shooting rights?

[Cookiemonsterandmerlin.]

I spent the next three months completely eradicating every single vermin threat on the land. Everytime one of them turned up for a shoot I or another was there.With a mixture of shooting, ferreting and the good old rodernator I completely took the availability down to nowt. I clanged every fox,rabbit,pigeon and crow with-in the boundaries to the point it was a no-man's land. The farmer was well pleased, told the shooters not to bother any more and then I told him to poke his land where the sun don't shine.

 

 

What did that action gain for you.

 

I have trouble with keepers in the pass even had one drive though my deeks over the whirly even though having full permission.

 

Guess who still shoots that land now it not the keeper .

 

I have had others turn up on fields when I have been shooting even a well know pigeon guide pinch two of birds for his clients whirly.

 

Once again that guide lost that land .

 

I could see your reason if you was to maintain your rights but you clearly when out of your way to ruin it for others and had no intention to carry on shooting in the end.

 

Still whatever floats your boat.

 

Kind regards OTH

[starlight32]

what type of shooting rights do you have mate are they game shooting rights or sporting rights?

 

 

Sporting rights, but in my opinion it means either. The basic scenario is I and others are paying to shoot, so therefore you should have exclusive rights of such.

 

Even if we tie this down to regimental basics, it is basically good ethics and polite to respect the paying party as far as I am concerned.

 

The vermin control should rest with the shooting tenant, and only override that if he is not keeping his side of the bargain and not fulfilling the role

Edited February 24, 2010 by starlight32

[al4x]

How many game arrangements put an onus on the tennant to do vermin control though.

 

In my case the farmer shoots with me on his own land, the syndicate do the game shooting and we control the rabbits, pigeons etc the game side is not what he values he is there to farm the land so if vermin is affecting that then he deals with it. Number one priority is growing crops, its interesting as certainly my mate has emphatically told the syndicate they rent the game shooting only and don't have control of the vermin shooting.

Fundamentally the £2 an acre he gets from the game shoot is far lower than the crop damage he would sustain if vermin were left, a syndicate doesn't have any need to control rabbits or pigeons as they don't compete with game birds and many prefer to keep the place quiet if they were left to their own devices. We would inform the part time keeper when we're out but its my mates land and the guy was difficult trying to stipulate when and where even during periods with no birds down so we don't worry any more. They'll be getting their marching orders fairly shortly anyway so guess it won't matter for long.

 

Guess the main issue is whether a game syndicate is prepared to spend the time and money doing the farmers vermin control or not

[David BASC]

Rabbits are ground game, and the occupier of land cannot divest himself of the right to take ground game. However, the same act limits who CAN take ground game with firearms to:

 

The Occupier himself and ONE other person authorised by him.

 

Also, the person authorised by the Occupier must be:

a member of his household resident on that land or

a person in his service on that land or

any one other person employed by him for reward in taking ground game

 

NB every person so authorised must produce written confirmation on demand of their authority to take ground game

 

If the land has more than one occupier then both typically have equal rights.

 

So the farmers and one other person authorised by them can take ground game on their farms.

 

Now, as far as the shoot is concerned, who are the occupiers and thus entitled to take ground game…I am double checking

[Colster]

Rabbits are ground game, and the occupier of land cannot divest himself of the right to take ground game. However, the same act limits who CAN take ground game with firearms to:

 

The Occupier himself and ONE other person authorised by him.

 

Also, the person authorised by the Occupier must be:

a member of his household resident on that land or

a person in his service on that land or

any one other person employed by him for reward in taking ground game

 

NB every person so authorised must produce written confirmation on demand of their authority to take ground game

 

If the land has more than one occupier then both typically have equal rights.

 

So the farmers and one other person authorised by them can take ground game on their farms.

 

Now, as far as the shoot is concerned, who are the occupiers and thus entitled to take ground game…I am double checking

 

 

David, as rabbits are also vermin wouldn't this change the enforcement of the act. If we only see rabbits as game then we wouldn't be able to lamp them.

[David BASC]

I doubt it, the Act was developed to protect the farmer, not shooters.

 

The issue is whether the shooting agreement / lease includes rabbits, if not then the shoot members cannot shoot the rabbits, if the lease does then off they go!

 

David

[CharlieT]

David, as rabbits are also vermin wouldn't this change the enforcement of the act. If we only see rabbits as game then we wouldn't be able to lamp them.

 

 

One must not confuse the shooting of rabbits by "occupiers" under the terms of The Ground Game Act 1880 with the giving of permission by the landowner to shoot rabbits. The Ground Game Act contains a clause to give occupiers the right to protect their crops by killing rabbits. This clause came about to protect tenant farmers where their landlords retained the shooting rights thus giving the tenants the legal right to protect their crops from rabbit damage. Under the terms of the act rabbits may not be shot at night.

 

However when shooting rabbits where permission has been given by the landowner they may be shot at night.

 

Under law rabbits are always ground game not vermin.

 

What a shooting tenant may or may not shoot should be detailed in the "Shooting Rights" agreement. However that said even if the agreement includes rabbits the farmer may still kill them under the terms of the "Ground Game Act"