Bavarianmountainhound - The Life and Times of a Shooting Widow

'The Hound'

2016-02-19T10:20:00.002+00:00

Casca!

This is our Bavarian Mountain Hound Bitch.

Silver Gilded Deer Heads

2013-02-25T18:06:00.001+00:00

A while back I had an idea to Silver Leaf some Deer Heads. After doing some research and purchased the necessary products I got underway. It is not easy....... Very fiddly and time consuming but rather therapeutic! Needless to say I am very please with the finished results. They are all done in genuine Silver, Gold or Bronze leaf and can be mounted on either an oak shield or a hand painted one. I have been using Farrow & Ball and they can be painted to compliment your decor. I can also do commissions so if you had a medal head it could be done in the matching leaf for the medal. If you did not want the antlers done and just the skull or vice versa that is fine. Please contact me for more details.

Fly Tying Equipment

2012-09-17T17:58:00.000+01:00

Have a large (very large) amount of Fly-tying equipment for sale. This includes vices, scissors. Tails, feathers, wings, thread etc In fact everything you would need to either start tying your own flies or to add to a collection. Will get the camera out and take some photos but in the meantime if you are interested please let me know and I will also produce a list. It is basically a full kitchen cupboard of stuff.

DOG KENNEL FOR SALE

2012-06-11T14:44:00.000+01:00

HAVE A DOG KENNEL AND COVERED RUN FOR SALE. 8' X 4' X 5'3" (APPROX) SOLID TREATED WOOD WITH GALVANISED MESH SEPARATE SLEEPING AREA (WITH DROP DOWN DOOR)WOULD HOLD 2 DOGS COMFORTABLE. BOTH DOORS CAN TAKE A PADLOCK. ROOF FELT IN GOOD CONDITION. £300 ONO - BUYER TO COLLECT FROM BB7 AREA LANCASHIRE ANY QUESTIONS FEEL FREE TO ASK.

Flying Toad In The Hole!

2012-01-01T16:22:00.000+00:00

Came across a recipe by HFW a few weeks ago and did my own take on it.

The recipe basically uses Pheasant breast rather that sausages. HFW does a mixture of both.

For the batter:

4oz flour
2 eggs
4 fl oz milk
Salt & Pepper

Flying Toads:

4 Pheasant Breast
1/2lb Streaky bacon
Prunes

Preheat oven to 220.

Lay the pheasant breast down (inside up) and place a prune in the flap of the breast.
Wrap tightly in the bacon. Repeat for all the breasts.

Put flour in a large bowl and make a well, add the eggs and gradually mix incorporating the flour. Slowly add the milk until mixture is smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper.

Put a large non-stick, deep tray into the oven with some oil in it.

When hot 5 mins or so add the pheasant and return to the oven for a further 5 mins.

Add the batter mixture pouring over the pheasant and around. Return to the oven and cook for about 30 Mins or until the batter has risen and is crisp and golden.

Serve with an onion gravy......... Delicious!

Our shoot!

2011-11-29T13:17:00.000+00:00

Phil and his brother manage a local syndicate shoot in the beautiful Ribble Valley where we live. The small shoot is run on a DIY basis with no paid gamekeeper. They shoot on a stand and beat basis, whereby they take it in turns to shoot. We also have a few paid beaters who are mainly young lads.

It takes a lot of time and effort to manage a successful pheasant shoot effectively and no sooner than the guns are cleaned and put away at the end of the season are we thinking about catching the hen pheasants.

This is done primarily to help reduce costs for the shoot as they are taken to a local game breeder where we get 2 ½ poults back per hen pheasant. Special pens are placed out and wheat is put in to them, they are left open for a good few days to get the pheasants used to going in them to feed. The doors to the catchers are then shut and the birds can get in but not out. These are then checked 3 or more times a day with the hens being put in sacks and the cocks released. It is a time consuming operation but is beneficial to the shoot. We try to catch as many hens as possible and average about 60 hens in total. The hens are then taken to the game breeder to meet up with their new ‘boyfriends’ and spend the rest of the summer laying eggs.
Before the poults arrive in early August there is plenty to do! The feed hoppers and release pens have to be checked and maintained, we strim round the pens and put down electric fencing to try and keep ‘Charlie’ away.

