Garden shooting rules?

[Jacklurcher]

Or a ghillie suit.. the urban version might work for you ?

I think the beer can on the muzzle is a bit of a giveaway!

[angrybear]

This has always confused me over the years, We've used a pest controller for years where I worked , I've always asked why they dont use guns , Was told its not quite as simple as shooting pests, Apparently shooting should be a last resort, preventing them access or removing food source etc etc. The norm on most shooting forums is have permission and kill anything. Hey like I said , I've had conflicting info. Dont know myself but hopefully someone can clear it up with the right info.

Gavlar has just cleared it up

ALL living creatures are protected under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 unless an exception has been made, and it's the shooters responsibility to know the law.

In the case of birds there are "general licences" covering a number of bird species ,which state that, if scaring them doesn't work it may be legal to use lethal methods 'under specific circumstances' which may include; crop protection, health risks, protection of other wildlife, shooting 'for the pot' is not classed as a good reason.

With mammals species classed as "vermin" have no protection, the control of Rabbits is a legal requirement for land-owners, invasive alien species like grey squirrels & mink should be controlled at every opportunity,
anything else is legally protected.

The home office guide to firearms law has got an entire section (13) of about 15 pages of rules if you want to read the whole lot

[madcarlos]

[QUOTE=angrybear;8292770]Gavlar has just cleared it up

ALL living creatures are protected under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 unless an exception has been made, and it's the shooters responsibility to know the law.

In the case of birds there are "general licences" covering a number of bird species ,which state that, if scaring them doesn't work it may be legal to use lethal methods 'under specific circumstances' which may include; crop protection, health risks, protection of other wildlife, shooting 'for the pot' is not classed as a good reason.

With mammals species classed as "vermin" have no protection, the control of Rabbits is a legal requirement for land-owners, invasive alien species like grey squirrels & mink should be controlled at every opportunity,
anything else is legally protected.

The home office guide to firearms law has got an entire section (13) of about 15 pages of rules if you want to read the whole lot

All makes sense but its rarely ever followed going by what you see or read on the forums, Unfortunately.

[robs5230]

All wild animals are protected to some degree by the Wildlife and Countryside act.

All wild birds are protected and can only be shot where General licences give that authority / exemption.
Bird species that can be shot under a General Licence, and the reasons, will differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. As such, a shooter needs to make sure he is working to the GL in the area they are shooting in.
As above, birds can only be killed, where all other non lethal methods have either been exhausted, or are not practical.
Shooting birds in a residential garden, is highly unlikely to be covered by any General Licence.

As for mammals, though they do not fall under the realms of a general licence, in line with the Wildlife and Countryside Act, a shooter must ensure that no undue suffering is effected on the quarry, in the process of shooting. It must be done humanely.
This places quite a big legal burden on a shooter. Using inappropriate kit, or not being able to consistently make a clean kill shot, among other things, could see a shooter breaking the law

[Steyr]

It's 50 feet from the centre of a carriageway, not a public right of way (e.g footpaths aren't covered by the legislation). You can shoot closer than that to a carriageway, provided a user isn't “injured, interrupted or endangered”.

Injured and endangered are covered by having an adequate backstop. “Interrupted” is slightly ambiguous. Since the legislation dates back to horses, it could be argued “interrupted” means telling them to wait or take a detour, rather than them stopping to rubberneck.

You can shoot in the middle of the carriage way if you don't cause impedance to travellers. 50 foot is about 16 yards or bloody close if you prefer.

If you want to shoot over your boundary, you can always ask permission from the neighbour or the person who holds the shooting rights as not always the land owner.

Nuisance will be a big factor. Metal back stops are bloody noisy. Lead is great but dry sand with heavy paving slabs is the best.

ALL wildlife is protected under various statutes pretty much. The GENERAL LICENCE is a variation that allows certain species to be controlled. The species can come and go for example starlings used to be on but removed. Parakeets have become a recent addition like ringed and monk. HOWEVER the GL's also set the rules of what why when etc you can engage. If you don't comply you can be prosecuted. As ignorance is no defence at law, then you need to know the terms of the GLs and what species can be shot.