Shooting Magpies in your garden???

[fullbandit]

I'd say have a chat with your neighbours first cos if it upsets them they'll moan to every body (RSPCA ,cops ) whether your in the right or not and make you life hell!!!

[ateallthepies]

I totaly agree even if the person shooting is fully within their rights.

All it takes is one narked neighbor who knows his law and and some fired pellets on their property whether it came from your gun or not and the shooter could be in trouble.

Steve.

[kentfallen]

The law is based upon what is reasonable in the circumstances. No need to go to the extreme lengths above. Providing what you do is reasonable you will have no problem...

[ateallthepies]

Kent, i think reason is going out the window as each year passes. People may be lucky in their shooting career and never have a problem but there are people totaly againsed shooting that can lead to trouble if us shooters stray from the law, stupid or not.

I personally would be mortified if i was nicked for breaking air-gun laws so do my best to keep within them. At times it may interfere with our shooting to stay legal but to me it means everything.

Are you still a copper? If so you must know how our justice system works and how 'reasonable' can be interpreted from one party to another.

Steve.

[Born Again]

The law is based upon what is reasonable in the circumstances. No need to go to the extreme lengths above. Providing what you do is reasonable you will have no problem...

That's the key really. Shooting baited Woodpigeons on your lawn because you fancy a snack would not be considered reasonable. Shooting Grey Squirrels in your loft because they are chewing cables would be OK. Shooting Rats in your pigeon loft ? Fine. Shooting Magpies because they might be preventing songbirds nesting in your bushes ? Not fine unless you have good reason to believe that they are doing it.

If you have a genuine reason to shoot something on general licence then you'll be fine, if you just fancy hunting something for the fun of it then you'll likely fall foul of the law.

That doesn't mean that you can't enjoy hunting, I do, it just means that you must have a realistic reason for doing it. Nothing does the airgunner more harm than the publics perception of us killing anything that lands in our garden, for fun.

I understand the desire to shoot in the garden, shooting land isn't easy to come by and the temptation to put your skills to use on live quarry is strong - especially when you read hunting stories on these sites - but you have to ask yourself if the garden is really the place to do it.

[ateallthepies]

If you think larson traps are the way to go, read this site and see what you will be up againsed...


http://www.againstcorvidtraps.co.uk/

Steve

[DEL67]

[QUOTE=Born Again;3324773]

Haven't seen your name pop up in a while!
Are you still keeping those squirrels in check.

[EMcC]

I had the same problem with magpies and the neighbour complained, I was using a 'springer' then.
Now I use an AA 410 with moderator, she hasn't got a clue and I am doing quite well six so far.

[Born Again]

Haven't seen your name pop up in a while!
Are you still keeping those squirrels in check.

I've hammered the squirrels myself and have two retired fellas with shotguns shooting there too, although they prefer to shoot the pigeons. I'm overrun with rabbits but the warrens are so deep that ferreting isn't very effective - the rabbits run around underground and the ferrets get bored and come up with their claws full of fur. To make things more difficult I have warrens with foxholes in the middle - the ferreters won't send them down because they don't know which holes lead to rabbits and which to foxes.

To cap it all I'm told there are now deer there too.

All in all I'm having a torrid time with pest control at the moment and I'm supposed to be felling four acres this March.

On the bright side, the FEO has been up there and cleared it for 0.17, 0.22 and Hornet so at least I'll be able to zap the buggers from 100yds ( except the deer but I've got a man with open FAC to sort them ).

[DEL67]

I've hammered the squirrels myself and have two retired fellas with shotguns shooting there too, although they prefer to shoot the pigeons. I'm overrun with rabbits but the warrens are so deep that ferreting isn't very effective - the rabbits run around underground and the ferrets get bored and come up with their claws full of fur. To make things more difficult I have warrens with foxholes in the middle - the ferreters won't send them down because they don't know which holes lead to rabbits and which to foxes.

To cap it all I'm told there are now deer there too.

All in all I'm having a torrid time with pest control at the moment and I'm supposed to be felling four acres this March.

On the bright side, the FEO has been up there and cleared it for 0.17, 0.22 and Hornet so at least I'll be able to zap the buggers from 100yds ( except the deer but I've got a man with open FAC to sort them ).

Sounds like you've got your hands full to say the least. Just out of curiosity where abouts in North Kent are you. I know there are deer around the Canterbury area but not sure else where.

Derek.

[aandu]

I'm overrun with rabbits but the warrens are so deep that ferreting isn't very effective - the rabbits run around underground and the ferrets get bored and come up with their claws full of fur. To make things more difficult I have warrens with foxholes in the middle - the ferreters won't send them down because they don't know which holes lead to rabbits and which to foxes.
To cap it all I'm told there are now deer there too.

Doesn't sound like a problem to me...Sounds more like hunter's heaven...

[bushtrekker]

There was a post on here a couple of weeks ago about someone whose son had shot a pigeon. A chat to the neighbours can have unexpected results. a couple of years ago we had a major problem with squirrels in our garden, but
I was wary about shooting them as the woman who backs onto our garden feeds birds and this is what was attracting them. I bumped into her boyfriend in Sainsbury's and he mentioned the squirrels, adding that his girl friend hated them and could I do something about them( He knew I had an air rifle after a rat problem, again caused by her bird table.) I started ambushing them from the patio door early in the morning and soon got rid of a few, but was horrified the next time I saw the neighbour to hear that he had been deliberately putting down rat poison for them...ON THE BIRD TABLE!!!

Cheers, John

[fullbandit]

at the end of the day it doesn't matter if you in the right or not if your neighbours keep ringing the cops every time you have your rifle in the garden your life is going to crap

[ateallthepies]

Maybe lloyd, but there will be a time plod will get the hump with being called out to a legal shooting session and then the snitch will get a rolliking for wasting police time

Shoot well my friend,

Steve

[fullbandit]

Maybe lloyd, but there will be a time plod will get the hump with being called out to a legal shooting session and then the snitch will get a rolliking for wasting police time

Shoot well my friend,

Steve

I agree but a 5 min chat can stop many a problem