The Stalking Show 2024 & Time In The Woods

The Stalking Show 2024
​ Time In The Woods

Blimey where do I start with this article, I suppose with the build up and anticipation of attending this years 2024 Stalking Show, well all can say it was electric or as my young sports say its buzzing, every true Countryman/Hunter could not wait for the show weekend, all the hotels, B&Bs anywhere to stay in a 50 mile radius was booked out months in advance.

pic: below me with Sausage Boy a name I gave him last year when I met him and his Dad at breakfast in the hotel.

Day 1 of the show.

First off I must say the show ground/venue was awesome, it really fits the part and looks amazing, this really is a show of yesteryear a proper Countryman's/Hunters Show for the real country folk among us, David and his team have built a magnificent show, so a huge well done to them, not a candy floss stall or garden furniture stand in sight, every stand must be hunting related, so it also makes every stand interesting to the show goer and this Rough Ole Country Boy too, I would call this show the premier Country Sports Show in Britain or dare I say so Europe.​

The first day was simply amazing I wore my hunting tweed suit and did my calling demos, this drew crowds from right across the show, our stand was packed out all day, so many folk coming to my array of game calls all asking for lessons and advice, my Fallow Buck call I am tuning really brought the deer stalkers in, its a white tail call I picked up whilst I was in Texas at Bass pro doing a calling demo, one of the other lads had one and I thought hmmmmm if I re tune that I could make a good fallow buck call, I was right it works a treat but just needs some fine tuning to make it handsome as I call it.

​My beautiful lady my Julie and our kids Dom and Dolcie also came to the show all weekend, they helped out on the stand talking to folk, Dom and Dolcie helping with my calling demos, Dolcie doing very well with Fallow Call, Dom well he is shaping up to be a cracking little Roe Buck caller and Fox Caller with my home made squealing hare call, The Kids did brilliantly both days and worked hard as well as having a good look round the show with their mum as I could not leave the stand, all my chums and sponsors knowing it was my family welcomed them on to their stands and gave them lots of goodies, I swear Dom has enough hunting hats now for every day of the year.

That night my whole team met up at the usual Chinese restaurant for our normal all you can eat buffet and a few beers, I will say we had a wonderful jolly time one and all, Lloyd one of my young sports ate 12 puddings, I thought to myself he will have a bad belly tonight.

Day 2

I did not wear my suit today as packing down a stand and loading the trucks is not the sort of thing you do in a suit, so I wore my day to day working gear, basically I was Pyke Clothed apart from My Eley International Out Doors Ambassador Cap.


Again the show was buzzing the atmosphere was off the charts, not a single show goer was disappointed, there was something for everyone, again our stand was packed out all day, even Brendan from The UK and Ireland Grey Squirrel control group on Face Book did not leave our stand, I let him share the stand with me as this is an important conservation job he and the group do, as I am a Lantra lecturer on Grey Squirrel Management and Red Squirrel Conservation its something close to my heart, the show finished on such a high, everyone one from punters to exhibitors and the show itself, so much so we have already booked for 2025 already, so a huge well done to David and his Stalking Show team you pulled off another blinder of a show, this Rough Ole Country Boy cant wait until next year.

Out In The Woods.​

Well as you can imagine were in a pretty busy time on the estate, not just with the shoot but forestry work and spring drilling's and getting ready for hay making, well if this bloody rain ever stops and we get some sun, my Pappy would always say you gotta make hay when the sun shines, saying that I have got my under keeper team and the young sports out a fair bit squirrel drey poking and roost shooting, young Bella having her first time in the woods, young Dom looked after her and they had a wonderful time, I must say Bella has a real talent for spotting squirrel dreys and helped her ole Dad bag quite a few tree rats, she was a good retriever too, not squeamish straight in there, Dom did some great shots with my old 410 shotgun, that's my boy eyes as sharp as a hawk with an aim like Robin Hood a surgeon with that little gun on sitting squirrels, even my Lady Julie knocking tree rats off the high ash trees, what a girl, as my Pappy would say about my Nan, she sure is a sweet on the eyes as she is in my arms, I can truly say this about my Julie, by golly she gets This Rough Ole Country Boys heart pumping especially in my woods or in the kitchen, I really know now why my Pappy loved my Nan so much, these cold winters nights sure aint so cold any more, better stopped there my devil horns are pushing my halo off and this will turn into a Ladies Chatterley's Lovers romance novel and me The Game Keeper.

​I must say I am rather impressed with this NEW Day/Night Night Vision Scope from Night Pearl, The Fellis has everything a day and night hunter could want, it comes with everything even a good quality IR Torch, normally that's the one thing that lets a product down, but not with Night Pearl they pride themselves on quality and all the products must be on par, built by hunters for hunters, so these boys really know what its like for their equipment to do the job where the Metal meets the Meat, the clarity of this scope both by day and by night is remarkable, I recently had to zero a customer at my gun shops air rifle for him with another leading brand Day/Night Scope on, I went out back in my zeroing range, I got it zeroed in no time but did remark I did not like the clarity of his scope much, I showed him the Fellis, two days later he came back and asked about swapping his scope in and buying a Fellis, I did chuckle.

As many know I also own a Pest Control Company, Really Wild Pest Control www.reallywildadventures.co.uk amongst other business , now I personally don't normally do to many domestic jobs, I usually concentrate more on the Agricultural or Commercial side of the business and send my lads out to deal with the domestic work, recently I was called back into an Agricultural Visitor Centre contract I have been doing for several years, rats, rodents the odd feral pigeon etc, I have the place pretty much under control as you can imagine. With the recent floods etc around here we have had an up surge in rodents and feral pigeon and Corvid's moving in, so the manager asked could I up my shooting visits to get things back in order, of course this was not a problem and I have booked in several dates in the diary.

I attended with the awesome Air Arms S510 TDR .22 sub power using Air Arms Field Diablo 5.52 pellets shooting off the Primos trigger sticks, the scope obliviously was the Fellis from Night Pearl, I had other equipment etc with me of course but I really wanted to to put the scope through its paces both by day and by night, of course I knew the rest of the kit would not let me down, but the scope I had not really given her a good bashing, well I was not let down within minutes I had Feral Pigeons, Corvid's and a big rat in the bag right outside the reception whilst waiting for the general manager to turn up, obviously all this was done after all the visitors and staff had left for the evening, one reason I love these later light nights I can get more done, the general manager was quite impressed by the bag I already had and took these promo pics for me, he now wants a Fellis on his Air Arms S200, I am very impressed with this Fellis, so much so I have ordered one to go on my 223 for my professional fox work.

​The fox control work has gone crazy as normal for this time of year, lambing in full swing, big hungry cubs that need feeding and live stock attacks quadrupling, so as with all my gear it has to do what it says on the tin, clients pay me to get a job done, the job must be done, but remember field craft is most important, I will include a few pics from recent fox jobs just so you can see all this gear in action especially the Night Pearl Scopes and Spotters.

As we do get around to getting the hay cut, we can start getting on top of the rabbit populations, its been to wet all winter to ferret them as the burrows are mostly flooded and my ferrets are no good with diving gear on, now is when th ole .22lr comes in to play and the Eley Subsonic hunting ammo, I know I am biased as I am The Eley Out Doors International Ambassador, but I have been using Eley for over 40 years, my Uncle Dave who taught me how to shoot rifles will not use anything else, there now much that old farmer/gamekeeper don't know about hunting so if its good enough for him, its good enough for me and you, this ammo really does do what it says on the tin where the metal, meets the meat, with pin point humane accuracy.

I must say Goose my wonderful Cocker Spaniel loves this time of year too, he is a cracking little hunting dog but loves retrieving rabbits the most, I will include a few pics from recent hunts together.

Poster above are two awesome dates for days out for the whole family, abled bodied or not there's something for everyone, for more details look on the poster or contact us via our website www.pass-it-on-young-sorts.org.uk or call do not text our national secretary on Tel: 07501962893.

I hope you have enjoyed my latest Humble scribbles, until next time stay safe and well 0ne and all.​

The Stalking Show 2024
Time In The Woods
By The Ole Hedge Creeper
www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk