Originally Posted by
Steve Valentine
For my sins I’m a member of a couple of air rifle groups on Facebook. The amount of folks that shoot wildlife coming to visit the feeders they put up in their town gardens is astonishing. Citing no other reason than ‘because I can’
These pigeons and doves they shoot arent decimating farmers crops, and as far as I can see they have made no other attempt to keep them away.
Living where I do on the outer edge of Wakefield it’s a pleasure to be able to observe ANY form of wildlife that visits my feeders, be it squirrels, pigeons, doves, starling or great/blue tits.
Shooting pigeons that visit in their hundreds to a farmers crop field is a completely different matter to a couple of fat woodies in a housing estate garden.
Are you stating that the woodies that visit your garden....and even that of neighbours only feed from there 24/7 365 & hat their offspring also do the same.
That they dont fly outside of an exclusion zone and they are...to all intentse and purposes domesticated.
As far as I am aware...... pigeon will utilise any food resource they can and no single woodie is going to ignore a farmers field just because the nut feeders in No. 21 and 25 are overflowing.
They will eat what they want where they want when they want.... and thats going to include crop damage as they make there way across the lands.
Now I appreciate woodies....I think they are gorgeous birds up close. I have never seen a scruffy manky woodie apart from a couple that were clearly very ill indeed. but the damage they do is far beyond ones garden and they are fair game to be on the GL.
As for scaring...well OK......thats fine but I challenge anyone tomshow conclusive proof that they have succesfully scared off some of the pest species we are asked to control under GL.
Dont forget that the REASON for GL is the economic damage that is done to crop yields and it is the will odlf the people who have this issue that the GL system exists.
its there because the people need it. its notna licence to select full auto and shoot any and all. its very specific and select and reacts to issues if a species becomes a problem and removes them when numbers are under an acceptable level of control.
I would shoot pigeons as they feed and when they roost and when they lay up in the trees after their 1st meal. if there are other reasons why their prescenc causes issues such as health and safety and if it is not against the terms of the GL then thats doable when all other factors are considered.
Last edited by Steyr; 31-03-2019 at 02:47 PM.
In a battle of wits I refuse to engage with an unarmed person.
To one shot one kill, you need to seek the S. Kill only comes from Skill