Woodpigeon: pest or a quarry species?

Savage 110 Carbon Tactical - Unmatched Precision - Viking Arms
triggertrix said:
I also believe most pigeon shooters use the crop protection card to justify the sporting aspect of it alone
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8b4864b456c815eefeb4d2268a80bea8.jpg
Few years ago I had a discussion with an anti who questioned if my shooting crows was pest control as I admitted to enjoying doing it... I failed to see why the two things had to be exclusive of one another... ??

If one finds the shots taken (whilst carrying out legitimate crop protection) to be of a sporting nature - what's the harm??
 
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triggertrix said:
How are buyers/processors of crops accepting the lead being sprayed into the fields and onto standing crops? I am seeing a move away from pigeon shooting due to this regionally to me, and a shift towards deterrents. @Heym SR20 will have views/info on this i believe
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I am sometimes a guest on a shoot over which lots of vegetables are grown. We are always instructed never to shoot in a direction on which our shot can fall on the vegetables - leeks especially.

They are grown on contract for major super markets. If any shot is found in the vegetables the whole lorry load is rejected. It has to them in the past and the grower also bears the cost of recovery of all the veg and their disposal.

There is also regular comment about lead being in food stuffs. This will come from the soil. Yes there is lead naturally in rock, along with gold with deposits widespread on the western side of the UK. Very little under the fertile agricultural soils of the west. Lead pellets will remain in the top soil structure. Every time a cultivator, disks or a plough is passed through the soil, soil particles abrade thus lead pellets will be turned into particles. Combined in other soil chemistry from break down of organic matter -and fertiliser inputs lead will dissolve, especially if the soil is acidic. The lead as a nutrient becomes available and it will taken up into the plant along with all the other micronutrients. And ultimately it will end up in the leaf and seeds that we then all eat.

Depiction below is comparing lead levels in man. It was from a paper in the early 1990s by Clair Patterson published in Nature where the took samples from skeletons and tooth enamels from bronze age in the US, and compared them to modern as in 1990s Americans. On the left is that of ancient man - ie taken from old skeletons. Middle is modern man and on the right is what was considered lead toxicity - ie you are suffering lead poisoning.


image001.png

Bear in that the above was 1990, and there has been a lot of ongoing work on the impact of lead on human health.
 
Just go for a walk across an arable field and see all the micro plastics spread - from things like bale string to plastic bale wrap
As i say when so many of the crops are bathed in pesticides etc etc etc I for one am happier to take a chance with a piece of lead or two
 
I have at least 2 pairs of woodies nesting in the Lleylandi hedge behind at present. They breed all year down here. They are a serious agricultural pest and a good source of natural protein. My row of PSB has been devastated by my local woodies. Now heavily netted at considerable cost. Also got a pair of magpies building in the same lleyladi hedge. The current situation of general licences for pest species is lamentable.
D
 
Pigeon pie. There was a thread on what should be protected as a traditional activity. Surely the taking of a pigeon for the pot (or pie) was that most traditional and long standing of countryside "foraging" activity? I would agree with the OP's proposal. However if BASC had its way it'd be academic anyway...for shooting bismuth cartridges at £2 a pop now transforms a pigeon pie to being a luxury food more expensive than a smoked salmon sandwich. So it's all rather pointless given BASC's lead ban call.
 
@triggertrix
If you change your mind then this works well for me,
Pigeons set on homemade cradles and frozen as they are, that way there is no time defrosting or waiting to shoot a couple for the rotary.
Just nip up the thumb screw on the arms and clip on the battery.20240209_134556[1].jpg
 
Talk about rocking the boat ! In the act under which we shoot birds it clearly says All birds are protected in law , other than those species that can be killed as pest control or Game that can be shot within a designated season .
We came out of that scrap with wild justice only a relatively short period of time ago and the where, when and why was won in the end .
What point is there in shooting woodpigeon in a wood here where i live in the Forrest of Bowland ? The nearest ( as the pigeon flies) crop must be 20 miles away at least and in the winter months it will be a heck of a lot longer flight than that in winter .
Making woodpigeon as a quarry shot outside genuine pest control not just under crop protection is just plain crazy and a waste of resources that are better spent protecting what we do have available already .
If we have a real issue there is always the special licence application process
 
Back to basics and where it all began for many was pigeon shooting and was a gateway for many into shooting along with wildfowling and rabbit control and grass roots in the wagbi era when umpties were fewer🤷🏽‍♂️
My experience to date leaves me to conclude that enjoy things while you can and a pigeon is a pest species until law changes so folks can for me please themselves and for certain they will.
 
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boltgun said:
Back to basics and where it all began for many was pigeon shooting and was a gateway for many into shooting along with wildfowling and rabbit control and grass roots in the wagbi era when umpties were fewer🤷🏽‍♂️
My experience to date leaves me to conclude that enjoy things while you can and a pigeon is a pest species until law changes so folks can for me please themselves and for certain they will.
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Dont play too heavy with the times past shooters, there was as much or more scull duggery going on, especially as shotgun shells could be bought without the shop needing to see a licence etc . Indeed before my own time you did not need a SGC at all
 
Nickb said:
What's that got to do with pigeons?
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Nothing.
But it's just a funny thing that some species seem to provoke moral feelings and others don't. For no reason whatsoever, as far as I can see.
Just as a weed is just a plant in the wrong place, a "pest species" is just a bird or animal that is being a pest. Like pheasants in my crops in summer. They're a pest. Nothing more, nothing less.
 
Heym SR20 said:
I am sometimes a guest on a shoot over which lots of vegetables are grown. We are always instructed never to shoot in a direction on which our shot can fall on the vegetables - leeks especially.

They are grown on contract for major super markets. If any shot is found in the vegetables the whole lorry load is rejected. It has to them in the past and the grower also bears the cost of recovery of all the veg and their disposal.
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Their is a large salad producer in Kent, they just insist on non toxic shot.
 
VSS said:
Nothing.
But it's just a funny thing that some species seem to provoke moral feelings and others don't. For no reason whatsoever, as far as I can see.
Just as a weed is just a plant in the wrong place, a "pest species" is just a bird or animal that is being a pest. Like pheasants in my crops in summer. They're a pest. Nothing more, nothing less.
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I agree , if control is required then just crack on 👍
 
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