The Ole Hedge Creeper

Whistling Wings Under The Moon Light Part 2

13/11/2020

Whistling Wings Under The Moon Light
Part 2

We start out on the first of September as always to mark the start of the Wildfowling Season 2020, I have done this for the past 45 seasons since my first trip out as a very young boy, I never miss opening day, actually this story starts out on the eve of that season, August the 31st 2020, as always I am as excited as a Polecat faced with a Rat, apart from traditional ferreting that is my favourite Country Sport, its wildfowling that also courses through my veins, those two Country Sports are what makes me who I am, everything else just sort of slots in around them, in this article I will take you along with me on some of the most magical morning and evening flight, with myself as your guide you will smell the water, feel the wind on your face, hear the fowl as they slip air paddles down & get to know some of my Young Sports and my family too.

Like I said we start out on the eve of the start of this season, I just cant sleep, the alarm is set for 3am, as I lay there going over in my mind, have I got all my kit, I have this niggle I had forgotten something, so I get out of bed and check everything for the god knows how many time, all is good and I get back into bed and doze off, then it starts, the dreams I mean, remembering all the seasons that have come before, since my first time when I was a very young boy with my Pappy (grandfather) my ole Dad and my Uncle Dave, even with my own children, remembering all the friends and family that have long since passed, the dogs oh so many great water dogs, the retrieves most vividly living in my minds eye, the adventures I have had the privilege nay honor to have been on with so many great teachers of the art.
I then start to feel that breeze on my face and the smell of the water, the sight and sound of wildfowl echoing through my dreams from monotonous flights back in the sands of time, a 3am alarm, what alarm? I was up and ready with my second mug of tea before that alarm went off, I am always the same for either Traditional Ferreting or Wildfowling, especially if its the first trip out of the season, my Dad said I have never changed even since my first day out in the field at the age of 2 well almost 3, on that frosty cold winters morning on a December Wednesday way back in 1974.

Such wonderful memories of past flights with my Young Sports and the other wildfowling club lads, not a duck goes to waste a home was had for every duck.

On this morning I had a couple of my Young Sports Ambassadors joining me, one of their Dads brought them along and was waiting for me by the gate, we set a few decoys out just for the ambiance of the morning, well sort of token really, many say the First of September is too early, I say poppycock, its the start of the season, so get out there, the old saying stands here, USE IT OR LOSE IT, now I rarely even load the gun on the early season its more of a case of the just being there for me, this Morning was all about the Young Sports and giving them a passion for Wildfowling with Conservation at their core, so a few decoys out in the pitch black of the early morning waiting for the sun to come up, the moon was full so still bright enough to see, I told the boys to practice some calling and to listen too as the marsh came to life, Young Sports Ambassador Oliver really has nailed the calling down, he is now getting quite good, look for Ollie’s Calls over on face book, both boys were as wide eyed as a kid on Christmas Eve.

The light started to come up with the first rays of the sun rising in the East, we heard the Ghost Riders in the distance, that's the wild geese honking across the sky, a shiver went down my back, just the sound of geese makes me tingle all over, just like the first time I heard them when I was a young boy, both the boys were like cats on a hot tin roof, then the mallard started to call, so the boys laid it on thick with their Buck Gardiner Double Nasty Mallard calls, 3 mallard dropped right into their decoys, a volley of shots rang out and 2 ducks dropped into the decoy pattern, that marked the start of another great season, I had a sword of Teal come right past me, as always I was in ore at just the sight of fowl on the wing, I never so much as raised the gun, like I said it was the just being there for me, you don't have to shoot, I like that choice, I always have a gun with me no matter what Country Sport I am out doing, then its my choice weather to fill the game bag or not, some of the best shots I have ever taken have been with a camera not a gun, this is something I am passing down to the Young Sports, there are too many people who are just blood thirsty, this is not how I was taught, you take from Mother Natures living pantry only what you need, you also put more back than you take out, thus why I say conservation is at the core of all I do, Country Sports in its essence if practised properly is the biggest Conservation Body in the world, but like with all things those few rotten apples spoil it for the whole barrel, so I will teach my Young Sports the right way, good ethics and conservation first, only take what you need for your table, obviously pest control etc there are some exceptions to this, but again with good ethics you can find a balance.

The evening flight was a spectacular one, not a shot fired but wow what a wonderful display of wildfowl on the wing in the distance, that really was one of Mother Natures most beautiful gifts to this ole boy and indeed my Young Sports.

The next evening I went out on my own just myself and Tess that's Dads springer Spaniel I trained, I wont wildfowl without a competent dog for retrieving and will only raise a gun in salute if I am sure I can retrieve the bird or best, I think its totally remiss of anyone going out wildfowling or even shooting pigeon over standing crop if you don't have a competent dog to retrieve what you shoot, Tess and I nestled down in some reeds next to the river, no decoys just field craft, my calls the gun and 6 cartridges and me, we sat there completely submerged in Mother Nature, a kingfisher came and sat on the post next to me and was gone as fast as it came, swans, coots, moorhens past us by none the wiser I was there, I heard a ripple and slowly cast my eyes across stream, there was the big dog otter hunting the margin's, a wondrous sight to behold I telle watching old Tarka himself go past, again he was none the wiser we were there as the wind was in our favour, a barn owl quartered the field after voles etc, all this happened in complete silence not a human word was spoken, but Mother Nature sang the most beautiful spiritual song to me, I was quite contented to go to sleep right there lent against that post by the river, like I had done so many times before.

As the light fell I could hear those Wild Ghost Riders echoing across the marsh, then I saw them they were coming right at me along the river, the dog looked like she was on charge with her batteries almost full ready to go, they came right over me not twenty yards up, I did not even raise the gun, nor even close the breach, I was again in ore at the sight and sound of these magnificent Ghost Riders, my senses fully awake watching them fly by sounding their horns as they came and went in that fleeting moment, the dog did not seem so pleased, I did not need a goose for my table, I still have one in the freezer from last season, so I wont replace it until that one is gone, probably for Christmas Dinner, we don't have many geese round these parts so I harvest them very conservatively, I then started to hear Teal and Wigeon going past high over head, they were heading for the big splash in the flooded pasture just over the way, their whistles and pips talking to my very soul as their whistling wings played an enchanting tune of far off distant lands, I heard a chuckle of mallard in the distance, so I got on my double reed call, a bit of a lazy hen with a few feed chatters, then there they were, they circled me so I chuckled again on my call, this time I flicked a little grain I had in my pocket from feeding my pheasants, this made a rippling effect like ducks feeding in the margins, they saw it alright, in they dropped slipping air paddles down wings set, as they sort of froze in the air I mounted the gun, came up through the green head, tail, body, beak, bang, he dropped to my shot not 20 yards away, the hen already on her way down tried to gain height, but to late I was already on her, I swung through and she folded to my shot, I sent Tess on to retrieve my Fresh Wild Mallard that I had just harvested from Mother Natures Pantry, she did so in fine style, there were more coming our way but I was happy to watch them fly by, I had all I needed for my table, the night fell and Tess and I left the marsh none the wiser we were there, all I will say the plum sauce went beautifully with those wild duck and I and the dog were stuffed after eating them.

*photo for illustration purposes only* Tess didn't know how to take a photo so I used a stock photo instead.

A week or so later a couple of novices persuaded me to take them out and show them the ropes, have you got a competent dog for retrieving was my question, Yes came their answer, he is mustard and we have a young dog in training too they said, well I got them out on an evening flight, I put them in position with their decoys, I went a little ways over, more so as a viewing station rather than to shoot, they shot at duck way out of range, this is the sign of a very poor wildfowler or indeed shooter, by the time I had got back to say stop shooting at wildfowl out of range and well give them some stern advice, alas a brace of unfortunate mallard had been dropped on to the far bank of the river, I only say this as the dog that was supposed to be mustard was not, it was as about as much use as a chocolate fire guard, in actual fact it was scared stiff of the duck, I could hear lots of shouting at the poor thing that had no clue what to do as I walked over to these poor excuse for Country Sports practitioners, couple that with throwing the young dog in the water several times, until it retrieved the dead duck by accident more than anything else, I packed them up very early, lets just say I wont be having them out again with me, they are a disgrace to the sport, like I say rotten apples spoil barrels.

A few nights later I took one of my top Young Sports out wildfowling as a guest of a friend in South Somerset, he has some wonderful splash ponds and flooded grass areas, they had literally just cut the maize too, Young Sports Ambassador Harry was so excited, Harry is one of those young men who really gets it, he has great ethics and is keen to learn, we set up a few decoys for evening flight and tucked down into the reeds to await the wildfowl, we chatted like a couple of old friends, he told me of some plans for his wood working, oh if you want to see some of this lads amazing artisan wood working skills look for Woods By Harry on Face Book, then I heard it the distant chuckle of Mallard, Harry started calling on his Buck Gardiner Double Nasty mallard call, like a dream they dropped into the decoys, paddles down, wings set, whiffling on their way in, Harry mounted the gun swung through and nailed a perfect right and left right on the button, both duck were retrieved by my Dads Springer Spaniel Tess, the one I wrote about in my gun dog training article for Eley Out Doors, there were many more duck flighting this night and it was a pleasure to watch them, I asked harry how many do you need for the table, he said two for him and one for his grandad, another pair dropped in I said take just one more then and he did with his second barrel in fine style, he missed with the first shot, swung through as it flared and dropped it cleanly with his second shot, even if I say so myself that really was a cracking shot.

The next trip out was with my Ole Dad and his springer spaniel Tess, I now have a young Cocker Spaniel called Goose, he is in training and only now 7 months old, I brought him along for the experience and to just sit and watch Tess work as well as get used to all the sights, sounds and smells of the marsh, I was graciously invited to go shoot some flooded grassland alongside the marsh, Dad was invited too, I would not of gone otherwise, you see I don't yet have a competent dog yet for the retrieving, like I say Goose is only a young pup, Tess is fully trained, I know I trained her and at 3 years old I must say she is brilliant, but alas she is not my dog, she is my Dads, you know I really find it so remiss of people not having a competent dog if they go out wildfowling or indeed shooting pigeons over standing crops, I wont go on about that here as I wrote about it in my last article for the magazine, Dirty Pigeon Shooters.

So there I am with my Ole Dad sat behind our duck blind, decoys out and dogs sat to heal, Goose had his New Jack Pyke hunting coat on to keep him warm, Tess insisted on getting in the pic with Dad and I, Dad’s first shot was a wood pigeon that came flighting out of the grain barn across the field, I do have to go back and deal with a pigeon problem in that barn but that's for another day, the light started to fade and the first whistling wings were heard over head, I started calling very gently, I didn't want to blow the duck into another County, sometimes less is more especially when it comes to game calling, a mallard turned in from way off, I gave a few clucks of the feed chatter and in he dropped in, wings set paddles down, Dad mounted, one shot he was on the water belly up, Tess was sent in and she retrieved it in fine style I might add, we saw lots of duck that flight and Geese in the distance, just as we were about to retire for the evening a brace of mallard dropped right in unseen, as they lifted Dad mounted swung through like a well oiled machine, both duck fell belly up in the decoys, I sat there as wide eyed as I did as a boy watching him shoot, he just makes it look so effortless, this was one of those Father and son memory moments, he just looked at me and said are you going to take the dog out to retrieve them or not boy, nothing changes there then, I have been the TV remote and game retriever since I could remember, I would not have it any other way.

Tilly that is Goose's Mum, we have rescued her too, she is coming along very nicely, the pair of them are little scamps too, Cocker spaniels what characters they really are, I spend a lot of time now just sitting and watching quietly with these Cocker’s, sometimes I call wildfowl so they get used to the sounds, I let them watch the ducks and geese drop in and fly over without raising a gun, I have never trained a cocker before, but I believe this brings a steadiness to their training, also for me like I said its the being there to just sit and stare, although I always have a gun with me, now days I enjoy the spectacle of it all I suppose, the becoming one with nature, if I do choose to take some bounty from Mother Natures living pantry, I do so, with a clear mind and good ethics, something I memorised many years ago as a boy from inside The Shooting Times front cover, it was from King George the VI, I think, it read, the wildlife of today is not ours to dispose of as we please, we have it in trust, we must account for it to those who come after.

I am also in Sporting Gun again this month, well sort of, its from a letter to the editor, I must thank Stuart Baker for writing in, I am glad you enjoyed the September Issue of Sporting Gun and their bio on me, your words are too kind mucker, but as always I do my very best to teach and inspire not just the Young Sports but all, I truly believe that old school teachings, ethical best practices with conservation at its core, really is how it should be done, as I always say education is the key, but in many cases like the rotten apples the old saying stands, you cant educate pork and you cant put brains in a billiard ball, I will say folks go buy the Sporting Gun its a brilliant read, Matt and his team do a great job to produce such an all round Country Sports Magazine.

I hope you enjoyed my scribbles as much as I enjoyed writing them, the full moon the last couple of months have been fantastic, but now I await the November Moon for with it comes the migratory fowl and the marsh will be alive with quacks, whistles and honks of far off magical distant lands, I may then take something for my table of indeed the Christmas Feast.

