what is the Law with regards to shooting pheasant with an air rifle?

[SandyB]

Is pheasant on the vermin list?

In a word no, they're classed as Game, and have closed seasons and cannot be shot on Sundays' BASC extract below:

Sunday and Christmas Day Shooting

England and Wales

No game may be killed or taken in any county on Sunday or Christmas Day. Game for the purposes of this section means pheasant, partridge, red grouse, black grouse and hare.

Orders prohibiting the shooting of wildfowl on Sundays made under sections 2 and 13 of the Protection of Birds Act 1954 still in existence are in the following counties (or parts of counties in existence before the 1974 local authority re-organisation): Anglesey, Brecknock, Caernarvon, Carmarthen, Cardigan, Cornwall, Denbigh, Devon, Doncaster, Glamorgan, Great Yarmouth County Borough, Isle of Ely, Leeds County Borough, Merioneth, Norfolk, Pembroke, Somerset, North and West Ridings of Yorkshire.

[walnutfarmmick]

In a word no, they're classed as Game, and have closed seasons and cannot be shot on Sundays' BASC extract below:

Sunday and Christmas Day Shooting

England and Wales

No game may be killed or taken in any county on Sunday or Christmas Day. Game for the purposes of this section means pheasant, partridge, red grouse, black grouse and hare.

Orders prohibiting the shooting of wildfowl on Sundays made under sections 2 and 13 of the Protection of Birds Act 1954 still in existence are in the following counties (or parts of counties in existence before the 1974 local authority re-organisation): Anglesey, Brecknock, Caernarvon, Carmarthen, Cardigan, Cornwall, Denbigh, Devon, Doncaster, Glamorgan, Great Yarmouth County Borough, Isle of Ely, Leeds County Borough, Merioneth, Norfolk, Pembroke, Somerset, North and West Ridings of Yorkshire.

On the first of September,
One Sunday morn,
I shot a hen pheasant
in standing corn
without a licence!
Imagine if you can
such a trio of crimes
against God and man.


Probably traditional (and definitely not a confession)

ATVB, Mick

[missfire]

no its not good form to shoot the peasants

[Buckphutt32]

My Grandad, God rest his soul was forever borrowing my air rifle to shoot pheasant, woodpigeon and the like...I don`t see the harm in shooting pheasant if you indeed plan to place it on a dinner plate with a few roast potatoes, carrots, peas and gravy and eat it!!!...

[DEAN C.]

On the first of September,
One Sunday morn,
I shot a hen pheasant
in standing corn
without a licence!
Imagine if you can
such a trio of crimes
against God and man.


Probably traditional (and definitely not a confession)

ATVB, Mick

Well they are a little late bringing in the corn around here Mick! That could drop it down to just two crimes!

ATB
Dean.

[Dalua]

I've just had a quick look over this thread, and I've not spotted (though might have missed) the important point about game rights vs vermin-shooting permission.

In order to shoot game as far as I'm aware you need permission not from the landowner or the tenant, but from the holder of the game rights: who might well be neither of those two.

[Artfull-Bodger]

what I find utterly bizzare is the notion Pheasants are such dumb birds they are no sport for an air rifle, yet, its sporting to blast them with a shotgun??
so if you come accross a pheasant on the ground when carrying your shotgun what do you do, shout and wave your arms until it takes off then blast i?
or,
give it a good talking too about putting on a right and proper sporting show so you can blast it with a clear concience?
or
do you blast it stick it in the bag and wander off looking for something else to blast!

just wondering because i can pretty much guess which option would be taken 99% of the time!

sporting? poppycock, if you want sport play football!

[Dalua]

what I find utterly bizzare is the notion Pheasants are such dumb birds they are no sport for an air rifle, yet, its sporting to blast them with a shotgun??
so if you come accross a pheasant on the ground when carrying your shotgun what do you do, shout and wave your arms until it takes off then blast i?
or,
give it a good talking too about putting on a right and proper sporting show so you can blast it with a clear concience?
or
do you blast it stick it in the bag and wander off looking for something else to blast!

just wondering because i can pretty much guess which option would be taken 99% of the time!

sporting? poppycock, if you want sport play football!

Football is a game, not a sport.

Shooting is a sport. A pheasant is game.

The correct procedure is to try option 2 first, letting your dog do the talking, if you have one with you. If that doesn't work, try option 1.

[Artfull-Bodger]

naaaw , killing animals is not sport, its just called that to gloss over what your doing!

I shot plenty of rabbits as a youngster, did i consider it sport or ethical, heck no I did it because i sold the rabbits to buy ammo and I got a kick out of stalking and killing rabbits!