Cheap food if you aren't squeamish

Katharine

The money saving way of shooting your own food would be to buy a second hand air rifle (dont go for an airpistol they are not accurate enough for hunting) and practise with it until you are accurate and confident in securing a clean humane kill 99% of the time, then shoot locally on your own land or speak to local farmers (you must gain persimssion) about shooting pests on their land you can eat, ie pidgeons, rabbits, grey squirels. You don't need a licence for an air rifle as long at you old enough, and there are no laws about where you should keep it. Obviously in a house with just two adults there would be no need to secure it away, but with kids it certainly makes sense! Even an unloaded airrifle can be dangerous when cocked. Maybe he could keep it at a landowners/farmers house as they are likely to have somewhere safe, or a club as mentioned. But you dont really need to be a member of a club as long at you know what you are doing, cheaper to buy one of the well respected airifle mags I would think or join the BASC.

One of my pet hates is irresponsible shooting, I always follow best practise plus a bit higher from my own morals. Becoming a member of the BASC would be a very good idea, as you get public liability insurance and all the best advice. http://www.basc.org.uk/ Certainly not something to start into without reasearch and advice, feel free to ask me if you have any questions.

The whole shotguns/paid shoots domain is more of a well off persons sport, and personally I wouldn't recommend this to OS's anyway as it's really not nessessary to feed yourself and a hell of alot of hasstle with licences etc, and costly. Apart from not seeing the appeal at all.

Katharine

In addition the below 12ft/lbs airrifles are perfectly suitable for any of the pest species I mentioned within a reasonable range.

ziggy2004

Thanks katharine i will get dh to look at the site
X Anne

upferret

I would be interested in getting rabbit and woodpigeon, I am against any type of shooting or hunting where the animal isnt eaten, if it is shot properly and the animal eaten then that is fine by me. How do I go about finding shot rabbits and pigeons in my area? Even normal pigeons would be of use if they are free as I have three ferrets and they would love them! I have no idea where to look though as I dont know of a local shooting club.

flufff

If your getting pheasant free then they arent from a proper shoot but poached!My ex husband was a gameskeeper,they used to take pheasants monday after weekends shoot and sell them at the livestock market normally between 80-160.I cooked one once and had to bury it in back garden it stunk so bad,beware of lead shot I think its an acquired taste!
Shotguns you need a licence for and should be locked away seperate to ammunition.
I dont think air rifles should be allowed anywhere near houses.We have had problems with nasty folk shooting cats.
Me I could quite happily be vegetarian.If your taking brambles for jelly then I'm all for that!

Rikki

My OH game shoots in season and the birds are given away at the end of the shoot. In reality they are not cheap as a seasons shooting can cost between £600 and £800.

I object to the corperate shoots where the city boys shoot for the pleasure and not to take the birds away for consumption at the end of the day.

Katharine

upferret wrote:

I would be interested in getting rabbit and woodpigeon, I am against any type of shooting or hunting where the animal isnt eaten, if it is shot properly and the animal eaten then that is fine by me. How do I go about finding shot rabbits and pigeons in my area? Even normal pigeons would be of use if they are free as I have three ferrets and they would love them! I have no idea where to look though as I dont know of a local shooting club.

I would contact local land owners, and again your local airrifle club, you will need someone local and helpful tho, a neighbour who drives past your house on the way back from a shoot would be ideal. Look out for fresh roadkill for the ferrets (or yourself) too. We have two ferrets we shoot for, they love fresh meat, they get crows too, not something I'd fancy! Some people claim that feral pigeon is far tastier than woodpigeon, but I dont like the idea of eating the bird equivalent of a rat.

Word of warning to anyone gutting a rabbit for the first time, remember the sqeeze the urine out first! I forgot the first time, and never again, still my camo jacket was smell camoed too after that!:o

poohbear59

My son has just brought home a hare which was shot at the local 'shoot' and wasn't wanted. At least we never waste any food in this house. I need to get my River Cottage book out to find out how to prep hare. We do eat a lot of rabbit in this household as they are dreadful at eating my vegetables and our neighbour shoots them for the pot. Thanks for the reminder about the bladder!!

Debt_Free_Chick

poohbear59 wrote: »

My son has just brought home a hare which was shot at the local 'shoot' and wasn't wanted. At least we never waste any food in this house. I need to get my River Cottage book out to find out how to prep hare. We do eat a lot of rabbit in this household as they are dreadful at eating my vegetables and our neighbour shoots them for the pot. Thanks for the reminder about the bladder!!

If it's not been paunched (gutted) then do as soon as possible.

Do it outside. The smell of hare guts is "an acquired taste" and can linger in the home for some time. :eek:

JoeyEmma

OH's parents have dogs that are trained to retrieve on hunts. They also have fruit cages where pheasants keep getting stuck in. The dogs keep coming in with live pheasants in their mouths, looking proud as punch.

Gumpo I would love to be able to get a lamb for £40. Next time we are up in the Lakes we might get one and fill up the freezer. I've been looking online and half lambs (butchered) tend to cost about £55- £65, so you are getting a true bargain there! A whole lamb weighs about 20kg, so you are paying about £2 a kilo, which is amazingly cheap.