PW Game shooting Poll

[Vermincinerator]

I have no problem with anyone who wants to shoot game birds for sport but its not something i want to do myself.

I have no problems with any style of shooting at any kind of legal quarry but what i do have a problem with is other shooters telling me what i do is wrong, unethical or unsporting.

I shoot for pleasure and my passion when the oppertunity arises is long range varminting but most of the time its short range pest control and lamping.

 

Ian.

[Cookiemonsterandmerlin.]

I have no problem with anyone who wants to shoot game birds for sport but its not something i want to do myself.

I have no problems with any style of shooting at any kind of legal quarry but what i do have a problem with is other shooters telling me what i do is wrong, unethical or unsporting.I shoot for pleasure and my passion when the oppertunity arises is long range varminting but most of the time its short range pest control and lamping.

 

Ian.

 

 

Well spoken that man this forum does have some right donuts

 

Cheers OTH

[Dekers]

I tend to find, what we refer to as Game shoots, very artificial and boring personally, a clay can be just as challenging if not more so.

 

I have no issue with anyone who wants to go on a Pheasant Shoot but on the whole they are not for me, I have done a few over the years and I am involved with two at the moment.

 

One belongs to a very good friend of mine and the other is about the most prestigious shoot you will find anywhere in the country. I go for the company, contacts and hopefully future benefits, the shoot itself is of little interest to me!

 

I have no complaints about pheasant shoots or anyone who wants to get involved in them, but I would personally choose a lot of other shooting ahead of them all being equal!

Edited December 14, 2010 by Dekers

[wildfowler.250]

I do not oppose to any type of shooting. I shoot game, wildfowl, vermin and the odd deer. The old man does one or two driven shoots a year and I nearly always go and load,(so there must be something I like..people, sporting birds and a nice day out I guess). However, my only thing is that I find it a bit strange to stand there on a 100/200 bird day and KNOW birds are going to fly over you,(whether you shoot them or leave them). I far rather syndicate shoots where you may see a few birds over you in a drive or none,(I guess it's the unpredictability of when birds do come your way that I like).

 

Pro shooting/fishing and if I had to give up shooting in the UK I would move...I like it that much

[njc110381]

I don't really like the idea of thousand bird corporate days but hey, if I had to say yes or no I would back it simply because I don't like the idea of someones sport being taken away. Why anyone would want to shoot that many birds I'll never know but for as long as they are of some use to someone then I'll back it.

[scolopax]

Some of you guys have a strange idea of what the typical game shoot is like, its all degrees of scale. For every big commercial shoot (and mosy of them are excellent otherwise they would be out of business) there are several more farm shoots and syndicate shoots. On the type of game shoots I go on then on average on half the stands I will not raise a gun, on some drives nobody at all fires a shot, we will shoot 20 to 30 birds over the day and have a hell of alot of fun in the process.

[al4x]

my thoughts exactly scolopax and it is becoming obvious that there are a number on here who know nothing about game shooting and tend to be the ones who shoot game birds on the floor as though they are vermin as they don't understand any difference.

Dekers has an interesting point that game birds are boring and no more challenging than clays, obviously he'll have a good answer why when you take very good clay shots game shooting most won't do a 2 to 1 kill ratio even on a normal day without extreme birds and often a good team will only shoot 3 to 1. Then you can go down to devon with a really good team and only shoot 6 to 1 or far more and of course that is on pheasants and partridges that fly like chickens.

Game shooting is about the day as much as the sport and like a few on here I enjoy beating just as much as its about seeing the birds driving them right working your dog and watching shooting. Takes a lot to beat watching a good shot take down a high bird, on the note of young birds and poor flying ones you'll find that mostly goes on on small syndicates rather than the big shoots and actually I've seen worse things on small shoots than large commercial ones as you have far better standards on large shoots with regard to the picking up team and game handling. As for the snobbish factor you've never been near a normal shoot if you believe that, beating I wear whatever I like, shooting moleskins and shirt, so smartish but not excessive and it would be a shame if we lost all tradition associated with the days as then it really would be like treating the birds like vermin

[Aled]

I have voted for game shooting. But given the choice of a days rough shooting or game shooting, i would prefer rough. However given the choice of a days game shooting or no shooting i think you all know which one i'd prefer! I also like the fact that its as much about the day as the shooting.

Not a criticism of game shooting, but as somebody else mentioned each to their own. Tight Lines

Aled

Edited December 15, 2010 by Aled

[Dunkield]

I can almost hear the huge sigh of relief from the thousands of game shooters in the country getting these rubber stamps

I have no problem with anyone who wants to shoot game birds for sport

 

I have no issue with anyone who wants to go on a Pheasant Shoot

 

I agree with Scolopax says about weird views of game shooting on here, and also with what Al4x says about clay shooting.

Many a decent clay shot has found the challenge of well presented game birds far more difficult than they expected.

