IPC Shooting Industry Awards 2011

Ok, This is probably going to stir things up, but here goes anyway!!!

I recently attended the IPC Shooting Industry Awards Ceremony in Beaconsfield and have to say that it was a most enjoyable evening, with excellent food, wine and met with some very high profile people.

However, i had sent in my New Shooting product "Stock Aid" to be entered into the "Shooting Accessory" category. Seeing as though i had received a invitation i hoped i might be in with a shout!! but alas i didn't get anywhere..

What really got to me was the winner of this category which was the "FUD Folding Pigeon Decoy"!!!! Which while this is indeed a good product and worthy of a mention i can not see how it was allowed to win??? For example,

1) The product was submitted by GMK one of the two approved importers / wholesalers by FUD
2) It is a foreign product from America
3) Not submitted by the owners
4) Is only a variation on existing products ie any pigeon decoy

So, the winner of this category has the right to use the "IPC Awards Logo" which is fine, so surely then all of us in the UK, Myself, Sportsman Gun Centre (the other approved wholesaler) and every retailer in the country should have the logo to use as well??? or am i just being stupid and very short sighted and lack of understanding???

Don't get me wrong, i am not conceited enough to think that my Stock Aid product should win, although it was very highly praised by Shooting Times!! but at least Stock Aid is all New, Innovative, Excellent Quality, Made here in the UK (Northampton) and is Safety Related!!!

Ok, i am now hiding under my desk awaiting the flack!!! It's been nice knowing you all!!! ha ha ha

Look forward to hearing from all

Phil
Field and Moor

London 2012 Olympics Shooting time table

Hi all.
Details of the shooting competitions for the 2012 London Olympics are now available.
Shooting takes place at the Olympics between the 28th July & 6th August 2012 at the Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich, London. (Still confused as to why it is not at Bisley)
Seating will be in place for around 7,500 by temporary grandstand at each range.
A total of 10 disciplines will be taking place, 7 for Pistols & Rifles and 3 for Shotguns.
Ticket costs will be between £20 & £40
Ticket types will be for the "Finals hall & Ground Pass" which will give spectators access to all events. the "Ground Pass" will not give access to the Rifle & Pistol finals, only the Shotgun.
Tickets will be on sale from 15th March to 26th April.
Should the sessions be over subscribed then the tickets will be allocated on a "Ballot" basis. at least you will not have to rush in early.
For more information on how to apply for tickets and more go to http://www.tickets.london2012.com/

Hope this all helps anyone looking to attend.

Many thanks

Phil
Field and Moor

Shotgun Renewalls

Recently in the news there has been talk of how your local Police Firearms team are changing the way they conduct renewals for Shotgun Certificates.

Bedfordshire Police in particular and other forces have been criticised for not doing home visits for renewals. I have recently had my renewal come through, without any problems i might add and in good time, i did however have the phone call from them to discuss my application, security, any illnesses etc, which took approximately 10 - 15 minutes, so i have to ask how much longer would the officer have been had they done a home visit?? after all he would have only asked the same questions and then done a visual check on security.
As i am sure the police are aware that legitimate gun holders are NOT likely to say or do anything that will jepordise their licence, so why do they need to waste time, money (which they have little of) driving around making visits.

Another side of this is that Bedforshire Firearms team is moving from the headquarters in Bedford to Hertfordshire Police headquarters, now with this move and the cost of fuel etc are they, other than for first applications, going to be able to afford the time and costs involved driving greater distances to do what can be done over the phone??

I think as long as your circumstances have not change then this is fine, however if you are moving address and especially to another county then yes they should do a home visit.

Interesting times ahead.

Phil
Field and Moor

Windy days in the Hide

Going shooting is always fun, however sometimes when the wind is blowing and the birds are flying well the one thing that gets very annoying is when your hide starts to fall in on you because of the wind.

The trouble with shooting in the winter is getting the hide fixed down well, the ground is wet so your hide poles will move with the weight of the nest and the wind blowing in. So what is the solutioin??

Here at Field and Moor we have made "Hide Guyropes" made from wooden 9" pegs, 1.5mtr green para cord and a aluminium guyline runner for better adjustments. They come in packs of 2 and will give the extra stability to your hide on a windy day.

2 x Hide Guyropes

 Hide Guyropes





Just another usefull addition to your pigeon / duck / geese hide kit.

Buy online here

Just a little extra something that you will find usefull on your outings.

Many thanks

Phil
Field and Moor

Warming up for your shoot day.

Having recently been one of the many who suffer from a bad back and have regular visits to the osteopaths, i have noticed how none or very few people you see warm up before going out to shoot. You can very often see our golfing counterparts with a club across there shoulders doing some gentle exercises prior to the tee off, so why is it the shooters don't seem to bother???

As mentioned i am a sufferer of back pain in my lower back which when "Locks out" results in days in agony, laid up and visits to the Osteopaths to get fixed. Let's look at a typical shoot day and hopefully you will see why it is a good idea to prepare properly like many other sportsmen and women.

