Night Vision

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JimG

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i have been reading the draft guidance to marksman in the proposed badger cull. i am not wanting to ignite a debate on the rights and wrongs of the cull, and would like some opinions regarding the use of Night Vision Scopes. The following paragraph is taken from the document:

Image intensifying (‘night sights’) or infra-red sighting devices used as sights on a rifle are prohibited under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and there is a presumption against them being licensed for this type of shooting because of safety considerations. An image intensifier may be useful, however, for scanning and spotting animals prior to shooting with a lamp, to reduce the disturbance from use of the spotlight. Searching for badgers with night-sights immediately prior to attempting to or actually killing them is likely to need a licence.

Am i right in thinking that night vision would make the shooting safer? would it allow the shooter to see everything rather than only what is in the spotlight? and i am fairly certain that the animal will not be disturbed by lights being put on them?

thanks :-D
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badgers are round arsed things , they cant sit still , and if youve been culling them in a lamp for a while i would think they would learn about that job same as anything , searching for them with nv would seem a good idea
 
JimG said:


Image intensifying (‘night sights’) or infra-red sighting devices used as sights on a rifle are prohibited under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and there is a presumption against them being licensed for this type of shooting because of safety considerations. An image intensifier may be useful, however, for scanning and spotting animals prior to shooting with a lamp, to reduce the disturbance from use of the spotlight. Searching for badgers with night-sights immediately prior to attempting to or actually killing them is likely to need a licence.


thanks :-D
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Click to expand...

not sure this is true. plenty of foxes and rabbits shot using NV. legally as far as i am aware.
 
the paragraph i have quoted is draft guidance to marksman involved in the badger cull in england. it seems to me that a valuable tool will not be licensed, because of 'safety considerations'. what these considerations are, i don't really know. i personally feel that NV would give the marksman time to take a well placed shot at the animal that hasn't been startled by a lamp
 
NV is an excellent tool when used with all the usual safety consideration, i.e positive identification of your quary, safe back stop, not just a hedge, bracken etc. I've used it for rabbits and foxes, neither knew I was there before they stopped living. However, I can envisage a situation where some one could get hurt if they were hiding in undergrowth, waiting to pop up when a lamp went on! bubble
 
Rabbit away here somewhere (excuse the pun)! If night sights were illegal for fox or rabbit I suspect some of the good folks using them in countless magazines might have been prosecuted by now?!?!?
 
Having personally used a variety of NV mainly US gen 3,I have seen countless badgers and true to form they do move quickly ,hardly ever sitting still, for long enough to take a shot for culling purposes.
However I find that trapping the badger, would be more effective,I find the paragraph containing the use of night vision in the document to be conflicting.a Licence being required what nonsense. what it comes down to is ££££££s.

"Image intensifying (‘night sights’) or infra-red sighting devices used as sights on a rifle are prohibited under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and there is a presumption against them being licensed for this type of shooting because of safety considerations. An image intensifier may be useful, however, for scanning and spotting animals prior to shooting with a lamp, to reduce the disturbance from use of the spotlight. Searching for badgers with night-sights immediately prior to attempting to or actually killing them is likely to need a licence".
 
Having just read a good chunk of the wildlife and countryside act I can verify that use of NV sights for taking schedule 5 and 6 animals (badger is sched 6) is prohibited. So, however, is the use of artificial light, so go figure!!!
 
thanks for the replies, but it was really the effectiveness and safety aspects of NV i'm after, not the legal issues
 
Safe and highly effective!! but I think you should probably stick up an intro now as you have said nowt about yourself and I would have thought badger culling is about as contentious as it gets for a first post!!!

Not normally bothered about intros but might be a plan in this case. (not seeking to be precious but certainly cautious)
 
I was out foxing one night and I shone the lamp on a badger.... it came running straight at me with it's teeth showing.
 
There is a video on the internet of a badger being watched through night vision. the man filming starts to squeal and badger runs straight for them. as the video says, "i thought they ate worms."
 
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Thanks for the intro Jim.

I lamp at least 2 nights a week and also have NV. There is no doubt that NV has no more or less safety concerns than lamping. You just shouldnt be letting go if you dont know where the bullet will stop. As regards being effective i would say that the 3rd gen stuff is nearly as good as a lamp in so much as you can see as far as you could sensibly shoot.

The main issue with the cull as far as I am concerned is finding the badgers. I lamp over 1000's of acres and I know there are several badger setts therein. you can go several trips and never set eyes on one however. I suspect NV and a set up over their holes is the way to be effective for although badgers are not lamped I suspect many have learned to get out of the bright light before the car runs them over!!! I have had no badgers call to a fox call but one night last harvest saw 17 in the lamp on stubbles. Their reactions varied from running like hell to taking no notice at all.

There is still the big question of anonymity if you put your name down to shoot some. Brian May might come and burn your house down.
 
so basically, everyone is of the opinion that NV is no more dangerous than lamping, and is probably more effective in the case of an animal that does not like lamps?

i know what you mean about the encounter rate, especially when the cull requirement is 70% of badgers in 6 weeks
 
No I havent. I use an archer but either way you need a good IR illuminator to get the most from the kit. (and by good I would say you could expect to spend £200+)
 
come on chaps for goodness sake read it , under licence it says , ive signed up to do the cull so ill let you know all the details when i get them if i can
 
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