jonevo Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 (edited) I have permission to shoot cormrants on a fishery under a licence obtained by the fishery owner,what calibre is necessary to shoot them with would a .22 rimfire be suitable, were would you find information,what is the most effective calibre thanks jonevo Edited December 31, 2010 by jonevo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 I have permission to shoot cormrants on a fishery under a licence obtained by the fishery owner,what calibre is necessary to shoot them with would a .22 rimfire be suitable, were would you find information,what is the most effective calibre thanks jonevo Ive shot Cormorants in the past on a commercial fishery under licence and used a 12 G at first light when the birds are starting to feed. The object is to scare them off by shooting and has to be done regularly so a .22LR probably wont make a big enough bang. You will find that shooting the birds will only create a vacuum for other cormorants to move into and this will not conserve fish stocks unless you mange to eradicate all of the resident Cormorants and all those that come after them on a regular basis. You could use a .22 LR with a head shot but they are very tough birds and if you cant consistantly place the lead you will find they will fly off only to die a slow and painfull death later. Like it or not they are still protected under the Wildlife and Countryside act and Im not 100 % sure if this still applies but there used to be a limit set for each particular Licence. Good Luck... let us know how you get on.. and if the Cull is ultimately successful. I would be very interested to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonevo Posted December 31, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 (edited) They are that quick you can never sneak up close enough to them, the fishery owner is allowed to kill 8 per yr, if he ever bothers to record them??? last year he lost £30,000 worth of carp and other fish, Although they are protected this licence obtained by DEFRA allows him to cull them, I am not 100% sure if a .22 rimmy will do the justice these birds need. Does anyone know a suitable calibre that is lawful, no silly comments about C/F please Edited December 31, 2010 by jonevo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 Dont think these is an issue with any caliber being lawfull but they are a BIG bird and getting up close and personal with a shotgun would be hard. Personally I would aim to head shoot with a small centerfire. I think you will find that it makes quite enough noise. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonevo Posted December 31, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 (edited) Dont want to scare them with the noise, its gone past that stage with him losing £30,000 worth of fish last year, he wants them gone KAPPUT I will check to see if he has had the land cleared for .17hmr Edited December 31, 2010 by jonevo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hambone Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 Dont want to scare them with the noise, its gone past that stage with him losing £30,000 worth of fish last year, he wants them gone KAPPUT I will check to see if he has had the land cleared for .17hmr And as we all know you only need to be within 1000 yards with the .17hmr for a successful head shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrelsniffer Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 And as we all know you only need to be within 1000 yards with the .17hmr for a successful head shot. I do that range with my FAC air rifle so surely get 2000 yds with my 17hmr... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixhills 69 Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 I did used 22 Centre fire but 17hmr works better at around 100 to 150 meters we have a thin tree line and move slowly along it at first light im thick and can only count to four and have to start again. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonevo Posted January 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 (edited) Thanks for the info, so far lads, Do I have to inform the police that I am shooting cormrants,even though the land owner has a Licence from DEFRA to cull them. As my FAC states Vermin,are these subject to vermin as in my certificate Edited January 1, 2011 by jonevo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MM Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 Billy, is there a way of trapping them? Im sure someone somewhere must have tried it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonevo Posted January 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 Hi mate,even if or when trapped these cormrants still need culling, a £30,000 financial loss is causing the breaking point of this fishery,He Invested £750,000 in 2008. Fishermen are not even fishing on his 7 lakes as the fish are just not there anymore.The guy was crying to me on the phone recently as he just cant take no more. He obtained a Licence from DEFRA and is still getting battered by these birds coming inshore and taking fish stocks from easy pickings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixhills 69 Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 You will need to inform your firearms licencig dept if it is new land which is not on file unless you have an open ticket, then there is no need but check as my land owner took all my details to give to DEFRA as he told me i had to be named on the licence. Informing the police you are shooting at any time is a voulantry thing not law. Trapping them does'nt work as they just come back I shot one just before the duck season started it had killed three carp wieghing around 7 to 8 lb each and sat stripping them down to the bone never seen anything like it before in my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark@mbb Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 Jonevo how big is the water i recon if the water is to about 200 yds with a goodback stop we should be able to sort them wirh my 17rem Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrelsniffer Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Jonevo how big is the water i recon if the water is to about 200 yds with a goodback stop we should be able to sort them wirh my 17rem Mark Do these birds come under "vermin" in your conditions ? something to check with FEO i think before you go after them. Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triscrx Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Keep us updated on this please as I was asked if I could shoot them a year ago or so as they were a nuisance at a local fishery but I was due to deploy with work so I didn't hear about it again. Only things I'd check was the permission/authorisation to cull them was in place with DEFRA and if you have an open ticket you dont have to inform the Police unless of course you need the land clearing 1st. If it was me I'd use a .17HMR as they have great flat trajectory and will give you the extra bit of distance is they are shy. I was told the best time to shoot them is when they are basking in the sun wings stretched out drying after a feed. You don't want to be taking pot shots at the water when they surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hornet 6 Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Read the licence details, when I had a ticket to cull them it was restricted to shotgun only. .22lr is not a good choice, you will be shooting at ranges past 100 yards if you want to be successful, also note a swimming Cormorant is a very small target, particularly one that that has been eating. Neil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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