Night shooting

[ratatattat]

I've heard shooting at night is being considered in Scotland with IR and thermal sights due to deer numbers, do you think it should be allowed in the UK?
if only for Muntjacs and CWD.

 

[Mike1979]

I think that the current approach of night licences should be left in place. Those who need to control deer numbers and can only justifiably do so at night can apply and those who dont need to should carry on as they are. For me personally I dont see the need for a change and would get little enjoyment from shooting them outside of legal hours...however I dont do it as a job so there has to be an element of enjoyment or I wouldnt do it. If someone paid me to control deer under licence at night then fine.

 

[j500app]

There are places where daytime shooting is very difficult,people pressure means the deer hole up and only come out to damage crops in darkness.In order to keep numbers under control night shooting using the technology now available is by far the safest option.Unfortunately Natural England are very slow in there renewal of licenses,perhaps a more user friendly application process might help. Those of us who work within the law find it very frustrating to see the scale of damage such high numbers of deer are causing.

 

[weblyish]

A coordinated effort: how we’re tackling the dual threat of deer and grey squirrels – Forestry Commission

As part of National Tree Week, Anna Brown, Director of Forest Services at the Forestry Commission, and Alan Law, Chief Officer for Strategy and Reform at Natural England, reflect on the work happening across the sector to reduce the impacts

forestrycommission.blog.gov.uk

FC seem to mention that a class night licence may be available next year (I e. A general licence for a person to shoot at night rather than one tied to a specific location and evidence of damage)

 

[Martes]

I've heard shooting at night is being considered in Scotland with IR and thermal sights due to deer numbers, do you think it should be allowed in the UK?
if only for Muntjacs and CWD.

Shooting at night is already heavily used in Scotland under approval from NatScot and by those on the fit and competent register.

Do you mean off license? If so, where have you heard this from?

Also, Scotland is part of the UK. Do you mean England and Wales?

 

[Mungo]

I've heard shooting at night is being considered in Scotland with IR and thermal sights due to deer numbers, do you think it should be allowed in the UK?
if only for Muntjacs and CWD.

Last I checked, Scotland was still part of the Union.

And we’ve been night shooting with thermal/IR for 2 years…

 

[Malxwal]

Shooting at night is already heavily used in Scotland under approval from NatScot and by those on the fit and competent register.

Ask, get. F&C is ask your mate(s) if you don't have DSC2. It's barely a formality.

 

[slider]

I've heard shooting at night is being considered in Scotland with IR and thermal sights due to deer numbers, do you think it should be allowed in the UK?
if only for Muntjacs and CWD.

Night shooting has been allowed under license in Scotland (which is part of the UK BTW) for years. Licenses (night authorisations to use the correct term) are simple to apply for and rarely refused.

 

[Dave_45]

You’ll get a night licence for the asking in Scotland.

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

What’s the point in shooting muntjac and cwd at night?

They’re worthless at the game dealer!

night shooting happens all the time in England always has happened, just under the radar, it’s nothing new.

 

[tom308w]

Its happening more with all this night vision .under the old fox shooting chestnut.

 

[Klenchblaize]

At the risk of moving from a 45 to 78RPM record on repeat, the solution to meaningful reduction in deer numbers throughout the UK (primarily Southern England) is NOT the mechanism by which the critters are shot but rather ensuring the Stalker has a means of carcass disposal.

K

 

[Mungo]

I think he was looking for a reaction and realised he might not have read the room…

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

I think he was looking for a reaction and realised he might not have read the room…

It’s an argument that been going to for more years than we care to remember on the SD.

 

[Mungo]

It’s an argument that been going to for more years than we care to remember on the SD.

Ultimately, ever since we had any kind of technology to shoot at night…

Like anything else, it’s a tool that has a place, and if you understand the use case and the methods, and are honest about the constraints, then it’s as good (or bad) as any other.

I do it when I have to, and it’s extremely effective in very specific contexts. Most recently, newly planted forestry in a 30Ha compartment with constant public access during the day, highly visible from a very popular car park and dog walking path. 3 roe fenced in, and doing a lot of damage to the newly planted trees. No way of shooting them by day without setting off an enormous sh*t storm on social media.

Went in half an hour after dark. Shot them using a thermal scope. All dead and removed in 25 minutes. No body any the wiser - and there were still people on the path and in the car park.

It’s a completely different process - pest control pure and simple. But it can and does work extremely well when used carefully.

Sika hinds in winter are another use case. Once day length shortens, and in dense forestry, you just don’t see them in daylight. If you have a cull target, the only way to achieve it is to night shoot. They get wise to lamps fast. Thermal/nv means that you can walk in and shoot them on or next to the road, and not waste time trying to find and extract 200m into clearfell.

 

[Bowland blades]

I've heard shooting at night is being considered in Scotland with IR and thermal sights due to deer numbers, do you think it should be allowed in the UK?
if only for Muntjacs and CWD.

Its not being considered - its being done a lot in Scotland a goodly amount of it ( happened ages ago ! CWD and Munjac