Recenttly dealt with a deer trapped in wire in a horse field,after the job was done the owner asked me about deer management,I said thankyou and offered( as a careful open ticket holder) a survey and would get back to him ASAP. The land in the New Forest was about 8 acres,trouble was...horses everywhere,public footpaths anti neighbour ,deer using livery field, dressage arena downrange...not happy on safety grounds even with a high seat, advised him of the problems and a deer fence was more appropriate IMHO....he understood my concerns and thanked me for my time....shame really as some nice fallow there!
Somtimes it is better to walk away........
- Thread starter SOE
- Start date
There's nothing worse than an irate horse owner who thinks you might have frightened Dobin and TBH some horses are indeed as crazy as their owner's. None of us need to be handed a vet's bill for an injured horse. You done the right thing for certain. However, have you looked to see if you can intercept them on route? (That's the fallow, not the horse owners!)
In hand mate !
I can see how this could so easily be the longed for foot-in-the-door for someone who may have craved such for more years than they care to reflect.
For me you've fully risk assessed the situation and more importantly adhered to your findings which does you credit.
K
For me you've fully risk assessed the situation and more importantly adhered to your findings which does you credit.
K
Thanks for that but as an AW and assessing DSC2 Candidates I must keep up the standard at all times!
I had the same thing a year or two back - A mate of mine fits kitchens and had fitted one at a HUGE house on the outskirts of Farnham. The owner had been griping that muntjac were coming into her garden and trashing her carefully manicured flower beds so my mate passed her my details as he knows I hunt.
I went down and had a look - turns out it was about 11 acres with the garden being about 2-3 and the rest made up of a paddock with trees and bushes in it. There was a heck of a slope down from the garden and conceivably you could have fired downwards, but as I said to her - You've got public access woods with footpaths in behind your house in one direction, your house in the other direction, and then neighbours on both sides. You'd be taking one hell of a risk letting off a deer legal centrefire on a bit of ground like that and if there was a ricochet the bullet WOULD leave the ground.
Then there was the issue of noise and even with a moderator I wouldnt like to guarantee that no one would hear the shot and not make a fuss.
The only way you might have conceivably been ok to shoot there would have been with a .22 caliber CF (.222 or similar) and a REALLY good moderator but even then I still reckoned you'd have been taking an unacceptable risk and frankly the potential for aggro and loss of FAC just werent worth it so I suggested she get the BDS in.
Sometimes its better to leave it!
I went down and had a look - turns out it was about 11 acres with the garden being about 2-3 and the rest made up of a paddock with trees and bushes in it. There was a heck of a slope down from the garden and conceivably you could have fired downwards, but as I said to her - You've got public access woods with footpaths in behind your house in one direction, your house in the other direction, and then neighbours on both sides. You'd be taking one hell of a risk letting off a deer legal centrefire on a bit of ground like that and if there was a ricochet the bullet WOULD leave the ground.
Then there was the issue of noise and even with a moderator I wouldnt like to guarantee that no one would hear the shot and not make a fuss.
The only way you might have conceivably been ok to shoot there would have been with a .22 caliber CF (.222 or similar) and a REALLY good moderator but even then I still reckoned you'd have been taking an unacceptable risk and frankly the potential for aggro and loss of FAC just werent worth it so I suggested she get the BDS in.
Sometimes its better to leave it!
She had deer fencing up but she said they were still getting in, though the only sign I saw was one old weathered hoof print. I also couldnt see an obvious flaw in the fencing, though I couldnt get to all of it what with the plants she had in.
All I said to her was I wasnt happy with letting off a centre fire rifle with so many houses and public access areas near by and that she contact the BDS given they have some information available and can advise what to do next.
Deer in gardens - The British Deer Society
Deer in gardensGardeners are understandably frustrated by damage to prized plants, flowers and shrubs caused by deer. The information on this page is intended to help gardeners deal with the most likely to be found in lowland gardens, namely fallow, roe and muntjac. Photo by: MountainpixHOW BIG...
www.bds.org.uk
I have no idea if they offer pest control from a shooting point of view or if she ended up getting another pest controller in.
Totally right approach Stu on our shoot despite "private land ,keep out "and warning shoot in progress please keep away ,every rambling idiot,dog walker and moutain biker pillock ignores all signage and believes private land is their play ground to come and go as they please .Sloping backstops and high banks are just ideal for running fido and laughing as all them Pheasant,s fly off squawking
Similar threads
