Poachers

[Mike1979]

Here in Ontario we have to buy a tag per animal. But that’s online and you print your own tag on an 8x11” piece of paper at home. It’s illegal to print more than 1….. You have to have 1 tag per animal until it’s “processed” And a deer is considered ‘processed’ once it’s cut into steaks and ground…lol

I wish we could use moderators

I've been to Ontario a few times and given the shear scale I have the utmost respect for you guys shooting there. I do find it strange why some countries dont allow the use of sound moderators.

 

[Rutland lad]

A lot of my wayward skills were taught of old pitman
RIP the pitman we will never see the likes of them men again

My Grandad did 55 years as a miner. He had 4 years off fighting the Germans between 1914-18.
My Dad went down the pit aged 14. He wasn’t allowed to fight the Germans in the second bout as he was the explosives expert.
They were both dead by the time I joined the Police, but in respect to them and men like them, I refused to Police the Miners Strike. I don’t regret that at all.
Good working men badly advised and led.

 

[Nickb]

I nearly come close to posting a full confession several minutes ago. But thought better of it.

Come on Vim , reveal some stories

 

[Nick703]

I no a lot of the old pit men are long gone but am I the only ex miner on here,worked underground until they shut us down , an yeah I didn’t have an fac back then

 

[David Barker]

I nearly come close to posting a full confession several minutes ago. But thought better of it.

Me be that should be better places between to hard back cover,s. Sadly being a good wild life manager i cant add any pages to it.

 

[Sheamus]

Come on Vim , reveal some stories

I've met plenty of like minded countrymen over the years.
But the good ones I can count on one hand.
I was privileged enough to be introduced to an old guy who i became good friends with.
He had hunted all over the UK with just dogs of various breeding and net's.
He never owned a gun, wasn't interested. Only because the penalties would of been far greater for him when caught.
He said to me one day.
I need to pass on what I know, I don't want to take all this knowledge with me when im gone.
He used various types of net to great effect taking all types of fur feather & fin.
He was also a top notch dog trainer and handler.
I remember his words like it were yesterday.
Throughout your life you will only probably meet one or maybe two other people.
That are worthy of sharing your knowledge with so pick them carefully.

 

[David Barker]

Funny the ones that had a miss spent youth seem to be some of the best wild life managers. You can spot them even after there legal after the shot they still look around and they can gralloch a beast in the blink of an eye.

 

[VSS]

Probably most of the people coming into legitimate shooting sports these days have never been poaching.
But for many of us who had a rural childhood that's how we started off. Shooting legally came later!

 

[willowbank]

Probably most of the people coming into legitimate shooting sports these days have never been poaching.
But for many of us who had a rural childhood that's how we started off. Shooting legally came later!

Father and I (being 11+) used to go out on a windy night (the birds roosted lower) and the sound of the .410 was carried away... well remember him shooting against the moon and later carrying home a sack full. He was never short of baccy money lol.

WB

 

[Dunwaters]

Gents, you are romancing about bygone days.
How do you feel about badger digging, the use of tongs to pull them out?
The dogs that were sent down to hold them, and the injuries they both received and inflicted?
How about otter hunting, egg collecting and hunting down rare animals and insects precisely because they were rare?
Netting pools for salmon and sea trout?
I’ve done my fair share of dubious activities.
Most of them are better off consigned to the past.

 

[VSS]

Gents, you are romancing about bygone days.
How do you feel about badger digging, the use of tongs to pull them out?
The dogs that were sent down to hold them, and the injuries they both received and inflicted?
How about otter hunting, egg collecting and hunting down rare animals and insects precisely because they were rare?
Netting pools for salmon and sea trout?
I’ve done my fair share of dubious activities.
Most of them are better off consigned to the past.

I'm not romancing about bygone days. Just reminiscing.
And besides, I still prefer to shoot pheasants by the light of the moon.
Much more humane than a driven shoot, and perfectly legit these days as I can do it on my own land instead of someone else's.
And what's wrong with netting fish? Seems a pretty sensible way to catch them.

 

[finbar]

Hard Times breed hard men hard men breed hard dogs …

 

[SikaSeeker]

Gents, you are romancing about bygone days.
How do you feel about badger digging, the use of tongs to pull them out?
The dogs that were sent down to hold them, and the injuries they both received and inflicted?
How about otter hunting, egg collecting and hunting down rare animals and insects precisely because they were rare?
Netting pools for salmon and sea trout?
I’ve done my fair share of dubious activities.
Most of them are better off consigned to the past.

The dogs weren’t sent down the holes, they flew down them without any hesitation, they relished the thought of work, bred for a job.

 

[eldon]

Mmm. I would disagree. With high figures for cull animals in the larder being paid by Forestry Scotland there has been plenty of individuals helping themselves. Indeed I know of a couple of individuals who were going around local tenants offering £50 for every deer they could shoot. They were getting £130 for each one in the larder.

I know that on one bit of ground I shoot over they were stupid enough leave empty cases behind along with heads, legs, vehicle tracks etc. I also found the remains of a deer with a little round hole in the shoulder blade.

Police were informed but didn’t have the resources or inclination to respond. They did ask how we knew that poaching was going on.

I have been out my other piece of ground. I have noticed that all the Roe are very nervous and flighty. Rather suggests that somebody else is after them.

These days of nightvision and moderators nobody will know if you are out at 2am in dark. And a balaclava takes care of any cameras etc.

I would thankfully respond with the opposite view.
Recently went to my ground and the deer were exceptionally unaware.
Lucky me, but life is very fickle!

 

[Nick703]

The dogs weren’t sent down the holes, they flew down them without any hesitation, they relished the thought of work, bred for a job.

I’ve a old retired terrier here,14-15 years old,sleeps 22 hours a day,not many teeth left,struggles to jump, still needs to be kept on a lead out in the fields or she’d drop in the first occupied hole and probably still stay until dug,a sensible old dog with bottom lip still intact

 

[finbar]

One of my old warriors sadly no longer here

 

[Sheamus]

I had no idea that there were so many working dog comrades on here. I don't think many guys on here have experienced the feeling of having a dog sunk in the depths of some earth on land where you shouldn't of been.

 

[Camdig]

Gents, you are romancing about bygone days.
How do you feel about badger digging, the use of tongs to pull them out?
The dogs that were sent down to hold them, and the injuries they both received and inflicted?
How about otter hunting, egg collecting and hunting down rare animals and insects precisely because they were rare?
Netting pools for salmon and sea trout?
I’ve done my fair share of dubious activities.
Most of them are better off consigned to the past.

The French still dig badgers and it's done with up most respect with sounding type terriers, it can be done with no harm to either terrier or badger, locaters are illegal over there, locator collars are the reason terriers ended up hard and silent, traditionally a silent terrier was useless as you couldn't hear it bay.
Otter packs were the first to raise concerns about otter numbers due to pollution and put a voluntary ban in place long before it was illegal by law.
Egg collecting was definitely not as bad back then as birds were still enjoying the majority of the countryside being managed for game, sadly now corvids and gulls will wipe the floor with any egg collectors numbers wise.

 

[Camdig]

From right to left, mother, daughter and grand daughter.
The daughter being one of the best all round terriers I've owned.
The red grand daughter is reasonable ratter and that's about it.
The mother was good but lacked size but not heart.

 

[finbar]

Me as a skinny youth both of them days are gone now
Was lucky enough to be able to work terriers for what they were bred for
Still miss the chaos they could fetch
Love me spaniels
Me terrier & lurcher days a will always look back on with fond memories
But no the court appearances