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Bagged a ton on peas


ShropshireSam
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I seem to remember having the same arguement this time last year! When I am game shooting, or wildfowling I will try my absolute best to pick everything and anything that is wounded, and have 2 dogs for this reason. Pigeon shooting over drilling or stubble I will do the same, and quite often come back later on with a fresh dog and walk hedges and belts in the surrounding area for any that wobble off hit. However when large amounts of pigeon are landing in a laid crop, or laying it themselves by dropping on it, I have no qualms about leaving them in the fields,this is pest control pure and simple. And after watching kites and buzzards sweeping the area before we have left I'm sure that very few carcasses would survive to.make it through the combine.

 

The reason you think you remember having the same argument last year, is that this subject comes up every year, about this time.

 

When shooting over standing and laid cereals and high peas especially, it is not always possible to pick every bird shot.

Like every other shooter I know, I try to pick as many birds as I can, but some are usually missed and these will be cleared up by the foxes/badgers.

 

I respect a shooters choice whether to shoot in this situation, or not.

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It seems I have rekindled an on going debate as to "sport" and "pest control" and respect for ones quarry.

 

To clarify some points. I too do not like shooting birds I can not retrieve and on most occasions I pick close to all birds I see drop and often a couple more I didn't see drop but on this occasion the field of peas were waist high and so thick my dog was bouncing over them and making too much damage. The farmers wants these pigeons controlled and expects me to help.

 

Many birds were decoying into the tree above me and were shot at close range. This was not sporting for me and it did not result in edible pigeons but it did control the pigeon numbers on that field. I made a judgement as to how many I could pick without doing too much damage to the crop...as long as the farmer is in agreement with me that is fine.

 

We all have to make judgement calls for different situations and we can't all agree on them...hopefully on this forum most people agree most of the time?

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