Pheasant poults

Rossymons

Member
Location
Cornwall
I have a shoot in the woods that's organised by a good friend of mine. I don't have anything to do with it apart from telling him the padlock code every year to let him in.

He's not bothering with having a "proper" shoot this year. It's only his hobby but the price and availability of birds, price of the grain, hassle of organising it hes just going to quietly walk through the woods every now and then with his young lad in tow. Quietly I think he's delighted as he can actually enjoy his sport now with absolutely no hassle attached to it.

He caught me down by our pond the other day and as hes not forking out on poults can we sort the pond out and get some ducks back? So that's the summer sorted!
 
I have a shoot in the woods that's organised by a good friend of mine. I don't have anything to do with it apart from telling him the padlock code every year to let him in.

He's not bothering with having a "proper" shoot this year. It's only his hobby but the price and availability of birds, price of the grain, hassle of organising it hes just going to quietly walk through the woods every now and then with his young lad in tow. Quietly I think he's delighted as he can actually enjoy his sport now with absolutely no hassle attached to it.

He caught me down by our pond the other day and as hes not forking out on poults can we sort the pond out and get some ducks back? So that's the summer sorted!
There in lies a massive issue. A lot of wild game/wildfowl is going to be shot which wouldn’t ordinarily have had that pressure. People can’t help themselves at the best of times with woodcock and declining mallard etc even though science dictates to conserve with some species. Conservationist first, shooter/ing second.
 

Wilksy

Member
Location
East Riding
There in lies a massive issue. A lot of wild game/wildfowl is going to be shot which wouldn’t ordinarily have had that pressure. People can’t help themselves at the best of times with woodcock and declining mallard etc even though science dictates to conserve with some species. Conservationist first, shooter/ing second.
I didn’t know mallard are in decline, is it a regional thing?
 
I didn’t know mallard are in decline, is it a regional thing?
The wild population was down 35% in 25 years. My unscientific guess would be the masses of reared mallard released for shooting managing to breed with wild birds and ruin their parental success. Much like releasing greys into areas where truly wild birds inhabit.
I think some of the mallard population issue was due to cold winters and weather patterns. I’m all for a good flight but some people show off 40-50 birds per flight which I’m not keen on.
 

ajcc

Member
Livestock Farmer
We been up helping our local gamefarmer net his rearing runs......if you quoted £4.50 but someone down the line says they’ll buy the lot at £10 it’s going to be testing morality.
These commercial shoots are looking desperate. They will need partridge for October shooting.
Cross channel smuggling?
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
I fear our supplier....who has been reliable for 10 yrs may have been tempted by the premium prices being offered by some 'wealthier than us' shoots . Ours were secure ....until suddenly they weren't !
We didn't mind a price rise but extortion was out of the question !
I belive that was what happend with us...

However, one of the guns managed to order 200 from another producer, so hoping it all comes to fruition. 🤞

I was told that the French were poised to send across birds, but all depended on the DEFRA licences.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Bet some of the big shoots will wish they didn’t rifle all the left overs at the end of 2020/2021 season to save feeding them.

Do any shoots actually feed their survivors?
Our lot just leave them to fend for themselves on the farming tenants’ crops. Most end up dieing, one way or another.
I notice they are suddenly chucking a bit of grub in the release pens this last fortnight, but numbers have already been decimated. What a shame.
 

Vader

Member
Mixed Farmer
Do any shoots actually feed their survivors?
Our lot just leave them to fend for themselves on the farming tenants’ crops. Most end up dieing, one way or another.
I notice they are suddenly chucking a bit of grub in the release pens this last fortnight, but numbers have already been decimated. What a shame.
Must be a lot of birds left over and no cover crops or margins on your land.

Shoots stop end jan.
Plenty of food about if land farmed in nature friendly way.
Only few months till spring with mild winters. Dont see why they should die.
 

thesilentone

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cumbria
There in lies a massive issue. A lot of wild game/wildfowl is going to be shot which wouldn’t ordinarily have had that pressure. People can’t help themselves at the best of times with woodcock and declining mallard etc even though science dictates to conserve with some species. Conservationist first, shooter/ing second.
Mm, I beg to differ.

Most shooters are excellent conservationist, putting back way more than is taken.

You have no idea what the World population of Mallard is, only what you see and hear.

Reared Mallard are not very good breeders with each other, never mind wild duck.

Woodcock is another matter and is regional. Despite what is recorded as declining numbers, in my area they are consistent or even increasing.

However, to support conservation we control numbers/time shot.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Must be a lot of birds left over and no cover crops or margins on your land.

Shoots stop end jan.
Plenty of food about if land farmed in nature friendly way.
Only few months till spring with mild winters. Dont see why they should die.

Lots of woods, small fields bounded by hedges and predominantly mixed farming locally.
All of the Glastir wildlife strips are stripped bare by pheasants before the Spring, so nothing left there.
A lot of stubble turnips grown locally, followed by Spring barley or maize, where masses of pheasants that haven’t fought to the death are nothing but vermin.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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