MPs refute woodcock petition claims in parliamentary debate

[baguio]

Or commercial shooting of wild duck? Birds which breed thousands of miles away, lured into flight ponds with copious amounts of barley purely so someone can make money. No crop protection excuse, no conservation angle, just a business exploiting birds which breed in someone else’s country.

Copious amounts of barley which builds the remaining up to full fitness in preparation for their migration and subsequent breeding you mean?

 

[baguio]

When they're running 60-80 odd days per year, it adds up to quite heavy pressure across large areas.

What are they shooting that enables them to run 60-80 odd days per year? Also, if there are that many of the quarry to allow them to run that many days I have to think that the population of said quarry must be enormous so they're not doing any harm to the overall population anyway. Let's not let our personal opinions get in the way of the facts.

 

[Alces Alces]

Why ....best birds are in February

I was walking by dogs at dusk on Tues and I watched the most woodcock coming off roost, that I have ever seen in 5 years of living in West Wales.

 

[Apthorpe]

Or commercial shooting of wild duck? Birds which breed thousands of miles away, lured into flight ponds with copious amounts of barley purely so someone can make money. No crop protection excuse, no conservation angle, just a business exploiting birds which breed in someone else’s country.

Commercial shooting of duck, so far as I understand it, is just shooting reared duck released onto heavily fed and stocked ponds to bloat the numbers in the bag for commercial shoots. I'd doubt (m)any real wild birds are involved.

 

[Apthorpe]

What are they shooting that enables them to run 60-80 odd days per year? Also, if there are that many of the quarry to allow them to run that many days I have to think that the population of said quarry must be enormous so they're not doing any harm to the overall population anyway. Let's not let our personal opinions get in the way of the facts.

Snipe and woodcock.

 

[baguio]

Snipe and woodcock.

With zero habitat maintenance or improvements? Are you sure?

 

[patrickt]

interesting way to look at it,

“

law abiding gun owners are likely to break the law if no voluntary option to abstain.

And of course you, like Wild Justice have the irebuttable evidence to demonstrate this I presume, how dare you insinuate that we law abiding gun owners would break the law

Patrick

 

[Liveonce]

Patrick

Actually if you look at post #4 and #8 i was actually suggesting I could not see why a legal ban by law abiding firearm owners would be less supported than a call to abstain.

But may be that did not come across very well

 

[geoshot]

Kim Young-un Drakeford what an inspirational leader, would you follow that man in a fixed bayonet charge towards the enemy?

only until an opportunity presented to "frag his ass" and then I'd rapidly beat a retreat - basically what I'd happily do for any of our current "leaders"

 

[Sol]

Is there a reason modern day pheasants actually have a shooting season? The only logical explanation I can see is breeding protection between March - June but the season opening up in October and ending in January has always struck me as odd.
.
Woodcock thrive on the estate I shoot on hundreds, maybe thousands with the end bag being maybe 50 by the time the season closes I've noticed a lot of individuals do not shoot them, I personally do not shoot them as I dont want to end up with a sparrow or a female blackbird in the bag.... Pheasants Pigeons are fair game, And the occasional jay.

 

[baguio]

Is there a reason modern day pheasants actually have a shooting season? The only logical explanation I can see is breeding protection between March - June but the season opening up in October and ending in January has always struck me as odd.
.
Woodcock thrive on the estate I shoot on hundreds, maybe thousands with the end bag being maybe 50 by the time the season closes I've noticed a lot of individuals do not shoot them, I personally do not shoot them as I dont want to end up with a sparrow or a female blackbird in the bag.... Pheasants Pigeons are fair game, And the occasional jay.

Are modern day pheasants some how different from olden day pheasants?
Regarding your reason for not shooting woodcock. I would suggest that you get down to Spec Savers! They don't look or fly anything like a sparrow or female blackbird. I hope you don't drive a car?

 

[JTO]

Why ....best birds are in February

Those that weren't pricked earlier in the season when they were 'jolly good sporting birds'.

 

[Sol]

Are modern day pheasants some how different from olden day pheasants?
Regarding your reason for not shooting woodcock. I would suggest that you get down to Spec Savers! They don't look or fly anything like a sparrow or female blackbird. I hope you don't drive a car?

I grew up in the town, I'm 17, and I'm autistic I was asking an actual serious question as I literally do not know and wanted an actual answer, no need to be rude (although that's mostly what I've met on SD!) Too me besides breeding protection It seems like the pheasant season could be drastically extended technically

I only shot this last keepers day, I dont know about you but I would much prefer teenagers that are sensible with there quarry and there shooting instead of blasting at anything moves, no? I dont feel confident in shooting them so I dont In my eyes they're too much like the other species In a moments notice. Why take the risk when I dont even like eating them?
.
The one and only cock bird I took this year, shame about the lack-of a tail most ended up being blood feathers, tempted to Imp donor feathers....

 

[mudman]

Taking the pheasant season through to end of Feb or even Feb 20th like the foreshore Wildfowlers could work. In addition it may encourage the more skinflint to actually feed them after 1st February, not only for the benefit of the pheasants but all the other wildlife. But I could not see it happening in the real world, too much risk if we opened up game seasons to closer inspection.

 

[3.5mag]

On the 3 shoots I beat on shooting woodcock is verboten, and one in particular had high numbers this past season.
So, total restraint shown.

 

[kes]

On the 3 shoots I beat on shooting woodcock is verboten, and one in particular had high numbers this past season.
So, total restraint shown.

This was also always true on shoots I was part of. The shoot captain always mentions it, especially when hard frosts begin and food is hard to find for woodcock.

People who know nothing of shooting presume people shoot for the fun of killing - maybe some do but the vast majority go 'for the day', 'to be there' 'to take part' or simply to be in the countryside doing something they like with friends and like-minded people. Always surprised me how many would simply just enjoy working their digs and rarely shot.

 

[Jagare]

When I lived In England we had a Woodcock day over the Christmas period on a mates ground. It was oak woods with thick bramble cover. Painfull but great hunting fun with a handfull of woodcock shot. We also shot them on our pheasant shoot if they presented a safe shot.