When the 6 week old poults arrive they are released into the large pens and fed on special pellets. They are checked, fed and watered a minimum of twice a day to ensure their health and wellbeing. Any that have managed to get out of the pen have to be carefully walked back in (this tends to be my job and they are not the brightest of creatures!) We hope that all survive but inevitably we do loose a few to birds of prey and the odd fox.
We release about 600 birds, which is not a lot in comparison to most, these are put in to 4 release pens spread around the shoot.
Currently the poults are now 10-12 weeks old, have grown an awful lot and are feathering up (getting their adult feathers) you can now tell the difference between male and female and are now being switched over to being fed wheat. They are checked on a twice daily basis to make sure they have sufficient feed and water.

Whist very time consuming, it is fulfilling to see them arrive as 6 week olds and to mature into the beautiful birds that they become.

Feed hoppers are now being placed strategically (lots of discussion by the brothers on this one!) around the shoot and the outside of the pens as the birds are now more mobile. There are 62 feeders on the shoot which all have to be filled and checked regularly.

We also have a duck pond which they flight and they had their first day of the season there last week, it is not for me though sitting around in the wet and semi-dark waiting for them to show. The fruits of their 1st day were enjoyed in the way of: Duck breast on mash with Onion Marmalade and Red Wine reduction, simple but delicious.

He has made it!

2011-09-07T11:16:00.000+01:00

We received notification last week that our son has made it onto the Lancashire Team for Sporting Clay Shooting.

Needless to say we are all made up!

Seen as he has only been shooting for less than 12 months and only gets chance to practice once a week he has done very well. The first shoot is at Manchester Shooting Ground on the 18th September so we will be keeping our fingers crossed. Especially as he is now back at school and that game shooting season is upon us.......

Will keep you all posted as to how he progresses.

E J Churchill Classic & Northern Selection Shoot

2011-07-06T13:37:00.000+01:00

We had a good weekend away a couple of weeks ago for the EJ Churchill Classic.

We drove down from Lancashire on the Friday as the 'boys' were shooting Saturday and after a detour through the centre of Birmingham (thanks satnav!) we checked in at the Holiday Inn and then went into High Wycombe for tea. We ended up in a Tapas bar and the food was excellent.
We arrived back to the hotel and met up with some friends (old and new) for a few drinks.

Saturday arrived and we were up early, breakfasted and on the way to the ground for just after 9, after a scenic detour (thanks to Geoff ) we arrived at EJ Churchills.

After parking up and everyone registered, off they went to get their eye in on the pool shoot.

Everyone had been told which stand and colour of course they were setting off on. The tractors and trailers then arrived and this was our transport to the shooting ground. The shooters set off first and we were picked up later and then caught up with them to watch.

Each course consisted of 14 stands giving 75 birds so with a maximum of 6 birds per stand it did not give you a lot of chance to get used to them. It was very well laid out and the weather was very kind to us!

Seb on a stand!

Nick Truter getting ready.

Lynn James (Auntie)

Phil.

Breaking clays!!!!

Seb showing how it is done!

After shooting the first course we went back to the Lodge for some lunch and a rest before they went on the second course in the afternoon. We eventually got back about 5.30 but we did not linger as we had to be near Durham at Spenymoor for the Northern Selection Shoot the following day.

All in all a good day out with some excellent company, many thanks to you all!

Next installment the Northern Selection Shoot..........................

Clay Shooting Lesson

2011-05-08T17:23:00.000+01:00

During the week 'the boys' went to Kelbrook Shooting Ground for a lesson with Michael Meggison.

