Back To My Boyhood

Back To My Boyhood
​ From Catapults To Pigeon Shooting

Blimey where does the time go, it only seems like yesterday I wrote the last article not a month ago, as the title says I have had a wonderful month, especially as I have got to shoot with my ole Dad and I also got to use my catapult on some Scaly Tailed Ratticuss, I will get to all that in due course.

First of all I must send a huge thank you to Brendan Anderson the head honcho and pointy hat wearer of the UK and Ireland Grey Squirrel Group on face book, he an his team stood in for me and Pass It On Young Sports at the game fair this year, unfortunately due to my on going health issues I was unable to head up the team and attend the show, this was the first time in 30+ years I have missed this show, so well done Brendan and all the team.

The first shoot I was called out to was a small 3 acre test crop of wheat, this ground is not normally good for wheat, but a new short stem variety has been developed so this farmer was chosen to try it out, obviously the local pigeon population had descended up on it, hearing the dinner bell I suppose, The first day I just went for a recce as I wanted to try out a gun I had just fixed, I had to replace a firing pin and was not sure if I had set the strike right, as it was I didn't as it was too light to fire the cartridge, so bear in mind I now had a gun with only one working barrel.

Like I said this was only really a recce, I was not equipped for an afternoons pigeon shooting, I had the gun, just over a box of Eley High Flyers with me, the dog and a patio chair, I sat bolt upright in the open on a flight line, acting more like a scare crow than a pigeon shooter, I also wanted to give Goose my Cocker spaniel a bit of practice retrieving, by golly those pigeon were determined to hit this crop, I quickly ran out of cartridges and a pile of pigeons, Goose very much enjoyed himself and retrieved all but 2 and some good long birds too, the farmer popped by and took some pics for me and took the pigeons for a farm BBQ, I also attended said BBQ by kind invitation.

I called my ole Dad up and said do you fancy a days decoying pigeon, of course he said yes, he loves pigeon shooting and would never turn a day down if he could help it, Uncle Dave joined us too, but his car broke down so never actually got to fire a shot, he just listened to Dad and I banging away at the top of the field whilst he waited for the breakdown company to arrive.

We set the Jack Pyke stealth netting hide up first, then took the Jack Pyke shell decoys out and set them up on 4ft garden canes on the blown flat spots on the crop, not only does this raise the decoys above the crop so the Wood Pigeons can see our decoy pattern but also gives great movement to the decoy pattern too.​

Pigeons were decoying to our pattern before we had even got back into the hide, sometimes I might add a Jack Pyke floater decoy to the pattern, but this day it was not needed, I very rarely use my pigeon magnet or whirl y gig as some of you call it, to many people rely on the gadgets instead of learning proper field craft, read my article advanced decoying this will tell you more on this subject, I shot the first right and left before Dad had even got chance to sit down and get his gun out of its slip, a good start as the gun I was using was the one I repaired, lets just say the strike is now perfect, right away the father and son banter started, Dad missing a couple of really easy birds right over the kill zone in the decoy pattern, well of course number one son had to oblige and drop both birds eye wiping my dear old Dad, lets just say the banter was both jolly and colourful.

Dad soon got his eye in and was dropping birds like a pro living up to his nick name Ole Snake Eyes as he never misses a trick, as the bag of birds grew along with the empty cases of the Eley cartridges we were using, I just could not resist and let Dad do most of the shooting, I was like a boy again sat with the dogs waiting to be sent out to retrieve the shot birds, my heart filled with joy and so many memories came back, like my little brother Shaun fast asleep in the bottom of the hide on Dads coat whilst Dad shot and the dogs and myself on alert, the pride just grew in me as Dad took bird after bird in fine style, it was like watching a well oiled machine, THAT’S MY DAD right there as a happy tear rolled down my cheek.​

The hours flew by and we stopped shooting for the pile of shot pigeon were quite something, we never really count the bag size we never have, but lets just say we wont need any more pigeon until next year now, although I do like to give plenty away oven ready especially to my local pensioners, these are always gratefully received, more so now than ever with this Labour Government cutting pensioners heating allowances and more.

The next Job I was back out on one of the agricultural education centre sites, first off dealing with flying vermin, the gun of choice this day was the awesome Mossberg Hush Power pump action 410 shot gun, using Eley Hawk Cartridges, by golly that combination with The Ole Hedge Creeper behind the butt really made for a winning combination, the pile of avian vermin amassed very quickly, the rest vacated the site very quickly stage left.

I had visited several of their other sites too, these were done with air rifles, mostly the brilliant Air Arms S510 Ultimate Sporter and the TDR, I also tried out a HW100 I had repaired for a customer in my gun shop, all worked very well indeed, I was actually very impressed with the Konus Optics Range, I had tried the scopes out on the rifles and the binoculars, I am very impressed with these, all these products and other sporting equipment and hunts etc are available through my website www.reallywildadventures.co.uk and so much more,

I must say the little .22lr and Eley Ammunition really is proving its worth this month, with my small vermin work really getting busy, especially squirrel control.

I also put my coaching hat on again this month, I know I am retired from coaching but still get dragged back in with old friends etc, this time it was for one of my chums from a masonic lodge and his son, what a fabulous day we had up at The Mendip Shooting Ground, we finished off with a bolting rabbit shoot off using my Mossberg 410 and Eley Hawk cartridges, what a fantastic day this was as we all left smiling.

I finally had a really nostalgic time, my dear friend was getting married, he asked could I look after the livestock whilst he got married and also when on honeymoon, of course this was not a problem, I was there with my right hand man feeding, cleaning out making sure the water was full etc, when Scaly Tailed Ratticuss decided to make an appearance, now I never had my big truck so having no pest equipment with me I looked for some blue pipe, then I remembered one of my not so young sports made me a gift of a catapult kit, ball bearings and everything and was under my car seat, I walked away not even looking at the rat, ahhhhhh there is is, I put the magnetic key ring with the ball bearings on in my pocket and taking one off I loaded said catapult, as I walked back there was this big rat munching a piece of livestock feed, I took aim and let rip, THWACk I only got it with a brilliant head shot, it jumped in the air and hit the ground with a helicopter tail, I was rather chuffed, I have not lost the skill from Boy Hood exactly as my Pappy (Grandfather) had taught me, livestock fed I set up a few bottle tops and you know what I still have it hitting 8 out of ten shots.

​I hope you have enjoyed my latest humble scribbles until the next time, stay safe and well one and all.

Back To My Boyhood
From Catapults To Pigeon Shooting

By The Ole Hedge Creeper
www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk