How did you get in to shooting

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How did you get in to shooting
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Downsizer Forum Index -> Shooting and Trapping for the Pot

How did you start shooting?

Parents/family

14%

[ 2 ]

Lived in countryside, almost unavoidable

21%

[ 3 ]

Through work

[ 0 ]

Self-starter (lessons/club)

35%

[ 5 ]

Something else

28%

[ 4 ]

Total Votes : 14

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Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 10:36 am Post subject: How did you get in to shooting

Just wondering, as shooting can often seem like a closed shop with people either assuming knowledge, or seeming reluctant or unable to share it - but the shooting community says it wants to encourage newcomers and understanding of the benefits of their sport to the environment and the economy.

So, if you have ever learned to shoot, whatever stage you're at, how did you first start? Did you parents show you, did you grow up in the country with it all around you, did you get in to it later in life?

And what do you do now - do you manage a few for the pot, do you do it on a bigger scale or have you given up? And where and how do you do it?

I largely put this up because of Jonnyboy's recent exploits with the rabbit and pigeon, which I think would be the ideal for most people here who are interested, and it would be nice for those of us who are less experienced to get some ideas of where to start.

So go on, get sharing

Last edited by Bugs on Fri Apr 22, 05 10:39 am; edited 1 time in total

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45671
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 10:39 am Post subject:
I'm interested in this too, I wouldn't be comfortable with a rifle or shotgun but once I get my place I'd like to get an air rifle. What could I shoot with an air rifle?

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 10:41 am Post subject:
I love using the air rifle, but it seems a bit of a waste to take it to the rifle club, and yet we can hardly practice in the back garden...

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 10:58 am Post subject:

I first got into it through a friend when I was 16, He lived in the countryside and so I got to shoot on his land and where he had permission. He also owned a clay trap so we got to spend plenty of time practising at an old quarry,

Over the years I�ve built up relations with various farmers to give me access. I�ve never been into gun dogs so for me it�s been a nice walk in the countryside where I use my field craft to hopefully bag something for the pot.

Moving so far away from home was a problem, the licensing laws are slightly different over here so I had to re apply rather than just change address. Luckily I have a good friend over here who is into shooting so he introduced me to some local, friendly farmers who now let me shoot over their land.

There isn�t a huge amount of arable land over here so my chances of bagging a load of pigeons in one go, say through decoying, is limited. But I look at it as an all encompassing forage. We might put the eel trap out, do a bit of fishing, walk the hedgerows for rabbits or hide under a flight line at dusk. Sometimes I just come back with some mushrooms or a bag of nettles!

Oh yes, found otter tracks last night whilst out and sat about 20 feet from a kestrel!

cede

Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 62
Location: surrey

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 11:18 am Post subject:
my granny who live in scotland taught me - but i've never carried it on

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 11:30 am Post subject:
Why did you give it up Cede?

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 11:39 am Post subject:
For me it's the access to land to shoot over that's holding me up. I've learnt to shoot a rifle reasonably well at a club and can carry on learning to use a shot gun with clays, but I wouldn't be able to find somewhere to shoot where I am as I don't know any land owners and not having the experience I doubt anyone would let me shoot over their land. A bit of a catch 22 at the moment.

pricey

Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Posts: 6444

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 12:54 pm Post subject:

I was lucky enough to have my great uncle Harry. He was head gamekeeper on a large estate just outside ringwood, so from a early age Iwas there seeing what & how to do things. Least fav job being de-ticing the dogs, I learnt what to do with pests what was food how to look after the land, and when I was old enough how to shoot. By the time I got to 16 I didn't think about going into gamekeeping though i had the chance to( more into bikes + girls). iv'e kept on shooting & fishing though, I only shoot for the pot to feed me and my freinds, never get a chance to sell any to the butcher. rabbits, pigions, squirrel although the later are very time consuming. I used to do pest control for a pig farm, go there midnite shoot all the rats mice etc... and he let me shoot the fields for any thing that was there. THIS is a good way for people to start get a air rifle iv'e got a bsa bunnystopper with a 10inch barrel, its all I can use where I am it being a holiday park h7s and all that had to do a risk assesment as well ie. dont shoot at caravans, chalets or holiday makers

. You need to be a fairly good shot, but practice in the back garden with targets is always a good idea iv'e taught 2 mates and now there doing well. know your limits with a air rifle though dont think oh yer I can hit that rabbit 60 yards away and only maime it, know the limits of the gun. Practice with targets at different distances I use a penny and some blue tac. OK im stating to waffle so im off hope this helps someone. Steve

sara jane goodey

Joined: 12 Apr 2005
Posts: 45
Location: north wales

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 1:30 pm Post subject: shooting

I have always lived rurally except for the city stint for uni! Dad had always shot for the pot, and he and my mum would always be picking up roadkill for dinner. There are not many good 'ol working class ladies that i know who shoot for the pot, but i've done a bit cos my partner is big into fox control (different to that emotive word hunting?!) and thats all about getting into the countryside where there are no paths using field craft to find your quarry,most of the farmers have guns around here as it is a vital piece if equipment, but they regard it as vital but only in partnership with their dogs. We have a pack of hounds, 4 terriers and a lurcher, all have there jobs and are crucial to the managment of our area. sadly there has been not much on for the hounds but....i won't get on that soapbox

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 1:30 pm Post subject:

Not waffling at all Pricey, it's interesting to hear and especially that you'd shown your friends how to do it properly.

We don't want to practise in our garden because (a) we're concerned about the pellet/chicken combination although I'm sure a bit of care could get around that (and if not we'd have a nice dinner and an article for the site

); (b) the neighbours already disapprove of us enough with our chickens and our vegetable and our lack of weed killer, mulch and gravel...I'd give about 8 minutes from one of them seeing any sign of an air rifle to the armed response chaps popping round for more than a cup of tea and a chat.

joker

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 188
Location: hiding

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 2:17 pm Post subject:

I started with an air rifle in the back garden shooting cans then a pigeon landed on the shed roof ( ooops silly pigeon ) that was when I was about 10 My cousins uncle taught me how to prepare them and rabbits and it just went from their really now I mainley use the 12 bore these days but I am now looking to start Deer Stalking ( Trouble is they keep taking out restraining orders against Me

Sorry terible joke I know )

Wombat

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 396
Location: SW Cheshire

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 05 6:17 am Post subject:
We fell in love with the German Shorthaired Pointer in our local pub, next door! So we got our own GSP and I thought I should put it to work. That's how I got into shooting. Now have an Italian Spinone to assist the GSP Wombat

hils

Joined: 08 Mar 2005
Posts: 568
Location: Nottingham

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 05 7:25 am Post subject:

My late grandmother had 30 acres of pasture - dad and I used to shoot rabbits to sell to local ferret keepers (thought ferrets did it for them selves!) because we were really SKINT.
Now we only go and shoot rabbits with mixi. Hope to be moving onto one of these fields in the near future = then I'll be even more skint (though rich in life) and will probably be shooting rabbits for the pot - providing I can get a license and stomach for skinning and gutting

cede

Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 62
Location: surrey

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 05 6:42 pm Post subject:
i only stopped because i didn't have my own gun nor the whereabouts to shoot. the only game we tend to eat now is at my uncle's or when a friend gives us a brace of pheasant - we reciprocate with chicken eggs

farmwoody

Joined: 19 Mar 2005
Posts: 98

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 05 11:47 pm Post subject:
My family have always shot but we didnt until more recently. Last year my youngest son started work as a trainee beat keeper and that started us all off again. We now have a shotgun each and an air rifle.

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