When is enough enough ?

trouble

Well-Known Member
Just lately Ive seen threads like "can i shoot deer out of season inside a fenced plantation , by the way the gates open " or "can i shoot geese because their crapping on the lawn" and "Ive been asked to shoot hares , why cant i see them to shoot them ?" . Must we shoot everything just because its legal under the general license , are we just trigger men ? Where are the true countrymen these days ? In the case of hares the next thing we know the threads will read "Ive shot all the hares because of scum with long dogs" , these scum arent out now catching jills with levrets are they ? Lets remember the words of king George VI are printed in the shooting times every week
 
I know exactley what you mean

However there is free access on here fore every one and that means from 6 years old to 600 years old, and every background under the sun
Some people i know i would get on with if i met them and some i would skirt round

Yes the dog lads are out killing leverets even now
 
I've got running dogs, and I shoot, most things are safe from me while they are breeding, apart from the magpirates and crows, I dont run hares at all ever its illegal, and i'm not very keen on being called scum either, I will freely admit that there are plenty of real idiots in the dog world but then there are some truely great country men too!

It doesn't matter how you hunt respect for your quarry is the most important part of hunting!
 
I know what you are getting at, already know of places that shoot every hare on sight to keep the men with the long dogs off,

In the old days we would catch and prosecute these guys, but thats not really an option today, in days gone by you could legally use as much force as was necessary to apprehend someone in fact a gamekeeper had as much power if not more than a policeman on private land, these days are gone and you have no protection in law if you end up mixing it with these guys.

Also not as many keepers on the ground one thing when you had a team , but you can't expect a single handed keeper to go up against a group of yobs.

You can report to the Police, it depends on where you are but in a lot of areas its not considered a priority,even if the police do arrive on the scene this guys just melt away, abandoning the dogs.


Lets be honest the Police are more likely to catch a cold than catch these guys.

So though its sad to see I can understand why some are reducing hare numbers on their land, as its not only hares but nothing is safe if these guys have seen it on the land, quad bikes, farmers diesel tanks, lead from roofs and so on.

Let me say I have nothing against long dogs,nor responsible owners of long dogs but its the old story,the actions of a few spoil it for many.

As for the other points regarding out of season shooting of deer geese or what ever, there needs to be provision for such action, but it should only ever be seen as a last resort when no other action can resolve the problem, it should never be seen as the norm.
 
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I will freely admit that there are plenty of real idiots in the dog world but then there are some truely great country men too!

+1 but unfortunately in this neck of the woods the idiots outnumber the countrymen around 50/1.
 
Just lately Ive seen threads like "can i shoot deer out of season inside a fenced plantation , by the way the gates open " or "can i shoot geese because their crapping on the lawn" and "Ive been asked to shoot hares , why cant i see them to shoot them ?" . Must we shoot everything just because its legal under the general license , are we just trigger men ? Where are the true countrymen these days ? In the case of hares the next thing we know the threads will read "Ive shot all the hares because of scum with long dogs" , these scum arent out now catching jills with levrets are they ? Lets remember the words of king George VI are printed in the shooting times every week
Good point, true sporting activity is when you can decide not to take the shot.atb Tim
 
I consider one of my stronger points, not what I do shoot, but what I don't.

I shoot foxes, but not every one I see, just ones that are causing problems or ones that I think may cause problems.

Deer, I shoot cull beasts, I have never shot a trophy beast, nor do I have the urge to. This is not a cost issue, as I have my own land.

The quarry list is not a bucket list, but a guide to what may be shot if required.


Country stewardship is about balance not eradication.
 
well said trouble an pilgrimmick i also shoot fox and have done for 30 years but only as you say the ones who are causing problems or are likley to
life and death is part an parcel of the countryside but not a dick measure contest so an so shot x amount and such tripe i know idiots down here
who by the weekend admit they get frustrated by friday if they havnt killed somthing an when they do they gob off bout it to all an sundry like they
are expecting to be awarded the iron cross an they think they are country men we all as shooters give death but its nice to give life as well
 
I consider one of my stronger points, not what I do shoot, but what I don't.

I shoot foxes, but not every one I see, just ones that are causing problems or ones that I think may cause problems.

Deer, I shoot cull beasts, I have never shot a trophy beast, nor do I have the urge to. This is not a cost issue, as I have my own land.

The quarry list is not a bucket list, but a guide to what may be shot if required.


Country stewardship is about balance not eradication.

Good points being made but I wouldn't deprive yourself of a trophy for the wall, especially if you have worked hard for it! The big fellas need taking out now and then as part of a balanced cull.
 
I consider one of my stronger points, not what I do shoot, but what I don't.

I shoot foxes, but not every one I see, just ones that are causing problems or ones that I think may cause problems.

Deer, I shoot cull beasts, I have never shot a trophy beast, nor do I have the urge to. This is not a cost issue, as I have my own land.

