Come and have a look at our shoot mate - Im not going to write and write about all the stuff we do but seriously you are welcome
The most significant research on shooting for a decade
- Thread starter Conor O'Gorman
- Start date
Come and have a look at our shoot mate - Im not going to write and write about all the stuff we do but seriously you are welcome
He is a bit daft with it
He knows some good stuff from what i can see but just needs to be so so negative .....all the time ....about everything
Have you seen the green parties views on hunting generally? As i believe most antis think, they are planning to ban all 'blood sports' not just those for the 'toffs'.
Bo Diddley
Well-Known Member
First they came for the Driven pheasant shooters..
And I did not speak out...
Because I was not a pheasant shooter...
And I did not speak out...
Because I was not a pheasant shooter...
big ears
Well-Known Member
I get there will always be those who push for a complete ban but as said before they are in a minority, most are undecided.
It is easier to make a case, in my opinion, if we argue on small scale shoots, pest and vermin control and deer management.
The ratio of conservation and habitat improvement by small shoots out weighs the environmental impact of putting birds down. Even better if they are natural birds like the late Duke of Edinburgh showed with the grey partridge. Walked up one for the pot as well is easy to justify.
Protecting ground nesting birds is a winner. As is supporting farming with crop protection. All of these can have a case made for their continued existence.
However, again in my opinion, putting thousands (millions?) of birds down and charging massive sums of money to shoot them then bulldozing them into a pit does make every other part of shooting suffer. Remove this and the wind goes from the Antis sails, doesn’t go away but the undecided then are not interested.
I had a discussion this week with some villagers who found out I shot deer. They asked,”how could you?”. When I pointed out the farmer had asked me as they had lost about 15% of his produce to deer damage and that I had taken 9 off his farm and there were still 8 there and we were watching the situation to see if any more needed coming off . They accepted the need. They realised it was not done just for “fun”.
I still hold our main problem is large scale driven shoots. But I’ve said that enough now.
big ears
Well-Known Member
Love too. I don’t shoot shotguns any more after surgery to my neck as I cannot control the swing. My excuse I was never that good before the surgery
Gruffterbear
Member
Yep, pheasant-dozing is not a good colour of tar. Hopefully this excellent report (with some surprising stats...) can prevent us from all being coloured with the same broad brush of ill-information. Thanks for sharing Mr O'Gorman!
Why does everyone focus on the raptor persecution and forget the positives. There are far more birds of prey in this country as a result of driven game shooting, that should be blatantly obvious to anyone who has spent any time in the countryside
big ears
Well-Known Member
Can you prove that?
When Larsen traps were new to this country, a survey of two areas of land showed that small bird populations increased by 80% after the first year of hard corvid control. This resulted in an increase in other predators(I assumed this meant raptors). After 3 years of corvid controls and the increase in other predators, the average increase in the small bird population was 30%. I presume the predators/raptors had more to feed on.
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I can’t prove anything, but go out for yourself. Anywhere I have seen impressive numbers of raptors it has always been on driven shoots, unlike rspb reserves which are normally devoid of wildlife.
big ears
Well-Known Member
big ears
Well-Known Member
Not my experience I have to say. I’m no fan of the RSPB but I think the claim that raptors do better in driven shoots is very tenuous.
Why, it really doesn’t take much cognitive power to realise that predators do better in environments with an abundance of food.
big ears
Well-Known Member
Unless they are being shot that is.
Again mate come look at our place - you wont believe the raptors - and we only have a small acreage really
Little owl
Goshawk
Kestrel
Kite
Buzzard
Merlin
Hobby
Spar
Peregrine
Barn Owl
Tawny Owl
Osprey - for about 3/5 days
That massive Lammerguir had a day with us a few years ago
When i started the "project" of planting / woodland management / ponding i wanted more than anything barn owls - we now have 6 pairs !
None so deaf as they who don't want to hear.
big ears
Well-Known Member
So in reply. Do you say that there is NO raptor persecution on any driven shoots? or are your ears deaf to where it happens?
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