Originally Posted by
curly
Your post also suggested a degree of contempt for the game licence. You described it as a "technical" requirement. In fact it is much more than a technicality, it is a legal requirement that you have no right to disregard (I am assuming here that you don't possess a game licence & have no intention in obtaining one any time soon). Plenty of people have been prosecuted for killing game without a licence. Whether the licence is justified or not is an entirely different matter. The fact still remains that you are breaking the law without it.
And I hope you never, ever break the speed limit. As a matter of fact, I've got a game license somewhere- probably a few years old, but it's the thought that counts eh? Was worth the six quid to see the look on the post office girls face when I asked her for a license to kill game.
I am concerned about your sneering reference to magpies and song birds. It is a well established and incontrovertible fact that this particular pest has decimated the song bird population. This obviously doesn't matter to you but it does to me and thousands of other people, shooters and non-shooters alike.
Quite. The magpie is a native bird, and has always preyed upon songbirds. Thats the way it is. I'm sure you'd agree with me when I say that part of being a shooter is to respect Nature, and her way of doing things. I also think you need to look elsewhere for the reasons as to the decline of songbird species, rather than try to pin the blame upon magpies which are doing what they have done for centuries. Try declining field margins, loss of hedgerows and widespread use of pesticides and you'd be closer to the mark. Also lets not forget the magpies' partner in crime, Tiddles the Tabby. Cats are some of the most voracious predators when it comes to songbirds- I always wondered why little old dears who spend a fith of their pension upon birdfood bother feeding it to the birds when it just ends up inside the cat. I suppose it's cheaper than catfood and Tiddles gets some exercise. If you're really worried about predatation on birds, I'd suggest you look at culling cats- they do far more damage and they're not a native species. You'd be restoring a balance of nature. Oops, I forgot, people who shoot cats with airguns are bad, bad men.
For what it's worth, I'm not trying to defend magpies, I'll happily shoot them at lambing time. I'm just pointing out that the argument that they are responsible for the decline in UK songbird populations is deeply flawed and is not in my opinion justifiable as a reason to shoot them.
I assume you have permission to shoot on your land. What purpose did you give when seeking that permission? Was it for the purpose of vermin control or was it for the purpose of putting food on the table? If it was for vermin control then that excludes game and includes corvids. If it was for the pot then did you make that clear and that it would include game birds? I am left wondering what your land owner/farmer would make of your views and intended actions.
Where did I say I shot pheasants? I shoot anything that has a detrimental effect upon the farm- rats and pigeons spoiling grain, rabbits eating crops, corvids attacking sheep. That I can eat the rabbits is a bonus. I'd shoot pheasants for the pot
The general tone of your post represents the views of those who only take & do harm and plays into the hands of those who would like to see all shooting banned irrespective of the motivation of the shooter. Shooting is a broad church with room for all responsible people. If you want to be a part of it then respect the views of all shooters and please do me the honour of respecting my views and refrain from calling me and my fellow sportsmen "idiots".
To others who seem to be of the view that shooting pheasant is easy: Maybe on your shoot but not mine. 100ft high and curling in the wind. I'd so enjoy watching you shoot!
I'm rubbish with a shotgun, you'd have a good laugh.
Fred
I seem to remember getting in trouble for the songbird thing before...
And day by day and dauntingly, Our anger does increase. While you ruin us through ignorance,
How can we keep our peace?
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