Fieldsports Britain, episode 162. Visit www.fieldsportschannel.

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CROWS BIGGEST PHEASANT DAY

Andy Crow in action

Andy Crow has put aside his pigeons. He has relinquished his corvids. He has had a pheasant shooting invitation.

Some of you, especially if you are a pigeon, will only have seen Andy Crow from the neck up but today he is stepping out from the hide for some exceptionally high flying pheasant shooting. Hes a guest here today as a thank you for helping out with the cover crops which, as many of those reading this in the UK will appreciate, have been difficult to manage with the appalling wet weather we had during 2012. Crow and his son also beat here regularly, so he knows the guns and how well the birds fly. We see some nice birds here, says Andy from his stand on the first drive. They stop in those trees and hide, well three-quarters up the bank and a pheasant over the top of those trees is going to be harder than most usual shoots. It is good birds here, serious birds. Andy is back gun. Andys cousin Gary is also here today not to shoot, nor to load but just to enjoy the scenery, the weather and the company. Could pheasant shooting become a major spectator sport? Today that depends on how well Andy shoots. The first drive doesnt deliver much for Mr Crow but the birds flying across this Surrey valley are wonderful to watch. When Andy does get into the shooting hell be trying out some speciality pheasant cartridges from British ammunition manufacturer Hull Cartridges.

Crows pheasants, cont...

I am shooting at some quite high birds today, he says. I have been sent High Pheasant Extreme. I have asked for them in size 5 shot. We are only using fibre wads here, 32-gramme loads, because they are serious birds here. These are totally different to what I am used to using and I am going to see how they go and give them a good try. Gary provided Andy with a pheasant gun for the day. Gary has had it since he was 17, says Andy. He bought it from [local gunshop] Chris Potter Guns. It is only Miruko, but it is a lovely gun and I shoot it well. I reckon I shoot it better than he does. Thats why he lets me use it. It is just that me using my auto here wouldnt really go down very well I think. Drive two is a favouite of Andys and there are some screamers. Hes certainly got his eye in for this one and makes some cracking shots. Im getting a feel for these cartridges now, says Andy. Yes,I am getting some quite nice shots here. Had a couple of silly misses, but it would be boring if you got everything you shoot at wouldnt it. The first two drives were just a warm-up for drive three. If it were a ride at a fairground it would be known as the beast or the big one. The birds can be as much as 150 yards above you, well out of range for most shooters, so it has got Andys blood pumping. I have seen them fly off this drive before, says Andy, some of the best birds I have ever seen. You have got to know your stuff to get these. We will see how they come over today, but I was up there beating a few weeks back and they take off from the top of the bank and we have got a wood behind us and they make for where the pen is at the top of the wood. I have seen them come over here and come over 100 to 150 yards up. They are unshootable really, unless you are George Digweed and he is definitely in a different league. People like him can shoot at 100 yards, but I cant. I dont claim to either. But lets just see how it goes. There are a few partridge in here too but its the pheasants that are supplying the sport and it is on this drive that Andys bird of the day presents itself. He shoots it and later confesses that its one of the birds of his life. Its a count of five before it hits the ground far behind Andy. There is nothing better than that, says Andy. That is what you come out for that, to shoot those big ones. To shoot something like that, that has made my day that has, Ill tell you. After a shot like that you do just want to put your gun away and go home so as not to spoil the moment. But then again with birds like this its worth sticking around. When I came here I was a bit worried that I wouldnt shoot anything on here because they do come off here seriously high. But no, I am having a good day. I didnt start off too good, but these cartridges are performing well. It shot that one nicely so yes. On the last drive before lunch Andy stands behind the guns which are lined up along the bottom of the valley. He gets a few chances on birds that have already ducked and weaved past a number of shots. One of the dead birds crashes down right next to the line of shoot vehicles. Its a foot away from an insurance claim.

