PW Game shooting Poll

[geordieh]

Hi All

Hiding behind a net then tricking the birds to come and have a meal with their mates, waiting till the wings and feet are set for landing eyes watching the ground beneath them then blasting them out of the sky 10-15 feet above the decoys. And all this no more than 25 yards away. Not very sporting to me.

Geordie

[vampire]

Hi All

Hiding behind a net then tricking the birds to come and have a meal with their mates, waiting till the wings and feet are set for landing eyes watching the ground beneath them then blasting them out of the sky 10-15 feet above the decoys. And all this no more than 25 yards away. Not very sporting to me.

Geordie

This is 'pigeon watch' isnt it

[Scully]

Personally I don't care what other people think about driven shooting.We have a couple of rough shoots which I love,but am also a member of a small driven syndicate(our largest bag for the day is 64)but I also beat on a big shoot where the smallest bag so far has been 310(the beaters day is superb!).Some people regard driven shooting as 'canned hunting',which I suppose it is,but that doesn't detract from the enjoyment I get from it.Shooting is my way of life....stalking,lamping for rabbits and foxes,ferreting,decoying,fowling..it's what I do.

I don't particularly like foxhunting,if it's truly about 'pest control' why is the fox given a 'sporting chance'?But saying that,I would defend any foxhunters right to pursue that particular sport if that's what interests them.Whatevers legal and floats your boat is fine as far as I'm concerned.

[Albertan_J]

A lot of my game shooting is done with a few mates a few dogs and a few good permissions where there are a lot of wild birds the spaniels hunt out and I'll tell you we work damn hard to bag them and there is nothing tame about them. I was lucky enough to shoot walked up grouse on the 12th and I can tell you it was the best experience I have had in this sport.

 

I've also enjoyed getting my breeks out putting a tie on and letting someone else do the hard work for the day and concentrating on my shooting and enjoying a day out with the group of friend I shoot with. As far the weak argument of unsporting birds or 'fish in the barrel' it's down to the man stood with the gun to choose to take a sporting bird or choose not to. If people want to be true to themselves with the sporting argument they might want to look a little closer to home if the claim that their 'pest control' has no element of sport or enjoyment.

 

just my opinion

[Devon Fox]

A lot of my game shooting is done with a few mates a few dogs and a few good permissions where there are a lot of wild birds the spaniels hunt out and I'll tell you we work damn hard to bag them and there is nothing tame about them. I was lucky enough to shoot walked up grouse on the 12th and I can tell you it was the best experience I have had in this sport.

 

I've also enjoyed getting my breeks out putting a tie on and letting someone else do the hard work for the day and concentrating on my shooting and enjoying a day out with the group of friend I shoot with. As far the weak argument of unsporting birds or 'fish in the barrel' it's down to the man stood with the gun to choose to take a sporting bird or choose not to. If people want to be true to themselves with the sporting argument they might want to look a little closer to home if the claim that their 'pest control' has no element of sport or enjoyment.

 

just my opinion

 

 

Fully agree!

 

I cant get my head around some of the holes on this thread, judging by some of the opinions shooting is done for.

[Dekers]

Good debatable thread, up to 4 pages already, and I expect this will add another page or two......

 

So, if it's challenging, the company is good, and many can feel pleased with themselves for contributing to the day, gamekeepers, beaters, pest controllers, loaders etc etc etc it is perfectly acceptable and EVERYONE is happy, even if the bag is small.

 

But if it is easy and the bag is big, it is not sporting or fun or rewarding and the antis have a case.

 

*** ***** ****, do you think the birds give a **** about our perceived satisfactory and justifiable sport?

 

Don't try and justify anything, admit it can be enjoyable and you do it for fun, and stop trying to put a "SPORT" label on anything live we aim a gun at. Just what the **** is sporting in the case of a Game shoot, the odds are stacked so high in favour of the gun that if it was a sport there would be VERY load shouts of FIX!

 

As I have said many a time they tend to bore me on the whole, but I am certainly not anti as I have also made clear. If that's what floats your boat, enjoy!

Edited December 19, 2010 by Dekers

[johnny]

deker when your game shooting do you shoot the low birds to have more of a chance of a clean kill or take a more sporting high bird a risk pricking it or do you shoot at everything?

[Colster]

I'm with Dekers on this. Shooting is my hobby and mainly done for the pot and it keeps the freezer well stocked with rabbit, pigeon and venison, I don't consider it a sport as such.

 

As for game shooting, driven shoots don't do it for me and I get more enjoyment from them by beating and working my dog. I do however, enjoy a day's rough shooting with mates where the bag is likely to be a mix of "game" birds, pigeons and squirrels.

 

I have nothing against driven shooting if that's your thing but people on here can be a bit precious about it.