Stay safe and well one and all at this ghastly time of our second lock down, keep your chins up for The Wildfowl are Coming On The November Full Moon.

Whistling Wings Under The Moon Light Part 2
By The Ole Hedge Creeper
www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk
countrymans-diary.co.uk

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Deer, Deer, Deer and Fox Too

2/10/2020

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Deer, Deer, Deer and Fox Too
By The Ole Hedge Creeper

We start off in Hampshire with my good friend Rob Elton, forth generation Game Keeper and the owner of Katch It Traps, I am firstly there catching up with him and my other old chum Brendan Anderson the lead man of The Grey Area a red squirrel conservation group, we are doing a series of question and answer live stream videos both from the katch It traps work shop and out in the woods setting traps etc, watch the videos at the bottom of this article as they will be better than me writing about them.

I was also there weekend to show Rob the awesome NiteSite Eagle Rtech Dark ops and Night Pearl Thermal Spotter in action, he was struggling with a couple of foxes he just could not get and they were eating his pheasants and partridges, Rob being old school he still only used a lamp at night and relied on his trapping skills, I am the same but there comes a time when technology really comes into its own and pulls the rabbit from the hat.

We head out late on the Friday night just after I had got there, the hay fields had just been cut so perfect timing really, there was a nice wind about and pretty cloudy, perfect lamping weather I say, but tonight Matthew we are using Night Vision and thermal technology to bring home the bacon, immediately Rob could not believe the clarity of my gear, he had seen others and found it blurry, pixelated and quite frankly not user friendly or fit for the job, that was until he saw my set up in action, blown away is an understatement he had his credit card out ready to buy himself a unit for himself today, now no yesterday, I explained Solware of Tamworth wont be open until 9am in the Morning, as its now almost midnight on a Friday night.

We drove around the whole estate, we stalked many paddocks and grass or crop fields but no foxes, we saw Fallow Deer, Muntjac Deer, Roe deer, Rabbits, Hares, Owls and Bats, but still no foxes, we were just heading back to the truck when my 6th sense kicked off, I just had to check the far paddock one more time, even though we had checked it on the way out, bugger me there was a fox laying behind the sparsest tuft of grass the forager had missed, he was watching some rabbits by a rough area, I spotted him on the thermal, if I was scanning with night vision I would of missed him, but nothing escapes my thermal and my 6th sense, you know he was laying flat out, he could not of got any lower or flat if he had tried, we stalked in to a ditch but could not go any further, I set up the ole 223 with the NiteSite on top on the Primos Trigger Sticks and zoomed in, Rob says that's a hell of a long shot, he said it was 150m I said no closer to 200m as I know my gear, Rob says that's too far off of sticks mate, I did chuckle at that one, a small target of about the size of a tennis ball was all I had, I could see the top of his ears clearly and both eyes, I gave him a rabbit distress squeal, he just lifted his head up a bit and said I am not falling for that and lay flat out again.

I said to Rob, mucker I have two chances here, a clean miss or a clean hit, or I give him a Tonsure (a monks haircut) so I steadied myself, got my breathing just right and my heart rate settled, just like I teach my Young Sports we shoot from a calm ripple less pond, I took the safety off and took a steady aim, exhaled and squeezed off the shot, that dull distinctive thump of a perfect shot, not to float my own boat but dang that was a good shot square between the eyes, literally right on the button, I think I surprised Ole Rob on that shot, now for the long retrieve mucker as Rob took off over the ditch like a gazelle, he came back a little out of breath saying that was a bloody long way that was, it was the big Dog Fox he had been after for months that kept giving him the slip, we never saw the vixen but that's the way its goes.

Rob invited me back up for the start of the Fallow Deer Cull, now I have never shot Fallow before, I have guided stalks on most species of deer and more but never pulled the trigger myself, so this would be a first for me, Niall came with me so did Dave, 31st July 2020 saw us heading to Hampshire in my Red Land Rover Discovery that, I am letting Niall use as a shoot vehicle for our pest control work as he only has a van, we arrived later afternoon, Rob had made us a wonderful home made chicken madras curry, all the boys scoffed that back even Rocky stealing some, that’s Robs Slovakian Sheppard, after tea and a few cold bottles of real coco cola out of the real glass bottles we headed out for a reconnaissance on the deer and to see if that Vixen was still hanging around some of his release pens, alas no foxes but we saw a few deer, Niall and Dave shot some Rabbits and Hares as these were doing some major crop damage, I held the lamp and Rob Drove the truck, a plan was hatched out, what we were going to do at 4am in the high seats the very next morning to start the Fallow Deer Cull, we were also told to cull Roe Buck and Muntjack.

Here we are 4am in the high seats, Niall & Dave using estate rifles with the under keeper over near the lake plantation, Rob and I in a double high seat overlooking a decimated maize crop in front of a huge mixed woodland plantation, Rob took the micky out of me when at 4.30am I brought out my finest Night Site china mugs and said would you like a tea/coffee/hot chocolate or a soup? Also here are some Alpen cereal bars for breakfast, he literally could not believe his eyes, he normally survives on red bull and nicotine, so I made us both a fresh brewed with real milk etc a couple of mugs of tea and ate our breakfast, I have learned with age comes experience, experience tells me I have to keep my energy up and some fuel in the tank, the formalities over now lets take a look at these deer, I put my Night Pearl thermal spotter on to see what was about as it was still to dark to see with our binoculars, I could see 40+ Fallow deer grazing on a small grass paddock some 300+ yards to my right, a very large Fallow buck slip silently off to my left about 200 yards and few odd smaller ones I deemed to be a young doe herd wondering about in the maize.

The light came up enough to be able to see, a black bird with a bald head landed just inches away from me in the high seat, Rob and I eagerly glassed this Doe herd coming in from our left, a mix of colours in there too from almost white to almost black ones, we were scanning to find a cull Pricket, I first saw him as he strode out with another Doe, both Rob and I were not sure as the light was still not great, we watched on further glassing him trying to be 101% certain it was a Pricket and it was a suitable cull beast, the decision was made to take him, I mounted my rifle and steadied my breathing and put myself on that calm pond, Rob said is the shot on, I said no he is inline with another deer lead down, so I waited, still keeping complete control of my breathing, heart rate and emotions, the Pricket strode forward from right to left showing me his broad side, he was right in front of a large mud bank giving me a perfect back stop, I slipped the safety of, took a breath exhaled and squeezed off the shot, I heard that distinct dull thump of a heart and lung shot, the beast reacted lifted up then dropped, I recycled the bolt ready for a follow up shot and stayed on him with my cross hairs just in case as I always do, I breathed easy after a moment knowing I had grassed my first Fallow Deer, Rob was a little more excited than me, I think that's because he knew he had made my first first Fallow possible, I am not one to allow my emotions to get out of control but I must say that was a truly proud moment and I cant thank Rob enough for that, The beast retrieved, gralloched and taken to the game chiller for preparation later.

Rob and I then headed out to check out some fresh cut the day before rape fields, these were bordered by some potato fields, as we drove around this vast area glassing with our binoculars for deer or indeed the problem vixen I spotted a Roe Doe with a Buck following her, we stopped and got out on foot to see if this was a cull buck, 200 yards and Rob says he needs to come out that one, I stalked the headland round on the wind as there was no safe back stop from any other position, this time my heart really was beating as it was a long arduous stalk, I got round on an elevated position but they had spotted Rob and dropped into a ditch between the rape field and the potato field, I mounted my trusty 243 onto my trigger sticks and took aim tracking them through the ditch, I could clearly see both deer well the top of their shoulders and their heads anyway as I was on the higher side looking down, they stopped about 45 yards from me, I dont normally do head shots but will on occasion and this was just such an occasion, I slipped the safety of and squeezed the shot of as if I was shooting rabbits, I put the shot perfectly between the ear and the eye, the Buck dropped on the spot, the doe half startled stayed there for seconds then took off running, Rob flew up across the rape stubbles in his truck, did you get him? I just smiled and said help me get him out of this dry ditch bottom, I think both our smiles said it all really on that one, gralloched and back to the chiller he went.

The sun was really up now and only 7.30am, we headed over to see how Niall and Dave had got on, Niall had only bagged himself a nice high bronze medal Roe Buck, apparently he walked right out onto the meadow in front of the high seat just as the sun had come up, Niall had taken him with a perfect heart and lung shot, I think Niall and Rob’s smiles said it all, alas Dave was still to get anything with the estate rifle, the buck was gralloched and we started to head back to the chiller, this was when disaster struck for me, you see I suffer with severe IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) or that's what the doctors are hoping it is, I am under a consultant and have on going tests trying to rule out other possible illnesses, that said its a real problem, one reason I must eat at regular intervals as the call of nature can come on at any moment with explosive consequences, that crossed with my diabetic medication messing my system up can prove to be very challenging times in the field, one reason I always carry loo roll with me in case I have to dive behind a tree, this morning no such luck, all of a sudden after hitting every bump on the track I shout stop the truck and dive out like a demented strip tease artist, hat went one way, shirt and body warmer the other whilst trying to get my braces down, too late and lets just say I lost yet another pair of boxer shorts in the woods, I used to get very embarrassed about this condition but now I have no choice but to accept it until the doctors work out what's wrong with me and get my medication right.

SHOW NO WEAKNESS, these lads as with most of us Country lads in general are like a pack of Hyenas, you show weakness they will eat you alive, quite rightly so too, they gave me some stick all weekend I tell you and still to this day, a lesser townie type would of gone home a crying wreck, but not me bring it on boys, I expect nothing less no quarter given or received, growing up with Dockers on one side of the family and Rough Ole Country Boys on the other, I was shock tested from an early age, I am well versed at giving it back too, so my new knick name among the lads is The Ole hedge Crapper, I do laugh as that's quite funny, I am still confused about the Scottish Muntjack from Glasgow that I upset for soiling his woodland that he has retired too, according to Rob that is and the variant paths that banter went down that weekend, a lesser man would not write this but its a memory that brought some hmmmmm amusment to the pack of laughing Hyenas.

Niall’s Roe Buck was put in the chiller and we headed back for breakfast and a shower for me, the lads all went for a big belly buster fry up down the local cafe, I stayed behind had my shower and had a nice mug of fresh Yorkshire Tea and a bowl of Crunchy nut cornflakes with real gold top milk, oh Rob likes Earl Grey, YUK disgusting stuff and the sweepings from the floor, I will stick with my Yorkshire Tea, the boys came back to find me sewing my buttons back on my shirt that I ripped of in my hurry in the woods, the boys looked like stuffed pigs after their breakfast, we then all got some shut eye ready to go for the evening in the high seats.

Niall went with Rob this time looking over the Maize fields and Dave and I shared a high seat looking over the paddock, I was just Texting Niall back after he asked had we seen anything when a large Fallow Buck Stepped out in front of Dave and I, Dave was loaded up for taking a Muntjack as they had seen some in this paddock the day before, I mounted the rifle, breathed and exhaled then squeezed off the shot, thump as the deer turned round and ran 20 yards and dropped, I had already recycled the round and was back on him ready for a follow up shot, I stayed on him for a few moments to make sure he was dead, Dave went to retrieve him for me as I got down out of the high seat, a perfect heart and lung shot, a truly fine beast and after that I didn't want to shoot any more deer that weekend that was the icing on the cake, Dave was still to get a shot, Niall and Rob came back they saw lots of deer but none were Prickets or indeed a Buck, Rob said blimey you got a nice one, gralloched and back to the game chiller it went with the rest.

HOW MANY COUNTRYMEN DOES IT TAKE TO LIGHT A BBQ????

That night we had a wonderful BBQ with meat we had brought from Somerset and Meat that Rob had in, with Robs own home grown salad stuff and I even ate a tomato that's really unusual for me too, one question how many Countrymen does it take to light a BBQ? 3 is the answer, it was like watching the Three Stooges at work I telle.

4am the next morning we are back in the high seats, Niall was back with Rob, Dave and I were in a high seat looking over a cover crop and a stubble field, by golly they have so many Hares in Hampshire, I could of shot the best part of 40 from that high seat, it was Dave’s turn to shoot a deer, I was really there for spotting and well to just be there at that magical time of day, 7am Dave says I need a fag and a pee so got down out of the high seat, a few moments later a Muntjack Doe followed by a Buck came out playing chase in the cover crop field, I was on them with the cross hairs of my rifle, I could of taken both easily, but no it was Dave’s turn to shoot, so I whispered bang bang and left them to play chase, I said to Dave did you see them them? He said yes why did you not take them? I told him it was not my turn its yours, you have to have discipline in all country sports, we all headed back for breakfast with no deer shot from either high seat, I literally had nothing left in me after a 26 hour day followed by a 20 hour day back to back, so I had some food and fell asleep on the sofa, I was awoken some hours later by Rocky the Slovakian Sheppard, that dog has a sense of humor I telle, he picked up my full bottle of water held it over my head and gave me a shower, I awoke with a start as he dropped the bottle at my feet with a wagging tail as if to say time to get up and play now, after coming around a bit and growling like a bear I thought were are the lads, nobody was in the house but Rocky and Myself, I looked at the time and realised I had been out cold for 5 hours, I called all of them on their phones but no answer? Had they gone back out hunting? Out for food? Finally I got hold of them they were down the game dealers part of the estate and had fully prepared all the deer we had shot and were busy vacuum packing everything, mincing it and freezing it down, they said I looked to cute to wake up, well I was actually glad of that because I really was knackered and my diabetes said rest now fat boy before I drop you.

