Ajarrett

The Kent Wildfowlers have extended its new membership package offer to now include clubs and syndicates at a discounted rate of only £25.00 per member. Qualifying number is a minimum of 8 members, and will include all the facilities recently offered for Associate membership. The package includes: fast track upgrading to Full shooting membership; full access to club members' website; regular online updates; full insurance package; plus free conservation and land management advice. Visit the club website at www.kentwildfowlers.co.uk

Yes, but it needn't not be onerous!

Part of Kent Wildfowlers diversification has been into offering opportunities for Airgun Hunting. This has proven popular, with this section of the club growing year on year - plenty of shooting opportunities but Airgun membership numbers limited to 50. However, the amount of land to hunt over has been increasing and will increase further as the club exploits further opportunities will allow us to increase the maximum number of places available. Apply via the KWCA website - kentwildfowlers.co.uk . The offer includes shooting rights; insurance and access to social and other function + a comprehensive website for members. An Airgun Target section is also on offer - with access to the club's shooting range and including insurance. Airgunning is also included in the package on offer to Full club members

Are you 'the ' Alan Jarrett, as your avatar would imply? Not sure how many there are!

Perhaps BASC should be asked why it did not manage to replicate the previous manifesto commitment from the Conservatives to support responsible shooting. If that had been in the 2017 manifesto perhaps this would be different conversation. With overturning the hunting ban in the manifesto a commitment to shooting would have been pushing at an open door. Why was that missed?

Kent Wildfowlers has just introduced a new membership package, including insurance. See on here @ Sporting Opportunities (Paid)

Maximum security of tenure is always the preferred outcome of course, although not always achievable. Preferences should be in this order: freehold ownership; ownership of sporting rights; long lease; short lease; licence; handshake. The brutal truth is that all non-permanent arrangements will eventually come to an end sometime. Trying to future-proof ourselves remains the challenge Alan

Need to be an Airgun member - £156 this year, which is a reduction of £50 from last year

No shooting in this package - just as if you join the big national organisations you don't get any shooting either. You can upgrade at any time to the full shooting package. Alan

Correct - 2 per year for which you have to pay £15 each. You can go unaccompanied Alan

All in a good cause!

It means Associate members will always be processed first when we are taking on members. It is also aimed at those who want to support the club without being full shooting members, and those who just want to be part of something

I've an Eider too, and no complaints with it. Short jacket really made for chest waders - waders as the Amercians call them Alan

Love the Kentdale parka from Rivers West, and have two of them. Had on test a Browning Grand Passage parka - a superb wildfowling coat waterproof and windproof and does not take on gallons of water and therefore weight when wet. Plenty of pockets. Rubberised cuffs, although the rubber has started to peel off in its second year, which is largely cosmetic anyway. Everything you need in a wildfowling coat - my favourite coat ever so far. All these American coats seem to suffer from a poor zip. Plastic zips may be fine on the North American prairies, but will eventually fail for foreshore work. Had both my Kentdale parka zips changed for 2-way metal zips via the local dry cleaners for £20.00 each. Grand Passage zip still holding up well, but need to give it a spray up every few trips for smooth functioning. Don't know what the Grand Passage costs as I didn't have to pay for it! Alan

Brodie, You are perhaps understandably conflating the two thing. Leaving BASC was for the KWCA members the right response to a couple of years of disagreements, initially over insurance and then other things too.The KWCA now has an excellent insurance package of its own and a plan for going forward based on what had gone before. The WIldfowlers' *** Ltd was set up in case/for when it is needed - by who ever might want to use it. Lancer425. Yes there is a KWCA backup plan which is in place and working well. Alan

It's not my vision. That's up to all those who are calling for WAGBI2. I am happy that people are happy with BASC - free country, just! Alan

That silly comment from Richie10 is exactly why we are in the fix we're in. Try and have a sensible grown-up conversation and there is always .....! (I just love these pseudonyms!) Let's ignore that and carry on. It is not about work parties etc. It is about getting together and discussing what needs to be done and how we do it. Three of us have registered the company as a first step. Doers are needed which would need a sensible get-together; organisation of next steps and from that roles, then get on with those roles. It's undoubtedly admin to start with to build a membership base, which will be needed to finance the start of any new organisation. Alan

It doesn't matter where people are based at this stage. What is needed is a collective will to work for the betterment of our sport. Everything depends on the number and reliability of volunteers. Without 'boots on the ground' we can't achieve anything! Alan

I thought I would add my comments on this! The Kent Wildfowlers is launching a new Associate category in April, offering a comprehensive package giving fast-track to Full membership and including full insurance cover. Watch out for that. As for another representative wildfowlers' association, the groundwork for that was done over a year ago. Have a look on Companies House and you can find The Wildfowlers Association Limited. All we need now are some good folk to come forward to get it off and running. Volunteers eagerly awaited!! Alan

Kent wildfowlers - kentwildfowlers.co.uk - is still accepting new members. Largest wildfowling club in the country with shooting rights from East Sussex to Norfolk, and all points in between Alan

My first post on Pigeon Watch! Throughout the last few months I have read some good level-headed commentary, and also a great deal of greedy, selfish, hypocritical piffle from some people who should know better. They know who they are (and mostly seem to reside in Norfolk!). I will not deal with any KWCA matters as DNT is more than capable of doing so. My reason for posting is to give clarity to the BASC Direct Ltd. question. As I said on the wildfowling forum, BASC Direct was set up to deal with non-mutual trading (and if people don't know what that is I suggest they find out). It has not been set up to acquire land, neither will it do so. BASC can already do so in its own right if it so chooses, and has done so over the years with various stalking schemes etc. It has four Directors and one shareholder. That shareholder is BASC, which is managed through its elected (by the membership) Council and our full-time staff. That means that the four directors must (and will) at all times serve the shareholder - BASC. BASC Direct Ltd will enter into trading options from time to time as opportunities occur, all of which will be designed to provide additional resources to service our existing and growing membership. As BASC enters 2015 it has a membership of over 140,000. It is a large and influential organisation which provides an excellent service to members, and as a result benefits the wider shooting community - most of which does not pay a subscription to BASC but benefits from its work Hope that helps, and to save people time I will not be responding to unfounded tittle-tattle. The facts are clearly set out above. Happy New year to all Alan