Fieldsports Britain, episode 162. Visit www.fieldsportschannel.tv

Guns line out for a drive The last drive is another stormer. The valley is perfect for the experienced gun. Andy used to be farm manager on this ground and grew up around here. He has known some of the guys here since he was a boy. When the birds come, its fast and furious - Andy picks the bird he wants way in front and stays on it - its a technique thats working well for him. It pays to pick out a bird and concentrate on it, he says. Dont change your mind, stay on it. That is what I always do. Cause you have made up your mind on that bird, so stick with it. That is what I always do. <
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News Stump
Foxhunting as popular as ever
Boxing Day hunts across the UK attracted strong support this year, despite the recent flooding and poor hunting conditions. Foxhound packs and other hound sports are on the up thanks many believe to Tony Blairs attempt to ban them.

Fieldsports Britain, episode 162. Visit www.fieldsportschannel.tv

Stalking the stories fishing for facts!

MPs investigate RSPCA

Staying with hunting, and MPs are investigating the 330,000 bill run-up by the RSCPA in its efforts to obtain a conviction from a British fox hunt. The Heythrop Hunt has pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawfully hunting a wild fox with dogs. Its not justice but it is law. The RSPCA is too rich for most people to face in court. The presiding magistrate called the RSPCAs costs staggering. We made a film about the ruling. Click here to watch it. UK shooting associations are hitting back at the Scottish Government, which wants to ban airguns. Holyrood has launched a public consultation on plans to introduce a licensing system for Scotlands 500,000 airguns. The proposals include a ban on people plinking in their back gardens. You can take action. Here are some helpful links: Countryside Alliance, BASC, Change.org, Facebook.

Action on Scottish airguns

Schools Challenge TV launch

A new British shooting YouTube show is being launched next week: Schools Challenge TV. After years of inspiring youngsters to take up shooting the Oxford Gun company is continuing its drive to attract people to the sport with a new regular show going live next Tuesday 8 January 2013. And from then on each episode will go out on Youtube on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. Click here.

Eagle does not snatch kid

And finally, it has been outed as a fake. Homegrown animations are becoming more and more popular on YouTube. This film of an eagle apparently snatching a child in Canada is one of them. Its also meant lots of people watching our own series of golden eagle films which are real but dont include children being plucked from playgrounds. Click here for our faloony and hawk playlist.

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Roy tries homemade night vision

Rats have learned that when the security lights are on at Roy Luptons house, it can mean a sorry end. They eat their birdseed under cover of darkness, which means a change of tactics.

Fieldsports Britain, episode 162. Visit www.fieldsportschannel.tv

A typical night out with the legend that is Lupton

Welcome to my bathroom, says Roy. have just been provided with a new night sight that we are going to be using to go and do some foxes with, but I really wanted to get used to it and see how it works and make sure we can get it set up properly. What I thought I would do is put it on an air rifle and see if I can shoot a few rats first with it. I make sure everything is as it should be. I have got a TAC-Light illuminator. The night vision unit is on the back of a Webley air rifle. And we are just experimenting with it. First up, Roy draws a rat target. He puts it out and soon it is a holy rat. The air rifle is still shooting true even with all the gear on. A clever friend of Roys has made him this night vision unit. There are instructions all over the internet about how to do that. . Its incredible how cheap some of the most vital component parts on this set-up are. If you have the knowhow, why pay hundreds? It is based on a CCTV unit you can pick up on eBay for under a tenner. Its all very well having night vision, but you need a screen or a viewfinder to see through it. Roy uses his initiative and gets a video signal from the new night vision kit on to a kiddies DVD player. Rather than watching Snow White, it is going to be playing shooting of Ratty Rats, says Roy. We havent got any way of recording directly to the camera at the moment. We are transmitting from this to a receiver and we are going to play it on the DVD player. The image is not great at close ranges of 15-20 metres getting better at ranges of 30-40 metres. Roy still shoots three rats within five minutes. Confident that the kit works, Roy is happy enough to swap the IR illuminator and the box of tricks on to his .243, put a round or two down it, and look up an old friend. I have got a lamp shy fox in one of the fields not too far away which has been causing me grief for the last few weeks, says Roy. So we will have a pop over there and see if we can account for that. En route we spot some rabbits and Roy just has a look to see what is the best magnification to work with then we go looking for Charlie. A scan shows him up and Roy starts calling. Roy is sure there are two in the field, probably a mating pair. He keeps calling, trying to bring them as close as possible. Eventually he drops the fox in front. For getting that fox coming in like that, that was absolutely superb, says Roy. And to actually watch it coming in, no light, no lamps and he came off from a fair distance as well. That was absolutely superb. Very, very impressed with that. I definitely think I am a convert to the dark arts of night vision.