I made a wonderful steak bap with the sirloin I had brought up from home, Rocky helped me eat it too as it was quite large, the boys came back for some red bull (energy drink) and nicotine and we headed back out to the high seats, Niall was back with Rob desperate to get a Fallow Pricket, I was back in the high seat where I shot that nice Fallow Buck and Dave was in the High Seat we were in that morning, Niall and Rob again saw lots of Fallow but all Doe no Prickets of Bucks well one but it was too far away, I sat in the high seat in the high seat and thought I would try some calling for a change on my Butlo call, I didn't really want to shoot a deer just see how the call worked up there as the rut had just started on the Roe, I would of shot that Vixen had she come out, a beautiful high gold medal Roe buck came to my calling and stood broad side not 35 yards away, I could of taken him easy, but deemed him a good breeding Buck to keep a lesser man may have taken him but not me, I let him trot off after a few minuets, I hear a Muntjack Buck bark to my left then saw him and Doe
heading towards Dave,s high seat area, I stopped calling and waited and listened, a few moments later I heard a bang and a distinct thump of a clean hit, half an hour later I hear another bang, then my phone went off he had bagged the Muntjack Buck and Doe and sounded like a kid on Christmas morning on the phone, I got down out of my high seat and headed over to take a pic before we lost the light, Niall and Rob came back to pick us up and congratulated Dave, we then headed back for a kebab and a few well deserved beers.

The next day we headed home with some very happy Countrymen, some awesome memories and my Land Rover full of fresh culled wild meat, we all send a massive thank you to Rob Elton of Katch It Traps for his hospitality, you sir really are a scholar and a gent sir, its my turn next for you to come to me mucker and me to host a weekends sport on the South Somerset/North Devon Estate for you and your good lady. If you want anything from Katch It Traps they are the best in my opinion go on their website www.katch-it.co.uk and say I sent you.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing it and remembering a great weekend spent with top drawer muckers and some outstanding sport, so until the next adventures of The Ole Hedge Crapper I wish you all to stay safe and well.

Deer, Deer, Deer & Fox Too
By The Ole Hedge Creeper
www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk

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Dirty Pigeon Shooters

7/9/2020

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Dirty Pigeon Shooters
By The Ole Hedge Creeper

Now being somewhat of an old boy now days in the world of Country Sports, I suppose I call myself a Countryman of The Ole School now, as it seems I have earned that coveted tile, I was once a young Countryman eager to know everything about all Country Sports, or indeed thought I knew it all, ahhhhh that old saying, with age comes experience, or Youth is wasted on the young, I remember getting advice from the old masters about all sorts of things, from traditional Ferreting to Fishing or Stalking to Pigeon Shooting and more, yes I am guilty of thinking I knew best and learned many a lesson the hard way.

But one thing I would or could not ever be accused of is not respecting my quarry or indeed mother nature and all who live under her veil, all wildlife, plant, fauna, trees it matters not you treat it with respect, this was drummed into me from that very first day I stepped out in the hunting field, conservation is at the core of all we do, I was taught the Country Code and to leave nothing behind but foot prints, I was also taught to put more back in than I take, thus my passion for conservation started early.

Dirty Pigeon Shooters is one thing that really boils my blood amongst other things that disrespect nature etc, by this I mean those of you I will call shooters not Countrymen, Shooters are the ones who have no passion they just want to kill things, boast the biggest bag, take the gold medal head, rape the river of the trout or salmon in discriminant people who rape and pillage my beloved mother nature, we have them in all our Country Sports disciplines, people with too much money are usually to blame or the scally wag from the housing estates or travelling community etc, where as a Countryman puts more back than he takes out, when a job needs to be done he does it conservatively, a Countryman works long and hard to make mother nature better than he found it, I could write a book about this, you know I think I might and entitle it The Countryman v The Shooter, but for now I will deal with these Dirty Pigeon Shooters.

Now there are a long list to why I call them this, I have just recently been dealing with some agricultural contracts, whilst working with the combines over the almost 30.000 acres I have professionally on the books, I was forever dealing with dead birds in the crops, cartridges left all over the place as well as other rubbish, now also having quite a mixed collection of New decoys including a full floater set up, I have repatriated these to my ever needing Young Sports, they have quite a collection now, all left behind by these Dirty Pigeon Shooters, now you wont see anyone I coach doing as such, especially my Young Sports for they are being taught correctly to respect the land and the quarry, I mean how can you lose decoys? You count twenty out, you count twenty back in, this could not be any simpler a process, as to leave a full on floater behind dancing in the wing you just have to be blind or have more money than sense, we lost 4 hours work one day as a decoy went up inside the combine making a hell of a racket where it got stuck, the farmer had no I idea what went wrong so we had to strip the combine out until we found it, then it took over an hour to get it out too, so that farmer was not happy and neither was I, this particular farmer was renting the land for growing his crops, the land owner was letting out the shooting to many, I have come across this attitude before I am paying for it so I can do what I like, well no you bloody cant, firstly leaving your rubbish everywhere is dangerous to the wildlife, the eco system and live stock and more, secondly this was my other gripe just shooting the pigeons and leaving them where they fall or dumping them under the hedge is disgraceful, if you don't have a home for them, don't shoot them, I had a novice once do this after the telling off I gave him he wont do that again, or indeed the ones I have had to clear up behind both spent cartridge cases and shot birds, totally unethical and brings every other person involved in Country Sports into a bad light, also the fact that leaving the birds in standing crop is a disease hazard, a potential fire risk, and quite simply just not cricket at all with no respect for your shot quarry, I know of a farmers barn that has just gone up in smoke because the bales caught fire, I am told on good authority it was because dead birds were found in them, I have heard all the excuses, on big bag days you cant retrieve them all, no maybe not but there's ways to reduce that, for one have a competent dog for retrieving shot birds out of the crop and two limit yourself to no further than 30m, mark every bird down and get it immediately, yes you will still lose the odd one that cant be helped, I picked up 60 shot pigeon with my old dog behind some Dirty Pigeon Shooters not so long ago, another small wheat field is stinking with dead pigeons in the crop, totally disgraceful, I say this to YOU, if you just want to shoot things go clay pigeon shooting or target shooting, stop flashing your cash and disrespecting mother nature and us real Countrymen who are trying to do things correctly, or learn to be a Countryman for which the rewards are vast.

Many decoys found, cartridges all over the place, dead birds thrown in the hedge and over 100 dead pigeons left in the crop of a small 5 acre field of wheat we harvested.

Blimey that was a rant and I cut it short too, I recently had a pair of Novices out on some fresh cut wheat stubble, their shot count was quite big and their bag was very modest, but they did keep the pigeons off the standing barley behind them, they cleared up and left at tea time, I popped back to make sure all was tidy, apart from a few pigeon feathers and some trampled weeds by the hedge you would not know they had been there and they retrieved every bird that was down, I shot for a couple of hours with my ole trusty 22 rimmy with Eley subsonic ammunition, I will say I quite enjoyed that for a bit, 12 shots for 10 pigeon and what I call a red letter day all off my own steam, no decoys nothing, any of you say oh that's easy, go and try it, I do that consistently and stop when I have enough especially after the pigeons have been kept off the crop all day, there comes a time to let them feed too, I was kept lovely and cool by the new Jack Pyke Digi Cammo gear, worth every penny I telle muckers.

A few days later I had one of the Old Pigeon Shooting Masters of my Youth (My Ole Dad) out on a standing wheat and Barley crop, the pigeons were hitting in quite hard, the farmer called to ask can I go move them off for him, alas I could not as I had one of my Young Sports Ambassadors Harry on work experience with me and we were booked right out on rat control contracts for the day, Farmer and my Ole Dad are very old friends so I sent Dad down in my stead, The farmer was at his whits end, he had tried everything to keep them off the crop, from bangers,gas guns scare crows, running around shouting at them waving his arms the lot, so we had no choice but to shoot them, by the time Harry and I had finished my professional pest control rounds Dad had already been there a few hours, I sat in with Dad for half an hour for a chat, it was like being a kid again as I watched the old master shoot, just like watching a well oiled machine in action, he limited his shots to 30m and Tess the springer spaniel retrieved every single one in fine style, he must have had almost 80 pigeons by the time I took harry to the other end of the field and set up and coached the lad, Harry is becoming a great caller and the pigeon call he has mastered very well, I sat there as he took each bird in turn right over the decoys and marked each bird down, he also did not lose a single bird, if we could not find it we sent for Tess and she found it, after 2 hours it was time to go and Young Sports ambassador Harry had a nice little bag of fresh woody’s to take home with him, I don't know what Harry’s mum is doing in the picture but oooh arrrr vicar, sorry Em I could not resist, Dad finished with 105 birds on the clicker and a 105 birds retrieved, I telle that ole Pigeon Shooting Master enjoyed that day I telle as he had a smile as wide as a Cheshire cat, every bird also had a home to go to as well, just how he taught me as a boy, oh and I found some enforcer decoys and spent cartridges from other shooters in that crop too, but that's enough of that or I will go on one again, but one good thing Harry now has some nice new decoys for his decoy sack.

The shotgun was unloaded and propped up so Dad could have his cup of tea out of his flask.

Oh if you get The September Issue of Sporting Gun Magazine, there is a full article on me in there, come and know me better man oh and woman too.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this as mush as I have enjoyed writing it, I feel much better getting this rant off my chest, but if this offends you then you are part of the problem and I advise you to change YOUR DIRTY PIGEON SHOOTING WAYS.

Dirty Pigeon Shooters
By The Ole Hegde Creeper
www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk

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Out Foxing Charlie Episode 16

14/8/2020

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Out Foxing Charlie Episode 16
By The Ole Hedge Creeper

Blimey episode 16 already, it only seems like yesterday I started writing this series, not all those years ago, I have not written about my professional fox control for a little while, Covid 19 has come and really hampered my professional pest control work as with lock down right at the point of lambing season was a massive hit too, I will take you on a short whistle stop tour of what I have been up too and hopefully pass on some tips too.

We start out on a cold wet early March evening, an Agricultural client of mine frantically telephoned to say come quick, come now, no come yesterday, my lambing flock is being hit by foxes, this is the normal sort of call I get in many forms, trying to shut the gate after the horse has bolted usually, I always say prevention is better than cure, my ethos still stands, I only deal with foxes that actually attack live stock, not this if it red its dead attitude, as it is this farmer is very good with animal husbandry and we have worked together a lot over the years to lessen any fox attacks, from electric fencing to re proofing etc and so much more, when he called saying come now I knew he had a real problem, I also had reports of the white van man in that area dropping off town caught foxes and releasing them, we will get to that much later in this article as I show you how many I have had to deal with on an adjacent farm.

Right back to this one, like I say it was a wet windy cold night, drizzle rain you know the stuff, fine and gets you soaked to the skin, I got there in daylight with my right hand man Niall who I am teaching the finer points of field craft tracking trapping and so much more, stealth being the one thing I have yet to ingrain in him, but each day he improves his knowledge, as I was taught with each fail a lesson is learned, this is the case with Niall he has to learn the hard way, I worked out that this client had more than one fox attacking, he had at least two foxes coming in from over the long meadow, by the tracks I would have said a small vixen and a larger dog fox, pond ground a different set of tracks, and home field most definitely two different foxes, one very large dog fox the tracks were huge and he kept leaving fur on the barbed wire fence in the corner of the field entrance, along side this was another set of tracks not quite as big, my thoughts either a large mature vixen or possibly a smaller dog fox.

I set Niall up on the long meadow in the shadow of and old willow tree, I suggested we put a rabbit out with his paunch as a bit of a scent attractor to get the foxes where we wanted them for the humane rifle shot to dispatch them, Niall declined, I on the other hand had just finished a rabbit job and had some fresh shot rabbits in my truck, so I paunched them out and hung them on a fencing spike at the bottom of a large bank, this not only would hopefully get the foxes right to where I wanted to shoot them but also give me the perfect safe back stop I required, as I was taught from boyhood once that bullet leaves the barrel you cant retrieve it, another reason I insist on walking any clients land in daylight to make sure of safe shooting positions and back stops and non safe shot zones.