Phil's new gun turns out not to fit him just right and makes him roll his head, some adjustments on the stock are needed. He had swapped his Miroku for a Beretta, it really is a nice looking thing!

Michael spent time with Seb and taught him to stand differently to what he has been doing, gave them both lots of hints and tips and the results were that they were both much improved.

They went again to Kelbrook this morning to practice what they had been taught and both shot much better than they had been doing.

Two happy boys!

Lupton today

2011-04-23T17:53:00.001+01:00

Unsuccessful selling the horse today, there are just so many time wasters out there.

Anyway having had fish & chips in Kirkby Lonsdale (which were excellent) we arrived at Lupton Shooting Ground at about 12.30. It is situated at Crabtree Farm immediately opposite the Plough Inn.

We met up with Lynn James, Andy and Shaun and set off.

There were some very tricky targets and it was not Seb's day today, he was not on form and his headache did not help. Phil was really pleased with his score of 65, which for the targets was very good.

The ground is well set up and very reasonable at £17 for the round (they also sell fantastic pies!)

A very enjoyable afternoon in good company.

Clay shooting at Lupton

2011-04-23T08:09:00.000+01:00

We are off to Myerscough College this morning, where our horse Rosie is on loan, to see a lady who may be interested in buying her.

After that we are going to Lupton Shooting Ground in North Yorkshire for the boys to do a spot of clay shooting.

Seb is improving each time he goes out and is often getting better scores than his dad, which has boosted his confidence a lot!

Call back later for a report on the ground!

James Dewhurst Memorial Clay Shoot

2011-04-13T17:35:00.000+01:00

A 50 bird sporting clay shoot to be held at Coniston Shooting Ground on Friday 15th April.

Cost is £30 including supper at the Black Bull at Rimington.

Proceeds to Martin Top Chapel.

James, who was a keen shooter, tragically died along with his cousin Sam Lund in a car accident.

Coniston Shooting ground today

2011-04-10T09:45:00.000+01:00

Well on this beautiful, sunny Sunday we are just getting ready to go to Coniston Shooting Ground for the first North of England selection shoot.

Phil is getting nervous but Seb is still on his xbox!

North Of England Sporting Selection Shoot

2011-04-06T13:14:00.000+01:00

At Coniston on Sunday 10th April 2011 is the North of England Selection Shoot.

See www.conistonshootingground.co.uk

I had previously said that the James Dewhurst Memorial Shoot was on the same day, this is incorrect. I will post when I have full details.

Pigeons!

2011-04-03T11:13:00.000+01:00

As it is Mothers Day, Phil & Seb are not going Clay shooting this weekend.

However, to get their shooting 'fix', they went out yesterday evening to see if there were any pigeons about.

Decoys were set up and then off to the hide to sit and wait.

A couple flew over and checked out the decoys but they were just too far away to get a shot.

Some more flew in and shots were taken but luck was on the pigeons side.

More waiting and watching when their luck changed and it was a pigeon each!

So we will be having pigeon for tea tomorrow.

Watch out on ribblevalleygourmet.blogspot.com for an upcoming recipe!

Spring!

2011-04-02T10:43:00.001+01:00

Well, now that spring is now on its way, the buds are appearing on the trees and there are lambs in the fields.
As the 1st of April heralded the start of the Buck season, Phil is champing at the bit to get out. Pressures at work are putting a bit of a dampener on this though!

We have not seen any Bucks yet but they will still be in velvet like this chap who we woke up last year.

He could not work out what we were and stood looking at us, bleary eyed, for a few minutes.

The local Skia Stags are still with antlers, Phil and Seb saw a very nice one during the week looking very majestic and in good condition.

This was taken last year.

The hen pheasants have all been collected and delivered to the lucky cock pheasants and we now await the arrival of six week old poults in August. Lots to be done before then though.