Laura learns to hold a pheasant. Click to watch the film Back at base we have a look at our Charlie. I would have liked to have taken the vixen rather than the dog, but when you are looking at them like that, you cant tell, says Roy. Night vision is an excellent tool and its vital for those tricky customers. But with everything there is a downside. One thing Roy is aware of, just from this short outing, is losing out on the team work and the sociable side of foxing or lamping. < If you have made your own night vision kit, please let us know so we can tell the world. Email charlie@fieldsportschannel.tv with details.
The excitement of finally seeing the desired object. The certainty of taking secure aim even in the deepest twilight. This is the moment we work for.

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Hunting YouTube

Fieldsports Britain, episode 162. Visit www.fieldsportschannel.tv

YouTubes best hunting, shooting and fishing

to bring down a crow. Thats one more kill than the first two films combined.

missing a rat in his last film not missing any this time.

Lets kick off with rabbits. Rabbit Hunt, Big Running Bunnys, brought to you by BuckeyeBunnyHunter, is a hilariously pointless film where two hours-worth of two couple of beagles running after what appears to be the same rabbit is reduced to six minutes, mainly showing two men standing around in the rain, listening to hound music.

Dislikers of livebaiting might not enjoy this film. DizzyFishUK is back in his kayak for a river weir pool session livebaiting for pike. He catches 14. Here are the tactics and tackle he uses.

Now we go to the USA for one of the big TV shows. Desert Sheep Hunt has our old friend Jason Bruce of Headhunter Chronicles heading down to Mexico for a grand slam big horn ram in thick brush. Good shot.

Its not easy being an American rabbit. Skyviews Beagles & Heartland Kennels Rabbit Hunt shows much the same, a bunch of good old boys from West Virginia unsuccessfully out after bunnies with hounds, only this footage is six long minutes unedited.

Viewer Neil Hawkins sends us this fishing film with the warning Bit of swearing, but you will understand why part way through. The one that got away / shark bait has had nearly 12 million views and the reason is the shark that, just as they are tring to net this girls catch, grabs it and swims away. A shock for any angler.

Meanwhile, GrowingDeerTV offers Hunting Whitetails And Turkey The Redneck Way. It is out with the guys from Redneck Blinds as they bow hunt turkeys then take the muzzleloader for a late season doe hunt with an unexpected double a doe and a bobcat. You can click on any of these films to watch them. If you have a YouTube film you would like us to pop in to the weekly top eight, email the link to charlie@fieldsportchannel.tv

Its a relief to get back to the UK, where viewer Sam Badham of YouTube channel SRSPower sends us his latest film, Carrion Crow shot with the Browning B525. He is out pigeon shooting and first-off manages

To Northern Ireland for the latest from the much-loved HuntersVermin. Air Rifle Hunting, NiteSite NS200 Rat Hunt 2, 2012, shows the man wielding his BSA Super 10 Mk2 and still sore from

Hunting YouTube is brought to you by

Fieldsports Channel brings you the free weekly programme Fieldsports Britain. See us on our website, on YouTube, find us on Facebook and on Twitter. To advertise, contact James Westbrook on +447718126762 james@fieldsportschannel.tv or visit www.fieldsportschannel.tv/category/advertise