Woodland Game thats fair game?

[GGTBod]

I am off out wild living locally all next week and the land owner has given me permission to hunt the game on his land and said there be pheasants in that thar woods, i am determined to bag one or two for the fire with my catty (headshots ony), i've never eaten pheasant before does anyone have any experience with this bird?

I have access to woodland, farmland and waterways, any preference on what you would go for?

I am so far after trout (any fish really), wood pigeon, rabbits and hares and pheasants, any tips, advice on preferential methods tactics and the best approach?

i'm already excited, if it was not for Mothers Day landing tomorrow i'd already be there

 

[British Red]

Pheasant season finished on February 1st chap - its an offence to kill them at this time of year

 

[GGTBod]

Perfect type of advice i am looking for, does this also apply on private land with landowners permission? Very rare opportunity for to get that in England for me

 

[British Red]

Yep, October 1st to Feb 1st with permission - never without permission

 

[GGTBod]

Seriously thanks for the headsup, is it the nesting season or something?

i have never went after the bird before so I haven't really any solid knowledge on them other than they like getting ran over a lot up our way and once a year they got shot to ribbons (apologies for the language that needed auto censored i know better) a lot of blokes in a line walking slowly with shotguns, beaters and dogs, yip that's it all i know about the pheasant except they are reportedly tasty buggers, they come in season just before my birthday it will be my present to myself as i will never do anything to jeapordise the permission i have acquired.

Does everyone on here enjoy rabbit? I reckon i am in for a treat in that area

Looking forward to some choice cuts for a nice kebab skewer over the embers, my mouth is watering from trying to select an image

 

[Joonsy]

is it the nesting season or something?

i have never went after the bird before so I haven't really any solid knowledge on them

If that is the extent of your knowledge of game and hunting I politely suggest you first learn a bit more regarding when and how game is actually ‘’fair’’ game as you put it before you try to kill it. That applies both legally and also morally to seasons, methods, and your own level of skills. While most fur/fin/feather has a legal shooting/hunting season some does not but many people still abide by a voluntary hunting season on moral grounds during their breeding season. There are various legalities to hunting/shooting/fishing methods but responsible folk also abide by a voluntary moral code of learning a particular method to a level of skill that is high enough to avoid leaving injured and wounded animals (which includes their young too). Legal seasons can be found googling the internet, methods need practice practice and more practice to raise your skill level before you try it for real on live animals, morally it is down to you to know when killing game is ‘’fair’’.

 

[GGTBod]

I think you completely misread what i wrote, politely or not and definitely missed all my intended humour at my own lack of knowledge in regards to the pheasant

 

[British Red]

Does everyone on here enjoy rabbit? I reckon i am in for a treat in that area

Looking forward to some choice cuts for a nice kebab skewer over the embers, my mouth is watering from trying to select an image

There will be lots of friers (tiny ones) around soon - they are lovely and tender - and don't have a closed season. Neither do Grey squirrels.

 

[GGTBod]

I'd be interested in trying squirrel, there are reports of wild boar in the area, ill be staying out if their way if i can help it

 

[Joonsy]

I think you completely misread what i wrote, politely or not and definitely missed all my intended humour at my own lack of knowledge in regards to the pheasant

fair enough, sorry i accept that, i read it literally not cryptically, didn't mean to sound patronising

 

[British Red]

I'd be interested in trying squirrel, there are reports of wild boar in the area, ill be staying out if their way if i can help it

That is to be advised - a decent sized true boar is hundreds of pounds of fury, topped with razor sharp 4" tusks. It can run faster than you, is invisible in close woodland until its on you and really, really wants to kill you. Scary things - and becoming a real problem in parts of Europe where the PC brigade have prevented them being hunted.