The day usually starts early in the morning, we get up get ready in a warm house then outside in the cold into our vehicle where the heater is put on to get us warm and relaxed for the drive to the shoot. At arrival we will possibly go into a warm house or shooting lodge for breakfast. Then off outside again into the cold to get ready before departing in a shoot vehicle or walk to the first drive for a fun day of shooting......

As you will note we will be going from warm to cold environments 2 or 3 times which will have an effect on the muscles particularly the back especially when we start shooting. Shooting driven birds are usually taken in at height with you bent over backwards and with the recoil of the gun forcing downwards putting even greater forces on our shoulders and back, even worse it is concentrated on one side of the body.

So how can we all minimise these effects??
Well firstly start with some gentle stretching of the back and legs when you first get up and again when you arrive at the shoot, especially if you have had a long drive, no matter how comfortable you consider your vehicle. After breakfast, when you are getting your gun ready do the same again. By now your back will be in a far better way to absorb the rough road to the first drive and be more flexible when you start to shoot.

Is it worth it?
Yes definitely, you will be able to move around better and enjoy your shooting so much more, who knows you may just be able to get a few more left & rights due to being more relaxed, flexible and comfortable. Also these days are not cheap so make the most of them and enjoy them more.

In addition to making your day better one of the other areas which can cause great fatigue is having to stand holding your gun all day, so why not invest in our New Shooting product Stock Aid, this will take the full weight if the gun in a upright position, so being safe, and in the correct position to bring the gun into your shoulder to shoot thus making your last shot of the day as fresh as your first.

Stock Aid is made from high quality leather here in the UK and will give you many years of service. See our website www.fieldandmoor.co.uk for more information and the review form Shooting Times.

Thank you for reading this and feel free to leave your comments.

Phil
Field and Moor

Accucover in your sight

Here at Field and Moor we often come across new shooting products, some good some bad and some excellent. Ever since we launched Stock Aid we have been shown some of these unique ideas from people all over the country and like many new things only a hand full are successful and i can assure you Accucover is one of them that deserves to succeed.

I met the man behind Accucover approx 2 years ago and have to say i thought this product, even back then, was a superb idea. We kept in touch and only this week (August 2010) i got the phone call from Nic to say that all had gone live and he had released Accucover to the masses which was excellent news. Two days later a parcel arrived in the post and as promised where 2 Accucover's for me to test and to put on our online store for sale. Thank you Nic.

So what do we think?
Well firstly, with more haste than is good for you i tried to fit the wrong size onto my rifle scope and thought RTFM........(Read The Flipping Manual) Phil and dually fitted the correct one. this task took only seconds and once lined up correctly I put the gun into my shoulder and immediately noticed a difference in aligning the gun correctly to give me a more straight viewing through the scope and thought......This really works, not that i was doubting it in any way.

Viewing through the scope you really do notice the high visibility arrows but not in a way that puts you off on the task in hand and only enhances the operation.

This product is unique and really works, it is like our Stock Aid you don't realise you need it until you do the "Touch, Feel, Smell" Bit then you wondered how you managed with out it. Whether your a master or a novice this Accucover could make your shooting better, quicker and more enjoyable due to hitting more targets and spending less on ammunition.

To buy yours now click here and go straight to our online shop.

Hope you find this use full and what better way to have confidence in a product than from someone independent.

Well done Nic for bringing this to market.

Phil
Field and Moor

Country Clothing for Children

With winter not far away you can never start looking for warm clothing soon enough, whether it be for walks in the country, shooting, beating of walking your dog, but what about the children and getting them all kitted out for the coming months??

Field and Moor have always supplied quality clothing for gents and then branched out to include the ladies with a superb quality range from Deerhunter and Hoggs of Fife, well we now offer a the same clothing as Mum & Dad for the children specially made from one of the leading country clothing manufactuers Deerhunter.

Whether you want just a jacket, trousers or a complete suit we can supply you, quality made, tough wearing and, Mum it's even Machine Washable.

Why, i think your wondering, do we need to buy these, cant we just send them out in a coat and jeans??............NOooooooooo!! jeans are the worst item of clothing for cold weather due to there "Open cell" material, ie big holes in the fabric, that lets water and cold air in making the wearer even colder, the best thing is a "Closed Cell" material which is used in the manufaturing of Deerhunter clothing, hence there quality and durability ideal for children.

Little Wolf Jacket

Little Wolf Trousers





The above is a complete suit from Deerhunter in Green, 100% ployester Micro Fibre with Deer-Tex Membrane and Machine Washable.

 Monaghan Jacket



 

Monaghan Trousers







Another superb Jacket and trousers from Deerhunter, sold as seperates finished in 100% Ployester Suede with Deer-Tex Membrane, Machine Washable

Little Oscar Jacket

Little Oscar Trousers





As with the Monoghan the Little Oscar is also sold as seperates, made from 100%Polyester Tricot with Deer-tex membrane, Machine Washable

Deerhunter has an excellent reputation for quality long lasting clothing whether for Men, Women or children you will be hard pushed to find this quality and price anywhere else.

