Ajarrett

Indeed!

In a busy week the KWCA, either directly or through its companies, has spent over £500,000 on two important purchases. Happily without having to resort to mortgage. Firstly the purchase of a boatyard and 120 acres of saltmarsh and mudflats on the north side of the Medway at Stoke Saltings. This completes our total assemblage of almost two square miles of saltmarsh at Stoke, giving us full ownership of that entire area. Secondly by acquiring a block of forestry in Mid Kent we are able to offer more shooting rights for both shotgun rough shooting and air rifle hunting. Both of these aspects of the sport are becoming increasingly important to members both existing and new. With the renewal date of 1st April fast approaching it is important to demonstrate to our burgeoning membership, that the club continues to build for the future. Alan

We have managed to buy additional land for rough shooting and air rifle hunting, which is why we have managed to purchase a nice chunk of mixed conifer and deciduous woodland in mid Kent south of Ashford. As we continue to build our thriving Air Rifle Hunting section it is important to acquire additional land to shoot over. Each year we have had to cap that section of our membership - this year at 63 members. This has led to a waiting list at the end of each year, and with several Associate members currently waiting to upgrade their membership it is important to acquire more land. By purchasing this block of forestry we hope to see further growth in this important section of our membership after 1st April Alan

This thread started with BASC buying land, and WHT helping out (WHT lends land with very useful but modest sums). When I on was BASC Council I and Lee Freeston put forward a copper-bottomed business case for buying land, supported by case studies and excellent returns on capital employed. Council said no, and will not even consider it with the current make-up of council. The business case was based on the Kent and the RSPB models! In any event BASC has multi-millions in the bank, so could do it now if it chose to do so. With only one real wildfowler on council there is no chance of a change of direction. How such land could be managed was all set out in the business case (too lengthy to reiterate here). In terms of Fenland numbers being down I don't know the answer to that. I do know that Kent numbers are at an all time high at 874 (wildfowling members 597), with a total of 1038 including multiple memberships, so there is demand. Part of that success is growing our land portfolio (to the chagrin of some!) and diversification. Acquisitions are now made on a strategic basis (another two to be announced soon) focusing on how we achieve membership growth. Membership growth = more money = more land = membership growth ............ Flogging the dead horse of BASC buying land to secure the future of shooting is exactly that - flogging a dead horse.

KWCA membership passed the 800 mark for the first time. 800 members (and counting) holding 961 memberships Let's hope its a good season for them!

All downhill for me too. Not managing more than about 40 trips a season now! 😎

The CA writing in a recent article that WJ has been a failure is frankly deluded. Whilst it may have failed with some of its narrow aims, overall it has caused an immense amount of harm to shooting, not least through making Natural England (NE) scared witless of doing anything that is remotely pragmatic. NE now hides behind the 'precautionary principle' which is there just in case WJ or anyone else decides to take them to task. The precautionary principle is a gift from heaven to the antis. It just needed WJ to shine a light on it and job done. Now we have species being taken off the quarry list by stealth (pintail), and we have all SSSIs being increased by stealth via the 300-metre buffer zones within which you cannot shoot pests without Consent from NE. The tactic from those holding the purse strings should be to make NE as wary of the shooting lobby as it is from WJ et al. What use will be £millions in the bank if shooting continues to go down the tubes? Apart from paying wages and pensions like some bloated employment agency. Shooting is dying the death of a thousand cuts, and due to inertia at the top we seem powerless to stop it!

The Essex branch had downsized shooting kit so much last time I went I won't be bothering to go again!

"anything in Norfolk?" Yes, and Cambridgeshire, but we haven't arranged any guided tours yet

Since Jan 1st: 187 Jackdaws 153 Carrion Crows 59 Rooks 1 Magpie 1 Jay Total 401 Running TOTAL 1375

It's the North Level, with is the top end of the peninsula abutting that, and the seawall. The Army ground has been sold for a pittance(!) and now has a private syndicate in place.

For existing, new and prospective members. Contact the club for further details - www.kentwildfowlers.co.uk Sunday 13 June at 9 am - The Medway Valley (Halling, Burham, and Wouldham ) Sunday 27 June at 9 am – Air Rifle Hunter areas at Blean Wood Sunday 4 July at 10 am – Reculver, Westbere & Upstreet Sunday 11 July at 9.30 am – Brightlingsea - Essex Sunday 11 July at 1.00 pm – Knight Marsh Peldon, Essex Sunday 18 July at 8.30 am - Swale (South) & Teynham Sunday 18 July 10.30 am – Chalk Marsh & Barling Magna - Essex Sunday 25 July at 9 am - The Medway (South) Copperhouse to Funton Sunday 1 August at 9 am – Bowley's Marsh and New Bridge Marshes - East Sussex Sunday 8 August at 9 am - The Thames (Yantlet Creek to Cooling) Sunday 15 August at 9 am - Stoke Seawall, Grain & Rose Court Sunday 22 August at 9 am – Oxenbridge & Whittersham - East Sussex Sunday 29 August at 9 am - Swale (North & West) & Neats Court

I use Gamebore Super Steel 5s for that sort of shooting. Pattern kills!

'How’s it going with your club?' It started off barmy, which was why I asked. Full members as of today 400; total members 550. Finished with 788 last year, so a long way to go to beat that. I agree with an earlier post, that I think Covid has made people stir-crazy and desperate to get out and do something.

Following the various problems over the last year including lead shot, wildfowling consents, general licences, 300-metre buffer zones around SSSIs, coronavirus etc, it would be interesting to know whether participation is holding up. How are wildfowling club renewals and recruitment going? Are numbers likely to go up or down?

Institutionally anti shooting

Inquiries for membership to KWCA almost ceased with the advent of the GL fiasco. It won't affect wildfowling members, but may have an adverse affect on those wanting to join for rough shooting etc. If its not sorted soonest I fear it is going to drive some people away from shooting altogether. Alan

Got my licence for corvid control for flora and fauna which took almost exactly a week. Applied by snail mail and got the licence by email. Still waiting for the licence for public health etc. which I applied for at the same time. Alan

Yes PM by all means alan

The new pigeon GL reinforces this. Huge areas of land now taken out of pigeon shooting. People need to emphasise this when responding to the DEFRA consulation

Yes, section 11 is. I don't think that bonfire ever really got going - rather a good political soundbite!

My limited understanding of EU law as it relates to wild birds is that we would need a derogation under the Birds Directive for any changes, and we all know how easy it is to deal with European matters!

See the new Thread I have started about extending SSSIs See the new Thread I have started about extending SSSIs

NE has been sniffing around opportunities to create buffers around SSSIs for some while. My understanding is that these can be brought forward under the CRoW Act via bylaws. However bylaws are not easy to put in place and require public consultation and due process. It seems that NE are trying another route which requires neither public consultation or due process! SSSIs are high priority sites for predator control. Not only is NE not going to allow that as per below, it is trying to introduce huge buffer zones without any consultation, or indeed any science attached to it. This reinforces my view that this whole saga is being driven by anti-shooting factions both outside and within NE. Everyone needs to scream long and loud about this before it is too late Alan 11. European and nationally protected sites a) For protected sites with interest features that include bird species, no action authorised by this licence is permitted to take place within those sites or within 300 metres of the boundary of such site. For the avoidance of doubt, this restriction applies to: (i) all Special Protection Areas (SPAs); (ii) any Ramsar site with Qualifying Features that include bird species; or(iii) any Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for which a bird species is a feature of special interest.

Collared Doves should come under serious damage to foodstuffs for livestock and public health and safety