Making the news today....

[John Shutler]

19 minutes ago, Big J said:

 

I understand why you organise the shoot and enjoy it. I've eaten plenty of pheasant and have worked for shooting estates in the past in a forestry capacity. May I make a few general observations though?

 

Firstly, from a forestry perspective, pheasant shoots are a nightmare. The infrastructure (pens) left in the woods puts metalwork everywhere, which compromises the value of the crop and makes harvesting awkward and unpleasant.

 

Secondly, there is evidence to suggest that pheasant shoots support larger grey squirrel populations. Taken from Shootinguk.co.uk:

"The possible link between the decline of woodland song birds and grey squirrel predation is now the subject of Game Conservancy research, particularly as it has been suggested woodlands where pheasants are fed may hold higher stocks of grey squirrels due to the abundance of food"

 

Thirdly, from an aesthetic point of view, pheasant holding woodlands are hideous. The combination of the pens, unsympathetic woodland management (ie managed for the shoot as opposed to species diversity of timber quality) and profusion of idiot pheasants and scrounging grey squirrels just ruins any enjoyment anyone might derive from the place.

 

I'm entirely supportive of rough shooting to control pest species (such as grey squirrels). Why is there a need to go to all the effort and destruction of a driven pheasant shoot. 

 

There is also the environmental impact of releasing 57 million non-native birds into our countryside each year....

in your opinion, and once again your basing all your comments on your own dislike for things, the same runs true in your comments about devon, housing and the uk in general 

 

i’d challenge you to find a tidier shoot than ours, we have 4 pens that are all maintained to a high standard, ive been on commercial shoot shoots that release 10-20x the amount we do and the pens are a state. 

the ground our shoot is on has little to no forestry value, infact the money the estate collects each year for our rent is it’s only potential income. 

we manage the squirrel population and there is certainly not an abundance on the site, certainly no more than you’d expect on a holding of that size. 

i think you’d find it hard to call our little shoot destructive if you actually understood the ins and outs of it 

[Big J]

17 minutes ago, John Shutler said:

in your opinion, and once again your basing all your comments on your own dislike for things, the same runs true in your comments about devon, housing and the uk in general 

 

i’d challenge you to find a tidier shoot than ours, we have 4 pens that are all maintained to a high standard, ive been on commercial shoot shoots that release 10-20x the amount we do and the pens are a state. 

the ground our shoot is on has little to no forestry value, infact the money the estate collects each year for our rent is it’s only potential income. 

we manage the squirrel population and there is certainly not an abundance on the site, certainly no more than you’d expect on a holding of that size. 

i think you’d find it hard to call our little shoot destructive if you actually understood the ins and outs of it 

 

I did say that my comments were general, and your shoot doesn't bear much relation to the estates on which I've worked with huge drives.

 

I simply find the presence of pheasant pens in woodlands to be unsightly and with the associated issues highlighted above, I don't personally see the point. I can think of better ways to enjoy my Saturday than standing in the rain trying to blast some gormless bird out of the sky.

Each to their own.

[MattyF]

Great job!
 
Your key points so far:
 
1) I’m a smug prick
2) Your lass is ex-council estate
3) You use baler twine to hold your pants up and townies are all twats. 
 
Oxford Union debating society?
 
 

1,Yep of the highest order , look at you .. You ooze utter babe in every post you make with your I've got an MBE every one else is inferior..
2, I'll tell you what son I'll ****************ing ram your teeth so far down your throat if I have the chance to meet you now you have brought that into it..
3, yes so what that's what all us cap doffing lower class scum do...

****************ing hilarious ... utter prick

[Big J]

3 hours ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

Great job!

 

Your key points so far:

 

1) I’m a smug prick

2) Your lass is ex-council estate

3) You use baler twine to hold your pants up and townies are all twats. 
 

Oxford Union debating society?

 

 

 

8 minutes ago, MattyF said:

1,Yep of the highest order , look at you .. You ooze utter babe in every post you make with your I've got an MBE every one else is inferior..
2, I'll tell you what son I'll ****************ing ram your teeth so far down your throat if I have the chance to meet you now you have brought that into it..
3, yes so what that's what all us cap doffing lower class scum do...

****************ing hilarious ... utter prick

 

I see what the problem is here. Isn't it obvious? 

 

[John Shutler]

42 minutes ago, Big J said:

 

I did say that my comments were general, and your shoot doesn't bear much relation to the estates on which I've worked with huge drives.

 

I simply find the presence of pheasant pens in woodlands to be unsightly and with the associated issues highlighted above, I don't personally see the point. I can think of better ways to enjoy my Saturday than standing in the rain trying to blast some gormless bird out of the sky.

Each to their own.

What would you do to enjoy your Saturday?

[Khriss]

1 minute ago, Big J said:

 

 

I see what the problem is here. Isn't it obvious? 

 

Now now.... And when are you moving to Sweden Jon 😉  

( reef was lovely by the way, and no trees!) k

[eggsarascal]

4: I know where my money would be...

[Big J]

Just now, John Shutler said:

What would you do to enjoy your Saturday?

 

I'm a great fan of wild swimming, but haven't had much of a chance to do that here. Forest walks (busmans holiday, I know) or fishing. 

 

I was so excited about the fishing when we moved down here, as (with me being a coarse angler) England is much better than Scotland, but sadly it wasn't as good as what I remembered as a kid in Derbyshire. There are the carp lakes, yes, but very few rivers worth fishing as they're all trout and salmon.

 

Beyond that, I'd like to get back into cycling, which is unfortunately a suicidal endevour in Devon, especially as I'd like to take the kids too.

[monkeybusiness]

1 hour ago, Big J said:

 

I did say that my comments were general, and your shoot doesn't bear much relation to the estates on which I've worked with huge drives.

 

I simply find the presence of pheasant pens in woodlands to be unsightly and with the associated issues highlighted above, I don't personally see the point. I can think of better ways to enjoy my Saturday than standing in the rain trying to blast some gormless bird out of the sky.

Each to their own.

The huge drives on the estates that you refer to will bring in far more money than the standing crop the pens are spoiling. 

[Commando]

1,Yep of the highest order , look at you .. You ooze utter babe in every post you make with your I've got an MBE every one else is inferior..
2, I'll tell you what son I'll ****************ing ram your teeth so far down your throat if I have the chance to meet you now you have brought that into it..
3, yes so what that's what all us cap doffing lower class scum do...

****************ing hilarious ... utter prick

Hey come on Matty, there is nothing there, said or implied, to merit that response.
These subjects are always emotive but let’s keep the posts civil. If ur not hp about something either pm or speak to a mod.[emoji106][emoji106]
Im guessing few [emoji482][emoji16]