andrewluke Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 just seen this in my local paper http://www.thisissou...l#axzz2KhoxFWLL andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reabrook Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 I thought many of the Welsh Clubs that had White Fronts on their marshes had a moratorium on shooting them. Certainly the ones I visit do and have had since the 1960's. More worthless legislation that will need fighting against Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 (edited) I suspect it is only time before European whitefronts are protected across England too. They have been short stopping in mainland Europe ( where they are very common ) in increasing numbers for years and most winters there are less than 4000 in England these days. Edited February 12, 2013 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pole Star Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 Thats what I have been saying on here for some time Andy that they will fly alone amongst greylags & they wont call when doing so & in low light mistakes can happen . Pretty goose isent it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildfowler.250 Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 I suspect it is only time before European whitefronts are protected across England too. They have been short stopping in mainland Europe ( where they are very common ) in increasing numbers for years and most winters there are less than 4000 in England these days. Unless I have misunderstood: if there's plenty main. Europe, surely shooting a few here wont make much difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsonicnat Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, these breeds of goose may be killed outside of the 'closed season' in England and Wales. I think this is the part they are Referring to: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reabrook Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 BASCs take on the issue http://www.basc.org.uk/en/media/key_issues.cfm/cid/773BFE7E-5FC7-4503-A547CAF7EC4449D5 Welsh Government consultation paper with the opportunity to have your say. Something I think we should all be doing http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/environmentandcountryside/ban-shooting-white-fronted-geese/?lang=en Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 Wildfowler .250 , you are right European whitefronted geese are very common in parts of Europe but then so are bean geese. With a population in England of between 3 and 4 ,000 most years puts them in a very difficult position as a quarry species. One hard winter pushing them to places where they are vulnrable to shooting and a high percentage of the UK population could be killed. Its true unless our winter climate changes we are going to lose anyway , but what a potential PR disaster for wildfowling if the last few end up getting shot. We already have a situation where we are on the verge of losing forest bean geese with only 2 flocks left in the UK totaling less than 300. I am lucky I have two flocks of European whitefronts wintering on the marshes I shoot , but on one marsh they have gone down from 1000 a few years ago to just 150 this year and on the other we still have 400 + in a good year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pole Star Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 I suspect it is only time before European whitefronts are protected across England too. They have been short stopping in mainland Europe ( where they are very common ) in increasing numbers for years and most winters there are less than 4000 in England these days. anser 2 do you know if the Greenland White Fronts that winter on the Wexford Slobs in Ireland ever cross over the Irish see & join up with the European race ? , its just a short hop across the sea for them . When I lived in Co Wexford some years back I notice the white fronts heading over my home when they were on their spring trip home to breed but as I watched then they headed in a direction across the Irish see ? towards Wales which puzzled me . Info can be found on them if you Google Wexford Wildfowl Reserve & they have some 8,000 by November . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 There is very little interchange with Greenland and European Whitefronts. The odd lost party sometimes get picked up in the pink foot flocks and get carried down to Norfolk . On my marshes they stay apart from the regular european white fronts , staying with the pinks. Andy , I know we all make the odd mistakes from time to time , but if you do shoot another please do not post the photo on here. This is an open forum anyone can read it and you can be sure that the RSPB does and you have just given them ammunition to claim the voluntary ban is not working and there is a need to ban the shooting of all white fronts by law. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mat Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 Has anyone ever heard of whitefronts flying in amongst the brent? Another wildfowler was telling me that they sometimes get mixed up and you see a few whitefronts in with the brent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyboy Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 (edited) Anser a few years ago we shot in dumfries sw Scotland inland with around 5 k of pinks using our farm. The pinks came in droves shot a few and watched the rest of the flight with around 30/40 whitefronts mixed in with pinks wound these have been Greenland whitefronts? Just caught up in the migration? It was early October and most geese I've seen off the solway as early since I started shooting the shore Edited February 14, 2013 by markyboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fal Posted February 15, 2013 Report Share Posted February 15, 2013 I think Carmarthenshire Wildfowlers have already imposed a ban on shooting White fronts. I am not 100% sure, but I think I read it in an update from them, Their numbers are getting lower and lower all the time, I personally don't think banning shooting them would be a bad thing if it helps them out. We don't need to kill everything we are legally allowed to kill, we need to be looking after numbers of any quarry we are allowed to shoot and making informed decisions on whether or not you personally want to shoot them. I won't be shooting one even if I get a chance, plenty of other types around in bigger numbers. I also don't think anybody that shoots one is in the wrong, it’s just personal preference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted February 15, 2013 Report Share Posted February 15, 2013 (edited) Mark they almost certantly were Greenland Whitefronts as European whitefronts are pretty rare in Scotland. Edited February 15, 2013 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted February 15, 2013 Report Share Posted February 15, 2013 (edited) Almost any geese will mix up togeather in a feeding flock , but usualy they seperate when flighting back to roost. On my local marsh the brents go out to sea to roost while the whitefronts like the flooded fresh marsh at the back of the sand dunes. However at dawn its not unusual to have the odd pink in the first brent flocks that come in at first light and tundra beans and pink feet also often fly in mixed flocks. A real ID problem here as both are very similar in size and impossible to tell apart in poor light. I was flighting on an inland marsh last January at dawn when 8 forest beans came into the decoys mixed with a couple of hundred pinks , fortunetly their larger size made them obvious. Edited February 15, 2013 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pole Star Posted February 22, 2013 Report Share Posted February 22, 2013 Take a look at this weeks shooting times boys as there is a spread in there that says a ban is sought on the shooting of White Fronts in Wales by the 1st September ? . So I wonder what will happen ? . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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