'I just like killing things'

[User00035]

i think of alot of pest control around farm buildings is because the farmer refuses to have a tidy farm. of course rats will turn up but with decent sheds and removal of harbouage points the number of rats killed is minimal. its only giving them the chance to establish that causes massive amounts, the same with chicken farms decent sheds stop rodents getting in decent fences stop most foxes. im not saying you dont have to kill but managing the environment better is the key. i have no problem killing most animal, i get great satistaction from "beating the animal" with any ethical option.
after all my waffle i think creating a problem that you then get to solve is a weird way to justify killing

Very true. Some farmers seem to go out of their way to encourage vermin. And not just with rats. One farm I used to shoot had a disused dairy on it. The buildings were semi-derelict and used as a dumping ground. First elder moved in then bramble until there was a near ten metre wide strip of impenetrable vegetation around the buildings. The old slurry pit, which was just a ten foot deep hole in the ground, filled up with brambles six feet high and was absolutely riddled with rabbits that you couldn't get near to ferret, shoot or anything else. A wheat field backed onto this mess and the landowner still moaned when rabbits took a bite out of the crop.
There was a working grain dryer on the site. They never bothered to clean up spilled grain and even made things worse by dumping old round bales there and leaving them to rot. So it filled up with rats as well as rabbits. And there was a very well used bridle path passing right through the middle of it all and the place was full of vehicles and machinery so shooting was practically impossible.

Keeping the place clean and tidy would have made a massive difference.

 

[Ratel]

I was in Cumbria during that time, and the palls of smoke were absolutely heart-breaking. And even now the merest whiff of formaldehyde takes me straight back to that time. You, and the other lads involved, have my utmost sympathy

Yes for me it was hunting escapees a lot of the time, or semi wild cattle that were difficult to get in out in Galliway. Had to do some nasty bulls too, that wasn't so bad, a little like Cape buffalo when they charged, even had an audience of slaughtermen on occasions. It was cows being protective mother's that got me. Never again.

 

[Taff]

No, I don't think anyone is saying that they don't get satisfaction out of killing the animal. Quite the contrary in fact - the satisfaction of a job well done is coming through very strongly in many of the posts in this thread. The point that most are making though - and which you seem to have missed - is that the enjoyment comes from the whole process, right from planning the outing through to processing the end product, whether that be stalking, pigeon shooting or whatever. The act of killing if taken in isolation shouldn't be the only enjoyable part. That's what sparked the thread.
You enjoy digging foxes, with a view to killing them - that's great, no reason not to enjoy that at all. But someone who enjoys killing simply for the sake of killing is clearly a bit deranged and has no right to call themselves a hunter as the hunt is immaterial to them.

I agree with all you say, and that’s why I asked if his words were taken out of context, and was then asked if I was on drugs.
Ratel I have only been in Nz for 7 yrs, previously lived in the uk , hunting deer, foxes and anything that moved , travelled all over England and wales to do this, so have a good idea of the way things are there.

 

[SussexSteve]

Lots like that. I know people who shoot deer and just leave them there to rot

 

[gixer1]

I most certainly don’t enjoy killing, I enjoy it when the target animal drops fast and hopefully didn’t even hear the bang.

I also never used to like shooting fox cubs - I did it plenty due to the requirements but I didn’t enjoy it - especially if there were a couple playing together. I especially enjoy watching them play now in the sections where they don’t need shot.

One of the things I find most harrowing is late in the doe season - gralloching a doe that is well on.,.never something I will ever switch off fully to.

Regards,
Gixer

 

[foxdropper]

I was on the foot and mouth too .Newent in Gloucester .I was on the burn and clean up duty .Some money made on that at the countries expense .We had Bison brought to us from a rare breed farm somewhere near and wagon loads of sheep which very near jelly having been in the wagon so long .Could tell a few stories about that weird 3 months .

 

[LuckyEddie]

This is my problem with the fox hunting set - if it is not about the killing...but they catch whilst on a "trail" hunt. I individually could do more to affect the fox population in an area by myself without the pomp and circumstance.

Admit you like killing foxes whilst on your steed (and doing so through legal loopholes) and stop being negative about guys with rifle that do the job efficiently.

Maybe you should read this article.
Take away fox hunting and the aspect changes to eradication.
Hunting needs to keep a certain amount of foxes in the countryside.
By your actions it could wipe them out.
Personally, I’d like to keep seeing foxes in the countryside as it’s an indicator of the health of the area.

 

[YoungGun]

Maybe you should read this article.
Take away fox hunting and the aspect changes to eradication.
Hunting needs to keep a certain amount of foxes in the countryside.
By your actions it could wipe them out.
Personally, I’d like to keep seeing foxes in the countryside as it’s an indicator of the health of the area.View attachment 251863

Appreciate the sentiment, but intentionally hunting foxes with a pack of hounds illegal, lamping is not.

If the fox hunting set didn't enjoy the kill they would trail hunt, rather than using this as cover for illegal hunting. They shoils admit they enjoy doing it, before complaining about others carrying out lawful activities.

That being said, I am not sure anyone could eradicate red foxes in the uk (look at attempts in other countries)

 

[User00035]

Foxes were persecuted in times past far more vigorously than they are today or were immediately prior to the hunting ban. In previous centuries, virtually everyone in the countryside had an interest in killing foxes. If they didn't become extinct then, they certainly won't know, especially as the lack of threat they now feel from humans has led them to colonise towns and cities.