If night shooting in England was legal

[Robinson]

We dont have your abundance of deer here in Norway, but we have a few and night shooting is very common and legal here.
One can argue that it's the safest and most efficient way to hunt deer. The hunter have plenty time to pick the animal and the deer is undisturbed until you shoot them. There is less failed shots with night shooting than with daytime shooting, since that mostly is driven hunts. Since deer here is nocturnal and normally can be found exposing themselves mostly at night.

 

[Freeforester]

Much of it as usually practised ( - at least in much of Scotland) serves to ‘educate the many’ remaining, turning them into virtual ghosts; like anything else there are ways in which it can be done to minimise ‘collateral harm’ whilst making a difference; but rather like fox control, it seems there are more at it who imagine they’re making a positive contribution than is often the case.

Unless you are confident in taking out the entire group you are intending shooting ( - usually a hind, calf and follower at most) then the result can more often than not be a very highly educated and ‘motivated’ remainder. Keystone Coppery usually ensues thereafter, and the Law of diminishing returns with it. Enjoy!

Managing the expectations of others in terms of the time it takes to effect a reduction to more manageable numbers is another story in its own.

The paradox is, that in order to effect a reduction, the remainder have to feel sufficiently secure to hang around all season; achieving the desired end result requires some thought, and as such is often easier imagined than actually delivered.

 

[Jimbob39]

Yes but only in exceptional circumstances where the fallow are being a pain with crop damage and nocturnal.

 

[Bowland blades]

I have done some night culling in Scotland , its not sport and its a lot of graft! Nothing like fun and best to have two or even three people

 

[David Barker]

We dont have your abundance of deer here in Norway, but we have a few and night shooting is very common and legal here.
One can argue that it's the safest and most efficient way to hunt deer. The hunter have plenty time to pick the animal and the deer is undisturbed until you shoot them. There is less failed shots with night shooting than with daytime shooting, since that mostly is driven hunts. Since deer here is nocturnal and normally can be found exposing themselves mostly at night.

Rubbish Sir.

 

[Bo Diddley]

Just over 10 years ago I had 8 hinds and a calf in my chiller and I got paid just shy of £3K all chest shot too.

£2.80/kg !!!!!

I remember it because the dealer collected in a transit connect van

We managed to jam them in, but the hundred pigeons he had had to go on the passenger seat

Back then you could shoot them in the daytime, now you have to shoot shadows because they’re heading off the field on the gnats cock of daylight, very clearly they don’t feel safe because as soon as the sun rises they’re heading to the thick cover

Blimey, it's about £1.50kg/Red off Bambie if you're lucky, and that's neck. What dealer paid you £2.80 10 years ago?

 

[Sheamus]

Blimey, it's about £1.50kg/Red off Bambie if you're lucky, and that's neck. What dealer paid you £2.80 10 years ago?

Around that time 9/10 years ago it was the going rate.
Just checked my records and it was @ £2.90 per kilo.
Night shooting was very profitable back then for just two guys.

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

Blimey, it's about £1.50kg/Red off Bambie if you're lucky, and that's neck. What dealer paid you £2.80 10 years ago?

Peterborough game

 

[Robinson]

Rubbish Sir.

Do you care to elaborate...Sir?

 

[remmy243]

Just over 10 years ago I had 8 hinds and a calf in my chiller and I got paid just shy of £3K all chest shot too.

£2.80/kg !!!!!

I remember it because the dealer collected in a transit connect van

We managed to jam them in, but the hundred pigeons he had had to go on the passenger seat

Back then you could shoot them in the daytime, now you have to shoot shadows because they’re heading off the field on the gnats cock of daylight, very clearly they don’t feel safe because as soon as the sun rises they’re heading to the thick cover

That’s good going money wise
What sort of weight are the hinds doing ?

 

[Bugsy]

Night shooting isn’t always the most efficient way of culling deer . I was shooting at night on some ground along with my partner at weekends mostly through the winter , he was also shooting the ground during the day when I went home . He gave it up and I had to carry on shooting to make the cull target at the weekends during daylight hrs . Because I wasn’t there during the week it started to amaze me how many more deer seemed to show up on bits that we never shot deer on before and I met the targets quite easily and in fact I was shooting the same during daylight hrs than we had been at night . Some nights (9pm -6am ) we would have 12-15 deer but as the months went by it would reduce to 8-10 , a lot of hrs , diesel , and graft . I’ve done it for years and I thought I enjoyed night shooting but when I started getting good results during daylight hrs because the ground wasn’t being hounded day and night I enjoyed it more .Nightshooting should always be made available with your ground but I would say it should be used properly when needed when other means aren’t working . I couldn’t think of anything worse than a forest manager on the phone harassing you to protect the young trees and the deer only show up after the pubs close .

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

That’s good going money wise
What sort of weight are the hinds doing ?

This was early season lowland hinds , so average weight on the hook 75kg to 90kg

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

That’s good going money wise
What sort of weight are the hinds doing ?

Don’t get excited he’ll will freeze over before we see prices like that again!

Mores the pity

 

[Taff]

Really, you have to ask yourself the question, are deer the problem or are people the problem?

Really all that’s happened over the last 20+ years is the humans have expanded more people more houses being built on the deers territory that’s the problem.

When I moved to the new forest, in 79 we would have over a 100 fallow grazing on 42 acre park, the problem was lack of culling by the fc, night shooting was illegal, but everybody did it.

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

When I moved to the new forest, in 79 we would have over a 100 fallow grazing on 42 acre park, the problem was lack of culling by the fc, night shooting was illegal, but everybody did it.

Same here, before prices at the dealer went rock bottom, if you stopped the truck for a look the reds would be gone!

 

[Tyla]

Blimey, it's about £1.50kg/Red off Bambie if you're lucky, and that's neck. What dealer paid you £2.80 10 years ago?

Most of them, I was getting the same in sussex at the time. Used to be worth doing then

 

[purdeydog]

Another topic to split opinion.

If you could legally shoot deer at night would you?

Personally I would but I respect those that wouldn't.

Yes

 

[shakey jake]

Would i be allowed to night cull hares aswell?

 

[Nickb]

Would i be allowed to night cull hares aswell?

Or running rabbits

 

[camodog]

Or running rabbits

Rabbits don't run......they hop ! ...remember ?