Thread: Hi from Belgium

Hi, I am Rik from Belgium. Age 47, my language is Dutch, but I also speak some French and English. English springer spaniels are my main intrest. I breed, shoot over and trial spaniels for about 24 years, this is where my name comes from. I keep in between 5 and 12 dogs. I also adore anything what has to do with deer/boar stalking. Very intrested in any rifle topics. I own a Beretta 687 20 bore, a Beretta 12 bore ultralight, a B25 12 bore and a Browning European in 7x64.
New Zealand seems a paradise for the outdoorsman. That's the reason that made me look on this forum.

Hello Rik. Welcome to the forum. There are a number of hunting dog enthusiasts on here who I am sure that they will enjoy communicating with you and learn from the contributions that you make. You are right in observing that we live in a great country where we can enjoy all manner of hunting any time that we want. Many of us see that as normal and take it for granted without considering the fact that it isn't so easy for folk elsewhere.

Welcome Ric
Nice to have you.

Hi from New Zealand

G'day Rik

Welcome to the forum.

Your not wrong! NZ is a paradise for the outdoor sportsman.

Sometimes "We just dont know how lucky we are Mate" (Fred Dagg Circa 1970's).

Fred Dagg - We Don't Know How Lucky We Are - YouTube

Oh and if your ever down this way Dont forget to bring ya Gumboots.

New Zealand Gumboots Song - YouTube

Cheers
Pete

Good on ya P38. That is really flying the flag of patriotism.

Welcome Rik

Originally Posted by Rushy

Good on ya P38. That is really flying the flag of patriotism.

No worries Rushy.

I thought it might put a smile on Hales Smuts dial.

Besides Fred and even Trev is a part of everyone of us.

I'm proud to be a Kiwi.
Just need to look to the left of this post to see that.


Cheers
Pete

hey hales welcome to nz. as rushy said we are very lucky here. tell us more about your homeland hunting.

Hi "Hales Smut" good to see you chose to name yourself after one of the greats

Welcome to nzhuntingandshooting, there a few spaniel guys on here

Hullo Rik, look forward to reading of your shooting...the great disappointment for shooting in this country is that the woodcock does not get this far!!!!

Thanks guys for the welcome. In this answer I will certainly forget many things, so feel free to ask. You can be sure if I ever come to NZ, which I hope, I will bring my gumboots. I almost live in them, training and shooting over my dogs. We are very close to the south of the UK and have similar weather. Scotland is a lot wetter and I heard NZ is even far wetter than Scotland. To be honest I prefer rain over countries which have a hot climate like the south of Europe or Sout Africa.
Belgium is very small ( 3 1/2 hour from north to south) and extremely crowded. I live in one of the densest populated areas of the country, just about 15 km west of Brussels. Brussels is the centre of Europe and has lots of the european administration and councils.
Shooting is permanetly in danger. Left winged politicians and organisations do everything to have it restricted as much as possible. We have woodcock but are not allowed to shoot them. In the French speaking part of the country it is allowed as well as in France, Italy, Spain, etc....... We can not shoot fox at night , not in a 100m circle around his hole, etc... I mostly shoot pheasant, hare and rabbit over my dogs. Sometimes I go to the Ardennes to sit on a highseat and try to shoot a roe deer or boar.
In Liège there is one of the most famous gunsmith schools in the world.
If I ever would get in NZ, I think I will be amazed. If I see the open space and game you have, it's only a dream for us. I don't have the money to shoot a large stag or similar, but helping out on a culling operation for goats, hinds, etc.... would be one of my dreams.

I hope one day you are able to come over here for a hunting trip.

You dont need alot of money to shoot a stag, just fly over and hunt public land.

St Hubert built the cathedral at Liege!!!