 

I have been beating on a commercial shoot for five seasons now and in all that time only 2 guns have given me the impression they rarely miss.

[wymberley]

I have voted for game shooting. But given the choice of a days rough shooting or game shooting, i would prefer rough. However given the choice of a days game shooting or no shooting i think you all know which one i'd prefer! I also like the fact that its as much about the day as the shooting.

Not a criticism of game shooting, but as somebody else mentioned each to their own. Tight Lines

Aled

Hi,

I voted "agree" and would have done however the poll was worded but I thought the question was flawed: Aled's post in particular reflects this. Call it what you will, but walked up, rough and driven can all be classed as a type of game shooting; I shoot the first two. It's just the target species that defines what you are doing.

"A rose by any other name would.....".

Cheers

[al4x]

I watched a guy like that at the weekend Stuart and it was impressive, more impressive that he was nearly 80 but he has grown up shooting in a privileged way and has shot a serious amount all his life, as you do when you have 4000 acres in the family. Had out his rather nice Boss side by side marked number 3 of a matching set of 6. Begs the question of what do you call a matching set of 6 guns? other than ******* expensive.

 

Wmberley I'd class walked up and rough game shooting as exactly that game shooting. You still shoot the same species and look for the sporting birds, may not be driven but there isn't much difference

Edited December 15, 2010 by al4x

[paddywack12]

I do think it is the large commercial shoots which bring shooting under the spotlight. I stopped going beating on a local commercial shoot(200-250 bird days twice a week) as it just did not feel right walking thro cover or woods with pheasents around your feet like chickens, trying to get them in the air where they then flew like chickens and were blasted at by some chinless wonder who was paying £30 a bird for the priviledge and who knows as much about the country as I do about flying to the moon.

 

I still go beating on a smaller shoot(80-100 bird day)as I do enjoy being outside working dogs etc.

 

I am also in a syndicate (wild birds only) but I get more pleasure from going round feeding,vermin control,copicing etc than I do on the actual shooot days.

 

Hope all this does not sound to hypocrictical !!

 

I would rather decoy pigeons and use some fieldcraft than have some one drive birds to me.

[wymberley]

I watched a guy like that at the weekend Stuart and it was impressive, more impressive that he was nearly 80 but he has grown up shooting in a privileged way and has shot a serious amount all his life, as you do when you have 4000 acres in the family. Had out his rather nice Boss side by side marked number 3 of a matching set of 6. Begs the question of what do you call a matching set of 6 guns? other than ******* expensive.

 

Wmberley I'd class walked up and rough game shooting as exactly that game shooting. You still shoot the same species and look for the sporting birds, may not be driven but there isn't much difference

al4x, yep.

Now that that is cleared up (except that I didn't mention "game" in walked up or rough), I wonder how many "don't agrees" will change their vote as they now understand better where you're coming from.

Cheers,

Phil

[donron]

My view is commercial shoots are there for someone to make money out of it, and for poor shots to actually hit something for once.

 

The majority that pay to tend this type of shoot are usually **** shots that couldnt hit a bull in an alleyway at ten paces.

 

Theres a few on here like that?

[Davie_M]

I have no problem with anyone who wants to shoot game birds for sport but me i cant afford it and my old baikel o\u wouldnt go down to well

[Dunkield]

The majority that pay to tend this type of shoot are usually **** shots that couldnt hit a bull in an alleyway at ten paces.

 

Theres a few on here like that?

You shouldn't be so hard on yourself

[al4x]

I have no problem with anyone who wants to shoot game birds for sport but me i cant afford it and my old baikel o\u wouldnt go down to well

 

 

you reckon? lots of places you'd fit in and cost doesn't have to be an issue.

 

I get 3 days and really good stand one walk up another in return for beating during the season so get paid to do so. No gun you took along would be an issue. As for commercial shoots only having **** shots and birds like chickens have you ever looked on guns on pegs etc no one pays decent money for poor flying birds, and if you have really good birds they attract a serious premium and certainly we do get all abilities shooting with us are you suggesting you shouldn't go shooting if you aren't a crack shot? people do it as they enjoy it and ok a keeper trying to make a bag up won't be happy but you do have to start somewhere

[Davie_M]

al4x I live in scotland theres nothing here cheap

[al4x]

there certainly will be, you'll have lots of estates needing beaters and all I've ever heard of end the year with a beaters day where you get a day shooting cockbirds usually a mix of driven and walking. One of my estates here its about 10K for a gun for the year and we get a lovely day at the end of it, all the beaters out with guns usually have 300 birds or so between us with assorted vermin on top and a good meal afterwards. Goes on all over the country as I'm fairly sure the scottish contingent will confirm

[mudpatten]

I love game shooting but don`t get to do anything like enough of it.

 

I have not voted in the poll itself since I feel the questions are a little too black and white.

