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Downsizer Forum Index -> Shooting and Trapping for the Pot

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tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45709
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue May 24, 05 9:17 am Post subject:

Deerstalker wrote:

what do you know about it?

Bugger all, but as I've said in the past I'd like to know more

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

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

Posted: Tue May 24, 05 10:26 am Post subject:

Deerstalker wrote:

Treaco, just go and do it. You don't tell them about your limitations!

Having been a novice a year ago and also seen plenty of other novices I really would encourage any new people to practice on targets (paper, clays etc) until they reach a good level of accuracy. I have also learnt a fair number of other things such as dealing with misfires so my time has not been wasted. It's not the 'real' thing but it's given me the confidence to start.

Now, I don't live in the middle of the countryside and people actually pay the local farmers to shoot pigeons over their land round here!

I will have to travel out further so I'll wait until I have the time. At the moment it's a hectic balance between earning the money to move to a smallholding and trying things for myself. I've learnt to do many new things in the last couple of years but there's many more to go when I have the time.

I'll let everyone know how I get on.

Guest

Posted: Tue May 24, 05 11:29 pm Post subject:
Really the best experience you can get is to go shooting (or watching) with an experienced seasoned shooter. They can then either reccomend you to a Landowner or you can say "I go shooting with (for instance) John!" Some people did this with dad (or mum) others with 'John', either way the more practice you get the better shot you will be, ad infernitum.

deerstalker

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 589

Posted: Tue May 24, 05 11:50 pm Post subject:
My Grandson is two, and he can almost skin a rabbit. He can also shoot staight as well!

deerstalker

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 589

Posted: Tue May 24, 05 11:55 pm Post subject:
There are two types of people, there are those that do it, and there are those who whine about it.

Guest

Posted: Wed May 25, 05 7:34 am Post subject:

Deerstalker wrote:

There are two types of people, there are those that do it, and there are those who whine about it.

Theres a third, those who do both.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Wed May 25, 05 8:35 am Post subject:

Deerstalker wrote:

There are two types of people, there are those that do it, and there are those who whine about it.

There's a third; the type of person who finds out about something before doing. That part ain't whining.

I have to say, with shooting I'm more a fan of people going that third route than the first.

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Wed May 25, 05 1:23 pm Post subject:

Time spent familiarising yourself with a gun and learning to shoot on inanimate targets is never wasted. A few days clay-shooting is something that many pot-hunters could do with - I've often been apalled and amazed at the distances some people think make for a legitimate shot. There are high birds and there are bloody satellites, and some shots seem to get the two confused. The same with lead. People can spend fruitless hours missing every pigeon they poke at when a few clays and an instructor's eye will tell them that they're not giving enough clear air in front of the bird.
The same for safety - shooting at a club and with experienced shots is going to get safety drilled into you far quicker than traipsing around on your own with a gun. OK, so you may have been shooting since you were knee-high to a weasel and never needed any tuition - but by the time something does go wrong it may be too late.
Having shot with some complete w*ankers in the past (and walked off one driven shoot because it was too dangerous) I wish more people followed Treacodactyl's course and learned a bit more before they start in the field.

Lloyd

Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

Posted: Sun Jun 19, 05 9:24 pm Post subject:

But lets face it, its not an end in itself, shooting in a bricked in room. The club should surely be a means to an end, not an end in itself. Most people move on from there, it's a bit like never leaving school to become an independent adult. I mean, how embarrassing, to want to be a downsizer, but scared to shoot alone, outside a club!......Tell me if I've said something wrong.!

Last edited by Lloyd on Mon Jun 20, 05 9:36 am; edited 1 time in total

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

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

Posted: Sun Jun 19, 05 9:29 pm Post subject:

Madman wrote:

I mean, how embarrassing, to want to be a downsizer, but scared to shoot alone, outside a club!......Tell me if I've said something wrong.!

As you know that's not what I said. I've done many things in my life and hope to do many more, but I always try and be aware of what my actions do. So going up to something and shooting it and hope is not my cup of tea, sorry.

Lloyd

Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

Posted: Sun Jun 19, 05 9:42 pm Post subject:
Enjoy your life in the club then. I have higher ambitions.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

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

Posted: Sun Jun 19, 05 9:48 pm Post subject:
Again, if you bothered to read what I said, so do I.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18416

Posted: Mon Jun 20, 05 12:26 pm Post subject: learning to shoot

Hi

Been reading this thread with some interest.