The rain started to come in and my New Jack Pyke Digi Cammo jacket held up pretty well, I was lit up by the farm yards flood lights so I hid in the shadow of my truck, this did two things concealed me quite well and sheltered me from the drizzly rain, I first spotted the big dog fox in the corner of pond ground on my Night Pearl Thermal unit, oh yes I forgot to say that's where I set up, I then switched to the NiteSite Eagle Dark Ops mounted on my trusty ole 223, there was another fox there now too, quite a big fox but not as big as the first, I thought oh yes that's a Dog and Vixen paired up there, I could see them tentatively wind scenting my rabbits, I gave them one quick rabbit squeal no more, many people over call at this point, the Vixen came in like a steam train right to the rabbits hanging on the field spike, I slipped the safety off as I followed her in, she stopped 6 feet away from the rabbits and looked, I squeezed off the trigger and that distinct dull thump of a perfect shot to the engine room was heard, she dropped on the spot not even a twitch, the dog fox did not run so I squealed again a longer louder one this time, he came bolting in like hell was on his tail, I was just about to take the shot when!!! a load voice shouted from the lights of the yard, DID YOU GET IT? Bugger me Niall had left his position came as running as soon as heard the shot shouting and scaring off the dog fox, I growled like an angry bear, it was not his fault he is only learning the finer points of professional pest control, we did catch the dog fox a few days later in my humane cage trap and humanly dispatched him too, I will come back to this farm in a bit after the next couple of farms.

*If you look closely at the photo below you can see the rain falling*

A friend of Niall’s who had just bought a small farm got attacked by foxes, this time getting into his ornamental pet fowl and his beloved Pea Cock and Pea hen enclosure, I was asked could I go and sort out the problem, I went along with Niall to take a look at the problem, as it turns out I knew the lady she was a farmer friends ex wife, I advised better husbandry with better mesh on the enclosures and suggested an electric fence, but this was already in hand as Niall had already been down and put one up that day for them, the fellow told me of two foxes he had seen, I had already had reports of the white van man again in this area dropping foxes off, so I knew there would be more than two foxes, the farm next door was getting hit hard too so I picked that contract up as well.

Niall and I tracked around working out how they were coming and going from this property, all the main runs came in from the adjacent farm, as night fell we readied the rifle with the NiteSite Eagle Dark Ops and the Night Pear Thermal unit for spotting, we stalked the field margins as well as stayed in a strategic stationary position too, this front lambing paddock right opposite the fowl enclosure just kept calling me as a good ambush spot, by golly I was right, as Niall and I stalked in close to a gate I turned to Young sport Carter and said shadow my every move, if I stop you stop, Carter is Niall’s son and would be my fox retriever for the evening with Niall, I got to the gate and glassed the field, not 25 yards from me was a fox sat watching use, I mounted the rifle onto my Primos gen 3 Trigger Sticks, but the fox trotted off to join another two foxes 45 yards away, I lined up on the first and fired it dropped on the spot at the bottom of this large embankment, the others took off running but not far, so I squealed a distressed rabbit call, the big dog fox came bolting back and I bagged him too not 5 yards from the first, the other bolted into a small orchard that was going up the hill not 60 yards away, I squealed again it froze and I nailed that one, as we went to retrieve those three foxes there were two more coming to their funeral as my squealing had called them in, so a quick recycle of the bolt and I had another brace of foxes, I turned to Niall and said these are no country foxes these are town released foxes, whilst retrieving those five foxes I saw another five foxes just sat there watching us, poor sods did not know how to hunt all they know is how to scavenge a KFC or dustbin, I really feel sorry for them poor things, those that are releasing them are no friend of the animals, in fact they should be prosecuted for animal cruelty I say, no wonder the farmers live stock are being attacked those poor foxes are starving to death, Both Clients were very happy with my efforts but at 4am in the morning I could pull the trigger no more, I arranged to go back in a couple of days if the attacks persisted.

A couple of days later I am back on those farms, they had been attacked in broad daylight, the foxes walked right past people no fear at all and headed for the fowl enclosures, well that was until the farmers terriers gave chase and chased them out of the yard, I was back on site that very night, again that lambing paddock just called me so I set up position there and waited for the night to fall, almost right on last light the first fox appeared, one after another came until I had another five foxes in the bag all heading to the fowl enclosure, I have to go back again as I have seen others in the area but await the call when they attack, but yes one small lambing paddock produced ten foxes, not in condition either as these town release one just don't know how to survive in the country.

A little while later I was called back to that first farm as he had been attacked yet again, this time I set up on long ground and let Niall take the pond ground as the foxes had been seen in with the cattle in there, I got there early as this client wanted me to clear some rabbits too as they were eating more grass than his live stock or so he said, in no time at all with the trusty ole 22 rimfire and Eley Subsonic Ammunition I had a fair few rabbits in the bag, I said the same to Niall do you want to take some to put out as bait, again he declined, as the evening light started to fall I set out a stink box with all the rabbits paunch in it about 100 yards out, there was a lot of ambient light coming over the long ground from the trading estate over the ways some, I told Niall only shoot foxes now no rabbits, the light fell and I heard a Vixen calling, I stalked over to the meadow ground I don't know what it was but my sixth sense just called me there, I scanned with my Night Pearl thermal spotter, there was a huge dog fox walking off with one of the rabbits I could not find in the deep ditch that I shot earlier, I could not find it but he did, he didn't attack the flock and took a rabbit home for supper so I say he was welcome to it, then I saw another fox heading right towards the Ginnie Fowl enclosure, I dropped onto him with the trusty 223 and NiteSite Combo, he stopped for a pee at the bottom of a large muck heap, click thump and he was on the ground without a twitch to a perfect engine room shot, I went to retrieve him, I then heard Niall fir five or so shots? I called him enquiring how many foxes are there, he said none he got bored so was shooting at some rabbits but didn't get any of them either with his 17hmr, I said stop shooting rabbit your there for foxes not rabbits and you blowing the area up you wont see any foxes either, I got back to my truck and scanned with the thermal once again, there was a fox coming right in through the hedge from the pond ground where Niall was on guard, he came right round wind scenting my stink box at the bottom of the large grass bank, I mounted the rifle of the trigger sticks and watched and waited for the perfect safe shot, in he trotted 10 feet away from the box stopping and looking, I took the safety off and squeezed off the shot, again that dull thump of a perfect shot to the engine room or so I though, as the smoke from the gasses cleared I could see a fox trotting away 200 yards up the grassy hill? Bloody hell I missed so I gave a hare squeal and it stopped facing broad side to me, scratching my head I thought what happened there, I walked up and retrieved that fox, came back took a pic with two foxes and four rabbits in it.

I had a mug of tea out the flask and scanned some more, no foxes showed so we called it a night, I went to get my stink box and bugger me there was the first dead fox just next to the stink box, there were actually two foxes not one as I first thought, I scratched my head laughed and said oh well bonus box fox it is then.

There have been many more call outs since this but I will save them for Out Foxing Charlie 17, including a very memorable one in Hampshire with my ole chum Rob from Katch It Traps, I will include the pic in this article and tell you that story next time.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my humble scribbles as much as I have enjoyed writing them, until next time stay safe one and all, you can always catch up with me and my other articles over at The International Countryman’s Diary Magazine on this website: countrymans-diray.co.uk

Out Foxing Charlie 16
By The Ole Hedge Creeper
www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk

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Back In The Woods with The Ole Hedge Creeper

28/7/2020

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Back In The Woods
with The Ole Hedge Creeper

Well its been a bit of a hectic time here in The Ole Hedge Creepers house hold, we have been building my dedicated Pass It On Young Sports Ambassadors game shoot, all the professional pest control, dealing with Covid 19 social distancing issues trying to run my company, my dear Mum passing away and dealing with her funeral and estate, its pigeon season so all my agricultural crop protection work has taken a big upsurge and been away filming and trapping with Katch It Traps and Brendan Anderson of The UK & Ireland Squirrels (The Grey Area) and oh so much more, the Professional Fox Control I will write about in my other article series Out Foxing Charlie episode 16.

My Mum:

Mum passed away at the end of June 2020 and we held her funeral in mid July, My Brother and I were at her side when she peacefully slipped away, she had not woken for a day or two, but as her breathing shallowed in the last moment as my Brother and I held her hand and stroked her head, she opened her eyes, smiled a beautiful smile, looked right as us both, said our names, then closed her eyes took a last breath and went off to collect here angels wings, all I can say here as it would take too long to write, is she was a great mother who defended her cubs (my Brother & I) to the last, a hard working woman who kept a great house, an even better table and gave my Brother and I the most awesome childhood, that set us up in good stead for adult life, as I said at her bedside and at her funeral, rest easy now Mum Your Boys have got this.

Pigeon Shooting:

I am going to start this part of with a bit of a rant, firstly I teach best practice to all my young sports and each novice I coach, I always remember my Pappy (grandfathers) advice here, when in nature you leave it better than you find it and leave nothing but footprints behind, one of my biggest bug bears is the Dirty Pigeon Shooter or indeed anyone involved in country sports who do not respect The Country Code.

Just recently I get called to a series of farms with frantic calls come as fast as you can, my crops are blue with pigeons, they are ignoring the gas gun and scare crows completely, we all know this is only a temporary measure as the birds soon become used to these measures, but to comply with the GL licence such measures have to be taken, this sort of call always happens at certain times of the year for me, I am a professional pest and crop protection operative not an armature, so often get called in after the Free Pest Controllers have had a go, now far be it from me to stop a man’s sport and I give full blessing to those who do a good job, but then we have the Dirty Pigeon Shooter, shooting over standing crop with no competent dog to be able to retrieve the shot birds, leaving the dead birds in the crop, or doing more damage to the crop trying to find shot birds with no dog, then leaving all their spent cartridge cases on the floor, I tell you that really gets my goat, I have found its normally these people with the bottomless wallet brigade with cash on tap who are the worst for it, I tell you now if I catch you then the sharp side of my young you will get, leaving the dead birds in the crop with the its OK the foxes will clear them up is no defense, firstly its totally remiss of you to treat one of gods creatures in such a way each bird should be treated with the utmost respect and used, always have a home for your shot birds, also the foxes will not clear them up and you will end up putting disease into the bales that the farmer used for animal bedding or food, cross that with when you burn his barn down with a decaying pigeon in the middle of the bale and it smoulders and catches the bale on fire, don't give me the cobblers it wont happen it will, it has and its not fun when I end up helping a farmer drag burning bales out of a barn trying to save his livestock, also the old nonsense oh its OK the combine will miss them they cut over it, dream on for you live in the twilight zone, I do not appreciate having to clear up behind YOU DIRTY PIGEON SHOOTERS, DON'T, shoot over standing crop without a competent dog, DON'T leave your spent cartridge cases behind, leave nothing but foot prints, be respectful to the general public another issue I have had to smooth out just recently with shooters upsetting a delicate balance of an area, remember you are all an AMBASSADOR for Country Sports.

Rant over I will tell you of a couple of pigeon shooting trips out just recently, I had been up on The Young Sports Ambassador's game shoot with Dave from South Somerset Country Supplies, they are one of the sponsors who are helping with the shoot, we had been making up pheasant feed from Collins Nets that Mags our Pass It On Young Sports national secretary had sponsored for the shoot, Dave had a new young pup called Wren, he wanted to see how she reacted around gun shots so I said join me and ole Tess the springer spaniel in the pigeon hide this afternoon, as it was I had to get some pigeons off a small crop of wheat nr Taunton Somerset, I only stayed 2 hours but put up the Jack Pyke decoying and hide system, the pigeons dropped in like bees round a honey pot, I cant remember the exact bag but we did quite well, we also discussed hide etiquette, field craft, and how a good Clean Pigeon Shooter should behave, Dave left with a boot full of fresh shot pigeons and I am told he made 72 fresh Wood Pigeon Burgers from them, nothing went to waste as he froze most of the carcasses for ferret food and put some straight into the ferrets, another bug bear of mine are those DIRTY PIGEON SHOOTERS who shoot big bags and throw the pigeons into the hedge, don't shoot more than you have a home for, or better still stay on the clay shooting grounds and leave real pigeon shooting to those who know how to do it properly with correct ethics for the job in hand.

These good ethics I teach to my Young Sports, each and everyone of them are taught correctly to best practices and the reasons there for, they are taught ethical Country Sports with Conservation at their core, some of these Young Sports got to shoot with me just recently, I had been called in on a failed crop, when I say failed that's not quite right, the winter wheat had got flooded in the winter so only half the field took, so farmer went straight in and drilled some spring barley with the wheat to get the best he can from it, its for cattle feed so this will work, then as the wheat started to ripen the pigeons hit it hard, come now come yesterday was the call, I had so much paper work on with mums funeral stuff, pest control reports and a mountain of emails to do, I could not do both paperwork and shoot, so I made a few phone calls and called in my Young Sports and their Parents, I had all the equipment they just needed their guns and cartridges, I met 3 families at the field, set up 3 hides and taught them tradition field craft as we went, I left the parents to it with their respective Young Sports to supervise, I went and sat on the back of my truck with a good vantage point to watch them all whilst I got on with my paper work and emails etc, the pigeons dropped into each decoy pattern like bees round a honey pot, I don't think the shot count was so good for birds down, but that mattered not they were keeping the birds off the crop, I decided I would have a little go myself for 2 hours, I had an old broken jack pyke hide, my Primos trigger sticks as hide poles, a broken floater that was the only decoy I had and a cammo fishing umbrella, my retriever and I sat on the back of the truck shooting over some litter ally just cut haylage under a flight line next to an old ash tree, I had a good vantage point of the other 3 hides and only shot if they did not have birds decoying to them, for 41 cartridges, that I picked up I might add, I had 30 pigeons, I missed a few but hey that's pigeon shooting for you, by the time the Young Sports and their parents came back to the truck they could not believe their eyes, they all wanted to know hoe I got so many pigeons, I laughed and said the Old Master has more than one trick up his sleeve, as The Young Sports said you really are The Ole Hedge Creeper ain't you.

