is it legal to shoot in woodland?

[lewis2012]

Hi all around the area where I live there is a lot of woodland, and there is a pacific place where quite a few people shoot there with they're shotties as there's plenty of woodcock, pigeons, crows, squirrel etc. Nobody owns the land but would it be legal to go on there to shoot? I was advised to go there for some shooting by a mate but not going to until I know it is legal

Thanks all

Lewis

[guest1957]

Hi all around the area where I live there is a lot of woodland, and there is a pacific place where quite a few people shoot there with they're shotties as there's plenty of woodcock, pigeons, crows, squirrel etc. Nobody owns the land but would it be legal to go on there to shoot? I was advised to go there for some shooting by a mate but not going to until I know it is legal

Thanks all

Lewis

 

Someone owns the land, and unless it is you or you have permission from the landowner you would be committing a series of offences if you went there to shoot.

[PAULT]

Find out who owns the land all land is owned by somebody.

[robbiep]

Somebody owns virtually every piece of land. Even if it is 'common' land, it is owned.

Land may not be registered with Land Registry, that makes no difference.

You need landowners/occupiers consent to shoot on land.

Not having that consent is armed trespass.

 

Don't even think about it, if you ever got caught by the police, you would almost certainly be prosecuted, and find your certificate revoked

[lewis2012]

Thanks all for the advice all I won't be going there then jus wanted to check that's all

Cheers guys

[stubby]

Thanks all for the advice all I won't be going there then jus wanted to check that's all

Cheers guys

 

. Nobody owns the land

 

so where did you get the info that nobody owned it

being someone that's in the process of buying some woodland, that comes with sporting rights, as everyone has said above, its armed trespass, you could take a wander through it, empty handed of course, and see if you can find a gate, if its padlocked but looks well used, try leaving your details, name and number on a note in a sealed bag, pinned to the gate, add a note that your interested in squirrels and rabbits, which are a menace to woodland owners, you never know, it might pay off, if you get written permission, its good to go, then shoot other pests too

or try asking in local pubs, or surround farmers fields, lots of large woodland areas are split and sold in smaller units, whilst walking through woodland, keep an eye out for posts with painted tops,red,blue,yellow, that normally denotes boundary lines, which would then tell you YES SOMEONE OWNS IT, but also that theres more than one owner and more than one gate, multiple notes to be left

[al4x]

Its funny how people think, we had someone last year on the estate I beat on who just turned up and went on their own shoot. No permission no nothing but because they had seen people shooting they assumed it was fine..... makes you wonder about just how readily they dish out shotgun certificates

[Dekers]

....and where is this land that nobody owns, I may just pop along and plant a Flag!

[Catweazle]

Ultimately all land is owned by The Queen, so ask her.

[oscarsdad]

Frightening that people are issued with certs without knowing about armed trespass and where and when they can shoot legally.

[lewis2012]

I am nt a complete idiot I only asked as many people shoot there, I am a person of good character and have a very respectible job I also have no intentions of breaking the law and I am aware about armed trespass. I askd was the land legal or not nothing else.

[Dekers]

I am nt a complete idiot I only asked as many people shoot there, I am a person of good character and have a very respectible job I also have no intentions of breaking the law and I am aware about armed trespass. I askd was the land legal or not nothing else.

 

I think some responses here have been light hearted, ok, maybe not all, but even in Wales it frankly beggers belief you need to ask the question, hence some of the responses you got!!

[Whitebridges]

I think some responses here have been light hearted, ok, maybe not all, but even in Wales it frankly beggers belief you need to ask the question, hence some of the responses you got!!

 

:stupid:

[simjakcal]

Were talking about the Rhondda here anything goes Where abouts is this woodland Lewis ? mainly forestrys up ur way tho eh...

[mossy835]

land is owned by some one,find who owns it,

[BRNDL]

so where did you get the info that nobody owned it

being someone that's in the process of buying some woodland, that comes with sporting rights, as everyone has said above, its armed trespass, you could take a wander through it, empty handed of course, and see if you can find a gate, if its padlocked but looks well used, try leaving your details, name and number on a note in a sealed bag, pinned to the gate, add a note that your interested in squirrels and rabbits, which are a menace to woodland owners, you never know, it might pay off, if you get written permission, its good to go, then shoot other pests too

or try asking in local pubs, or surround farmers fields, lots of large woodland areas are split and sold in smaller units, whilst walking through woodland, keep an eye out for posts with painted tops,red,blue,yellow, that normally denotes boundary lines, which would then tell you YES SOMEONE OWNS IT, but also that theres more than one owner and more than one gate, multiple notes to be left

 

I really like this approach from Stubby... the write your details down and pin it to the gate/lock. I have some land near me that I am not sure who it belongs to. Went for a run today to take another look, there must of been nearly 200 crows and 100+ pigeons over two fileds.