Phil and Seb are not doing any clay shooting this weekend but will be at Coniston Shooting Ground on Wednesday for some more practice. Last week they both had a good round on compac but did not fair too well on the Skeet but as it was the first time they were not too disappointed.

Call back soon

Beretta Breeks

2011-03-29T14:20:00.000+01:00

Putting some Beretta Breeks on the website, hopefully tonight!

Fab pair of sized 34 waist tweed in excellent condition!

Www.Bavarian-mountainhound.co.uk

Coming soon!!!!!

2011-03-27T19:06:00.001+01:00

Arriving soon on www.Bavarian-mountainhound.co.uk

A size 12 Ladies Pale Blue Toggi Top

A pair of Beretta Breeks 34 waist

Both in good condition!

Catton Hall Update

2011-03-27T17:42:00.000+01:00

We arrived at Catton Hall Shooting Ground about 10.30 and after a brew in the clubhouse Phil & Seb were eager to get going.

There are 14 stands of which some are 3 pairs and others 4 pairs.

Seb got of to a flying start with the new gun, it has made such a difference to him (but I think starting with a 20 bore has helped a lot)

Phil was very nervous and it showed in his shooting.

We went round with Mr Potter, a very nice chap and met others on the way round. Seb has a new hero, Nicky T! (may have something to do with paintballing!)

Seb had his best round ever with a score of 49, which is great as he has only been clay shooting for 3 months. As he was only 4 behind dad he was really pleased!

Conniston may be the next one on the 10th of April, on the same day there is also a memorial shoot for James Dewhurst who was sadly killed in a car accident along with his cousin Sam Lund. Seb us away with school then and us upset to miss it as it is his home ground.

Call back soon for more!

Clay Pigeon Shooting at Catton Hall

2011-03-26T10:04:00.000+00:00

It will be an early start tomorrow when we are off to Catton Hall in Cheshire for the 1st time.

Will be interesting to see how Seb gets on with the new gun on a different ground.

Call back tomorrow for an update!

Trip to Malmo Guns really paid off!

2011-03-20T11:21:00.000+00:00

The 'boys' went to Malmo Guns yesterday, as having spoken to the owners, had discovered they had some 'new' second hand guns in.

So after much deliberation, trying out and haggling - the deal was done, a 20 bore exchanged for a Berreta Special Edition 12 bore. As this is for Seb to use he was rather pleased!

A quick trip home to collect cartridges etc then off to Conniston Shooting Ground for a practice.

And what a difference it made to Seb's shooting, on his first 25 clays he connected with 19 (5 more than dad!). He was made up. After a couple more stands it was evident that the extra that you get with a 12 bore over a 20.

Home to clean and polish then put away for next weekend!

Two very happy boys!

Red Stags in Scotland

2011-03-16T18:57:00.000+00:00

Came across these guys last year up a beautiful Glen in Scotland, breath-taking!

[IMG]http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll6/PhilSmith222/IMG_7022.jpg[/IMG]

Clay Pigeon Shoot Fauxdegla

2011-03-14T17:11:00.000+00:00

Yesterday we went to North Wales to a shooting ground called Fauxdegla.

The weather was bright but cold with a strong wind.

After Phil & Seb had registered we met up with the other members of the squad that they would be going round with. Seemed like a nice bunch.

Off to the first stand, Casca had come with us too!

It was a great learning experience for both of them, the clays were very challenging and the wind did not help.

All in all a great day and we met some really nice people who were excellent shots!

The place it's self is well set out with a very nice lodge serving food and drink.

Well worth the trip down!

New pictures added

2011-03-12T13:18:00.001+00:00

Hi,

Just added a couple of photos to the gallery on http://www.bavarian-mountainhound.co.uk/

Let me know what you think!

Musto Ladies Gillet/Waistcoat

2011-03-12T12:19:00.001+00:00

I have just added a Musto Ladies Shooting Waistcoat to website http://www.bavarian-mountainhound.co.uk/

Please take a look!