How Commendable Is This??!!!

jamross65

Well-Known Member
I was looking for the legislation on Google that relates to the topic on another thread and came across the following which is the guidelines recommended by the IMBA UK (International Mountain Biking Association) when bikers come across a pheasant shoot.
I was pleasantly surprised at the Associations attitude towards shooting and thought in fact, it quite commendable. I know it does not relate to stalking but at least heartening to know that not all other organisations are against our way of life.

Mountain Bike Guidance if Encountering a Shooting Party on a Bridleway

What should you do if you encounter a pheasant shoot when out for a ride on a bridleway or byway?

IMBA recommends that you wait for the "drive" to be completed. This may take up to 15 minutes. You may also find that the "beaters" are positioning themselves for the next "drive" - if so, we again recommend waiting for the drive to be complete so avoid disturbing the birds prematurely.

While you may feel that shooting pheasants or other game is rather an odd way to spend the day - remember that the shooters and beaters will quite probably have similar views about mountain biking!
 
I think you'll probably find they're fairly pro stalking too! :D

(Hereby unveiling myself as 'not only but also' a former IMBA-UK Northern England coordinator and board member, who may have had a little input in the policy formation... if anyones having problems with MTB'ers I'm more than happy to offer some go-betweening , indeed if anyone wants to swap some stalking for expensive bicycle wheels and shoes I may be able to provide too ;)

Part of the concept with IMBA-UK was to act as an effective go between/advocacy organisation, able to represent mountainbikers to landowners in a positive understanding light, and also to educate riders in the concerns and challenges that face land managers, since effectively we ourselves had a foot in both camps - I work in the bike industry, am a keen rider, but trained as a keeper and ranger and am an active stalker, so able to see issues from both sides of the fence. ******* stalkers get everywhere :D
 
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Ha, ha... what a small world.

I cycle a lot too, both road and mountain bikes simply to keep fit. It was such a refreshing change to the usual ill-informed, biased and critical policies often published by other organisations. I actually thought that they had at least sought out the correct advice through research, not had the guidelines written by a stalker! Superb.:lol:
 
Yes, it has led to some rather surprising partnerships over the last few years - however my finest moment had to be the level of confusion after a certain Northumbrian council asked for my input on their recreation plans, and received a document that pointed out their severe short sightedness in the lack of discussion of established recreational fieldsports as a proven off-season revenue stream that had been vitally important to the local economy for decades :lol:
 
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