[Vince Green]

There is a lot of land about that looks as though nobody owns it to be fair. Property companies etc. I can think of a parcel of land near me, its not suitable for shooting but it has stood overgrown for decades. One of the neighbours told me once people are always knocking to ask about it. I know of another piece where the neighbour just fenced it in.

[JonathanL]

There is a lot of land about that looks as though nobody owns it to be fair. Property companies etc. I can think of a parcel of land near me, its not suitable for shooting but it has stood overgrown for decades. One of the neighbours told me once people are always knocking to ask about it. I know of another piece where the neighbour just fenced it in.

 

Try fencing in the bit near you and see what happens. If you do so and use it for something without having the permission of the owner then you may havea claim in adverse possession to be registered as owner in a few years time. It won't be worth piling money into as the owner is likely to crop up sooner or later but you never know. As someone else has said, all land is owned by someone. In reality the Queen actually owns it and everyone else merely has a right to use it.

 

J.

[evo]

all land is owned by someone

 

we have a private lane that leads to our fishery and the neighbour is an anti shooter,fisherman,life etc,we and others including the local planning have all tried to find out who owns it and no one has found out yet,they have gone back years and still no joy so it is causing a problem at the mo

[stubby]

Try fencing in the bit near you and see what happens. If you do so and use it for something without having the permission of the owner then you may havea claim in adverse possession to be registered as owner in a few years time. It won't be worth piling money into as the owner is likely to crop up sooner or later but you never know. As someone else has said, all land is owned by someone. In reality the Queen actually owns it and everyone else merely has a right to use it.

 

J.

 

think you'll find that law does not include woodland, more likely just common ground, ie a bit of land next to your garden/house etc

I say this as a wood I was looking at was just over 6 acres on the land registry title, but it also came with a further 6 acres that the seller had "used" for the last 13 years, and could prove it, but it stated that whoever really owned it, could come back at anytime and claim it back

[Dave-G]

Hi all around the area where I live there is a lot of woodland, and there is a pacific place where quite a few people shoot there with they're shotties as there's plenty of woodcock, pigeons, crows, squirrel etc. Nobody owns the land but would it be legal to go on there to shoot? I was advised to go there for some shooting by a mate but not going to until I know it is legal

Thanks all

Lewis

 

Well if you go way out deep into the Pacific who would know you were shooting?

[Vince Green]

Try fencing in the bit near you and see what happens. If you do so and use it for something without having the permission of the owner then you may havea claim in adverse possession to be registered as owner in a few years time. It won't be worth piling money into as the owner is likely to crop up sooner or later but you never know. As someone else has said, all land is owned by someone. In reality the Queen actually owns it and everyone else merely has a right to use it.

 

J.

As I understand it, the laws are a lot tighter on this sort of thing now. At one time you could claim the eqivilent of squatters rights after seven years. However, some years ago there was a flurry of "how to do it" books which led to a lot of very dubious almost criminally motivated stunts. Something had to be done about it as it was becoming a bit of a get rich quick scheme.

[robbiep]

It's called 'adverse possession'.

 

Basically, if you can show that you have tried to contact the owner, and failing to do so have had EXCLUSIVE use for 12 years, you can apply to the land registry to change the ownership of the land to yourself

The word exclusive is important here - just using the land would not qualify. You would have had to fence the land off to prevent others from using it.

[JonathanL]

think you'll find that law does not include woodland, more likely just common ground, ie a bit of land next to your garden/house etc

I say this as a wood I was looking at was just over 6 acres on the land registry title, but it also came with a further 6 acres that the seller had "used" for the last 13 years, and could prove it, but it stated that whoever really owned it, could come back at anytime and claim it back

 

The rules of adverse possession apply to all land. It's not uncommon that people who were living in houses without permission have been there long enough to have been registered as the owner when the actual owner hasn't bothered to stop them.

 

With your piece of land it is probably the case that it was registered as well. The person who has been 'using' it can register a claim and the original owner has two years (I think) to make an objection after the registry notifies him of such - if he does then the claim fails. It could be, however, that the person who has been 'using' it was doing so with permission and so doesn't actually have any claim on it.

 

J.

[stubby]

The rules of adverse possession apply to all land. It's not uncommon that people who were living in houses without permission have been there long enough to have been registered as the owner when the actual owner hasn't bothered to stop them.

 

With your piece of land it is probably the case that it was registered as well. The person who has been 'using' it can register a claim and the original owner has two years (I think) to make an objection after the registry notifies him of such - if he does then the claim fails. It could be, however, that the person who has been 'using' it was doing so with permission and so doesn't actually have any claim on it.

 

J.

 

the whole wording on the sale sheet steered me away from buying that one, as it also had a public footpath running through it