what to plant

[Dunkield]

Don't plant anything, then write to the EU claiming your subsidies for set aside, easy eh?

[Axe]

You'd do well to read up on the General Licence. The following is advice displayed on the BASC Website Original Link here

 

2. You must have the permission of the landowner, preferably in writing, to shoot over his land.

 

3. Your prime objective is pest control and must meet at least one of the criteria for which the licence is issued, such as: the prevention and spread of disease, the prevention of serious damage to livestock, food stuffs, food-stuffs for livestock, crops, soft fruits, commercial woodlands and inland fisheries. The European Commission recognises that pest control can have the secondary feature of sporting shooting but this cannot be the prime purpose.

 

4. The terms of the licence state that the "authorised person" has to be satisfied that non-lethal methods of control such as scaring are either ineffective or impracticable. Here are some points to consider:

 

· When decoying or walking up it is important to realise that pigeons are a highly mobile species and target vulnerable crops as and when they ripen and can vary their flightlines throughout the day. It would be ineffective and impractical to set up any stationary deterrent such as a scarecrow or scaregun as the pigeons would merely move field.

 

· When roost shooting you are targeting birds that routinely damage crops in the area but who are distributed over such a large area that is ineffective and impractical to shoot them on site or employ non-lethal methods

 

· When controlling corvids for the protection of wild birds you should be aware that the target species are highly intelligent and quickly become used to static or mechanical scaring techniques, which therefore become ineffective and impractical. Because of this shooting, or the use of static or mobile cage traps, is an effective method of control for territorial birds such as magpies, jays, rooks and crows.

 

5. There is no obligation on you to have tried non-lethal methods before you commence shooting.

[Pedro]

Nice one Axe, say's it all really.

 

I have to agree with OldBill as well, the police haven't got the time or money to go around prosecuting pigeon shooters.

 

P.

[kirky640]

wot a load of tosh !!!!!

[OldBill]

Two words- "Mountain" and "molehill!"

[photopro]

Thankfully the law seems to exercise a little common sense regarding the crop protection issue. Pigeons frequent arable farms usually for one reason - food. Therefore the opportunity to shoot them can be taken whenever it presents itself. It has to work in this way, to take the element of proof to it's limit, you would have to wait until an identified pigeon in a group began feeding on a crop and then shot that particular pigeon. If another had just landed or was only flying over you would not be able to take a shot until feeding had started.

You don't need a definitive element of proof - the frozen turkey up the jumper at the supermarket. Any woodie present on any arable farm is at some time going to attempt to feed on a sown crop, therefore they are legitamate legal targets.

 

photopro