Canadian Geese

[al4x]

bit of a shame to loose the 300 ducks you've put down on it when you stop feeding it though MC , Same goes for pigeons. There is no need to shoot them as you could keep them on the move standing in the middle of the field waving your arms. But they would come back when you weren't there.

[MC]

As I said earlier,

 

You hardly ever see a field of crops without some kind of scaring device in it. They are pretty useless for pigeons and that is why we shoot them. HOWEVER putting 300 ducks down isn't a flight pond. it is a man made enviroment typically found on game shoots and if they is food there then you will attract all kinds. A flight pond is exactly that, a pond that ducks and geese flight to to feed. They do not live there.

 

I had a pair of swans move in to my pond towards the end of january, I stopped feeding it and they moved on. I started fedding it again and shot a few ducks.

[al4x]

balls are they useless, get a gas gun working properly and they will never settle for long, add to that a few of the self inflating scarecrows and you could keep any birds off. Not something anyone likes to agmit but it can be done, ok what i am thinking of is a pond but still no other way of limiting numbers than trimming a few up. We do it in a sporting fashion much akin to wildfowling, hide in hedges on their approach with a few guys with autos

[Dave-G]

Don't take it to heart Sixhills - there's always someone sees something through different eyes and interests that conflict with our own and shout off about it. : Some just can't or won't come out with it very well. There is someone else not too far from you who also shoots Canada's I think - and he'll see this soon enough to have a natter with you.

 

If farmer wants them shot to thin them out a bit and get them to learn its a bad place to land then stuff anyone who wants you to something that suits them instead - its your permission you look after it mate.

 

How do you justify your killing MC?

[Cosd]

MC, I can see where you are coming from but I think you just need to agree to disagree on this one.

 

By the letter of the law, we should only be shooting woodies if they are causing damage to crops, but how many times do we read that if you can't get to where they are feeding or they are feeding on the farm up the road, to get under a flightline and entice them down? Is watching the fields until there are large numbers any different? I'd say using your argument on the Canada's that it isn't different at all........... Again I stress that I am not agreeing or disagreeing with you, I'm just pointing out that the argument can be pulled in whichever direction we want to pull it.

 

Cosd

[Ozzy Fudd]

most of this row is pointless, the op said

 

i have been asked by my land owner to cull the geese on the lakes with a shot gun on shot and there gone so i want to use a rifle

 

so the landowner has asked him to cull the geese, and so he posted here trying to find the most suitable way to do it with a rifle. if youre the type to question your landowner and ignore his wishes then fair play to you, but many of us arent so fortunate to have endless amounts of land to shoot over, nor do we have landowners who would be happy with us saying "no, thats not right, i wont do it". this is pest control, not sport, and as long as its legal and complies with the terms of the general licence then theres nothing wrong with it.

[MC]

Don't take it to heart Sixhills - there's always someone sees something through different eyes and interests that conflict with our own and shout off about it. : Some just can't or won't come out with it very well. There is someone else not too far from you who also shoots Canada's I think - and he'll see this soon enough to have a natter with you.

 

If farmer wants them shot to thin them out a bit and get them to learn its a bad place to land then stuff anyone who wants you to something that suits them instead - its your permission you look after it mate.

 

How do you justify your killing MC?

 

 

I don't feel the need to justify my "KILLING" I shoot for sport and to eat. Not for the sake of it. I like everyone else goes shooting because they enjoy it. Using the guise of pest control is just plain BS and you know it.

 

I shoot to eat as I eat meat and am fully aware that to be able to eat meat has to start with an animals death,

 

Everyone says they go pigeon shooting to help the good old farmer out because he is a good old boy. What absolute **** in the first degree. You go shooting because you A) want to, and because you enjoy it.

 

All my shooting is done as a sport and is as sporting as I can make it by shooting wild birds on the foreshore or on a flight pond or by decoying pigeons or roost shooting.

 

Surely if the farmers wants them thinned out a bit then fine go and do it and for them to learn it is a bad place then you have to make them aware of it. Shooting them with a silenced rifle isn't going to do that is it? Go and put a few up with a shotgun. Do this often and they will move on and in doing so will solve your farmers problem. Shooting loads in one sitting with a silenced rifle will not.

[covlocks]

MC - a lot of what you say does make sense - we all shoot for the sport, not just so we can help out the farmer and do our good deed for the day.