The Pass It On Young Sports Game Shoot:

I created this idea after speaking to some lecturers from some of the game keeping colleges and other colleges I have lectured at, the concern was a lot of the kids coming into the industry, come in with rose tinted glasses on, they think becoming a game keeper or habitat manager is all about the shooting and they get to shoot all day, so when they go to college and find the harsh reality of it all they drop out after 3 moths and the courses start to fail or have lack of attendance etc, so I thought bugger it why not start of a Young Ambassadors Game Shoot, this is only open to those young sports who work had for 1 year to get on my programme, they then have to work hard to stay on it and be a shining light for their fellow young sports, this will also give these Pass It On Young Sports some actual hands on experience of what's expected both in college and in the work place, even if they don't go into this industry it will give them the start of a good work ethic, I call them my junior game keepers, they have to put in the hard work when school etc allows them, I have one main rule, you work hard you get to shoot, don't put the effort in you don't get to shoot, neither money or influence will change my mind on this, I have also said each and everyone of them boy or girl dresses for the occasion on a shoot day, I want to see them all in a shirt and tie and that includes the parents too, lead by example, for I will be suited and booted in my best Jack Pyke Countryman shooting suit on every shoot day, I expect the same from everyone there too, I believe this will show our Young Sports not only a pride in their appearance but also stand them in good stead for job interviews etc, it will also give them pride that their shoot is something to look up to, they will be split into two teams each shoot day, with a new shoot captain chosen each time for each team, beat one shoot one and the young sports have to organise this too including the whole shoot day, obviously I and the parents will be there to supervise, but make or break its their baby weather a shoot day works or not.

So far all the Young Sports have worked hard and cleared one of my woods, cut rides, built shelters and feeders, released their birds and fed watered and dogged in, they have done really well on their work parties with so many more to come before the first shoot day this season, take a look at the slide show or the you tube video at the bottom of this article.

Katch It Traps and The Red Squirrel Conservation:

I was asked could I join a professional panel of experts to do some live filming a Q&A session both in the work shop and out in the field over a recent weekend, well of course I would as my good chums Rob Elton owner of Katch It Traps was going to be there, in fact Rob hosted the event on his 2000 acre estate, also there was my Ole mucker Brendan Anderson from The Grey Area UK and Ireland Squirrel Group, we were there to discuss ethical trapping and shooting of the Grey Squirrel invader and the protection of our native Red Squirrel, watch the videos at the bottom of this article, get in touch if you have any questions, Rob was the most gracious of hosts and fed us like Country Kings, I also got to deal with a problem fox for him too, but read all about that in my series
Out Foxing Charlie episode 16 coming very soon.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing it, and remember these words YOU DIRTY PIGEON SHOOTERS, take your bloody rubbish home and ethically treat the birds and the crops, or you will get the sharp side of my tongue if I catch you.

By The Ole Hedge Creeper

P.S if you want real giggle watch the last you tube video at the bottom, I am goofing about as always the comedian.

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KL52High Powered Lamp and IR Review

3/6/2020

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The Ole Hedge Creepers KL52
High Powered Lamp and IR Review
By The Ole Hedge Creeper

As the co owner of The Countryman’s Diary Magazine and a Professional Controller we are always being asked to review kit and equipment for out in the field, it matters not if its day or night we use it all and really put anything were asked to test properly through its paces, as a respected Countryman, Conservationist and well known International Game Chef, my word is gold, I have always had this same ethos if its not good enough for me to part with my hard earned cash, then it most certainly is not good enough for you, here I will give you my honest view of this latest Lamp both Greg and I have been sent to test, I will say I don't write technical articles, not because I cant its just they bore the ears off of me writing them, although I may add a little technical bits just for a bit of colour as it were.

I have done a rough and ready YouTube video to accompany this article to give you a visual idea of this lamp, so watch this video too and make up your own mind, there will be a link over on The Countryman’s Diary Magazine to where you can buy this lamp from too, so go over to the magazine for that link countrymans-diary.co.uk here is a link to the Mag.

First off I will say I don't like this lamp, I bloody love it, alright its a bit fiddly to start off with until you get used to how it all works, take the battery out of which there are two, one to use and one as back up, for some reason they put it in a toy torch even though they supply a battery holder, that made me scratch my head for a moment, it comes with a double battery charger too, a barrel mounting bracket or the figure eight one that goes on your scope etc, lots of little extras like O rings and other little bits.

The kit come with the K52 torch and magnifier and four pills, they are White, Red, Green and Infrared (IR) and I must say the IR is amazing but we will get to that shortly, all the colour pills are brilliant and crystal clear looking through the scope I could see eye shine at 400 yards and identification clearly at 300 yards, although my experience told me what was what at greater distance just how the animal moved.

Changing the pills was a bit fiddly really but very well made so I guess that was the reason why, you have to take out the battery, remove the magnifier and wind the collar up to access the pill, then you have to unscrew the pill to change colours or indeed the IR pill, like I say that's a bit fiddly but does make for a very well made sturdy lamp that wont break in a couple of outing, all the colours performed brilliantly but as always my favourite is the Green Pill, no other reason but personal preference as I like that spectrum and find it the most successful for me, mounting on the gun could not be any easier and is self explanatory, I am sure I don't need to draw you a diagram me for this as you should be able to work this out for yourself, charging is dead easy and straight forward, a red light means its charging a green light on the charger its charged, you can take the torch switch off the end and put on the thumb pressure switch by simply unscrewing the bottom of the torch, in fact if your changing pills this will be already off so just screw on the thumb pressure switch, all this comes in a nice handy ABS case that is cut out with foam to fit all the bits in.

KL52 Lamp Technical Bit

OD-KL52

Item Weight
277 g

Product Dimensions
17 x 7.9 x 5.3 cm

Batteries:
1 Lithium Metal batteries required. (included)

Item model number
OD-KL52

Colour
Black

Style
KL52

Material
Aluminium

Power Source
Battery-Powered

Voltage
3.80 volts

Wattage
5 watts

Item Package Quantity
1

Number Of Pieces
10

Type of Bulb
LED

Luminous Flux
850 lumen

Handle Material
Metal

Laser Beam Color
Red

Switch Type
Dimmer

Switch Style
Dimmer switch

Batteries included?
Yes

Batteries Required?
Yes

Battery Cell Type
Lithium

Battery description
battery_type_lithium_ion

Battery Capacity
3000 milliamp_hours

Adjustable Focus: Zooming out the hunting flash light to be used as a spot light can reach out as far as 1350ft in high mode. Zooming in as a flood light provides a wide view when you are searching targets.

Interchange 4-colour LED Modules: 4 different colour lights are included in the hunting set red light, white light, green light and IR850nm light, can meet all need when you are searching for different targets in various hunting situations, Modules are easy to load and unload.

Smart Remote Switch: Intelligent pressure switch can free your hands when you are holding your shotgun. Press and hold the button to turn the light on and release to turn it off. The button makes no noise at all.

2-type flash light mount: The K185 aluminium mount can be installed in shotguns with Picatinny rail freely; the POM high strength quick-release mount can fit multiple scope sizes, no worry about different gun size.

Weather, water and shock resistant: Enhanced aircraft aluminium body designed for rough outdoor use, that is perfect for using in the rain, wild forest, which can be soaked in the water for a short time.

Now I do know there is a KL41 model of this torch but as of yet we do not have this one so I cant say what this one is like, but thats the one in the top pic, we do have a link for that one too over at The Countryman's Diary Magazine.

The IR I must say is the very best I have tried to date, as with all the other pills they are fully adjustable from flood beam to a pencil beam, the clarity on these are quite simply remarkable, the IR really gave great clarity on several Night Vision units that I tried it with, I used an old Pitch Black Unit for the main demo, you will see in the video I watched Deer, Badger and Rabbits all play none the wiser I was there right out to great distance.

My final word on this lamp is, yes its a bit fiddly until you get used to it, but that said its well made and sturdy with quality components and wont fall apart in two minuets, this should give you many years of good service if you look after it that is, I will say again that IR is something else too, I will give this my golden thumbs up seal of approval for value for money, does what it says on the tin and is a quality product, I believe the price is around the £80 to £90 mark, but as my Pappy always said, Buy Once Cry Once.

KL52 Lamp Review
By The Ole Hedge Creeper
www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk countrymans-diary.co.uk

The Countryman's Diary Link Button

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Deer, Deer, Deer, and Rabbit Too.

10/5/2020

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Deer, Deer, Deer, and Rabbit Too.
By The Ole Hedge Creeper

A few weeks leading up to this lock down due to this ghastly Covid 19, for me was some of the best Sporting and Professional work I had ever done to date, I was asked to go and help deal with three different deer control culls on three different deer species, this was also in three different counties here in the UK, first was a rabbit clearance job and a Chinese Water Deer Cull in Buckinghamshire, Second was a roe Doe Cull in Somersetshire, the third was a Muntjac Deer Cull in Hampshire, I will tell you of all three in turn, I will also tell you about each of my Ole muckers that had invited me to go help them and that of the Muckers who came to help me with these adventures.

Buckinghamshire:

I had been meaning to go up and see my Ole Mucker Bucks Moocher for a couple of years now, also he was going to come back down to me too, but our lives just got too busy with work and other things so we just kept in touch on social media and the odd phone call from time to time, Now Bucks is an old school Countryman after my own heart, he prefers to hunt with dog and ferret net and lamp as do I, although he is a damn fine shot too with quite a good collection of shot guns etc, he is pretty tidy with a catapult too but that's for another story, we have hunted together many times over the years all over the country with the most memorable being in West Wales many years ago now, that has already been well documented and written about before.

Bucks called me up one night asking could I come up with my rifles and help out on a Chinese Water Deer Cull on another good friends of ours (David) farm well his families farm, they had or well still have a huge problem with these deer destroying the crops and eating more grass than their sheep, so a weekend was arranged and I was to head up, also joining me was Niall my right hand man on a lot of my professional work and Little Jon he is the mountain man with the beard in the pictures, I am mentoring him well sort of in his deer stalking career, Bucks also used a magic wand and said oh whilst your up can you come help with some traditional ferreting and rabbit control with a Game Keeper friend and his family, now that was the magic word and for the few weeks leading up to this weekend all I could think or dream about was getting out Traditional ferreting with purse net/long net/ferret and running dog, to me this sort of hunting is the panicle the golden crown of hunting, I have heard folks say this about catching a Salmon or stalking a Red Stag, both of which I have done and filled my bag, but to me as a rough Ole Countryman that I am, nothing beats a bolting rabbit in a purse net on a frosty morning as the Viking war drums start as the Pug’s (ferrets) make contact with Drummers (rabbits) deep under ground, as I am writing this I can feel my heart pounding at just the thought of it, so as many get goose/duck/stag fever what ever I get rabbit fever, its never left me since my very first day in the field traditional ferreting when I was just two years old.

Friday morning Niall arrives in his van to pick me up two hours early I might add, but I was ready as I was just as excited to be going up to Buckinghamshire too and catching up with my old friend Bucks and David, the journey up seemed to fly by as we chatted like a couple of excited school kids, Niall was really excited about seeing Chinese Water Deer for the first time, I was too but for me it was the chance to run a running dog, work a terrier, slip a ferret down a warren and bolt the humble bunny, before we knew it we were outside Bucks House, well I better rephrase that as Her Majesty might have not have had the kettle on, we were out side my Ole Muckers House Bucks Moocher, I tapped on the door and he answered it was just like I had only seen him yesterday not several years had passed, his good lady made us a wonderful fresh home made vegetable soup and a cottage pie for the boys, she was working all weekend and staying at the farm, so it was a boys weekend too, I will say she is a wonderful cook and keeps a lovely house, it was nice to see my old friend with a little weight on him, as he used to be like a coat rack, sorry mate you were a bit skinny that girl looks after you well, she is defiantly a keeper, don't forget my invite to the wedding too.

Little John arrived a couple of hours later, we all sat there chatting like old friends as if we had known each other all our lives, we had that lovely tea then headed out to meet up with the Game Keeper and his family, I was greatly looking forward to this as I wanted to chat to a fellow keeper and see how he did things there different to what I do on my shoot in Somersetshire, this was also who we would be going ferreting with too, we met up with the keeper James and his Son Liam, by golly they were two man mountains and I could see why the local poaching travelling fraternity gave them a very wide birth as they both had hands like shovels, right away we hit it off chatting when he said lets take these two running dogs for a walk and run a few rabbits and survey the land for tomorrows ferreting trip, my smile just grew from ear to ear, Bucks grabbed a lamp in case it got dark so we could lamp a couple of rabbits too and give the dogs a stretch of the legs.