The quarry list is not a bucket list, but a guide to what may be shot if required.


Country stewardship is about balance not eradication.

Couldn't agree more. Particularly about foxes. I'm sure a lot of people overplay their fox problem in order to get their hands on a CF rifle.
We no longer have a pheasent shot on the farm and the problem posed by foxes is greatly reduced. I too shoot those where they are a nuisance, but a lot of them help me by killing juvenile rabbits. I tend to treat foxes rather like deer: shoot those that are doing damage and take out the old ones when the cubs are weaned and repeat the following year. Keeps them in check without eradication and no-one complains that their chickens are going missing.
We have neighbours who I think believe that foxes exist so that they can play 'lets off-road' with guns at the weekend. No disrespect intended to serious foxing outfits who are doing the job properly but this is one area of shooting where ****heads have proliferated in recent years. I know, but can't prove, that as many deer as foxes end up in the back of these trucks at night.
 
any fox can be a problem fox , do you think any fox that finds a clutch of partridge or pheasant chicks will leave them ? i think that unless you shoot every fox you see then the ones you have killed will have died needlessly as the foxes that have replaced them and not been shot will do just as much damage.As robert bucknell sais in his book foxing with lamp and rifle you need to kill every fox possible or you might as well not kill any at all.
 
any fox can be a problem fox , do you think any fox that finds a clutch of partridge or pheasant chicks will leave them ? i think that unless you shoot every fox you see then the ones you have killed will have died needlessly as the foxes that have replaced them and not been shot will do just as much damage.As robert bucknell sais in his book foxing with lamp and rifle you need to kill every fox possible or you might as well not kill any at all.
+1 here what qualifies a countryman to say that fox wont get into the hen hut or hunt the ploughings looking for lapwings....and be sure of 1 thing HE WILL KILL EVERY LEVERET HE SEES. so is as bad as any dogman who you all hate so much. Roe and munty kids will be just as much on his menu if he sees them. I remember reading an article in the old GCT annual report where the monitored leverets on an estate, half the ground the foxes were controled and the hares thrived, after a few years they swapped halves to control and the populations plummited on the good side and improved on the newly controled side.
 
any fox can be a problem fox , do you think any fox that finds a clutch of partridge or pheasant chicks will leave them ? i think that unless you shoot every fox you see then the ones you have killed will have died needlessly as the foxes that have replaced them and not been shot will do just as much damage.As robert bucknell sais in his book foxing with lamp and rifle you need to kill every fox possible or you might as well not kill any at all.

I am not trying to protect game birds, hence my stance on fox shooting.

There are people who are trying to grow trees and feel that every deer should be shot, again I am not into forestry so not troubled there.

My point is that the majority of shooters are recreational shooters and should have some more respect for the wildlife they are so willing to kill. There are professional keepers here who may take a different view, but I have a farm, and loss of grazing to deer is a factor, but one that I am willing to accept to protect the biodiversity that makes Britain such a wonderful place to live.
 
very interesting, the threads that I have today, you see, we are really sensible, no doubt we have our critics, but a true sports man is.. a person who knows he can shoot a particular species, but chooses no to do so, that indeed is a sportsman, we are all about conservation, to nurture our sport, to respect our quarry for future generations. I read recently in a magazine that in some parts of Suffolk, or that area that wild pigs will be extinct, why because some people have seen one, and want to shoot it, if you see one, hope there will be a boar/sow around in order that to increase their number for everyone to enjoy, don't shoot it because you can, remember, a true sports man......
 
I agree with the last two posts. It seems there is minority who are not happy unless they are shooting everything that moves. I wonder if they would not be better off with some tin cans and an air rifle rather than bothering the fox population?
 
I agree with the last two posts. It seems there is minority who are not happy unless they are shooting everything that moves. I wonder if they would not be better off with some tin cans and an air rifle rather than bothering the fox population?
with an attitude like this we would be overrun and have no hares or ground nesting birds left.
The fact some people use fox for sport clouds judgement. They are a wounderful sporting challange but no the less vermin in every sense of the word.
Thank god the countryside is not left to likes of you.
 
if I meet a man that can shoot all of the foxes on my grounds and make sure that not one single game bird, animal or lamb is lost to charlie then he can shoot all my ground and I will step aside.

You'll never bash charlie to that point even if you did it every working hour of the day, shoot every fox you can and do other wildlife, keepers and farmers a favour
 
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if I meet a man that can shoot all of the foxes on my grounds and make sure that not one single game bird, animal or lamb is lost to charlie then he can shoot all my ground and I will step aside.

You'll never bash charlie to that point even if you did it every working hour of the day
exactly Paul, foxes around here are killed by many in every legal way and we see foxes all the time while out shooting.
Even in the middle of game shoots running out of the game strips.
Oh and its up to you to decide then if it will be one of the "good" foxes and don't shoot it!!! I will love to see you explain that to the head keeper. LOL
Even the reserves here control foxes.
 
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