 

My permission is alongside canals and has a good many canada geese. The geese churn up the freshly drilled fields and cause a lot of damage - so the line between vermin and wildfowling is fine.

 

My Betty and I have a look through the hedge, and a couple of them accompany me home in my bag. The rest fly off.

 

Next day they are back, a couple of fields away, where the cows are. In my mind vermin, but I control their numbers, I dont want to surround them and wipe them out in one go. Two at a time - one for me and an oven ready for the farmer every other week keeps the status quo.

[MC]

Covlocks,

 

Absolutely spot on,

 

You shoot a couple, they move on. I certainly don't have any issue with that. What I do have an issue with is the bloodbath slaughter just because you can.

 

I go pigeon shooting both roost and over decoys, both with a shotgun and if the birds come they get shot at and if they don't they don't.

 

I do not creep up on them with a silenced rifle and shoot as many as possible.

[Ozzy Fudd]

have to disagree. i dont shoot for sport, i hate that term when it comes to shooting. i shoot for the pot, and i shoot for pest control. if im shooting for the pot i take one or two and leave the rest. if its pest control i keep shooting til theres nothing left that needs to be shot.

 

why do i shoot? because i sit in an office all week and love getting outside in my spare time. i also love guns, i freely admit it. i've been shooting since i was 8, but only shot my first animal when i was about 20. in the first year of owning a .22lr i put about 4000 rounds through it, of which about 8 of those accounted for rabbits, the rest was into targets. only two of my permissions are of the type where ive gone and asked to be allowed to shoot, the rest has come through family/friends asking me to sort a problem out - crows, rabbits, etc. thats why i shoot. now, do i get a bit of a buzz when a shot i take hits a rabbit/crow/pigeon? yes, i do, for the fact that ive taken a shot and its hit the intended target, just the same as with clays or targets for the rifle, its that ive done the job right. but the difference is i dont shoot live targets to get that feeling, because its immediately cancelled out by a feeling of regret.

 

the day i start shooting for a bit of sport will be the day i hand in my guns. thats my personal opinion, i'm sure im in a minority when it comes to this, and im happy to be. just please dont lumpeveryone together

[here iam]

I shoot because i like hunting the quarry mans instinct hunter gather is what drives me on ,the question is it sport ?well fishing is classed as a sport coarse fishing you put them back so is that the sport? shooting you take your shot if it hits is that the sport? or if you kill something is that sport ? interesting. some just shoot clays and do not want to kill anything i want to shoot and kill things to eat or give them away to some one else to eat.suppose thats blood sport any way good look with the geese if the farmer wants them sorting in my experiance you best sort them

[MC]

have to disagree. i dont shoot for sport, i hate that term when it comes to shooting. i shoot for the pot, and i shoot for pest control. if im shooting for the pot i take one or two and leave the rest. if its pest control i keep shooting til theres nothing left that needs to be shot.

 

why do i shoot? because i sit in an office all week and love getting outside in my spare time. i also love guns, i freely admit it. i've been shooting since i was 8, but only shot my first animal when i was about 20. in the first year of owning a .22lr i put about 4000 rounds through it, of which about 8 of those accounted for rabbits, the rest was into targets. only two of my permissions are of the type where ive gone and asked to be allowed to shoot, the rest has come through family/friends asking me to sort a problem out - crows, rabbits, etc. thats why i shoot. now, do i get a bit of a buzz when a shot i take hits a rabbit/crow/pigeon? yes, i do, for the fact that ive taken a shot and its hit the intended target, just the same as with clays or targets for the rifle, its that ive done the job right. but the difference is i dont shoot live targets to get that feeling, because its immediately cancelled out by a feeling of regret.

 

the day i start shooting for a bit of sport will be the day i hand in my guns. thats my personal opinion, i'm sure im in a minority when it comes to this, and im happy to be. just please dont lumpeveryone together

 

 

So you don't enjoy shooting then, you do it purely because the pigeons etc are pests and the farmer has asked you to shoot them?

 

You are not in a minority at all, you just can't bring yourself to tell the truth. Noone these days HAS to shoot for the pot, you can go to any shop in the land and buy food. You shoot for sport, everybody does. Those who say they don't are just deluding themselves.

[al4x]

Covlocks,

 

Absolutely spot on,

 

You shoot a couple, they move on. I certainly don't have any issue with that. What I do have an issue with is the bloodbath slaughter just because you can.

