Footpaths and Walkers

[Andy Austin]

Hello Forum! New as I am to shooting etc. etc.

I hope you experienced shooters can give me some pointers on how shooting things should be done.

Last year I was invited to shoot pigeons on a farm near me, the farmer grows peas and had major problems with pigeons. My sons were keen on having a go at them as prviously they had only shot on skeet ranges. The land with the peas on was open and well away from houses roads and paths so safety of others was not a major problem. Despite lots of 'shooting at pigeons' (rather than actually hitting them) the farmer has invited us back but to a new location.

I have been to the field which is still to be drilled, it is around 30 acres, trees on three sides, with an old overgrown clay pit like an island to one side, my concern is there is a footpath along two sides next to a small wood which appears to be the area favoured by the birds. I have watched them over the past week and they roost in the taller trees.

I am thinking of setting up the hide in the clay pit where we can cover a large area of the field away from the footpath. The wood will be about fifty yards across open field behind us with the footpath to its edge.

I have tried out this location for a couple of evenings and take shoots at bird comming into roost. The shoots being taken directly away from the footpath. My concern once set up for a long session is people on the foot path am I too close despite shooting directly away from it? any advice on the location?

 

Andy Austin

[Will Beasley]

Looks like your only option is to setup a hide in the middle of the field and shoot away from the footpaths. Perhaps you can get the farmer to put up a nice bale hide for you? Providing you are shooting away from both paths at all times then anyone who gets snotty cant really say anything as you're playing the game by the rules. If you can shoot the field during a weekday as there will likely be more walking activity @ w/ends!

[Cranfield]

Welcome Andy.

 

A lot of the land I shoot has, official and "unofficial", footpaths around and through it.

 

MY interpretation of the law, is that I can fire my shotgun up to 50ft away from a public right of way/bridle path etc. providing I am not endangering anyone.

 

I have set hides 50ft from a footpath and fired away from the path, which I consider safe.

If I see horses coming along tracks, over 50ft away, but a bit near, in my opinion, I won,t shoot until they are gone.

Thats not a legal requirement, that is courtesy.

I have never had a serious complaint.

 

The setup as you explain it, sounds reasonable and safe.

Its important for the Farmer to appreciate what you are doing.

Any complaints will often be made directly to him, in the first instance.

[neil]

Will,i think the girl in your avaitor has got worms mate

[Andy Austin]

Thanks for the replies although I need some help with Neils'.

Have been back to the field with the farmer and agreed to a bail hide shooting away from the road and foot path on the open east side for early morning (sun behind us and I will set up a netting hide facing south (foot (path behind us) at the clay pit which we recon will work better in the afternoon and evening. We will work it along the lines of Cranfields post and not shoot if anyone is near us on the path.

Will be shooting mostly in the weekdays at various times through the day.

One other suggestion I've had is to put up some signs to warn footpath users of the possibilty of sudden noise from shooting.

 

Thanks

 

Andy Austin

[neil]

Sorry for any confusion andy,i was refering to will beasleys avaitor (that picture by his name)just me being daft,dont worry about it

[MAJ]

Hi Andy. Like you, and no doubt many other shooters, some of my land is criss-crossed by footpaths. The law states that you cannot discharge a shotgun within fifty feet from the centre of a public right of way, so setting up fifty one feet away and shooting towards the footpath, as long as there is no danger to the public, is technically legal, but certainly not recommended. Signs put up warning of "Shooting in progress" might help, but ideally you need to give the footpaths as wide a berth as possible. Try "bagging" the area near the path to keep the birds away. I must say though that the pigeons will see a walker on the footpath long before you do, so the chances of you getting a shot as someone walks by are fairly remote.

[Quercus]

MAJ, you can use a firearm within fifty feet of the centre highway as long as you do not cause delay, danger or inconvenience to people using the highway (or words to that effect).

 

I'm not sure but I seem to remember the word "carriageway" now appears in the legislation, which would suggest that it only now applies where there is vehicular access and not footpaths.

 

As the others have said, whatever the legal situation, it is always a good idea to give the general public a wide berth, so setting up near a well used footpathis not a good idea.

[rjimmer]

I know of one or two pheasant drives where guns stand on the road.

 

Unless the land has been bought to build the road, ownership of the adjoining land reaches to the centre of the road.

 

We used to regularly shoot foxes at night while parked in the road, shining the lamp onto adjoining fields when conditions underfoot were too bad to get on the land with a vehicle.

 

I remember a case where our local bobby successfully got a conviction for trespass in pursuit, although the culprits were on the road. The land on both sides of the road was in the same ownership so they owned the whole of road as well.

 

Quercus is nearest to the correct answer.

[.223]

I know of one or two pheasant drives where guns stand on the road

 

on the shoot were i beat nearly every drive involves a gun on th road. one stand is in the church yard.

 

The first drive involves driving the birds over a row of cottages to the guns lined out on the road the other side. it is quite common to go round knocking on the cottage doors asking for birds which have fell into the gardens. On beaters day last year i had a peg which was on a road and half way through a police car pulled up next to me (i nearly died) the officer inside just asked how i was doing and if i had, had any luck then drove off.