[poontang]

Hi All

Hiding behind a net then tricking the birds to come and have a meal with their mates, waiting till the wings and feet are set for landing eyes watching the ground beneath them then blasting them out of the sky 10-15 feet above the decoys. And all this no more than 25 yards away. Not very sporting to me.

Geordie

 

You're missing the point there.

 

The justification for shooting pigeon is the damage they do to crops. If they can be decoyed and present a closer, and theoretically, easier shot so much the better. There's plenty of evidence to show that pigeons are a huge agricultural pest and need controlling.

 

How do you justify shooting reared game birds for sport?

[Scully]

Personally I don't feel I have to justify it....I shoot for the enjoyment I get from it.If I didn't enjoy any type of shooting I wouldn't do it.It's as simple as that.Game birds are reared for one reason only,and that is for 'sport' shooting.I must admit I don't really agree with the term 'sporting' either,any form of shooting is not 'sporting'in the real sense of the term....for shooting to be sporting then shouldn't the quarry be shooting back?When people ask me what I do outside work I never say 'fieldsports',I simply say shooting and fishing.I'm not afraid of the term 'killing' either.I shoot birds for enjoyment,if someone has a problem with that,then I don't think I'll lose any sleep over it.

I know a lot of game shots who think pistol shooting is detrimental to their 'sport',and I know a lot of dedicated clay shots who regard game shooting as a threat to their sport.We are a divided lot,us shooters,and as such it's only a matter of time before we lose whatever shooting 'sport' we enjoy.In the meantimeI intend to enjoy myself as much as possible.Happy shooting lads....and a Merry Christmas.

If you don't enjoy shooting birds,then you wont be bothered if someone else takes over your permission then,will you?

[Devon Fox]

You're missing the point there.

 

The justification for shooting pigeon is the damage they do to crops. If they can be decoyed and present a closer, and theoretically, easier shot so much the better. There's plenty of evidence to show that pigeons are a huge agricultural pest and need controlling.

 

How do you justify shooting reared game birds for sport?

 

So its YOUR crops getting hammered on Your ground then?

 

If not why are You doing it? - are you a pest controller employed to carry out this work?

 

If the answer is No to the above you are shooting for sport and enjoyment, what is your justification?

 

I am shocked by the ill feeling from some members.

[Scully]

Good point well made Hot-Shot.I woke up yesterday morning and the first thing I thought was 'Oh no....I've got to go out shooting today!'

[poontang]

Personally I don't feel I have to justify it....I shoot for the enjoyment I get from it.If I didn't enjoy any type of shooting I wouldn't do it.It's as simple as that.Game birds are reared for one reason only,and that is for 'sport' shooting..

 

If you don't enjoy shooting birds,then you wont be bothered if someone else takes over your permission then,will you?

 

Ok, just to clarify a couple of things. I do enjoy shooting birds, I have no problem with it at all, BUT I do believe that if shooting were to come under threat, you would have to justify why you do it.

 

I can justify shooting pigeons from a control perspective. I could justify taking the odd duck or goose for the table. Can anyone justify shooting reared birds just for 'sport'? I'm not sure, that's why I asked.

 

Look at any anti website and you'll see what I mean. Indeed look at the RSPB site and their reports on the killing of raptors by gamekeepers. I have no doubt that all of these groups would ban any form of shooting if they could, but I have no doubt they realise that game shooting is an easy target, and that's the way they're going. Why is it an easy target? Because if you sit back and think about it the only reason it's done is for 'sport'.

Personally, I can't see the general public being swayed by that argument, and if there is a sustained campaign to end game shooting as we know it then I think the whole game shooting industry needs to start changing pretty damn quick.

 

I get fed up hearing about the 'tradition' that goes hand in hand with the big, formal shoot days. In my opinion it's exactly these traditions that could see the end of them altogether. There is no doubt that game shooters are considered to be akin to the 'landed gentry' and we all know how the public like to give them a bloody nose every now and again. It may be a class thing, and it may be wrong, but in the end it was 'tradition' that put a stop to hunting with hounds.

 

Food for thought maybe?

Edited December 19, 2010 by poontang

[Devon Fox]

Going on that theory

 

We should ban target shooting - no need for all these strange people owning guns just to shoot paper, whats the point in that?

 

Clay pigeon shooting - whats that all about?, lots of guns in circulation for no purpose what so ever?

 

 

 

All shooting could be put at risk if it all boils down to the sport v control issue - imagine a position where only farmers/landowners were able to own and use guns purely for the protection of there own ground/farms/estates?

 

Whether you take part in game shooting or not, We all need to defend shooting together

Edited December 19, 2010 by Hot-Shot

[al4x]

poontang its rapidly showing that you don't know your backside from your elbow as far as game shooting is concerned as you persist in posting tripe that shows you have no idea whatsoever about it other than what you imagine to go on. Between you and Dekers showing total ignorance and imagining people going out and blasting loads of low birds its unbelievable.

