On BCC news website.....

[Chard]

If you open your eyes and READ, you'll see that it has **** all to do with the RSPB

[poontang]

Certainly not enough information to form any real conclusions.

 

I would like to see BASC get involved in these sort of cases. I'm sure with their knowledge of ballistics they would be more than able to determine the type of cartridge used, and the amount of shots/distance etc. Working alongside the RSPCA in these cases would also help to add balance to the reporting and show the public at large that these sort of things are not tolerated by the shooting community as a whole. It's easy to make assumptions as to what size shot it looks like etc. but without examining the carcasses assumption is all it is.

Edited February 13, 2010 by poontang

[starlight32]

misleading article, "they have been shot over and over again", yet all we see is what we assume to be shotgun pellets in the xray,

yes it's wrong to shoot swans, but to try and raise the anty by saying they have been shot over and pver again is RSPB propoganda.

M.

 

 

Most of the published stories about this sort of thing are nothing but RSPB propoganda.

 

I had to attend an incident on club ground the day before the end of the season where two members had been reported for shooting geese by members of the RSPB. It was a quite an interesting morning.

 

When I got there I had to remind the watchers thats it was the shooters who had the right to be there and not them as they were trespassing on private property.

 

A complete waste of everyones time and the taxpayers money too boot.

 

I have to say that around 90% of members of the RSPB are have a go bird watchers. The vast majority could'nt tell a *** from a hawk. They just want to be part of the 'In' crowd half the time and go back to the hard core 10% mates and say;

 

We were out watching Friday and we see some men with guns that look like the ones the army has in Afghanistan. They were all in camouflage clothing trying to call the birds to them with whistles which we know is illegal and they shot two of them. I rang the police and they came along and said they were wildfowlers and that they were conducting a lawful activity, but I don't believe that as we think that the police just said that to appease us. You are not allowed to shoot geese in England only in Scotland and not many people know that.

 

(Extract of what did happen and was said to various parties, I chewed on the reins until they was nearly in two.) Absolute bunch of numpties.

 

I would'nt give the steam off my urine to the RSPB. Nothing more these days than a power hungry organization which breeds propoganda as an effective financial income vehicle.

[LEFTY478]

Sad, very sad. Anyhoos, what's the best way to serve swan?

[John_R]

Anyhoos, what's the best way to serve swan?

 

A bit like Eagle.

[sambu13]

QUOTE (LEFTY478 @ Feb 13 2010, 12:25 AM) *

Anyhoos, what's the best way to serve swan?

 

 

A bit like Eagle.

 

Just takes a little longer, nice when served with kingfisher as a starter.

[anser2]

Lets get a few things clear.

 

1. There is no mention of the RSPB in the news item.

 

2. Its the RSPCA thats involved.

 

3. Its very, very unlikely that any RSPCA staff would have a shotgun to produce such images.

 

4. Can anyone on here say they have even met anyone supporting the RSPCA who would even think of killing swans. I very much doubt it.

 

5. You can be 99.9% sure these swans were shot by shooters not a animal welfare organisation.

 

6. As the pellets were lodged in the body and the density of the pellets and presuming they were no 6 or 5 shot the birds were likely to be shot at 30-40 yards range. Any closer and most of the pellets would have passed through the body. Any further and its more likely the swans would have flown off wounded.

 

As for the swans being shot by mistake , anyone would have to be pretty thick not to know the difference between a swan and a goose. One bird though unlikely may be a mistake , but not 2. Its more likely these birds were shot by some **** who has no regard for the law or welfare of swans shot them for " fun ". Or it was someone who did not want swans on his pond.

[Beretta28g]

Just takes a little longer, nice when served with kingfisher as a starter.

 

 

Cook them like a haverset

Theyre lovely in sarnies!

