hen. Best avoided according to everyone i know who tried it.

Guinea Fowl work.

Black Turkes work well, only shot one once but it was shifting. However it was off a cliff in somerset!!

We are trying some peacock on a friends place next year. Simply because one of the guns struggles to shoot a pheasant and these may be easier! Actually the real reason we did it is because one of the release pens is near his sisters house and we wanted to annoy her with their early morning cawwing!

Erik,

I meant Turkey's sorry.

I'd say a big turkey coming over the line of guns would probbaly raise a few eyebrows!! We don't have any Cliffs in our neck of the woods I might have to get some taller hedges.

I looked for guinneas last year and couldn't get any. Do you know where I might find some?

We've got peacock at one of the stalking leases, and their call is VERY loud.

Rgds,

I despise peafowl and guineas. Nothing in the world is lowder ALL NIGHT LONG!

We used to have both when I was living at home on the farm. They got shot some how one by one.

We managed to get some at Swaffham Market.

Livestock markets would be a good place to look.

I know somewhere which put down Mandarin Ducks as well, and they apparently flew briliantly, but i haven't shot there yet.

A friend has a shoot out in the fens near a parrot sanctuary, and having seen some of their free flying parakeets (i think) lifting off a maze strip they seemed good fliers. I think they may be quite expensive to put down though.

I love the call of a peacocks and in proper flight they are astouding. Sounds like a good plan. I want to get several to reduce the snake population on my farm. But how well do they do with foxes?

Guineafowl will run in front of a stalker but can be got to fly if pushed into an obstruction or panicked.

Parrots, lots of them here but officially protected. However I get to shoot legally loads of galahs each cropping season after the hay is cut when sometimes hundreds come to feed, and return every 1/2 hour when I leave the field. (they can be shot as crop protection, not sport, but are good practice before the duck season).

I would love to hear how the peacock plan works out.

Noise is a bit of an issue as I don't want to annoy the farmer into revoking my lease!!

The peacocks are about the size of a fox so I don't see them being a problem. the wild ones we have n one of the stalkingleases seem to do OK. there are about a dozen in all, but I don't know if they are bbreeding at all.

A mate of mine Shot the Galah's in Oz and said it was great sport.. Ahem, I mean pest control.

At themoment it looks like the turkeys will be the ones to go for with some kind of fine system...

at the moment it may also serve as giving me a target I stand a chance of hitting.... On saturday I shot 25 shells at pheasants for 1 bird that thhe dog need half the credit for!!

Rgds,

25 to 1, Hmm, i hope that was in the West Country, Scotland or Wales, not East Anglia?

Would be interesting to see how you get on with the Turkeys, may have to go and borrow some of Bernad Matthews if yours work well on the flat!

SWS,

It was the worst I have shot all season. I'm out again on Saturday trying to redeem myself!! Usually on my shoot I would have averaged about 1.5:1 so you can imagine how I felt!! So much so in fact that I gave my gun to the missus on the duck drive cos it was impossible that she would do worse than me!!!

Rgds,

Ohh, that's got to dent the pride a bit!

I've got a shoot on sat, thats starting with a black tie dinner party on the Friday night, think the hang over will affect the average abit!

SWS,

I managed to pick myself up a bit and halved my average from the previous week with a gimme n the ducks!!! Things are on the up!!!

We had a college get together this weekend, on a friends shoot in North Sufolk, i think we managed about a 5 to 1 average, which i completely blame on the poker game not finishing till 5am on the shoot day, and the rather early opening of the 1st bout of sloegams at 7.30! the hang over on sunday was terrible!