scolopax

No not at all. But before we can mount a robust defence we need to take a long hard look at the various facets of shooting sports and if needed, get our house in order.

My concern is that the elephant in the room is Packham speaks some truth.

so true, that is what I see in my minds eye when the decline of turtle doves is mentioned, them coming into rape stubble fast and low like little dark brown collared doves. The last study I believe showed a much reduced breeding success rate. They still reared some young to fledging but just not as many as they had in previous studies quite a few years before. I think overall the decline in weed rich areas was blamed, whether fallows or margins, I am sure Furmitory was mentioned as beinga favoured food plant.

very stressful this keepering lark, whether looking after 100 or 10,000 Good luck. Sometimes it is just best to cull those with symptons, eyes and coughing, and let the rest out and hope for the best I know it has been said before, but poults are best in almost all situations

After about six or seven years of being a club member I might try and get down to some rather nice North Norfolk marshes I can shoot. I hear there is the occasional duck or goose down there.

it is grown on one of the farms I shoot. It is canary seed, for the bird feed industry literally to feed canaries (and other such birds)

I believe Collared Doves are not on the new GL, maybe you are thinking of these? As already stated the UK Turtle Doves are in a terrible state, huge population crash in the last 30 years. They are quarry species in other parts of Europe and large numbers are / were shot on migration through the Mediterranean countries.

well done, fine looking beast

So votes for the Brexit party let in a remain party, well done the remainers are bright enough to use tactical voting, maybe the leavers should employ some intelligence too https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-49200636

the one good thing which so nearly came out of the GL fiasco was the stopping of commercial pigeon shooting

time some opened up their eyes a bit. Hen Harriers are very efficient predators of grouse and their chicks, they are basically incompatible with driven grouse shooting. As they say......you do the math

My local rural petrol station is like most part grocery store. It is normally quite busy and a couple of days ago I queued to wait for an available pump. On fuelling up I noticed that the inner two pumps, closest to the shop, were “occupied “ by a pick up with the fuel in take on the wrong side and parked midway between the two. Now as I walked to pay the owner of the vehicle came back, I did not say anything but we made eye contact and he realised I had an issue. A short conversation ensued with me confirming that he had not taken any fuel just bought groceries, and that he knew that the car parking was only 50 yards away. I finished by stating that I thought it was selfish to occupy pumps at a busy station, he replied with a smirk that he did not care. And that was the end of it. The tenuous link to shooting is that i discovered at the counter he was one of the major local landowners having several large farms. So no point me doing any door knocking at any of his properties hereabouts now lol. So PW massive, was I right to be irked? Or is it acceptable to park at a pump but not buy fuel?

Miner bee?

What we need is a pigeon shooter, preferably two, one shooting over stubble, one roost shooting. To get arrested for shooting woodpigeons against the terms of the GL. Then for the poor unfortunates to go to court. This is the only way these 'grey' areas will get sorted. Any Volunteers?

Good, about time. Now to re-examine the ludicrous winter fuel allowance.