Legality and Efficacy of Bowhunting in the UK
- Thread starter OllieRiordanDeer
- Start date
nun_hunter
Well-Known Member
Exactly.
It's quite clear on here from various other threads that you can't even give a deer carcass away because people don't know how or don't want to butcher it. Yet some people suddenly think that if you legalised bows people would suddenly be pouring out of the towns into the countryside and shooting deer left right and centre to take back to their flat and butcher it or sell to the local pub. Even stalker's now are struggling to do that legally!
If you're going to go poaching with a bow then you're already breaking the law, it's not going to make a difference.
Air rifles are legal for anyone (and realistically anyone can get a SGC) and yet poaching isn't exactly rife with either of these, simply because people can't be bothered to deal with a dead animal. Those who do it and leave them get bored and go on to another hobby instead.
nun_hunter
Well-Known Member
You lose an arrow in the woods and someone else uses it then what? Or if that's a defence when someone actually gets caught poaching then they get away with it because it doesn't prove who fired the arrow.
Some people will do stupid things and/or break the law but that shouldn't mean that everyone gets treated the same and are all banned from an activity.
If you lose it you log that loss with the police - that covers you.
OllieRiordanDeer
Well-Known Member
Pretty set up Gixer, what poundage are you pulling?
I think it’s sitting around 58lbs… I’m sure the bow range is 55-65 on this one.
If you were planning on poaching you report your arrow as lost and then go and use it, so you don’t get the blame if it’s found where it’s shouldn’t be..
I agree that the hunter should be licenced, not the bow or arrows or broad heads or strong wax.
But how will licencing the hunter rule you out of an animal that is found to have been poached with an arrow sticking out of it, or help on catching the poacher?
If you were planning on poaching would you go to the bother of registering anything? Not usually the acts of the type of person who poaches.
If people are registering arrows they are usually to use legitimately.
You will not legislate for everything - you can only do what you can to keep people within the laws.
The location of the registered person, also, the identification of the arrows.
Catching poachers is, and always will depend on having feet on the ground catching them in the act, otherwise it’s all hearsay.
Sorry, just realised, it’s 50-70.
nun_hunter
Well-Known Member
So what is registering bows, arrows or the hunter going to do other than make people who plan to abide by the law jump through hoops and spend money? We've established that it's not going to deter poachers or stop people buying bows or arrows so what is is doing?
Seeing as a hunter would use the same arrow shaft for practice but with a different head then how do you stop target archers from just screwing a broad head into their target arrow and heading off poaching? Just like they can but (generally) dont right now?
All laws only really apply to people who follow them…it’s no different to registering firearms at the moment - it makes not a jot of difference if Fred in a shed decides to make a pistol on his hobby lathe…
Most of the laws around firearms are to make the public feel better, nothing more.
It’s similar to the pistol thing - they made us add rods to the back and increase barrel length - a total joke of a suggestion as any criminal with a hacksaw won’t think twice about cutting those off!
nun_hunter
Well-Known Member
I get that but making an effective and safe functioning pistol is beyond the ability of 99.9 of people who actually would want to do that.
Firearms are hard to get hold of in this country so the FAC system works (as well as it can) but bows can be bought anywhere by anyone with no trace.
So if we can agree that licensing bows or arrows or the hunting if such won't make a difference to people breaking the law currently and neither will it deter those wishing to break the law in future then why are you suggesting any form of it at all?
The use of bows on live game should be managed in my opinion - it’s all a white elephant as they would never legalise them for use here.
The reason for laws is to allow us to prosecute those that don’t follow them - so we need them in place all the same. And also as a guide for those that do follow them.
nun_hunter
Well-Known Member
I agree that some regulation about the type of bow and arrowhead used would be of benefit. We already have laws to deal with poaching, trespass, theft, animal cruelty etc and they could/should be used rather than creating new laws. Much like the new knife laws that do nothing more than what we already had but weren't being enforced by the courts and ignored by criminals anyway.
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