Hope you find this useful and we await your orders here at Field and Moor

Thank you

Phil

Badger Cull Bovine TB

The Badger Cull in Wales has been delayed due to an fresh legal appeal later this month (June 2010) I fell this is a good thing as i would like to hear what other measures have been tried prior to allow a mass cull.

What i find strange is that Pigeons and rabbits cause many thousands of pounds worth of damage to land and the loss in crops and therfore income to the farmers, it has to be proved that other measures have been tried prior to allow vermin control with guns is allowed, which is a very effective way of controlling this problem.

With this in mind i would like to know how many cattle farmers have looked at there Bio-Security ie using high level disinfectants which have been designed to controll Bovine TB, Foot and Mouth and Bird Flu to name a few and these products are DEFRA Approved.

Agrigene from field and moor

The TB virus is spread via urine and saliva from the infected animal so using an approved long lasting product such as Agrigene will certainly help against the spread of this awfull disease.

All the farmers need to do is to self mix the disinfectant into a sprayer and spray over feeders and around cattle sheds to kill of the virus.

Agrigene is a long lasting product even when mixed and will remain active upto 6 months outside (subject to weather conditions) and can be used as boot and vehicle dips if ramers are worried about outside people coming in to there farms.

I wonder how many cattle farmers have been informed about this alternative method?? none i feel.

Vermin control is an important part of farming and the countryside but am still not convinced about a mass cull of Badgers.

Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment.

Phil
Field and Moor
Farmers weekly Blog

Lead Shot Ban Another story

Have to say the lead shot ban is set to continue for some time yet.

The other week i was up at a friends house who owns a large Grouse shoot and one day i went to meet up with the game keeper to find out how things where going.

As with most keepers they always think the worse for the season ahead, guess they do this to cover there arses if it is a bad one then they can say " I told you so" however i think they are in for a good season again this year as the keeper has found birds in area's not seen before as well as all the normal breeding spots so fingers crossed for them.

Anyway that was not the reason for this blog.
We got talking about the lead shot ban controversy and we wondered why if they have been shooting over the moors for...lets say...100 years, just how many tons of lead have been deposited over the ground???

A very important part of Grouse moor management is the correct movement of sheep to keep the tick numbers down. The sheep certainly eat a vast amount of food on the moor. Also why? with all the lead shot up there is the water so pure, clean and refreshing?? after all water companies adverts they always say about the benefits of mountain water being so good!!

Surely if there is any truth to lead contamination, this water would be infected too! and we would be finding dead sheep, rabbits and grouse laying around everywhere?? but guess what i have never seen any yet.

Have your say!!

Phil
Field and Moor

Dont Wear Jeans in the Cold Weather

Having attended many business meeting and done talks on country clothing, Deerhunter, Jack Pyke and Hoggs and there design, warmth, waterproof effectiveness it always amazes me that people seem to think that "Jeans" are a suitable item of clothing to wear out on a cold wintery day.....Wrong!!! but Why?

Jeans are made from what is classed as an "open cell material" which if looked at closely you can see that there are spaces between the weave which on a cold day fill with water molicules which then freeze making you feel colder, therefore encasing your legs in an ice blanket! so while Jeans are a excellent fashion item they are no use in keeping you warm on a cold day / evening. Hence you can wear jeans in the middle of the summer and still feel cool, not ideal!

This is why cold weather clothing does not have to be thick and heavy but made of many thin tightly woven material to keep the wind and cold from penetrating the material, its hardly rocket science.......

It is much the same as wearing the right boots and socks, if your boots are too tight and you wear 2 pairs of socks there is a higher chance of having cold feet, due to the lack of circulation of air around your feet, so wear a good quality boot and just one pair of socks so as the warmth from your feet warm the air circulating around the inside of your boot.

With the start shooting season only weeks away, 4 at time of writing this, now is the time to start looking for those all important warm clothing especially if you are going to venture out on the Grouse Moors.

Here at Field and Moor we have a vast range clothing to suit all budgets from the cost effective Jack Pyke to the other end quality Deerhunter products all designed for both ladies and gents especially with the all new 2010 season of Deerhunter DXO Shooting Tweeds.

Take at look at our site for more details on all our shooting related products.

Look forward to hearing from you all soon.

Reagrds

Phil
Field and Moor

New Handybar product

At Field and Moor we are always looking for new and exciting products which we feel will be of use to the shooting world, even if the product is not made directly for shooting people. With this in mind we have obtained the "Handybar" tool.

Designed to help those less agile folk who find it difficult to get out of there vehicle anywhere. This is a 3 in 1 product with:

• Emergency side window breaker
• Stainless steel seatbelt cutter
• Non-slip handle with strong alloy subframe
• Large rubber handle for ease of grip

The pointed end fits into the dooor striker which gives you leaverage to get out of your vehicle.

Handybar

Handybar instructions








This is just something you may find of use, see website Field and Moor for further information and to buy.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Phil