With a Sparrowhaek soufle theyre delish,

 

:look:

[Doggone]

even stranger is the fact there seems to be a fair few pieces of shot in the xray that aren't even in the bird ok some could be trapped in the wing feathers but looks a bit odd particularly in the bottom right of the picture

 

you can only see the skeleton in an x-ray, the pellets round the outside are in the flesh, which doesn't show up in the photo.

Andy

[Dekers]

Lets get a few things clear.

 

1. There is no mention of the RSPB in the news item.

 

2. Its the RSPCA thats involved.

 

3. Its very, very unlikely that any RSPCA staff would have a shotgun to produce such images.

 

4. Can anyone on here say they have even met anyone supporting the RSPCA who would even think of killing swans. I very much doubt it.

 

5. You can be 99.9% sure these swans were shot by shooters not a animal welfare organisation.

 

6. As the pellets were lodged in the body and the density of the pellets and presuming they were no 6 or 5 shot the birds were likely to be shot at 30-40 yards range. Any closer and most of the pellets would have passed through the body. Any further and its more likely the swans would have flown off wounded.

 

As for the swans being shot by mistake , anyone would have to be pretty thick not to know the difference between a swan and a goose. One bird though unlikely may be a mistake , but not 2. Its more likely these birds were shot by some **** who has no regard for the law or welfare of swans shot them for " fun ". Or it was someone who did not want swans on his pond.

 

 

Chap, I'm not looking for a scrap here and tend to agree with most of what you say...BUT......the bold bit above...next to NO, 5 or 6 shotgun pellets would go through a swan, many would have a job getting through the feathers...and NO I've never shot one, but I have MANY a Canada Goose, Pheasant and pigeon with 6, although generally with 5 and have to remove VAST quantities of shot from the birds!!

ATB!!

[Boromir]

There could be many reasons on this matter on how it died could of even be dead before it was shot.

 

RSPCA are geting what they want from you though and thats a reaction.

[Sinistercr0c]

So your saying the RSPCA just might have covertly nabbed two swans, done 'em the fowl deed (sic), filled 'em with lead and then dumped the bodies in a strategic location where joe public would find them (or maybe one of their own disguised as joe public), gambled on the fact that they would be informed and not the RSPB.....just to stitch up the shooting community or 'get a reaction'??

 

Get real mate.

Edited February 13, 2010 by Sinistercr0c

[Boromir]

So your saying the RSPCA just might have covertly nabbed two swans, done 'em the fowl deed (sic), filled 'em with lead and then dumped the bodies in a strategic location where joe public would find them (or maybe one of their own disguised as joe public), gambled on the fact that they would be informed and not the RSPB.....just to stitch up the shooting community or 'get a reaction'??

 

Get real mate.

 

And did I say anything about RSPCA sticthing up a shooter? no I didnt. read my post again please. I said "THERE COULD BE MANY DIFFERENT WAYS ON HOW IT BECAME TO BE SHOT AND HOW IT DIED AND THAT THE RSPCA IS GETTING WHAT THEY WANT" a reaction like yours.

 

if you missed that i meant in it could of been shot up close or at a distance, shot by a **** or by a poucher.

 

To me I think it was on land and shot close up

[Sinistercr0c]

It should provoke a reaction regardless of the RSPCA's involvement, and that reaction should be to condemn the act and whoever did it. The birds had been shot, which links their deaths (rightly or wrongly) in the minds of anyone reading the article on the BBC website to our (the shooting) community.

 

Whether up close or in flight is to be frank irrelevant. Any episode of this kind only serves to diminish the defense of our right to shoot game/vermin etc. and we need to do all we can (in terms of our reaction to them) to protect that right.

 

Here endeth the sermon

[vulpicide]

SUICIDE?

[anser2]

Deckers, i saw a muntjac buck that had been shot at 15 yards range with no 6 shot and many shot had passed right through the animal. It that can happen with a deer i am pretty sure it would with a swan. I shoot a lot of geese and even at ranges up to 45 yards some pellets ( No 4 hevi shot and BB steel ) pass through the birds.

Edited February 14, 2010 by anser2