Fight for the future of game shooting - have you had your say?

[sikamalc]

Don't count on it.

 

[andyk]

There is a massive difference between the two Malcolm

Not in the minds of PETA, Animal Rebellion etc - you’re just harming animals for your own sick gratification.

I respect that fact you don’t like big bag days. I just can’t get my head around the attitude which thinks that means it doesn’t matter to you.

They’ll start with these general licenses, which probably won’t change a huge amount but over time there’ll be more conditions, more areas will be deemed to be of “special interest” and the release numbers for the general licenses will dwindle. Eventually, everyone will need a specific license and then they’ll stop issuing them. If/when this passes it will be the beginning of the end and once they’re done they’ll move on to something else. Maybe pigeons, maybe deer, maybe people who just like to stick metal barbs in a fish’s mouth and then suspend it out of the water by its jaw…

 

[Morkai]

Like most I'm not a big fan of the massive shoots, Im going to defend them though as I have many friends running small shoots that I dont want to be impacted in years to come if they put anymore restrictions in place.

The least I can do is fill in the form that takes less than 2 minutes.

Id also do the same for any other field sport.

 

[JTO]

If no pheasants are released for shooting and keepers have to get rid of all predators for the sake of wild birds, pheasants will become an endangered species in many localities.

 

[JTO]

Is the sour grapes because you could not hack it as a keeper ?

= My impression!

 

[Scotty99]

Done

 

[Scotty99]

Just ticked it!

Let’s look at the bigger picture of shooting in Wales and the pheasants in Wales, on one hand, you have the small medium shoot which I don’t have a problem with, group of guys and ladies with a dogs Is grubbing around for a few pheasants, maybe a few beaters, lovely, can’t think of anything nicer myself.

Then, on the other hand, do you have the commercial shoot in Wales, where they drive thousands of pheasants of the top of the hill to waiting guns, who shoot 300, 400 ,500 birds a day!

as I’ve previously been stated, I’ve personally seen 200 birds shot on the first drive!

How can you defend that?!

The death of shooting will come from the greed of guns and the big days.

A few poking about for pheasants for the pot, or the fowler after a duck or goose means more to me because they appreciate what they shoot, the guns on big days don’t care about the animal their shooting or what happens to it after!

Understand what you are saying and in part agree with it. The big problem is that who decides what is a big bag and what is small, who polices it, how is it measured and recorded. The authorities don’t have the time or the budget or indeed the inclination to do that. Far easier to force licensing of ALL pheasant shoots so that ultimately ALL pheasant shoots can be shut down.

This I’m alright Jack mindset, thinking that you’re OK and it’s the other lot they should be going after is the road to oblivion for all of us, what ever we shoot and how ever many we shoot.

 

[rarms]

There is a massive difference between the two Malcolm

You couldn't be more wrong in the eyes of the other side. Once an animal is declared 'sentient' then the gloves, and all bets are off. Fishing is maybe a generation behind shooting, that is all

 

[wildfowler.250]

Fishing is maybe a generation behind shooting, that is all

The in-laws ,(townies) cannot get the idea behind catch and release fishing. We were talking about salmon at the time.

One accepted that it was a hobby and just dropped it. The other, (Mr) basically thought either kill the fish or don’t do it at all.


Thin end of the wedge and all that

 

[Rake Aboot]

I’m always amazed when folk say “ they might be after big commercial shoots , but small shoots will be next “ “don’t think it won’t affect you etc etc”

Same thing was said years ago when the banned hunting with dogs, folk said then the next target would be shooting.
I’ve said for years , driven bird shooting cannot be defended to the general public.

 

[STEWARTSMITH]

done

 

[gr cz527]

done

 

[Morkai]

I’m always amazed when folk say “ they might be after big commercial shoots , but small shoots will be next “ “don’t think it won’t affect you etc etc”

Same thing was said years ago when the banned hunting with dogs, folk said then the next target would be shooting.
I’ve said for years , driven bird shooting cannot be defended to the general public.

But for the little effort and time it takes to fill these things in, why roll over?

Its not always about defending it to the general public, sometimes the pressure/decision isnt coming from them.

 

[User00047]

If no pheasants are released for shooting and keepers have to get rid of all predators for the sake of wild birds, pheasants will become an endangered species in many localities.

I agree.
This dream of “poking around for a few pheasants for the pot” is only made practical by estates releasing millions of pheasants across the country and basically saturating the countryside with them.
If we didn’t have pheasants aroaming around, the sportsman might be inclined to turn his time and attention towards wild birds…woodcock, snipe and ducks etc… perhaps more of these would be shot as a result.

 

[Liveonce]

undecided, yet to complete the survey.

Big commercial game shooting, were the trigger for the voluntary lead ban. Then in years past when I was beating on a large commercial shoot the guns, were never interested in even taking a brace of birds away.
It was just a cooperate days entertainment, they cared nothing about the quarry or what happened to it.

May be it would improve the image of game shooting if it was licensed and numbers controlled in an area and would that not help the flora and fauna.

Convince me a licensing system would be bad.

 

[andyk]

May be it would improve the image of game shooting if it was licensed and numbers controlled in an area and would that not help the flora and fauna.

I fear the issue with licensing is that it allows government to hold a gun to shooting’s head (pardon the pun).

What starts as simply licensing the extremes could quickly morph into specific licenses for all shoots and lots onerous conditions - look at what’s happened to the general licenses for pest birds, it started as “as you were” and now you’re technically subject to lots of restrictions on when you can use them.

If a government wants to ban game shooting overnight I still think it would face a lot of opposition and would require primary legislation. Introducing an initially benign licensing system and then “tightening the noose” until a license becomes impossible to get would be a far easier option.

This will harm commercial shoots first but I don’t doubt it will eventually be brought to bear on smaller ones.

 

[kev lightfoot]

Done

 

[cjm1066]

Anyone who believes a licensing system to be benign hasn’t been watching the shenanigans Wild Justice have been playing with the General Licenses. Add to that cost recovery and the bureaucracy that will evolve, the number of shoots releasing birds will decline and eventually releasing will cease.

While a few shoots may release too many birds the Code of Good Shooting Practice is our way of weaning these out over time, let’s get behind the Code and vote against this proposal.

 

[Conor O'Gorman]

The options for your survey do not include those who disagree with your premise.

Perhaps the lack of response is indicative of those 'votes'?

It would be optimistic to assume that everyone on a 'Stalking' directory supported game shooting in the format under debate.





For what it is worth (pretty much nothing), I am a Keeper on a very modest shoot.

Thanks, perhaps I should have included that. The biggest issue by far, from what I see, consultation after consultation, is apathy.

 

[Conor O'Gorman]

Thanks all for the feedback and votes so far.

For anyone unsure what to do a basic guide is as follows to completing your survey response to the consultation:

Q1: Give your name. Q2: Give your email address (optional). Q3: Ignore. Q4: Say no, because that is a ban on gamebird releasing. Qs 5-8 Say no, because these are leading questions. Qs 9-12: you can skip these questions, unless you have comments to make on whether the proposals could in any way affect opportunities for people to use the Welsh language.

For more info and to complete the survey click here:

Act now - BASC

Game shooting in Wales under attack. The Welsh government have launched proposals to ban gamebird releasing in Wales.

basc.org.uk