What are the laws on animals on your land?

[Heisenberg]

Just wondering this- what are the laws regarding shooting a wild animal or neighbours hens/chickens if they are repeatedly on your land?
I know a woman who has a pal who holds her FAC and does some culling of deer for SNH or something- she says if a deer comes on to your land you are entitled to shoot it and keep it. Obviously my HW97 won't do this, and I couldn't use my crossbow as that's illegal. So without a FAC and hunting rifle it's a virtually impossible hypothetical scenario? Discharging a high powered lethal rifle near neighbours would no doubt have the plod knockinng at your door anyway
What about pheasants? If one strays on to my land could I shoot that legally?
I've a neighbour who has a house like some hill-billy farmyard even though it's residential. They literally have dozens of rescue battery hens, ducks,geese, dogs,cats,rabbits,snakes you name it....even kept a horse which destroyed part of the fence and pulled out a few conifers we'd planted, as there's no grazing and it was searching for food on our side- did they apologise or offer to fix the fence? no......
Even though I fenced the shared boundary between us to keep their animals out I'm constantly finding the birds wandering about our garden crap*ing everywhere , on our decking and front door area. I know it really wouldn't be good for neighbour relations(!) but would I be within my rights to shoot them- especially the cockerel which has had me awake since 5:30am again.....I know I live rurally but these folk have no consideration for anyone when it comes to noise and keeping their animals in their own land.
So- what's the laws on this? Would the council be able to do anything over the noise of the cockerel? It's only going to get earlier and earlier as we head to the longest day.......

[snock]

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/22

Happy reading.

[greasemonkey]

hi,i do not normally comment on this type of thread,but coming from a farming family and having suffered nieghbours with noisy animals i have a little experience here and you have my sympathies.firstly do not shoot or harm in any way your neighbours animals.if you do so you will be the looser in more ways than one, the sh@tstorm unleased does not bear thinking about.contact your nieghbour,tell them in no uncertain terms that although you would wish to keep things on a friendly footing their animals are affecting your way of life,they are polluting your garden and if they do not take steps to control the situation you will contact the enviromental health department and the RSPCA.if things do not get significantly better contact both the aformentioned parties.the enviromental health procedure is a long drawn out process but stick with it and give them a frequent prod to keep them on the ball and you will get there.i have a particular dislike for the RSPCA because of their political agenda but if the horse is underfed they will act.my situation was solved by the enviromental health serving an enforcement notice.the two dotty old ladies with their twelve continualy barking dogs sold their house and moved.hope this is some help to you..cheers..greasemonkey

[sniper-wolf]

As above really, don't shoot any of their animals. It's their responsibility to keep their animals properly fenced in and under control.

[angrybear]

I also have this type of issue with the ocupier of land ajoining mine he has around 20 horses and a dozen dogs loose on a few acres of scrub, (he lives 5 miles away) because they have little to eat the horses are constantly knocking down the fence/hedge to get in to my fields, & with the wet ground over the winter they have done a lot of damage to the ground, around 6 of the dogs are left to run free all the time & are constantly on mine.

I have had the RSPCA out they are a waste of effort, the local dog warden tried to help but has no power on private land, and unless/untill a dog "goes for you" you cannot shot it even on your own land, and the horses are classed as "livestock" & while he is responsable for keeping them in it would aparantly take legal action to enforce it.

Re Deer or Pheasants, if on your land you can shoot them as per any legal seasonal or calibre conditions.

[secretagentmole]

If the deer or pheasants are carrying out verminous attacks you may not even have to wait for the right season. My dad had hell with a lazy keeper who moved the feeders close to the garden where we used to live, in the knowledge that the pheasants would find food in the gardens! My father got fed up, had a word with the law (a policeman lived close by), bought a Super Meteor from mother's catalogue (ah the good old 1970s) and shot the beggars! Keeper not very happy! Keeper comes onto our land and accuses father of poaching, policeman (who was a keen gardener and entered competitions for his produce) appears, tells keeper the law and says if he does not get off my father's property with his shotgun he was going to be arrested and failure to move the feeders would mean that the police officer would buy a shotgun and see how many of the damned things lived then!

[suicide jockey]

sorry you can't shoot any animal with a bow and arrow, please don't try