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

[Minuteman]

Bog off, I have shot plenty of pheasants with my air rifle, I have permission to on the land where I have permission to shoot. If the pheasant is on land where you have permission to shoot, you are allowed by the land owner to shoot pheasants, you can shoot pheasants with an air rifle. Simple as. I have always killed humanely via a headshot, the same way I shoot my pigeons. I do not attempt to shoot the birds in flight however as with a .22 or .177 this would be nearly impossible!

Why bother shooting them, half of the dozy buggers you could walk within range and brain them with a stick.

Not considered sporting and, as an aside, it's not the impossibility that should prevent some one armed with an air rifle from taking the shot at a flying anything - it's the cruelty of it, you could not be reasonably confident of a killing shot (very much different with a scatter gun ).

[ChrisH00]

Aye, dumb critters they are - and suicidal also. They hide in the hedge waiting for you to drive past then try to cross just as you reach them. Seems their one objective in life is to bust your headlights. Gun not needed around here.

[nitemax]

I guess it would be like you being struck with a golf ball hit from the tee, it could kill you if it hit you in
the right spot but otherwise it is just gonna bloody hurt a lot.

[harvey_s]

Its always struck me as odd that the definition of 'sporting' is being "fair and generous in one's behavior or treatment of others"....
However, for the shooting community, taking a single shot gun to a bird on the wing is considered 'un-sporting', but a head-shot through cross-hairs is somehow fair & generous when I can't think of something more predjudicial really.

Not passing any kind of comment other than the paradox of the terminology...

[shaun the sheep]

Its always struck me as odd that the definition of 'sporting' is being "fair and generous in one's behavior or treatment of others"....
However, for the shooting community, taking a single shot gun to a bird on the wing is considered 'un-sporting', but a head-shot through cross-hairs is somehow fair & generous when I can't think of something more predjudicial really.

Not passing any kind of comment other than the paradox of the terminology...

Shooting(any live quarry),if we would all care to admit,is not fair! We,as the dominant species,decide we want to do it.Is it neccessary?Well,vermin controllers,such as myself,think it is.People employed in all aspects of the shooting industry,keepers,estate owners,shooting suppliers,RFD`s etc think the same..
However,after making the decision to shoot any creature we owe it to such bird or animal to at least strive to make its demise as quick and clean as possible. Bar blasting it with an expanding centre-fire round at 30 ish yards a well executed head shot on any small game,at a sensible distance,with an accurate and close to max legal power air rifle(or rimfire even) for me at least,is the most efficient method.I have to admit that I find it slightly more satisfying to drop a flying pigeon dead with a shotgun than to drop one dead out of a tree with an airgun BUT the shot to clean kill rate with the latter is much higher.--Shaun.

[ChrisH00]

Reasons for shooting at live animals can either be for Vermin Control, For the Pot (hunting for food), or for amusement. The first can claim the moral high ground with it being a necessity for disease control and farm management, the second console themselves that they 'eat what they kill' (though there may be better ways of obtaining it), but the third really have to question their motives and whether shooting paper targets might not be a more humane pastime? Many try to combine reasons 1 & 3 or 2& 3 to excuse the act.

[bighit]

what you have to also remember is if you shoot on a tenant farmers land like i do ,and they have paid pheasant shoots you may not be allowed to shoot any game birds unless you have permission from the factors . im only allowed shoot them if they are on the farmhouse land and destroying veggies and so on. i have to them leave the pheasant there and inform the game keeper

not sure if its how all tenant farmers land rules go but its what is mainly done up here

[secretagentmole]

Reasons for shooting at live animals can either be for Vermin Control, For the Pot (hunting for food), or for amusement. The first can claim the moral high ground with it being a necessity for disease control and farm management, the second console themselves that they 'eat what they kill' (though there may be better ways of obtaining it), but the third really have to question their motives and whether shooting paper targets might not be a more humane pastime? Many try to combine reasons 1 & 3 or 2& 3 to excuse the act.

I find that doing reason 1 for reason 3 provides reason 2! I enjoy hunting with my air rifle. I admit it. I also like eating nice fresh meat that I know has been killed as humanely as possible and treated in a manner I find hygienic and stored afterwards in conditions I know are suitable for the storage of food.

As previously stated on my permissions any pheasants are viewed as reason 1, vermin, as nobody has bred them for shooting on the farmland I have permission on. I have also left them with the permission holders (albeit unplucked an with guts in), as they like a nice pheasant dinner too. I make no excuses I enjoy hunting with my air rifle, I like eating meat, I like eating food I have caught! I also eat fish I have caught and gutted!

No excuses, just a nice hot dinner!

