Duckman91 Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 I know a lot of people on here shoot crows over cut fields. I was wandering the reason they would state if stopped or questioned by some ie crop protection or the protection of wildlife ect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevo Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 Crows and rooks can and will do just as much damage to certain crop as pigeons will /do . Potatoes . Peas . Maize . Brussels. You name it . The list goes on and on .I only shoot them over crops . I have been approached . And all I did was walk them around and showed them the damage caused . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckman91 Posted June 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) thanks stevo. I have permission on a beef farm which there is no crops but the grass has been cut and there are loads of crows on the land that's why I ask Edited June 26, 2014 by Duckman91 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeadWasp Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 Does your beef farmer cut and wrap bales as they will hole the bales. They will also damage silage sheeting and eat food from bins. This will fit in with the General License To kill or take certain wild birds to prevent serious damage or disease. http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/wml-gl04_tcm6-24149.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorvale55 Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 The farmers grass is his crop for his cattle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KFC Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) As a gamekeeper I shoot Crows whenever possible for game protection. Crows can decimate a covey of Partridge chicks. The rides on our shoot become littered with Pheasant eggs which the Crows pick up, drop on the rides to break them and eat the contents. As I understand it, the Crows do not have to be causing damage at the time and place that I shoot them. It is sufficient that they will cause damage in some place at some time. Edited June 26, 2014 by KFC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckman91 Posted June 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 yea he has all the fields cut and bailed in his yard and also has feed in large bins. there is also a very small pheasant that is in woodland that backs on to his fields. so I guess this will be reason enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darno Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 Are they in and around the sheds messing in the feed etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 One farmer (who does not grow any crops) asked me to shoot crows for him as they were getting in the (beef) cattle feed troughs and eating the feed and then when they left their "droppings" on any feed that was left the cattle would not touch it so they were causing a lot of wastage. Plus I have to agree with what KFC has said, in particular the last line of his post! As a gamekeeper I shoot Crows whenever possible for game protection. Crows can decimate a covey of Partridge chicks. The rides on our shoot become littered with Pheasant eggs which the Crows pick up, drop on the rides to break them and eat the contents. As I understand it, the Crows do not have to be causing damage at the time and place that I shoot them. It is sufficient that they will cause damage in some place at some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superspark Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 Absolutely, get them shot, I shot a load yesterday over winter barley, there were hundreds and hundred's of them. The farmer had put bangers on the field next to this one but it just moved them over one field. Every time they went off they just lifted up a few feet and settled down again to munch. I also shoot them flying in to the cattle sheds as they pinch the cattle feed. I usually take the shotgun and .22 rifle to take care of the ones further out in the fields. The amount of damage they cause is unbelievable. Shooting is the only way to control them. When the farmer cuts the grass for silage is also a good time to either decoy them or pick them off with the rifle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckman91 Posted June 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 yea I have shot a few with air rifle around the farm. I will decoy them on the cut fields I think. I did have a go the other day but not much joy. all the fields in the whole area have been cut and muck put down so one bang and they seemed to disappear. to another area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted June 28, 2014 Report Share Posted June 28, 2014 I know a lot of people on here shoot crows over cut fields. I was wandering the reason they would state if stopped or questioned by some ie crop protection or the protection of wildlife ect? Come on should have thought of that and considered non lethal means. Protection of Ground nesting birds, curlew, oyster catcher, lapwing etc. all common enough and yes it makes a terrific difference my land will lay witness to that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted June 28, 2014 Report Share Posted June 28, 2014 The owner of my main ground has asked me to shoot a load of them because they have been destroying the nests and eggs of a pair of barn owls and then they took all the eggs from the wild ducks in the stream. There's egg shells all over the place. Don't know what the RSPB or Natural England would make of those reasons but they're good enough for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted June 28, 2014 Report Share Posted June 28, 2014 The owner of my main ground has asked me to shoot a load of them because they have been destroying the nests and eggs of a pair of barn owls and then they took all the eggs from the wild ducks in the stream. There's egg shells all over the place. Don't know what the RSPB or Natural England would make of those reasons but they're good enough for me. Well the RSPB kill crows on some of their reserves and will also supply free Larsens to other landowners for use in others. NE put them on open GL so I guess they must be for it also. I simply cannot explain how much difference it has made here now the grouse moor next to me is being re-established and the old lazy pheasant keeper also got replaced by another keen guy. Its been easy to stem the crows off this year on my side as I aint getting constant incomers during nesting from over that side. I think about 70% + up on successful fledging over the last five years might be fair to say Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted June 28, 2014 Report Share Posted June 28, 2014 Well the RSPB kill crows on some of their reserves and will also supply free Larsens to other landowners for use in others. NE put them on open GL so I guess they must be for it also. I simply cannot explain how much difference it has made here now the grouse moor next to me is being re-established and the old lazy pheasant keeper also got replaced by another keen guy. Its been easy to stem the crows off this year on my side as I aint getting constant incomers during nesting from over that side. I think about 70% + up on successful fledging over the last five years might be fair to say Your area is fortunate to have you and your neighbour doing a good job but down here there seems to have been an explosion in numbers, Jackdaws too. Where my mother lives the whole village is plagued by them. I shot a couple with the air rifle and hung them up in the trees and they won't come within 200 yards of her place now but I don't know how long it'll last. Unfortunately I can't shoot the fields around the village so I'm making a ladder trap. Some days round here it looks like an Alfred Hitchcock film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted June 29, 2014 Report Share Posted June 29, 2014 5 yrs back I could wander out back at dusk and shoot twenty crows as hey flighted to their roosts, its a slog. I shot over 100 in a fairly short period out of just one upstairs window taking them one at a time now and again. Keep it up its worth it! I now have just one adult knocking about who saw his mate catch a bullet and he is one clued up fella I tell you that much LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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