what would you have done?

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tackb

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so I'm in the shooting line and my neighbour is a well known low bird taker , I see a partridge coming towards me too low to shoot and I glance over to my neighbour only to see him track it through me and the line then shoot at it behind ! I obviously hit the deck and decided I would speak to him after the drive about it , until he did it again! I unloaded , walked up to him and told him in no uncertain terms with a raised voice and the finger that if he did it again I would punch him straight in the mouth! went back to my peg and carried on.

I told the shoot captain afterwards and said exactly what had happened and as far as I was concerned the matter was over.

was I wrong ? I think not and take no chances with safety?

whats your thoughts gents?
 
You have the patience of a saint !! He may have had the wrong end of a gun butt across his face if he had done that to me. To have to dive on the floor is way, way out of order.
As said above, long time dead .................... and he still walks about.
 
You did exactly the right thing. Safety is something we all have a responsibility for. If you had ignored him then perhaps he would have done the same on another drive with tragic results, if not for you then for someone else. Personally I'd find it very difficult to live with the thought of "if only I'd said something".

I would be interested to know how the shoot captain handles this. From personal experience on the rare occasions when I have seen unsafe behaviour I have seen guns banned from a shoot - perhaps for the rest of the day for a "first offender", but permanently for those who are "repeat offenders" and either don't learn or don't care to learn.

I also been on shoots where the shoot captain, as part of the briefing, specifically asks for any examples of unsafe behaviour to be reported directly. I think this is a good idea, as it makes it clear to all members on the shoot (guns, beaters, pickers-up) that unsafe behaviour will not be tolerated and that brushing things under the carpet because "that gun has always had that reputation" is not an excuse.

Having said the above, over the years I have also become aware that sometimes one person's low bird is another person's challenging shot. For those who are new to the sport or who perhaps have little experience of game shooting, and who do not have the benefit of learning from a relative or from an experienced gun, it can be a minefield understanding what is, and is not, acceptable. Swinging through the line, however, cannot be classified as anything other than downright dangerous.
 
this is only my third season with this shoot but I've found out that this guy has form for this kind of behaviour !

by low willie I mean 2-3 yards above my head , and this is an elderly guy who's been shooting a while.
 
I once looked down the barrels of a neighbouring gun and walked over to him and asked to see his gun then removed the forend and handed it to our shoot captain and he kept it for the rest of the day.
The gun was a guest that day and was also a full time Armed Response copper.
 
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this is only my third season with this shoot but I've found out that this guy has form for this kind of behaviour !

by low willie I mean 2-3 yards above my head , and this is an elderly guy who's been shooting a while.

It is always a worry when hearing that someone already has a reputation as being unsafe, as that implies things have been ignored in the past. I know that we sometimes look for mitigation, and we may not want to hurt the feelings of someone who has perhaps been a stalwart of the shoot and is now in their twilight years.

There are times, however, when it's better to say a word and prevent a tragedy than to keep quiet and witness one.
 
I think they have tried all the hints and making light of his behaviour to no avail , he is just too ignorant to get the hint !

he understands now !

I do not tolerate unsafe behaviour , as has been said , your a long time dead !
 
Occasionally relying on them taking the hint isn't enough, and someone, anyone, needs to make it absolutely, positively, plain for all to see with a loud "do that again, and I will have a f*cking massive sense of humour failure".

You did the right thing and because of it, you and the rest of the party got to drive home rather than being casevaced.
 
oh he knows now !

I'm 6'4'' and 18.5 stone , generally a gentle giant but not to be trifled with when I put my cross pants on!

aiming your loaded shotgun at me generally gets a 'cross' response from me!
 
I walked up to him and told him in no uncertain terms with a raised voice and the finger that if he did it again I would punch him straight in the mouth! went back to my peg and carried on.
I told the shoot captain afterwards and said exactly what had happened and as far as I was concerned the matter was over.
Sorry But I fail to see how anyone on here can tell you that you done the right thing. The low shooting is hearsay (as far as the courts are concerned at least). He will now have a whole host of whitnesses to the fact that you threatened him with violence and we all know that if he now phones the police and makes a complaint about you it will be the end of your shotgun and firearms licenses.
RD's approach was good. Speaking to the shoot captain was good too however, the fact that he's still allowed on the shoot would suggest that you're not going to get too much support from him.
The best advice would have been to shout "STOP SHOOTING" at the top of you voice and MADE the drive stop then and there. Approach the shoot captain and let him know what had just happened with a him or me ultimatum. Easy after the event I know and I may have acted how you did too but what you did was certainly 100% not the correct way to deal with it! It's still not too late for the ultimatum though!
baguio
 
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Admitting on an open forum you threatened him you must be mental
no excuse of low shooting or unsafe shooting agreed
shoot captain should have dealt with this
 
You are very very lucky to keep your licences. The threat of extreme violence has no defence and one phone call would have meant the armed response unit would have had you handcuffed and taken away.
And quite rightly so !!
Basically you are a danger to the public and it's not to late for someone to make a phone call now
 
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interesting opinions , I think I'd rather say something than be shot.

of course I wouldn't actually hit him or anyone else for that matter but I needed to stress exactly how strongly I felt about him pointing a loaded shotgun at me.

if in a court of law I lost my certificates for remonstrating with a man that pointed a loaded shotgun at me then so be it , the law is enough of an arse for it to happen!
 
Totally irelavent opinion.

You prove he nearly killed you.

There is lots of proof you threatened him.
 
No violence, no threats.

Lots of good points here though:
1. make actions on safety breaches part of the shoot brief.
2. stop the drive if a breach occurs
3. Removing the culprit's fore-end and passing it to the shoot captain is a neat move

I would add that rather than banning unsafe guns, they should be required to take a Safe Shot course, and prove it, before being permitted to return. It might stop the same person simply becoming someone else's problem.
 
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