My golly you have to be fit to keep up with these boys its like mountain goat territory, had this been four years ago I would of died on those hills I was so unfit for duty back then, but the hard work of the gym etc has paid off and I am almost as fit as those running dogs, up hill and down dale we went, James pointing out famous land marks etc in the distance and explaining the history of the place, I telle that man knows his stuff, Bucks and young Liam were keen and after the rabbits running the dogs, catching a few, a few getting away, to me it made my heart beat like a Viking war drum or was that just the climb up the hills, seeing the runs really was a pleasure I don't get to do now days as we hardly have any rabbits here in Somersetshire now due to that ghastly RHD disease, James and I hung back and chatted like to old chums, Niall kept up with Bucks and Liam and the dogs, poor Ole Little Jon I think he thought he might die on those hills as he is a little bit larger than life and not the fittest of the bunch, but I was proud of him he managed the best part of five miles on foot according to his pedometer on his wrist.

We got to a high hill ground that ran along the side of a main road, James was just explaining this was where we were going to clear some rabbits in the morning, at this point two men with running dogs came into the field, shone a lamp straight the six of us just standing there seventy yards out stood bolt upright looking right back at them, James said that's poachers, as he and Liam took off after them, I could hear a lot of shouting as James escorted them off the field and told them not to come back and he was reporting them to the police as he had their registration number, they had Irish accents and were shouting something about losing their shoes in the field as they drove away, blimey that was enough excitement for one night, Jon walked back to the car as he was done he had nothing left in him but he did well, the boys carried on for a few more fields and ran a few more rabbits, James and I meandered along following them chatting away, time to go home as we had to be up for ferreting in the morning.

We were up bright and early, I was more excited than a polecat faced with a rat, a good Ole Full English Breakfast was had by all and we were off, I got to meet Emma James wife and Liam's brother, bugger if I can remember his name, but a thoroughly nice lad as was Emma she was e a very nice lady and set purse nets beautifully, Liam and his brother constantly dug at each other as brothers do all day, it reminded me of my brother and I and my as we always used to, or my Ole ferreting muckers the Kington Brothers they were the same, there is a famous story of those two fighting one ferreting morning that actually got us some great ferreting permission, James showed us the huge warren on this big high bank at the bottom of one of his best partridge drives, I showed Jon and Niall how to lay a purse net and we went to work laying all the purse nets and setting the long nets, this was done in almost complete silence, I smiled and though oh yes I am home back under the hedge after coney (rabbits), nothing I love more than traditional ferreting, I have said this so many times.

The ferrets were slipped in and that silence came over the warren, no sound existed for me, the wind stopped the birds stopped, dead silence I could hear my own heart beat as I strained to hear the rumble of the drums deep under ground, the first rabbit hit the net like a cork from the bottle, to me it looked almost in slow motion with muffled sound, rabbit in hand and a net re set it was like watching a well oiled machine, then another rabbit hit the net right in front of Niall but he was too slow, so Jet the whippet and myself launched into action from two different angles, who got there first it was a draw, she had a good hold of it and so did I, that rabbit was not getting away, it turned out to be a ginger rabbit, I had not caught a ginger one in thirty years so that is a memory made right there, the rest of the day went on like that, rabbits hitting the purse nets, slipping the nets and hitting the long nets, dashing in all directions to grab rabbits, this was when disaster struck, we had a kill very deep under ground, as always right in the most awkward place to dig right in the middle of the hedge, Dad always said two things, if your going to get a kill it will be in a god awful place to dig, also if you miss that bolt hole and not net it the rabbit will always find it, bloody true both of those saying I telle, James got to digging and had a half grown dead rabbit out in no time, again we could not find a ferret, turned out Bucks didn't check his locator batteries in his collars before using them, that's a rooky mistake as we gave him some stick for that, also the boys didn't see his big Hobb wander out of the warren, it headed across the field to a road hedge warren, what gave it away was the rabbits bolting out of it, eagle eyed Emma spotted the Hobb walking about, in no time at all we had the ferret to hand, picked up all the nets and returned the area to its former glory leaving nothing but foot prints and a few less rabbits, I gave Liam a few of my nets as he didn't have many, for me that's an investment into the future traditional rabbiting man, I have sorted a bit more gear out for the lad too, so when I go back up I will gift him the kit that has served me well for over forty years, we paunched out the rabbits, said our goodbyes and headed back for fish and chips and a few beers, we headed up to another of Bucks woods for a spot of roost shooting with 4.10 shotguns as Bucks and I have the same guns, we got a few shots but the pigeons and squirrels really didn't play ball, so we headed back for food, there's another funny long story about the best fish and chips in Buckinghamshire that will take too long to write, all I will say my fish and chips looked just like a large pizza and I will say no more for now.

The next morning we loaded up the van with all our gear as we would be leaving to head home to Somersetshire after we had finished the Chinese Water Deer cull that very evening, again we had a lovely breakfast and then headed over to David’s families farm, as soon as I got there and caught up with my old mate it was like we had never been apart, David is another fine Countryman of the old school and he hails from a long line of fine Countryman just like his Dad another dear friend of mine, so we surveyed the farm with binoculars working a plan of action out, Niall and I would cover the long ground these were huge crop fields, we would work our way round and back to the woodland on the boundary hedge, Little Jon would stand by the wood as the ground was too much for him and ambush the deer from a stationary positions with a strict clear safe shooting area, David and Bucks would go beat the far reaching field and drive the deer towards us, this worked perfectly as I had my first Chinese Water Deer grassed within ten minuets of being there, it was a slightly longer shot than I like to take, not that I am not capable of taking the longer shots, but to me stalking is just that, I like to stalk in and take the animal, but these wide open undulating fields gave us no cover what so ever, I also reminded myself this was a cull not a stalk, actually I had never seen so many deer in one place like this, if a field had a 100 strong flock of sheep in it, the next field had the same but were Chinese Water Deer, no wonder there was so much crop and grass damage, Niall came over and said blimey that's a big one I thought they were smaller as I just laughed, Bucks and David came over and took my deer back to the keepers house to field dress and hang in the game larder.

Now it was Niall's turn to stalk some whilst I took a breather and just watched, all I will say on this one is, they are not Roe Deer he was stalking in lovely deep wooded valley in Somersetshire, the deer educated him that, he came back to me red in the face puffing like he needed new lungs saying what the hell are these deer, its like deer on speed or something, I full on belly laughed, so much so I could have had a Muntjack deer but didn't see it for giggling, by now it was starting to get late so we stalked around towards the woodland where Jon Was waiting, we text him to say were on our way and from what direction, he text back he knew as he was watching us with his binoculars, David and Bucks were stood with him too, we stalked around and came up from his back left as to not compromise his safe shot zone, we were just about to enter the field as we hear a shot report and a dull thump, I said to Niall I think Jon had got that, by the time we got there David and Bucks were retrieving a lovely medal Chinese Water Deer Buck, Jon was smiling like a Cheshire cat, not a bad start for his one, Jon has a bad back due to his size so he headed back to the keepers cottage too with his deer in tow with the lads, I said I will hang on for the last chance to get Niall on to a deer, I spotted a nice buck coming into the woodland field, it was a bit of a long shot for a beginner like Niall, he was not confident, so I said I would take this one, I let it come right round to my left so it had a perfect back stop of the hill behind it, resting on a round bale of straw I steadied myself, calmed my breathing and slipped off the shot, it dropped without a twitch another perfect shot to the engine room, I breathed easy and made the rifle safe, turning and saying that's how its done mate, Niall did get a chance of a shot, but I think nerves got the better of him and he missed cleanly, that was the end of a brilliant weekend spent with old friends and making new ones, some great food drink and banter, oh yes and some remarkably brilliant sport too, we said our goodbyes and thanks for a lovely weekend and headed back to Somersetshire loaded up with fresh shot venison and Jon back to Dorsetshire.

*There will be a video link to Bucks Moocher YouTub Channel at the bottom of this page*

Somersetshire:

It was almost the end of the Roe Doe season, what with the weather and other commitments I was right behind on this years cull on 2 of the estates, the land owners were breathing down my neck to complete both herd cull management plans, I asked Jon if he would like to join Niall and myself on this one as it would be great experience for him, also as I am sort of mentoring him this would be the perfect time to put what he has been learning into great practice, it was late on the Thursday night he got to my Country Penthouse Apartment (my flat overlooking the farm) here in Somersetshire, I had arranged to do a very early stalk on one estate in the morning and an evening stalk in the evening on the other, so after some wonderful food a couple of ciders it was an early night for us boys.

I arranged to meet Niall and Young Sports Ambassadors Oliver and Carter on site before first light to get set up and make sure the kabuto was all ready to go, I love early mornings before the sun comes up its a magical time just like sunset, we all met in the car park of the lodge and Niall opened up the first flask of coffee, we studied the estate maps and I told him where to wait for me with the kabuto and told him how I would stalk in onto the estate gardens/vast lawns and open parkland and where I wanted him and the Young sports ambassador's to be, I had been watching some cull does there all week so knew where I wanted to be and the wind was just right for this today, I spoke with the boys showing them field craft, tracking, other prominent signs most folk just walk past, discussed the wind direction and how I would use what natural cover there was to get to a good shooting position with good back stops.

Jon was to wait at a good vantage point so he could watch me as I stalked in, later on he said it was like watching a leopard stalk a gazelle after watching me stalk in on the deer he could see though his binoculars, I did laugh but then again I have leaned to become one with nature after 40+ years of being in the field and taught by the old masters.

I stalked around the headland way out to the right away from the feeding deer, then turned back in when the wind was right to a little out crop of trees, the stalk into these trees with the wind in my face did two things, one my scent and any sound was being taken away from the deer, two the trees covered my stalk in across the open parkland by keeping the tree cover between me and the deer, I got to the copse and set up on the far left side, I range found it and it gave me 400m of open undulating ground all around me, as the light came up the deer started to meander back to the big woods from the lower ground, I studied them all until I picked the right cull doe I was after, actually there were two that had to come out this morning, both very big deer old deer and they never threw any young last year so I determined these two would be the ones to take out.

As luck would have it the first showed herself on the low ground slowly making her way back, she came right across the cops around a 100m out, stopped in a little hill ground dip and took a pee, I was already on her cross hairs on the heart, she was facing left to right with a perfect broad side shot, I squeezed the trigger and thump she fell on the spot not even a twitch to the Federal round from the 243, all the other deer took off running for cover as you would expect from the crack of a moderated 243 shot, luck surely was on my side this morning as the second cull doe appeared on my left coming across the open parkland on her way back to the big woodland, she dropped out of sight in the hilly parklands leading up the hill, then appeared again 70m from me, this was a little tricky this shot as she was half facing me, many folks like to take a head or neck shot, but not me I prefer a heart and lung shot, I have seen all to often other stalkers wound a deer this way and then I have to go and find said deer and deal with it, so head shots are not for me, not because I cant do them, no it’s my respect for the animals I have to deal with, as I was taught as a boy we have a duty of care to the animals and birds we are culling etc, so the chance of wounding one I will not do, luckily enough my patience paid off and she turned full broad side facing to the right with a perfect engine room shot, I squeezed off the shot and that distinctive thump of a perfect shot on target was heard, she dropped on the spot with not so much as a twitch, two perfect humane shots and two cull does in the bag, I radioed Niall to come pic the deer up and Jon to come over too, I think Oliver and Carter could not believe their eyes as they watched it all with binoculars from right up on the high ground, the boys helped load them into the kabuto and we all jumped on board and headed back to the estate game prep area and cold room, Niall Gralloched the deer and I showed all the boys what to look for as far as disease etc went, we all then headed back to my secretaries for a big old full English Breakfast and a huge pot of fresh brewed tea, after breakfast I took the boys up to one of my big woods on the shoot to give them a go on some squirrel clearance I had been meaning to get on with after the end of the game season, I think the boys enjoyed going round squirrel drey poking with me especially my Young Sports Ambassador's Oliver and Carter, the day passed so quickly and it was time to get back to the other estate for the evening stalk.

I had arranged for the boys to cover the top hill ground woodland with air rifles, this was for a few reasons, one we had a major squirrel problem there and a few rabbits that needed culling, this would also keep the deer away from that area as I deemed it not safe to shoot with a full bore rifle, they could watch my every move from there too with binoculars as I was on the low ground, I stalked around this beautiful estate but only saw Bucks and a the does that were not on the cull management list, that was until I got to meadow view, it what we call this big meadow at the bottom of one of the big woods as it has a wonderful view, I stalked round to the bottom of the meadow as this would give me the best and safest shot into the hill side, I glassed the tree line and picked up five deer, after studying them for a while I stalked in as there was one doe there that was on my list, she had a bit of a limp so the estate manager said take her out, I stalked right into 60m and settled in with the Primos trigger sticks, you know I bloody love those sticks, there they were grazing quietly none the wiser I was there, there were actually two of the cull does there, limpy moved out into the open as she was stood dead in line with another deer so did not present a shot until she moved, I waited although I could of taken the other cull one first I wanted to get this one with the limp in the bag, again cross hairs on the engine room and she dropped to the shot without a twitch, I quickly reloaded the deer did not bolt and I dropped the second cull doe in quick succession, this time the other deer took off running and I took a breath and radioed for the quad bike, we took them back to the estate game prep area gralloched them and hung them up in the chiller ready for the game dealer to come collect her.

