Alpha Mule Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 I spotted a couple of lads wandering round one of my permissions a couple of weeks back and phoned the land owner to see if he had given permission to anyone else, but being a farmer he was busy when I called, so by the time he returned my call the lads had left. I've since confirmed that there is only one other bloke who has permission and I know what he looks like. The lads were shooting so close to a flock of sheep I wasn't sure if they were hitting them or just scaring them (but they were missing the rabbits they were after). So last night I spotted the pair out again and went out to have a word. No gun, no camo, just jeans and T shirt. The first thing I did was go to their car and take a picture of it and post it onto the web. So I go stomping around where I know they must be hiding, but they keep quiet and heads down, for a good 10 minutes. Eventually I got fed up and went into foghorn mode and announce: "Right lads, you know I'm here and I know you're here. You don't have permission to be here and I don't want you here and neither does the farmer. I'm giving you 10 minutes to get the F out of here then I'm calling for an Armed Response Unit and you can explain to them why you are commiting armed trespass. I'm sure you don't want to spend the next 5 years behind bars so this is the last warning - F Off somewhere else! You have 10 minutes!" I wandered off and up a hill where I could see the car. You could have knocked me over with a feather - the car was gone before I'd gone 100 yards. Cheeky ******* were doing it in broad daylight (7pm ish). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian28 Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 Looks like they drove all the way to stevies400 lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geordiepigeon Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 I'd have done the same thing! Tho I'm not sure about posting a pic of the car on the web. Don't think you are allowed to do that sort of thing. Might be wrong tho. I take it they were young whippersnappers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geordiepigeon Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 Just to put another point to my last post. I wouldn't like to discourage youngsters getting into this shooting makarky but it would help a great deal if they went down the correct avenues to get shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 I'd have done the same thing! Tho I'm not sure about posting a pic of the car on the web. Don't think you are allowed to do that sort of thing. Might be wrong tho. I take it they were young whippersnappers? I think posting the picture on the web means uploading it to something like photo bucket so even if you loose your phone you still have the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geordiepigeon Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 Never thought if that. Silly me lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artschool Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 maybe they were just innocently cruising in the bushes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Mule Posted July 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 I stuck the image on the web as they were not just young lads and are big enough to cause me problems if it went squew whiff and me and my phone parted company. They were both armed and I've watched them taking shots between sheep and scaring to poo out of them, previously. The farmed is certainly not happy about them being there and has given me very clear instruction on what he wants done about them (however I won't be going away for murder just yet ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 Now they will have cleared off and be doing the same thing on someone else,s land? Why not keep quiet and call the plods? There are procedures in place(oh,and a couple of laws)to deal with people like this :look: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Mule Posted July 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 Now they will have cleared off and be doing the same thing on someone else,s land? Why not keep quiet and call the plods? There are procedures in place(oh,and a couple of laws)to deal with people like this :look: Fair comment, but I've given them fair warning now. I don't have to see them jailed just yet, but if I see them again I'll be putting in a call from a 'worried walker'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 It's always a difficult situation having to decide on what action you should take when you come across someone who is armed on your land without permission! I was faced with a similar situation last year one evening when I was going out with my (Unmoderated).222! I spotted three lads in the distance about 1/2 a mile from me, one carrying a scoped rifle and the other two with dogs. (One "lurcher type" dog and the other a terrier) I knew only too well that there are only two of us that have permission there and the farmer has said that he will not give permission to anyone else so I knew that they were not there "legally"! However I am not a "big man" and I am not the type that wants to get involved in a fight, especially when the oddas are 3 to 1 and when one of them is carrying a scoped rifle, so I took what action I believed was reasonable. Eventually, when they were about 300 yards from me the terrier flushed a rabbit and the lurcher gave chase, running the rabbit towards me. I waited till the lurcher was getting up on the rabbit and while standing in a prominent position where they could not fail to see me and where I could see them I let a shot go into the ground. The lurcher gave up the chase immediately and the three of them took very big and fast steps in the opposite direction! Maybe not the most sensible of actions but I haven't seen them since and I was prepared to "take cover" very rappidly if the one with the rifle had started to "shoulder" his rifle and point it in my direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasper3 Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 No disrespect alpha mule, but I think you did the wrong thing, yes I can understand why you did it, but i think i would have called the police 1st... at the end of the day, rules are rules and they broke them You may of been dealing with a couple of pot heads who would have found it funny to take a crack shot at you or it may of been a couple of youngsters with air rifles, either way..the police should deal with it sounds like it has turned out ok this time, but be careful mate, not everyone is a safe minded as most of us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsm1968 Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 No disrespect alpha mule, but I think you did the wrong thing, yes I can understand why you did it, but i think i would have called the police 1st... at the end of the day, rules are rules and they broke them Mate of mine he witnessed a theft incident next door, took the car reg and reported to his neighbour. He got a day at the station doing statement, a second day at station for ID parade. Then he was sumonsed to court, but he works off shore. He was repeatedly contacted by plod to try and get him in court. Eventually after telling them quite bluntly to go away they gave up. This was all for a known repeat offender, who was again convicted and sent home on some arrangement. Cost him more time and hassle than the criminal! If they have been scared off now, JOB JOBBED! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin128 Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 I let the owner deal with such incidents...all too easy for it to go pear shaped and end up in court yourself whilst your guns are held by Police. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Mule Posted July 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 I let the owner deal with such incidents...all too easy for it to go pear shaped and end up in court yourself whilst your guns are held by Police. I specifically left my rifle in th esafe when I went out to have a word. I also went round where they were to take a picture of their car, stick it on th eweb and tell my wife about it, before going to have a word with the lads. I appreciate the setiments above too. I had my phone in my hand the whole time and at the first sign of stupidity I would have called in the cavalry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 I think you did the right thing, you would of had to wait for a while for the police by then they proberly would have gone. I would let the local police know what has happened for a referance that maybe could be used in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 pass the car details onto the local plod so he / they are aware of the poaching, then it's upto plod to catch em at it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Mule Posted July 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 pass the car details onto the local plod so he / they are aware of the poaching, then it's upto plod to catch em at it Good idea. I'm awaiting a return visit from my FEO, so I'll pass the details on then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geordiepigeon Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 I'm not sure if your feo is the person to report it to as most of ours are civilians. If you were to report to your local plod as an incident you witnessed and believed to be suspicious it would go on file and probably not be followed up until some substantial evidence was reported. I think in your case to keep yourself right in future it is best not to confront them but to gather information from a safe distance and letting your police deal with it. I see it as a duty to treat a shooting permission as you would if it were your own land. The fact that they hid ment they knew they were in the wrong. If you didn't report it as a result sometime livestock was shot you would be investigated too. A busy farmer could then decide that letting people shoot his land isn't worth the hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooter Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 On some of my shoots I call the plod and tell them I'm there, and on a few occasions I have been asked to look out for certain types/colours of vehicle and call them if sighted. We were having trouble with hare coursing for while and apparently if they have the vehicle details they can deal with the problem at any time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highseas Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 Now they will have cleared off and be doing the same thing on someone else,s land? Why not keep quiet and call the plods? There are procedures in place(oh,and a couple of laws)to deal with people like this :look: yeh but they would be drawing a pension befor the coppers arrive, lets be honnest thou how many of us where chased off land as kids with airguns? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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