 

I go pigeon shooting both roost and over decoys, both with a shotgun and if the birds come they get shot at and if they don't they don't.

 

I do not creep up on them with a silenced rifle and shoot as many as possible.

 

 

what do you do when rabbit shooting? or do you have your moderator on and creep up on them?

 

I can see the point where if you only shoot for fun then you aren't worried about reducing numbers but if you're asked to do something about a farmers problem then they do usually like to see results

[Dunkield]

Seems to me from the responses there are parallels here between shooting deer and wildfowl.

Either way scaring them off isn't going to do anything to reduce numbers, just move the problem somewhere else.

[Ozzy Fudd]

So you don't enjoy shooting then, you do it purely because the pigeons etc are pests and the farmer has asked you to shoot them?

 

You are not in a minority at all, you just can't bring yourself to tell the truth. Noone these days HAS to shoot for the pot, you can go to any shop in the land and buy food. You shoot for sport, everybody does. Those who say they don't are just deluding themselves.

 

nope. im not deluding myself. i dont shoot for sport, and the day i start i will hand my guns in. where i used to live there was a large shooting estate 1/2 mile from our land, which was full of pheasants and ducks. in the 4 years i lived there i shot only 1 pheasant and 3 ducks. why? because they were for the pot. northern ireland may be different from england, but not many places sell shot game here, the local game dealer refuses to even sell rabbits. so what choice do i have? either shoot them myself or dont eat them. oh and you sound like one of those anti's "hunteres youre evil for killing animals, just buy your meat from a supermarket" - wise the head up!!

 

yes, if the farmer didnt need pigeons, crows, etc, shot i would only be out shooting live targets 2 or 3 times a year, only for the pot. the rest would be made up of clays and targets. dont judge me by your own standards mate

[MC]

You are missing the point completely.

 

If you shoot and enjoy doing so then you are shooting for sport. By Sport I mean relaxation, recreation, enjoyment. Not sport as in winning the olympics. So you only shot a few birds. Fair play to you for showing restraint. Everything I shoot gets eaten except rats or foxes etc. However I enjoy shooting and do it for sport/recreation/enjoyment.

 

If you didn't enjoy shooting then you wouldn't go out in all weather to shoot a few pigeons would you?

 

I wondered how long it would take for someone to call me an anti as I don't agree with you.

 

So the moment you start enjoying shooting you are going to hand your guns in are you? Get real man and wise up. I go pigeon shooting for two reasons 1) is I like pigeons to eat there isn't a finer piece of meat in my opinion and 2) I enjoy doing it. If that means that the by product of me going shooting is that the farmers crops get protected for a day then so be it.

 

Al4x,

 

Lamping is a completely different kettle of fish and the whole reason behind it is to be able to get nearer to your quarry.

 

StuartP,

 

Deer stalking and shooting geese with a rifle are completely different things, Why do you go Deer Stalking? is it because you enjoy it or because they are a pest?

[Dunkield]

Deer stalking and shooting geese with a rifle are completely different things, Why do you go Deer Stalking? is it because you enjoy it or because they are a pest?

I go stalking because I enjoy it, I don't do it for food, as mostly the deer are not taken home.

In some areas deer are regarded as pests where populations have exploded and have not been controlled effectively.

The parallel I was referring to is, deer stalkers are very protective of their quarry and defend the use of the correct tools/methods/seasons etc - others see them (say Muntjac) as vermin that need to be culled by any means.

It seems from these threads that wildfowlers feel the same and are just as keen to defend their quarry.

[Ozzy Fudd]

You are missing the point completely.

 

If you shoot and enjoy doing so then you are shooting for sport. By Sport I mean relaxation, recreation, enjoyment. Not sport as in winning the olympics. So you only shot a few birds. Fair play to you for showing restraint. Everything I shoot gets eaten except rats or foxes etc. However I enjoy shooting and do it for sport/recreation/enjoyment.

 

If you didn't enjoy shooting then you wouldn't go out in all weather to shoot a few pigeons would you?

 

I wondered how long it would take for someone to call me an anti as I don't agree with you.

 

So the moment you start enjoying shooting you are going to hand your guns in are you? Get real man and wise up. I go pigeon shooting for two reasons 1) is I like pigeons to eat there isn't a finer piece of meat in my opinion and 2) I enjoy doing it. If that means that the by product of me going shooting is that the farmers crops get protected for a day then so be it.