 

Whilst wildfowling was once, and still is in many respects, the anti`s whipping boy, this is a position that is fast being overtaken by gameshooting which regularly scores some spectacular political own goals.

 

The "high bird controversy" whereby birds are put over guns so high that they are completely out of range which brings with it the associated crippling.

 

The "large bag" controversy. Huge bags of indifferently presented birds shot in a single day from coverts so heavily stocked that they damage the environment.

 

The "lead shot in ducks" controversy. I don`t need to elaborate on that one.

 

The "rearing cage" controversy whereby a small but vociferous section of the game rearing industry wanted to turn pheasant rearing into something resembling battery chicken production.

 

Etc. etc.

 

Gameshooting is great, but by goodness there are some complete planks who partake of it!

[Doc Savage]

I think that you can guess my vote:

 

IMHO AFWIW

 

Driven Gameshooting - All about the day, the experience, the company and the sport. The bag is a nice thing to talk about at the end of the day as is the challenging birds that you have taken, memorable ones stay with you for a long time. None the less its about the day NOT the numbers.

 

Once the reserve of the rich, driven game is now available to a large spectum of all those who enjoy and love shooting and hunting. Nothing compares to it.

 

For people who are yet to take part: To Enjoy game shooting, you do not necessarily need to stand in the line gun in hand, many people appreciate game shooting from other perspectives on shoot days and afterwards, loaders, dog owners that pick up and retrieve, beaters, feeding, vermin control working parties etc...

 

Its as much understanding the basic ethos of participation and embracing this to enjoy your day, and understanding that you must do it, both safely and with respectfor; the keepers hard work throughout the season; for those participants mentioned above and especially for your quarry.

This is done by practice on simulated game and the morality passed to you by your fellow shooting friends, a thank you and a tip at the end of the day

 

If you are fortunate enough to be invited to join in in any capacity, you are lucky. I consider myself a priveledged person to be able to take part in these fantastic days.

 

On a negative note: It is a shame however, when you come across certain people within our circles :blink: , through a protracted view or ignorance just 'don't get it..' ah well....

Edited December 15, 2010 by Doc Savage

[al4x]

 

On a negative note: It is a shame however, when you come across certain people within our circles :blink: , through a protracted view or ignorance just 'don't get it..' ah well....

 

 

Its interesting and I can't work out if its ignorance or as you say they just don't get it. There is definitely an aspect like those against hunting that have a class issue over it which is very blinkered as like hunting I know all sorts who do it from Aristocracy down to the real dregs of the earth and none that I know like shooting low unsporting birds that you keep being told are all you see on driven days

[BADFEET]

my thoughts exactly scolopax and it is becoming obvious that there are a number on here who know nothing about game shooting and tend to be the ones who shoot game birds on the floor as though they are vermin as they don't understand any difference.

Dekers has an interesting point that game birds are boring and no more challenging than clays, obviously he'll have a good answer why when you take very good clay shots game shooting most won't do a 2 to 1 kill ratio even on a normal day without extreme birds and often a good team will only shoot 3 to 1. Then you can go down to devon with a really good team and only shoot 6 to 1 or far more and of course that is on pheasants and partridges that fly like chickens.

Game shooting is about the day as much as the sport and like a few on here I enjoy beating just as much as its about seeing the birds driving them right working your dog and watching shooting. Takes a lot to beat watching a good shot take down a high bird, on the note of young birds and poor flying ones you'll find that mostly goes on on small syndicates rather than the big shoots and actually I've seen worse things on small shoots than large commercial ones as you have far better standards on large shoots with regard to the picking up team and game handling. As for the snobbish factor you've never been near a normal shoot if you believe that, beating I wear whatever I like, shooting moleskins and shirt, so smartish but not excessive and it would be a shame if we lost all tradition associated with the days as then it really would be like treating the birds like vermin

 

Well said that man, I will wear tweeds on some shoots even when I am beating out of respect for the keeper, the clients and the day (on the more formal shoots)

Most professional keepers are top lads and have a much broader knowledge of field sports than your average "go for a blast at something" weekender.

The very best keepered estates will be a feast for the eyes when it comes to spotting game and wildlife and I am lucky to enjoy some vast permission on a few such places.

[lurcherboy]

I voted for but I am becoming increasingly concerned with the amount of bad shots allowed to wound birds for a weeks wages. If I didn't have two dogs that I enjoy working I would give it a miss.

 

 

LB

[anser2]

I have to say this is a bit of a daft question. Its like asking a group of nuns if they beleve in God.

 

Given the chance to shoot a pheasant or two walked up , hunted out with a dog or driven I would be surprsed if anyone on here would turn it down. While I have a day or two driven game shooting each season I have never been a great fan of orgaised driven game , but good luck to those who do it , but to take you dog out and hunt up hedgerows and woods while rough shooting is one of the finest sports.

 

Perhaps the question should have been do you aprove of organised driven game shooting.

Edited December 15, 2010 by anser2