I acquired an air rifle late last summer, with the intention of keeping the rabbits (hordes of them) off my veg (and into the pot). had never shot before. neighbouring farmers also having trouble with rabbits - one entirely amenable to my going there to shoot if I thought I could get any, the other OK, but other household members a bit iffy about poor bunnies.

never got any rabbits, because I spent my time doing target practice on tin cans and targets drawn on sheets of paper nailed to boards. Now reasonably accurate (and successfully and cleanly shot pheasant), but not having shot through the winter will have to start practicing again (and there seem to be far fewer rabbits this year). Shooting club would seem to be a sensible thing if no facility for shooting on one's own land or that of others, and also to do it in pleasant conditions.

plucking and gutting a pheasant is a messy business. and it has taken me a couple of hours. that's because I don't often do it. a good sharp kitchen knife and a pair of meat scissors were useful.

still to experience paunching and skinning rabbit.

cheers
g

coyotekiller

Joined: 29 Jun 2005
Posts: 14
Location: Iowa, USA

Posted: Wed Jun 29, 05 7:50 pm Post subject: Re: How

Deerstalker, I can't tell you much about the fish but I hope I can help with the game. On rabbits or any game really you want to make sure intestinal contents don't come in contact with your meat. Rabbits skin easily," wild ones easiest" by holding rabbit by one hind leg then begin pulling skin with fur off of other leg pulling towards the body. Takes just a few minutes. Remove head. Remove feet at the joint. Then with tip of very sharp knife, split skin from groin to the rib cage. Be sure to split pelvic bone at the hip joint. Organs may now be removed. All the while be careful to not rupture organs as feces or urine will contaminate meat. Reach inside chest cavity with fingers pulling out lungs, heart, etc.. The rest will follow. Now take knife and split the rib cage all the way up. Wash thouroghly. I soak mine in salt water for a few hours. Not to remove the wild taste but to draw the blood out. Prepare to your own personal taste and enjoy.

Now for deer and other large game. Most time deer are shot through the body rather than headshot. They lose most of their blood before you even get to them but it is usually in the body cavity. So with the animal laying on it's side, take the very sharp knife and start a cut from the groin to the ribs. I use a very sharp small hatchet to split the ribcage all the way up. This makes it much easier to remove organs. Otherwise without splitting the ribs you will be doing a lot of digging around to do a proper job of it. I do all of this right in the field as soon as I recover the animal. Makes it a little lighter to haul from forest to truck. Some people take their deer to the buther. I don't so I'll continue. You can hang the deer head up or head down. Makes no difference. I hang mine head down so the best cuts of meat are up higher, easier to reach. Saves the back from a lot of bending as this whole process does take a fair amount of time. Some type of hooking device thru the tendons is needed to support animal in upright position. Start with your knife by making a circular cut around each leg down by the joint. Then split the skin up to the body on inside of leg.Now grasping skin with fingers pull and carefully peel and cut skin from both legs. A strong person can do this without a knife. I start with the end towards the ground then work up. This prevents the hide from falling down over the area you are working. I also usualy leave a strip of skin attached to the spine until last. This keeps the whole thing from falling on ground. You want to split underside of neck and make your circle cut around to free the head. Caping for a trophy mount is another deal altogether. Do the other two legs in same manner as first. When skin is removed rinse animal well with clean water. A deer should be aged for several days in a cool place before butchering. In cold climates such as mine I usually wrap in plastic To keep meat from drying out. Otherwise a cooler or something is needed. You do not have to age the deer. I think it improves the taste. It's very important to cool the animal as soon as possible. Aging can be done after butchering just don't wrap it or freeze it till aging is finished. Also remove as much fat as possible. Sometimes depending on diet the fat can have a rather unpleasant taste to it. I hope this helps you some. Have a great day

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Wed Jun 29, 05 9:04 pm Post subject: Re: How
Excellent post coyotekiller! May I be so bold as to as, next time you do this, is there any chance of taking pictures of the process? What you've just written, with a few illustrations, would make the backbone of a truly cracking article.

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