 

but thats the thing mc, the whole problem with this is the definition of sport. to you sport means relaxation, recreation, enjoyment. fair enough. but to me (and to some shooters ive met), sport means competition, a game, a bit of fun, which when considering that at the end of all this were killing animals, its not something i want any part of. you see what i mean?

 

and what do you expect me to call you when you start spouting stuff like an anti? :wacko:

[MC]

I see exactly what you mean,

 

If I want to be competitive then I will go and shoot targets or clays, yes it is still sport and is "A" sport which is where the difference lays.

 

Is shooting "SPORTING" or is shooting a "SPORT"?

 

And StuartP has really hit the nail squarely on the head. Deer stalkers would be horified if I said that there were a load of muntjac on my land and I am going to shoot them all with a shotgun.

 

I don't get the anti bit though Babby, it is absolutely true. Noone HAS to shoot to eat. We do it because we enjoy it. Show me an anti that would ever say that.

[sixhills 69]

Covlocks,

 

Absolutely spot on,

 

You shoot a couple, they move on. I certainly don't have any issue with that. What I do have an issue with is the bloodbath slaughter just because you can.

 

I go pigeon shooting both roost and over decoys, both with a shotgun and if the birds come they get shot at and if they don't they don't.

 

I do not creep up on them with a silenced rifle and shoot as many as possible.

 

At no point have i said that i want to wipe them out or a blood bath if you read my first post i stated that every bird will go to a table i may get one or two shots with a rifle one falls down the others fly of to return next day i have to work to earn a living and can not spend every hour protecting chickens and destroying my landowners buisness by stressing his birds out with a shotgun

[al4x]

Don't you get competitive at all when shooting MC? I know if I'm on peg next to a mate or my brother there will usually be a bit of competition over taking the first shot etc.

 

We're confusing the issue here is pest control and the most effective way of doing it, not shooting for fun. I know when we've got £1000's of poults down we could go hunting the foxes for sport on horseback but it wouldn't be very effective at sorting the fox problem out. Using a centrefire isn't that sporting but it is effective.

[MC]

Oh believe me when target or clay shooting I am fiercely competitive. When game or pigeon shooting no I am not.

 

The point is you shoot for fun. End of story. To say you do it under the guise of pest control is ******** and you all know it.

 

Sixhills,

 

Your original post says that one shot and they are all gone. So if you only want to shoot one or two then that makes no difference.Use a shotgun and shoot them under then terms of the general licence.

[sixhills 69]

to those that it concerns

 

I enjoy my shooting and eat what i shoot the piont that people are missing is that the ponds or lakes are surounded by fields full of chickens which lay eggs which is the farmers buisness the geese steal the food and attack the chickens and then they get streesed and stop laying eggs.

 

People see what they want to see and say things before checking things out and then twist things to suit them selves! So now i am a person that goes in all guns blazing causing a total blood bath Geese running for cover missed with the automatic 7.62 Gpmg ha ha get em with a claymore Boom!! (i think you need to stop watching those movies stick to PG it will slow down the imagination).

[Ozzy Fudd]

I see exactly what you mean,

 

If I want to be competitive then I will go and shoot targets or clays, yes it is still sport and is "A" sport which is where the difference lays.

 

Is shooting "SPORTING" or is shooting a "SPORT"?

 

And StuartP has really hit the nail squarely on the head. Deer stalkers would be horified if I said that there were a load of muntjac on my land and I am going to shoot them all with a shotgun.

 

I don't get the anti bit though Babby, it is absolutely true. Noone HAS to shoot to eat. We do it because we enjoy it. Show me an anti that would ever say that.

 

mc, i think this is the first time weve ever agreed on a topic :wacko:

 

the word sport has two many possible uses as for being an anti, im referring to that newspaper article that does the round every so often (someone here has it in their signature) saying that hunters are evil for killing animals, just buy your meat from the supermarket i agree no-one HAS to shoot to eat, but around here if you want to eat game/pigeon etc then its either go hungry or grab a shotgun

[dazza]

I'd say I shoot for the fun and enjoyment I get from it. When I go out and shoot pigeons I can't call it pest control if I tell the truth. Where I shoot in N Ireland there's not enough pigeons to do any serious crop damage. If I didn't enjoy it I wouldn't do it.