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Not many of us can say we've approached a pheasant wearing nothing but a hat and a one-sided G-string.

But that can't be said of Stephen Phelps.

The farrier waded in to help a client who was having problems with a territorial Reeve's pheasant - it became so aggressive that every time the man went out on his ride-on lawnmower the bird would attack him.

The angry pheasant clawed the client in the face with its large spurs, which was when he asked Steve for help.

Taking to Facebook to ask for suggestions on how to deal with the bird, Steve, from St Agnes, was told to shoot it.

But one person jokingly suggested the 36-year-old perform a 'sex dance' to assert his dominance and claim his territory.

Steve, who also runs a pheasant shoot, said: "The comment was someone taking the mick more than anything.

"It's breeding season so they [pheasants] show off who is the biggest and best so I took him up on the joke. To be fair the pheasant looked shocked more than anything.

"One of my friends had bought me a one-sided G-string for Christmas and I thought 'I know what I'll wear to show off my masculinity'.

On preparing for the dance and his 'outfit', Steve said: "I was bent over with my tail wagging. I had sticks between my butt cheeks [which acted as] tail feathers and I was wagging my butt at him.

"He followed me for a second so I went back and shook my bum again - he hasn't attacked anyone since the sex dance."

He added: "I think he was shocked into dismissal."

Steve and his friends have even named the feisty bird Reg - "because he looks like one of the Kray twins".