BVSCS talk

I was fortunate enough to join the Blackmore Vale Shooting and Conservation Society (BVSCS) for their monthly meeting in Wimborne, Dorset last night. This very active group works hard to promote shooting and fishing - and to create opportunities for young people to take part in country sports - in their local area.
As guest speaker, I did initially wonder how an airgunning talk would go down with a group that specialises in deer stalking and gundog training but it was encouraging to see that air rifle hunting is taken very seriously by the society. Members also managed to keep me on my toes with some interesting questions once I'd finished my presentation.
Thanks to Frank O'Conner and all at the BVSCS for making me feel very welcome.

Mass migration
Friday night's wet, warm weather (it was 10 degrees C and pouring down when I was driving home at 11pm) appeared to prompt a mass migration of toads. The roads were covered with them, and I assume the amphibians were making their way to their spring breeding grounds.
It made for an interesting drive home, and I'm pretty sure that I managed to get back without squashing any...

It doesn't always go to plan

A friend and I recently spent the best part of a day fishing for flounders in Poole Harbour.

The tides were good and the weather was good but we didn't catch a thing. They even managed to resist my mate's flashy flatfish attractors...



Just goes to show, you always need a bit of luck. Nonetheless, we still managed to have a thoroughly enjoyable day out in the fresh sea air - not that a couple of fish wouldn't have made it even better.
A recipe for flounder might follow if we have more success at a later date...