The rest of the weekend I took the boys out on some of my other grounds a bit of rough shooting, working Tess the young Springer Spaniel, just had a jolly good weekend until it was time for all the boys to call it a day, Jon to go back to Dorsetshire, Niall to go back to his day job and Oliver and Carter back to their school, so that Sunday night everyone went home with a smiling face and a game bag full of fresh wild ethically sourced wild meat.

Hampshire:

I got a call from a good friend of mine Bruce, he was having trouble getting on top of a Muntjac Deer problem in some of his vast forestry in Hampshire, he had arranged for a few of the boys to go up last year and help him cull, I don't think they got on so well, alas I could not go over then as I was away in Malta on a Masonic Pilgrimage, so when he called me this time to arrange it again I said of course, I cleared my diary, booked a hotel and was looking forward to catching up with the other lads as well as my old friend Bruce, alas as it was all the lads cried off one by one what with work commitments and other reasons, so it just left Bruce and I to have a go and see what we could do in this vast forestry plantation.

Talk about mountain goat territory or what, I thought I was going to have to carry oxygen and mountain climbing equipment on this one, I jokingly said if I shoot one up there it will roll down to the truck for us, we both laughed, I spent a wonderful couple of days up there, stalking round, tracking, using all my field craft, in fact it reminded me of hunting in Germany and their vast woodlands, I saw lost of signs of deer from tracks fur left on barbed wire and more, but did I so much as a see one of these fabled Fallow Deer or a Roe Deer no, not even the bark of a Muntjac let alone see one.

We headed back to the low ground to the base camp, we sat down had a lovely mug of coffee and some really nice meat rolls, pasties and other tit bits, I finished off with a custard slice from a local shop, I am a bit partial to something sweet now and again, Bruce and I sat there and discussed the afternoon stalk, I said I will cover the low ground, for two reasons really, one I didn't fancy that climb to the top again and two my gut feeling was these deer will be on the low grounds or at least at some point they will be, we discussed what high seat I should go in as Bruce didn't fancy the climb again either so he would take another high seat.

I just finished my second mug of coffee when I had that gut feeling, I don't know its like a sixth sense I get, over the years I have learned to trust this gut feeling in so many situations not just out in the field, I turned to Bruce and said I am going to just take a look down this track a moment I just have a feeling, he said crack on I am pouring another coffee, I stalked down about a 150m something told me to stop and glass this big scrub covered embankment, I scanned with my binoculars and there is was a young Muntjac Buck staring right at me 73m out right next to a tree half way up the embankment showing a full broad side from left to right, by golly the hunting gods were on my side on this one, a perfect broadside with a perfect back stop, I dropped the Primos trigger sticks nice and slowly and quietly, mounted the rifle and took a breath with the cross hairs on for a perfect heart and lung shot, I squeezed off the shot and that dull thump report was heard telling me I was right on target as the beast rolled down the embankment to the bottom, I breathed easy and smiled as I really had earnt this one, I made the rifle safe took another breath and laid the rifle on the floor.

I beckoned Bruce to come down who was just finishing his coffee, I heard the shot he said did you get one, oh yes I smiled as we both went to retrieve it, I really could not of been more happy as the shot was pin point where I wanted it to be, a totally humane ethical shot, I saluted the beast as I do with all I cull and took it back to base camp to gralloch and dress out and butcher, well Bruce did the gralloch and skinning I did the butchery, we split the beast half each into out cool boxes, after this we headed around to the high seats, I never saw another deer this day, Bruce did he was his big matriarch Roe Buck and said he was in full velvet, I was gutted I would of loved to have seen him, we were only here for the Muntjac on this trip so even if I saw a cull fallow or a cull roe I would not have taken the shot, we headed back to my hotel as the light fell, had some lovely food and a few well deserved pints of Guinness, alas the next day the Sunday the weather came in bad heavy rain and high winds, so that put pay to another days awesome stalking in some of the most magnificent of scenery even though it was mountain goat territory.

I stayed in the hotel and went in the pub over the road for a jolly good Sunday lunch with some people I met there, Bruce had gone home to the Isle Of White, I must say the Guinness did flow rather well and I retired in the early evening to my bed, I got up the next day had a jolly fine breakfast, loaded my truck and headed home with a full belly, a full heart smiling like a Cheshire Cat as my cool box was full with half a Muntjack Buck I culled with a good friend, so many memories made together with all my chums.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it, please keep your messages and emails coming in to The Countryman’s Diary Magazine, I do try to get back to you all personally but some of you do slip the purse net from time to time like a good rabbit does.

Deer, Deer, Deer and Rabbit Too.
By The Ole Hedge Creeper
www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk
countrymans-diary.co.uk

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Whistling Wings Under The Moonlight

6/4/2020

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Whistling Wings Under The Moonlight
By The Ole Hedge Creeper

Whilst sat here in social isolation due to this ghastly Covid 19 virus that is running rampage through our beautiful world, I find myself catching up with my back log of all my articles and writing my next book, I distantly gaze out of the office window looking over the farm, this was when I drifted off in the sands of time and my memory of this last wildfowling season and more spent with friends, family and my awesome Young Sports Ambassador's, I have aptly named this article Whistling Wings Under The Moonlight, as my first thought was of the first nights wildfowling in the 2019/2020 season with those awesome Young sports Ambassador's.

We start off in late September early October, we had just managed to get all the wheat off in time before the rains came, this was just inland about a mile from the foreshore, fresh stubble's like a blanket of gold laid out the dinner table for the wildfowl and more, then the rains came just as the combine pulled out of the fields, this does not happen around here very often but fresh cut wheat fields that were late being cut, then rain making big flooded splashes with wheat chaffs and fallen seed all over them, this was like a magnet to all the ducks/geese and more, I set up 2 days after the harvest was collected in, joining me were my good friend Niall and Young Sports Ambassadors Harry, Oliver and Carter, oh not forgetting young Tess the springer spaniel, Niall and I set the hides/blinds up whilst the Young sports Ambassadors set out all the Jack Pyke Flock Coated Duck Decoys and the Canada Goose decoys from Riverside Outdoors.

We agreed we would let the Young Sports Ambassadors shoot the early birds and Niall and I take the later birds in the evening, well what can I say the ducks slipped air paddles down right into the decoy spread, all to the calling of my Young Sports Ambassadors on the Duck Calls I had sponsored them, the air was filled with a symphony of wildfowl calling from the boys, they were amazed how the ducks responded to the basic calling techniques I had taught them, I also taught them how to read the birds and when the right time to shoot was, to many make the mistake and shoot too early before letting the birds commit properly, Oliver dropping a cracking green head mallard with his first shot from right to left, then is was Carters as he dropped a fine duck in the decoy spread sending Tess straight after it as it was a runner, now it was Harry’s turn as a duck flew straight over him and he folded cleanly with one shot, I telle I don't think those boys smiles could of got any wider.

Time got on and now it was mine and Niall’s turn to have a go, we got the boys doing all the calling and helping Tess to do the retrieving, the wildfowl just came like magnets to the boys and their calling as they were getting better and better by the minuet, I don’t know who was more proud me or the boys as I sat there wide eyed smiling like a Cheshire Cat, then I heard it echo on the wind, that ghostly bugle of the wild ghost riders echoing on the wind, by that I mean the wild geese, I said to Oliver lay it on this with that Canada Goose call and I will do the same with mine, then all of a sudden there they were a nice little skein of them coming our way round onto the wind paddles down honking back, Tess the springer spaniel was up on her toes like a frozen to the spot shaking with excitement, Niall looked like a hawk ready to stoop and the boys so wide eyed with their hearts beating from their chests, well that could have been mine too as it was beating like a marching drum, we called them right in so close we could see the whites of their eyes, Niall dropping two with one shot right over the Riverside Out doors new Canada goose decoys, I swung through with my 10 Bore at a going away bird, the boys call that gun Dragons Breath as it fires a double magnum of bismuth and lets out a roar with flames especially in the low light, I dropped another goose stone dead in the air soon after, but we had to retrieve that later as it was the other side of the river and too big for this little springer and a long walk round too, we finished that flight with a brace of fine wild mallard each and a goose each to take home for Christmas dinner.

One of the next flights that really sticks in my memory was in early January, there are so many I could write about and may at a later date, but for now this one really stands out, for those of us there it sticks out as one of the most wind and wet flights, the wind really blew a hooley and it rained so hard we could not see 20 feet in front of us, we hunkered down and waited for the storm to pass, thank god we all had our Jack Pyke Hunter clothing on that took the worst of it and kept us warm and dry, the weather cleared the sun setting a golden sky behind us as the moon came up in front of us just as predicted, the young Sports Ambassador's Harry, Oliver and Carter set the decoys out, we had mallard/teal/wigeon decoys out and my wind powered flying mallard decoys and some Canada geese decoys out for good measure.

All was set it wont be long now before the wildfowl start to fly in to my marsh down on The Somerset levels, first to drop in amazingly was a lone Cock Wigeon that none of us saw but Hawk eyed Oliver did, he mounted the gun like silk swung through and dropped this left to right crossing bird as smooth as silk, I have to say that's one of the finest shots I have ever had the pleasure nay honor to whiteness, I really cant do that shot justice with mere words I telle.

Even Nik my good friend from another wildfowling club who came as my guest agreed that was a fine shot, this was about when again we heard that ghostly bugle echoing on the wind, the ghost riders were on their way, all of a sudden they appeared from the moon coming right into my calling as I was the only one with a goose call this flight, in they dropped from left to right over the decoys right across us, I shouted take them boys as all of us sprang into action, again four geese dropped, alas Nik dropped one stone dead right over the other side of the river so again we had to retrieve that after we had finished the flight, but I and Oliver had it marked down.

Now as the flight progressed the sound of Mallard/Teal/Wigeon/Shoveller filled the air as well as snipe/plover and an assortment of other birds and more filled the marsh, it was like the music of the night had started its show, I spotted a barn owl and gave it a few vole squeaks, it quartered right above us much to the delight of all the lads especially Young Sports Harry/Carter and Oliver, now the wigeon and Teal really started to move and dropped into my calling right into the decoys on the moonlight, it was truly magical, Carter would spot them really well early on but they were too fast for the boy, so his Dad Niall got in some fine sport, Harry and Nik just could not see them fast enough although they got off a few solutes, But Oliver and I were on fire and worked as a team, we got in some mighty fine sport as these wild wind riders slipped air paddles down right into my decoys enchanted by my calling, this was a truly magical flight on a moon that made my marsh look like daylight and the silhouette of the moon on the splash that lay before us was quite simply beautiful, it also made the splash look like a giant shimmering lake too, I really cant describe this flight in all its splendour or do it justice with simple words, photos or video, you just had to be there.

We finished off the night with a nice bag of wild meat between us all, Mallard/Teal./Wigeon and Wild Goose to grace our tables, this night I say the man of the hour was Young Sports Ambassador Oliver, although all the boys did well and us old boys too, Oliver shot like an absolute pro and his calling under my tutelage well watch this space boys we have a NEW whistler in town and he is locked and loaded with my favourite Calls and not just wildfowl either.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this and maybe using your imagination we have taken you along with us to the marsh, as you feel the wind hit your face and the sound of wild fowl filled the air, or maybe I have reminded you of some great flights out there from last season or further back through the sands of time.

We also had a brilliant evening flight on a corporate duck shoot with a lot of our chums and all the Young Sports Ambassador's, this was for my old Dad’s 70th Birthday as my gift to him as a memorable birthday with a truly wonderful birthday meal to follow too, we also did the British Shooting Show 2020 and my Young Sports Ambassador's flew the flag brilliantly helping with the stand and our Game cooking Theatre putting into practice all the game prep they had learnt this last season, I did a great interview on camera called back on the sofa with my old friend James Marchington, keep your eye out for that video.

Take Care one and all, stay safe, stay well and above all stay at home, the quicker we don't give this virus a host, the quicker it will die out, see you all on the other side muckers or in my next article.

Whistling Wings Under the Moon Light
By The Ole Hedge Creeper
www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk
http://countrymans-diary.co.uk/

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Raising The Game

24/3/2020

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Raising The Game
By The Ole Hedge Creeper

Well here we are on lock down, after the PM announced it last night over this C19 Virus, its our own fault, many people just flaunted the governments advice or just plain ignored it, so to those Sheeple that flocked together you have nobody else to blame but yourselves and now WE all have to suffer for your stupidity, the same as all the selfish panic buyers stripping the shops etc, you all have to stay calm, listen to the advice given and stick to to it, then and only then can we get through this, Hitler didn't beat us, neither will this, we just have to do as we are told, so STAY AT HOME and be safe and well or you will spread this ghastly virus.

