I do see a difference between tower shooting and uk driven shoots in that the pheasants are living free at the time of the shoot compared to being delivered to the tower in a box then thrown in the air to fly over guns. However in the UK the only thing that makes driven pheasant shooting morally acceptable is that the birds are subsequently used as food. Burying shot birds will very rapidly get all driven shooting closed down in the same way as live pigeon shooting was years ago.
Consequences
- Thread starter 6pt-sika
- Start date
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
They are except on my patches. I have wild birds that I am selective about and I keep as best I can the fox's down. Every year I get broods of wild chicks.
I got out of the big shoots years ago. Non of the guns wanted the birds they just shot and I got tired of that. Now I select my own birds for me and friends through the season.
I don't want to attempt to take the imagined moral high ground as there is many a contemptible charge that could be leveled at me!
CarlW
Well-Known Member
Likewise. I don't feel in a position to criticise the OP when so many of our own practices require, shall we say, updating...?
wildfowler.250
Well-Known Member
Not sure! I’ve had a few rough shoots where we used to put 100 down on a farm and some days 2 birds was a struggle
Big shoots are a slightly different storyTommyrskicker92
Well-Known Member
It's like this in most country release the day before or in front of the guns in France they do 1000+ boxed bird days on well known properties. You only realise when you step outside the UK. The irony is we have the hardest time defending it to our public, even though we put habitat and pest control hours in specially to hold them...
CarlW
Well-Known Member
Shooting pheasants in the UK (aside from a vanishingly-small number of exceptions) is not 'hunting'. It is shooting. Nothing wrong with that, but let's not pretend pheasants are hunted in this country. We Brits have no right to sneer at other countries when it comes to this particular quarry.Not sure! I’ve had a few rough shoots where we used to put 100 down on a farm and some days 2 birds was a struggle
wildfowler.250
Well-Known Member
Anyway the main point is enjoy the new gun 
enfieldspares
Well-Known Member
I followed a link from the video posted earlier.
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Smellydog
Well-Known Member
I am now the exception. I do hunt them, even stalk them, ambush too. Just not in large amounts anymore. All for the table.
Even the shooting part is difficult!
CarlW
Well-Known Member
Love that gun!
LeftHandGuy
Well-Known Member
I used to stalk pheasants with my air rifle. My mate’s parents had the remains of a small farm and would usually have acquired a few truant birds from one neighboring property or another. Had to get close and shoot them in the head. I would defend it as hunting. Certainly didn’t kill a lot of birds. Very much enjoyed eating them (especially as you didn’t need to worry about getting a mouthful of shot).
What a pointless thing to do. Might as well shoot them whilst still in the cage - which I am sure is all they have ever known. What possible improvement shooting-skill-wise to a clay pigeon? The whole point of game shooting is for the birds to have as natural life as possible, for most not to be shot at all, and for their appearance to be as unexpected as possible. This at least is good training for rough shoots, wilderness shooting or the military, and it enhances the environment. This tower shooting does none of these things. I am glad it is not allowed in the UK and I do not care what gun would be suitable for it.
CarlW
Well-Known Member
Yes, that is hunting. I still do the same myself with my .410. It is as much fun as any big-game-hunting, in my opinion.
But, I will repeat, it is an exception which makes up an infinitessimally-small proportion of the annual UK bag. How many do we kill each year? Eight million? People throwing in anecdotes to prove "well, I am a pheasant-hunter" doesn't change the reality that we in the UK shoot rather than hunt pheasants (which is fine) and cannot really get on our high horse when it comes to another culture's practices.
Personally, I no longer accept invitations for driven-shooting as I struggle to justify it to myself; albeit that I support other people's right to do it.
8x57
Distinguished Member
Carl I have seen large commercial shoots where the bag has been in the hundreds each day and quite frankly everything and I do mean everything about that shoot I found abhorrent. I have also seen a small friendly syndicate, and I do mean friendly, where the bag at the end of the day rarely exceeded 25-30 birds for the whole day. I know which I can live with.
In all honestly I don't think it will be many years before we have a situation similar to some countries (the Netherlands ?) where the release of birds will not be permitted and all shoots will be wild bird only. That sits easy with me, but its not to say that when done well the rearing and release of birds can have benefits for the countryside. As with all things its a matter of getting the balance right.
In all honestly I don't think it will be many years before we have a situation similar to some countries (the Netherlands ?) where the release of birds will not be permitted and all shoots will be wild bird only. That sits easy with me, but its not to say that when done well the rearing and release of birds can have benefits for the countryside. As with all things its a matter of getting the balance right.
CarlW
Well-Known Member
I agree. I was brought up with family-sized shoots and I would happily face a bank of antis all day long and defend those shoots to the hilt. Similarly, there is nothing I enjoy more than going for a wander at home with my .410 or 28-bore in order to pot a pheasant for supper.
However, I find it more difficult to win the argument over driven-shooting nowadays. I have many City aquaintances from the fund-manager, private-equity, and associated professions gang. They are lovely people but I always decline to shoot with them. The 'industry' is becoming increasingly grotesque (indeed, it is the reason BASC threw the rest of us off the back of the boat over lead) and it is drawing the wrong kind of attention. I can no longer sit opposite vegan friends (I have those too) and hold my own in the fight. To be honest, I can sell elephant-hunting to a vegan more easily than I can persuade them that it is appropriate to release 20million birds a year into our ecosystem.
We need to get a bit of a grip of our own weaknesses and then we can start lecturing our mates over the pond...
That's pretty much how I got into shooting, picking off pheasants and rabbits on a smallholding which belonged to a friend of my grandfather.
It only took a single participation in a large driven day to confirm that particular element of the shooting life wasn't for me.
Small club/syndicate walked up days, yeah, I still like those but when I get back to basics I'll go out with my air rifle or .22LR to pick off a rabbit and a bird or two - I enjoy ratting more than most pheasant shooting if I'm honest, and it's achieving something too
Thanks for the photos 6-ptsika & Smellydog - those are two lovely looking bits of kit, health to enjoy
Dunwaters
Well-Known Member
I find increasingly that I just can't defend most driven game shooting, my personal preference is to shoot over HPR's.
Love everything about it, the dogs , the variety and the chance to say no I won’t shoot that one today, I’ll come back tomorrow
These are my current ladies indicating a snipe.
The gun is definitely optional.
Love everything about it, the dogs , the variety and the chance to say no I won’t shoot that one today, I’ll come back tomorrow
These are my current ladies indicating a snipe.
The gun is definitely optional.
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