 

[GGTBod]

it did a little but i figured it was polite not to bite as it may not have been your intent, my skin gets rubbed the wrong way when people have no respect for things, hate finding peoples rubbish in remote spots like blimming empty beer cans, my pet hate in regard to peoples things they bring into nature but don't take out, cramps my nature buzz when i am enjoying the flora and fungi and then find someones castoff cans so much so i bag them up and take them with me as my rubbish, some places you literally would need a truck and i sadly don't bother anymore, i take one and next time i am there i find 5 in same spot.

I'm calm, breathing deeply in with the good and out with the bad lol

I have been reading up on how to catch the pheasant since the landowner told me they were there but I much prefer to talk to people with experience so i started the thread to pick brains and start a convo as being new here i'd like to get some interaction going.

i've never ever gone after the pheasant or had the desire until recently i learnt properly how to net, catch and strip and clean wild game birds in the field with the wood pigeon and then I started looking at bigger birds the skills could be applied to, still never thought towards pheasant until the landowner told me they were there and i was welcome to them, looking forward to october to give them a try now though, talk about time to build a taste for it.

 

[GGTBod]

That is to be advised - a decent sized true boar is hundreds of pounds of fury, topped with razor sharp 4" tusks. It can run faster than you, is invisible in close woodland until its on you and really, really wants to kill you. Scary things - and becoming a real problem in parts of Europe where the PC brigade have prevented them being hunted.

yeah i don't wanna even see one when all i have is my barnett, my rabbit snares and my little Mora whittling blade lol don't fancy hiding in a tree with it strapped to a pole Rambo style trying to leap down on top of it with all my weight as my only hope of living

 

[slowworm]

It's also worth pointing out you can't shoot woodies for the pot, you can only eat them when they've been shot for other reasons. See the terms of the general licence: https://basc.org.uk/cop/woodpigeon/

 

[Harvestman]

My contribution is very limited, but is this: squirrel is delicious!

Oh, and well done GGTBod for your calm and not rising to a post that might have been annoying. As was subsequently explained, no harm intended on either side, but your approach was the right one in the context of the forum. Good stuff.

 

[Clouston98]

My contribution is very limited, but is this: squirrel is delicious!

+1 to that,a local game stall a t a market sells squirrel and the strap line is "save a red, eat a grey" brilliant! I love them really tasty. I do love rabbit, hare, grouse, pheasant and venison too though- I do love game!

 

[GGTBod]

Reading on the woody now thanks for the info, i'm hoping to net them, i've been working on getting right a whittled pressure footplate trap and net system, got the makings done nicely it is getting the pressure right and the bait i will be working on this week. Love learning old ways and playing around with my mad ideas on it as the skills develop in hand, landowner informed me he has a freezer full of goodies from his land if i get too hungry.

 

[GGTBod]

Spot on woody info there, if i do have to shoot at them it is for [FONT=Droid Sans, Arial, sans-serif] [/FONT] preventing serious damage to crops, vegetables, fruit and foodstuffs for livestock, and for the purpose of preserving public health or public safety[FONT=Droid Sans, Arial, sans-serif] and then it is a shame to waste them so they are being cooked, officers who interrupted my dinner[/FONT]

 

[GGTBod]

Oh, and well done GGTBod for your calm and not rising to a post that might have been annoying. As was subsequently explained, no harm intended on either side, but your approach was the right one in the context of the forum. Good stuff.

Is there much in the way of trolling and argument baiting goes on at this forum?

i never seen any before joining as i was always just reading the specific info that brought me here via google or other search engine and then onto the next piece i'd found on the same subject, it was only after realising how much i kept coming back here whilst doing this info mining that i thought i'd better join properly.

 

[Harvestman]

Is there much in the way of trolling and argument baiting goes on at this forum?

i never seen any before joining as i was always just reading the specific info that brought me here via google or other search engine and then onto the next piece i'd found on the same subject, it was only after realising how much i kept coming back here whilst doing this info mining that i thought i'd better join properly.

No there isn't. The membership is very good in that regard. There are disagreements and misunderstandings, but the general tone is extremely amicable and reasonable. People prefer to agree to differ politely, which is how it should be.

Also, our moderaters are excellent