Rant over its been a busy few months here at The Ole Hedge Creepers Cabin in the Woods, so much has gone on, getting ready for all the shows, The British Shooting Show was awesome and a massive success especially for my Team and I, alas we are shut down for the moment, but we will rebuild, regroup and stand again as always, as the old saying says, these British Colors DO NOT RUN, my Young Sports Ambassador's Programme has been a huge success as we hit 2020 on the front foot moving forward as always, my Young Sports Ambassador's are hand picked after working very hard for a minimum of 12 months to earn their places, they also have to keep working hard to stay on my Ambassador Programme, whilst be an inspirational shining light to their fellow Young Sports and indeed each other, I always stress to them they are representing me directly and the Pass It On Young Sports Organisation too, I am very proud of each and everyone of them, especially Young Sports Ambassador George, he has left school graduated with honors and is now training to be a brilliant chef, all this under the wing of Andy another amazing chef and a very dear old school friend of mine, George is soon to graduate from my Young Ambassador Programme as he will turn 18 very soon, he has lead his Younger Ambassador's with great Honor/Passion/Sportsmanship with Conservation at his core, oh and WOW can that boy cook too, we wish him well and hope he keeps his passion for Hunting/Shooting/Fishing and Cookery with conservation at his core.

I have also been trying out some awesome new kit from my chums over at Jack Pyke, I will just tell you of just one bit of kit for now, some of the other gear will be featuring in another article and on a TV add I have done, I have been using the awesome NEW Digi Cammo soft shell Jacket from Jack Pyke, I must say its warm comfy and well thought out, it keeps you well concealed too in the British Countryside, click on the Jacket details photo its a web-link to the Jack Pyke website for a full spec of the jacket and all thier awesome gear, you can also find your nearest stockist too, I telle muckers its worth every penny I love mine, I have used it for everything from fishing, rabbit shooting, roost shooting and even deer stalking, its also silent unlike others I have tried from other leading brands, as I always say buy British and buy the Best and for me that is the Jack Pyke Brand that has never let me down.

Click on the Jack Pyke picture link above to be taken to the Jack Pyke website.

I have also recently signed up with Eley Out Doors as their UK Brand Ambassador, again click on my photo its a picture link it will take you to the Eley website where you will be able to sign up, follow my story, come with me on this journey learn some new things, ask me or the rest of the team for advice, or even pass on your knowledge too us, Eley has great ethics as they share my passion for conservation being at its core, its ammunition is in my opinion simply the very best for out in the field or on the range or indeed in competition, this ammunition gives you the winning edge, I have found it to be very reliable, pin point accurate with a humane deadly punch on target for all my Professional Poison Free Pest Control where I have had to use a 22 rimfire, follow my other articles over at The Countryman’s Diary Magazine or indeed over at The Eley Out Doors website and TV Channel etc, I have been using Eley ammunition since I was a Boy as many of us have, I can honestly say hand on heart it has never let me down, or indeed if it did perform under par Eley were right there to listen, give advice or find out what was going wrong.

You know my Pappy (Grandfather) always said every day is a school day, you could live to be 101 years old and still not have enough knowledge, of course he was right too, just recently I was at my rifle range when the club secretary and indeed the owner posed a question to me, they were having miss fires in several of their guns, using different Eley ammunition, when I say miss fires, its what many of us call a dead man's click, the strike on the case was well good as was pointed out to me, I contacted Eley the very next morning, Michael Atkinson (brand manager) came straight back to with the answer, by golly he was right it was not the ammunition at all it was the guns, I wont bore you with the technical side of this but lets just say a properly cleaned and serviced gun was what was needed, if you would like to know more about this or are finding you are having the same problem, drop Eley a line through their website or by clicking on the picture link of me above, I will also add a button for their website to the bottom of this article too so its easy for you to drop them a line, I am told they make a bullet casing with a thicker rim for just occasions too, I am a Hunter/Countryman and Professional Pest Controller, I don't do much target shooting but I am told it can be a common thing with target rifles that are poorly serviced or indeed not cleaned correctly, like I say every day is a school day.

I entitled this article Raising the Game, I believe we are doing just this by using The Best of British Starting With Jack Pyke, NiteSite and indeed Eley Out Doors to name just a few, over the coming months as soon as we are able to get out in the field after we come through this ghastly C19 fiasco, I will bring you some truly inspirational articles and indeed footage, using The Very Best Of British with my Young sports Ambassador's and also out on my Professional Poison Free Pest Control Rounds and more.

Until next time everyone please do as you are told, stay home, stay safe and stay well.

Raising The Game
By The Ole Hedge Creepers
www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk

Eley Out Doors Weblink

Jack Pyke Weblink

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Out Foxing Charlie 15

20/2/2020

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Out Foxing Charlie 15

Well blimey yet again I really don't know where to start, Christmas has come and gone, the game shooting season and wildfowling season is over until it starts to get going again in September, well the wildfowling season that is we have to wait until October for the game season to start, The British Shooting show at The NEC has come and gone in a flash too, I must say my stand and my Young Ambassador's Stand really was the shizzle this year we were rammed all weekend with show folk all wanting to talk and meet my Young Ambassador's and have a calling lesson from us.

My game cooking theatre was also packed with wide eyed folk wondering what I was going to cook up next, and the launch of my NEW game cooking book Home & Away was so well received we sold old out, but we will be at The West Of England Game Fair Come March 21st and 22nd doing our demos and more.

As For the Professional Poison Free Pest Control its gone completely mad and I have crop and live stock protection jobs coming out of my ears on my agricultural as well as my domestic and commercial pest control work too, I will tell you of a couple of live stock protection jobs I have had to do just recently and my Young Sports Ambassador's Oliver and Carter got to join me on as I further their education and training.

We start out on a bitterly cold ghastly wet January night, we had to go to one of my oldest clients farms, he has sheep, pigs, ducks and chickens, this is a commercial piggery and lambing station, his fowl are kept for his personal eggs and meat etc, his neighbour is just a house with a large garden who also keeps rare breed fowl as they like to show them at the agricultural shows etc, something was attacking both the farm and the neighbours rare breed fowl killing many and just taking one, of course I knew this to be a fox or foxes.

I got there late afternoon about an hour or so just before dark would fall, I tracked around the perimeters of both properties to work out the attackers entrance and exit, I indeed found these out quite quickly but I wanted to test my Young Sports Ambassador's knowledge and field craft and see if they had taken in some of the lessons I had taught them previously, I was glad to say they had both boys doing very well with their limited young knowledge of tracking, I showed them some of the things they had missed from a single feather, to fur on the barbed wire and even some of tracks they had not seen.

I asked the boys to tell me where would be the best ambush point to take this fox or foxes on its natural attack route, both boys taking into consideration safe back stops, shooting angles, location of live stock, houses, farm buildings etc, I pointed out one thing they forgot, that was the prevailing wind direction as we did not want the fox to wind us before we could get a shot, it was decided that the gate going into lambing field was the best place to set up with everything considered and we had a large barn breaking up our silhouettes etc, I set up my trigger sticks and mounted the NiteSite Eagle Rtec Dark ops on the ole 223 Lead Injector with my favourite Norma Lead Aspirin loaded in the breach, As the dark fell we blended in to our surroundings, Carter started off using the NiteSite Sentinel Pro spotter but then asked could he use my Night Pearl Thermal Spotter, I let him do all the spotting for I knew we would not have long to wait, Niall that's Carters Dad went to check the lambing sheds then came back and said all quiet on the home front.

My 6th sense kicked in as I said I swear I could feel and smell a fox coming in on the wind, Carter looked to the left and very excitedly whispered there he is coming from the left down the big hill through the farm gate, I mounted the rifle switched on the NiteSite Eagle Dark Ops, there he was a big dog fox coming round on the wind just as I had tracked him earlier that day, he started to veer off so I got Oliver to do just two rodent squeaks on my Newly designed Ole Hedge Creepers Fox Magnet multi call, this worked like a dream as he came charging in down the steep hill from 300m to 200m to 100m at 60 I shouted but still he came on strong, at 40m I gave a load rabbit squeal that stopped him as he sat down face on, the rest is history really safety off as I squeezed off the shot and sent the Norma sleeping pill down range, a perfect heart and lung shot as the fox fell stone dead on the spot.

My Young Sports Ambassador's were off like rabbits to go and retrieve the fox, Carter got there first, they both excitedly said how do you do it this all happened almost exactly as you said it would, I just said experience boys but it don't always go this way sometimes the fox out smarts me, my client came out of the farm house after hearing the shot shaking his head saying you never fail you always get your fox, I laughed and said I have failed many times and every time I learn something NEW.

The next problem was on a VIP major sports ground, they had 2 problems, something was attacking their little petting zoo that they have for disabled children, the other was something was digging up the sports ground, the owner swore it was Wild Boar, now although we have had reports of Boar in that area the damage was bad but not bad enough for Boar, to me a swore it was badgers that was my gut feeling, as for the attacks on the petting zoo I had already proved it was foxes, there were plenty of fox tracks fur left on fences sides of enclosures etc, there was also a small rat and rabbit problem to deal with too.

I said to Niall you take Carter and Oliver with the air rifle and the NS50 and see if you can deal with the rabbit and rat problem, I am going to set up camp under that oak tree high upon the hill off the sports ground, I know these foxes are coming down from high ground to attack, This position also gave me 400m of open killing ground with a 180 degree view all with perfect back stops.

I settled in for the night as the night fell the sky was cloudless and the moon was coming up bright, the reason for hiding under said oak tree to hide my silhouette, this it did superbly, I had voles, rabbits, deer all around me within 2 yards until they came around on the wind and winded me that was, I even had a tawny owl land 6ft above my head none the wiser I was there, then I hear a pig type snorting noise 3oom to my left and this big bramble bush start shaking I thought blimey it cant be Boar surely, then two of the biggest badgers I have ever seen came charging out at full throttle right towards me, I could see them clearly in the bright moon light, they charged right at me one chasing the other making loud snorting noises, they crashed through the hedge not 20 feet away from me and kept going, I telle that made my heart pump alright, I took a breath and calmed myself down and carried on spotting with the awesome Night Pearl Thermal Spotter.

A short time later I spotted the first fox coming in from the big wood right over to my right, I got in position with the 223 again with the NiteSite Eagle Rtec mounted on top and watched the fox quietly come in right where I thought he would, I made no sound at all as if I did he would have me pegged in a heart beat, I let him come on round on the wind, then he detected me, he froze on the staring right at me at 100 yards, but too late my cross hairs were already on target, again another text book shot as the fox fell on the spot, I breathed reloaded and settled back down, a few moments after I heard a fox calling to my left, I turned around and there coming down off the top of the hill was another fox.

Again I got the gun and NiteSite in position still hugging my oak tree, this fox knew something was up, he came through the big hedge jumped the high side of the large ditch to the lower side and sat there, this time I tried a rabbit squeal, he was having none of it, and just sat down on the lower side of the ditch bank, it was a long shot but not out of my range, I got my breathing right settled my heart rate put the cross hairs on the top of his head allowing the drop to be an engine room shot and squeezed off the shot, he did a big back flip into the ditch, I went straight up and there he lay in the deep ditch with a perfect shot to the engine room stone dead, it was a very deep ditch and one I was not going to retrieve from by torch light, I told the owner and he had his green keeping staff retrieve it for me in daylight so I could take it to be incinerated.

By the time I got back to the oak tree Niall, Oliver and Carter were there asking well did you get them or it? I told them what had happened and the boys were off like rabbits to retrieve my first fox, both clients since my visit have reported no more fox attacks, as for the badgers we are trying some sonic beepers to keep them away so only time will tell if that works.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it, so until Out Foxing Charlie 16 or one of my other articles, or you come say hello at a game fair, all I can say is catch you later, please keep the emails letters and smoke signals coming into The Countryman’s Diary Magazine I do try to answer you all but some do slip the purse net like a good rabbit on a frosty morning.

Out Foxing Charlie 15
By The Ole Hedge Creeper
www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk

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To my Haters & Stalkers, I am a Lion not a Sheeple, my advice is to not poke the Sleeping Lion, for if you awake me from my slumber you will hear me ROAR, then you will find yourself staying at Her Majesty's pleasure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

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As you will all know I am a busy boy and I am asked post articles and review on behalf of lots people in lots of different places.

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Archives

Categories

SPONSORS

Whistling Wings Under The Moon Light ​ Part 2

Deer, Deer, Deer and Fox Too ​ By The Ole Hedge Creeper

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Dirty Pigeon Shooters​By The Ole Hedge Creeper

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About the Archive

Archives

Categories

SPONSORS

Whistling Wings Under The Moon Light
Part 2

Deer, Deer, Deer and Fox Too
By The Ole Hedge Creeper

Dirty Pigeon Shooters
By The Ole Hedge Creeper

Out Foxing Charlie Episode 16
By The Ole Hedge Creeper

Back In The Woods
with The Ole Hedge Creeper

The Ole Hedge Creepers KL52
High Powered Lamp and IR Review
By The Ole Hedge Creeper

Deer, Deer, Deer, and Rabbit Too.
By The Ole Hedge Creeper

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By The Ole Hedge Creeper

Raising The Game
By The Ole Hedge Creeper