People don't pay sever amounts of money to shoot birds like chickens, we were out yesterday and had a modest 250 bird day and its extremely bad ettiquette to shoot low birds and people on decent shoots simply don't do it. At the end of the day its far easier to justify shooting released birds compared to factory farming chickens for food. And as for keepers and raptors that is in the very smallest minority and usually on wild bird grouse moors where they don't release birds yet have to watch the wild bird stocks get decimated. However keepers are an easy target for the RSPB to blame any deaths so who really knows what goes on.

[poontang]

poontang its rapidly showing that you don't know your backside from your elbow as far as game shooting is concerned as you persist in posting tripe that shows you have no idea whatsoever about it other than what you imagine to go on. Between you and Dekers showing total ignorance and imagining people going out and blasting loads of low birds its unbelievable.

People don't pay sever amounts of money to shoot birds like chickens, we were out yesterday and had a modest 250 bird day and its extremely bad ettiquette to shoot low birds and people on decent shoots simply don't do it. At the end of the day its far easier to justify shooting released birds compared to factory farming chickens for food. And as for keepers and raptors that is in the very smallest minority and usually on wild bird grouse moors where they don't release birds yet have to watch the wild bird stocks get decimated. However keepers are an easy target for the RSPB to blame any deaths so who really knows what goes on.

 

And you're rapidly showing that you are incapable of reading a post.

 

The public aren't interested in what you class as sporting or your shoot etiquette, and ultimately it's them you have to convince, not me.

Your point about factory farmed chickens doesn't really wash either, considering the rise in 'free range' sales over the past few years. The public PERCIEVE this to be more humane, and unfortunately that's what it all comes down to, public PERCEPTION.

My point was, and still is, that the game industry would have a hell of a job justifying what they do to the general public. As you mentioned people pay a severe amount of money to shoot. What sort of image does that send out to Joe public struggling to make ends meet? Which way do you think they would vote? Irrelevant as to how many raptors are shot, the RSPB has a membership of over a million. If they were to 'mobilise' them how many MP's could they sway?

You'll have to come up with a far more convincing argument than 'They don't know their backside from their elbow' I'm afraid.

[vampire]

Deer stalking,brings in good money and is backed by big business and profesional organisations

game shooting,brings in good money,as above

clay shooting,brings in good money,as above

target shooting,brings in good money,as above

Vermin shooting,no big money,no big buisiness and no profesional oranisations and as such would quickly lose our right to shoot without the backing of the big money boys of the first four groups.

But we are ALL gun owners that either kill or could kill and at least have the potential to go off the deep end and cause others harm and slaughter thousands of innocent creatures in this increasingly sterile anti for antis sake country of people that have no idea about the country side and its ways.

Keep shooting,what ever your chosen disipline whether it be for recreation/sport or a paid proffesional because maybe one day we will all need to stand up for each other,then it will be a numbers game when pheasant shooters will stand side by side with pigeon shooters

[Scully]

Both poontang and hot-shot have made good,valid points there....now we're into some proper debate!

Game shooters have told me that they don't want me to be 'pooled' in with them as I defend pistol shooting.When I point out to them that I use to shoot inanimate objects for pleasure while they enjoy killing birds for pleasure,they become all hot and bothered.Game shooting,rightly or wrongly,is perceived by the anti's as a rich mans 'sport',and their distaste for this is as much to do with 'class' as it is to do with 'killing for pleasure'.This is exactly what stopped hunting with Hounds in the traditional sense....'toffs with horses,taking pleasure from the pursuit and killing of an animal'.Doesn't sit nice does it? The only reason we can justify 'canned' game shooting is the vast amounts of money it generates.I can see the arguments from both sides because I am involved in both sides....like I've said,I enjoy shooting of every type,and while it's legal I wont even bother to justify my reasons for shooting,especially to the anti's.While we're killing birds for pleasure,then no argument will satisfy the anti's as to why you or I or anybody else other than a professional pest controller or the landowner should be doing it,as hot-shot pointed out.

I may be a lot of things,but hopefully not a hypocrate.

The thing that annoys me,is that no dedicated game shots supported pistol shooters,but I support all shooters.Make no mistake about it....as fragmented as we are,our days are numbered.

[BADFEET]

If push came to shove, one element of shooting would waste no time in pulling up the ladders and letting the wolves have the other element of shooting if it meant safeguarding there own small bit of the pie.....the various organisations would do the same.

Seen it happen before and it would happen again......how shallow human nature is huh

[Devon Fox]

If push came to shove, one element of shooting would waste no time in pulling up the ladders and letting the wolves have the other element of shooting if it meant safeguarding there own small bit of the pie.....the various organisations would do the same.