[shaun the sheep]

I have to laugh at the irony of people who say shooting pheasants in the head with an adequately powered airgun at a sensible range is unethical but that it is acceptable with pigeons.Is the pheasant more deserving of a more noble() fate?
Remember that the pheasant was imported and bred for the purpose of being shot for goodness sake.For every pheasant 'dead in the air' with a shotgun how many hit the ground running with a broken wing or continue flying with several pellets in the rump or gut ?
Now I am not knocking any kind of shooting,since,as a participant,it would be very hypocritical of me but I would suggest that people have a good think before getting on their moral high horse.--Shaun.

[AdamA]

To date I have found a series three land rover a very very success full projectile. The square front and lack of aero dynamics really helps take them out of the air. The roof rack does a perticually good job too (not so good with high value furniture like items up there mind you). I have no idea of the ftlbs of a 1 1/2 tons of land rover doing 60mph, but its always a quick, even if not very clean kill :-) Normally get about one a month. Mind you I have lost 2 wing mirrors to the buggers!

Honestly with rearguard to the notion its not sporting to maim them in flight with a shotgun so your dogs can then have a chew, well i really don't have much of a answer to that one :-(

[timmytree]

If you are the landowner, or have permission from the landowner then there is nothing to stop you taking pheasants with an air rifle. The perception that it's "unsporting" is ridiculous, it's an introduced bird, bred and reared to be shot so if you are capable of taking one with a headshot and have the rights then go ahead.
Personally I think a headshot with an air rifle is more ethical than using a 12g or similar, I've done it in the past and as a beater years ago I saw far too many wounded runners that I would be finding in the woods for days afterwards and then have to shoot them cleanly, with an air rifle.
As an introduced species pheasants should be treated the same as grey squirrels, or maybe we should treat grey squirrels like pheasants?
Could someone invent a catapult that will launch a squirrel 100 yards or more over the trees?

[AirMad]

What absolute bull.... pheasants are fair game with an airgun! Rabbits are cleanly taken at 40 yds with head shots and modern airguns along with a good scope in the hands of a seasoned hunter can be easily take pheasants to 30 yards and beyond, head shots being a must. As long as they are in season and your permissions are in order and you are capable go for it. Very tasty they are too. There will be couple complimenting the turkey on my table this year. However you can see why shooting them with an airgun is frowned upon,they cost money to rear as captive sport for people with more money than sense. Gamekeepers really get their knickers in a twist if non payers are having a bit of sport for the pot. If they are on your permissions and it is ok by the owners then shoot them as they eat as well as rabbits. I know of several stud farms where pheasants are hated with a vengance. The clatter of them rising at the feet of thoroughbred horse has been the downfall of many a thrown jockey, and in some cases injury to bolting horses. And stud farms can be a good source for permission if they have pheasant problem.

[EnglishKris]

If you are the landowner, or have permission from the landowner then there is nothing to stop you taking pheasants with an air rifle. The perception that it's "unsporting" is ridiculous, it's an introduced bird, bred and reared to be shot so if you are capable of taking one with a headshot and have the rights then go ahead.
Personally I think a headshot with an air rifle is more ethical than using a 12g or similar, I've done it in the past and as a beater years ago I saw far too many wounded runners that I would be finding in the woods for days afterwards and then have to shoot them cleanly, with an air rifle.
As an introduced species pheasants should be treated the same as grey squirrels, or maybe we should treat grey squirrels like pheasants?
Could someone invent a catapult that will launch a squirrel 100 yards or more over the trees?

Hilariously well said!

[secretagentmole]

To date I have found a series three land rover a very very success full projectile. The square front and lack of aero dynamics really helps take them out of the air. The roof rack does a perticually good job too (not so good with high value furniture like items up there mind you). I have no idea of the ftlbs of a 1 1/2 tons of land rover doing 60mph, but its always a quick, even if not very clean kill :-) Normally get about one a month. Mind you I have lost 2 wing mirrors to the buggers!

Honestly with rearguard to the notion its not sporting to maim them in flight with a shotgun so your dogs can then have a chew, well i really don't have much of a answer to that one :-(

Most of my childhood transport seemed to involve travelling along the verges as my dad attempted decapitation with the metal number plate of a Vauxhall Victor FD2000. The "thuck" of head on number plate told you when dinner was ready to be picked up, I was trained to get the bird, check the head was either loose and flopping about or removed and chuck in the boot of the car! Happy days!

[AdamA]

Most of my childhood transport seemed to involve travelling along the verges as my dad attempted decapitation with the metal number plate of a Vauxhall Victor FD2000. The "thuck" of head on number plate told you when dinner was ready to be picked up, I was trained to get the bird, check the head was either loose and flopping about or removed and chuck in the boot of the car! Happy days!

Just imagining how much more fun it must have been to open said car boot with one prior to your floppy neck training that had regained conciousness!

As to catapult launched squirrels, I will happily make the catapult, but no way in hell am i going to load it. I keep pet gerbils, they can bite clean through thick welding gauntlets, i can only imagine what a squirrels jaws are capable of!