Seen it happen before and it would happen again......how shallow human nature is huh

 

I am to young to have been around when the handgun ban came on the scene, but from what I have read thats exactly what happened.

 

We should all fear it and look in the mirror

[Breastman]

If push came to shove, one element of shooting would waste no time in pulling up the ladders and letting the wolves have the other element of shooting if it meant safeguarding there own small bit of the pie.....the various organisations would do the same.

Seen it happen before and it would happen again......how shallow human nature is huh

 

Isn't that the truth! It makes a change it being the game shooters complaining about being on the sharp end of the stick! :o

 

I do one or two game shoots per year but its way down on my shooting list, not for any 'moral' reason, i just prefer other types of shooting. Each to there own i say, 'in-fighting', especially when its from a position of ignorance or arrogance helps noone but the anti's. Its just a shame there are so many who are too thick/up their own **** to realise it

 

Mark

[ollie]

What justification do game shoots need??? Think of the benefit a gamekeeper has in the countryside. The vermin control, land management and also if it weren't for pheasant shoots you wouldn't be able to see pheasant/partridge etc roaming the countryside. Also think of the revenue and jobs that game shooting creates. I partake in all forms of shooting and as such I would stick up for shooters rights

[Paddy Galore!]

Had my first taste of game shooting with silpig5 last month, i have to admit that beforehand i couldn't see the point in it, but.... i had a bloody good time, an excellent day was had by all and i'm converted

[groach1234]

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?

 

This shows what little you know about game shooting. If you think that commercial shooting is all people who can't shoot for toffee blasting away at very low birds then you are very very wrong indeed. The big commercial shoots have the ability to put consistently very high birds over the guns day in day out and thats why they have grown as large and popular as they have. Having grown up in and around shooting experiencing it all from rough, walk one stand one 30-70 bird days, mini driven days on farm shoots right up to large days of 400+ days on the big commercial shoots in yorkshire and can honestly say that driven shooting attracts all sorts and many who I have met on the bigger days aren't 'toffs' in any way but often the self made old boys who have made their cash and are spending it on shooting and are genuinely nice people. Admittedly I have met some who are just out to shoot as many as possible be it low, high or anything in-between with a if it flies it dies mentality and that really gets at me, watching people shoot a high bird then one skirting along the tree tops and it makes me feel sick. You get on a top shoot around me in Yorkshire and you can get drives where the low birds are 35 yards and 50 yards the norm all drive and the best birds 70+ and I'd like to see how all those knocking game shooting as shooting being to make people feel happy with them selves have a go at a drive like that and see if that makes you feel about your shooting and it wont be what a great shot you are.

 

 

I get fed up hearing about the 'tradition' that goes hand in hand with the big, formal shoot days. In my opinion it's exactly these traditions that could see the end of them altogether. There is no doubt that game shooters are considered to be akin to the 'landed gentry' and we all know how the public like to give them a bloody nose every now and again. It may be a class thing, and it may be wrong, but in the end it was 'tradition' that put a stop to hunting with hounds.

 

Food for thought maybe?

 

Yeah you are right tradition is such an awful thing I might turn up to the next funeral I go to in a bright yellow tracksuit as the tradition of a black suit white shirt and black tie is such an awful thing....

 

As for tweed on a shoot day I think you'll find +4s to be practical with wellies and that tweed is both highly warm and wind proof and whats really wrong with looking smart and showing respect? its just inverse snobbery that often rears its ugly head in debates such as these.

 

Just my tu-pence worth.

 

George

[Dekers]

deker when your game shooting do you shoot the low birds to have more of a chance of a clean kill or take a more sporting high bird a risk pricking it or do you shoot at everything?

 

 

Let me repeat once again, that I don't much care for this type of shooting, and don't do it a lot for that very reason, but I have no issue with anyone who does enjoy Game/Pheasant shoots!

 

Whatever I shoot at, I consider I have a good chance of stopping, I'm not in the business of giving ANYTHING a chance, if I aim a gun at it and pull the trigger I want it stopped. No such thing as a Sporting bird in my mind, I take chances at Clay shoots, not at Game shoots.

 

Yes, I still miss or ***** sometimes, it's nothing to do with taking a sporting (what the ***k is that) shot, it was a simple shot that I cocked up for some reason, it happens and you get over it, or you take up another pastime!

 

ATB!!

 

PS.

I was out with the guys yesterday beating, I'm not going to pretend it was much fun, and it seemed rather daft waving white flags as well, the guns were even complaining they had the snow in their faces on some drives, shame....

 

Pushing through the woods, and a few of the guys immediately after a drive, now that's dedication!