fenboy Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 Neither will I. Why can't some put the same thought into accepting the fact that some people are shooting for pest control and not 'sport'? Not everyone cares about pigeons in the way others do; they are vermin after all. Why can't some people accept that? If you care so much about pigeons, stop bloody shooting them! We already travel some distance to meet our dealers staff halfway to deliver rabbits, and he isn't interested in pigeons (only once did one of his staff come to us to collect, and he received a rollocking from our dealer) and we get 1.50 per head shot rabbit so freezers space is taken up with them. How much is a pigeon worth....25 pence? Our two local butchers aren't interested either, so they get ploughed in or buried along with the other vermin such as corvids after I've breasted what pigeons I can take. Our farmers are quite happy for us to do this, but like I've already said, they live in the real world where your 'sporting' sensitivities count for nowt. We don't get the pigeon numbers around here as others do on arable prairie farms; the only time we get to shoot pigeons in significant numbers is now, harvest time, at the landowners request, and even then the corvids generally outnumber them 2 to 1. If people want to get their collective knickers in a twist about pigeons left in margins to be ploughed in then give me your phone number and we'll see how many are willing to spend their free time and fuel to travel up here to collect them. Before you set off it's worth bearing in mind some are pretty hard hit; this is pest control and we don't think twice about sparing 'unsporting' birds. Some aren't even worth breasting. So if you dont get them in big numbers and only shoot them at harvest Why the need to shoot them for "pest control" what are they being a pest to ? given that any serious pest control would be done when they are causing a problem to the crop not once the crops have gone . At least be honest and say you are shooting pigeons because you like to do so ( as we all do ) I have come to realise that their is no point arguing with those that are happy to dump good food as its a subject we could never agree on . I could perhaps understand ( though never agree with) someone shooting large numbers of pigeon over standing crops where they are doing damage and not picking them , but to shoot them and then waste them because they are ravaging some stubble I cannot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon69 Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 If you have neighbours, friends, work colleages, you have an outlet for your pigeons. A few years ago, when we moved to our present house, there was a street party that involved the 14 houses on our cul-d-sac. i brought a dozen or so pigeons breasted(and marinated) to the party for the BBQ and handed them out. They loved them! i explained that sometimes, not as often as i would like, i would have some going spare. 12 of the houses will happily take 10+ at a time! The other two, (ones a vegan! and the other wasnt there) wont.( but even the vegan's husband had a sneaky one at the BBQ and loved it! lol). So now i have neighbours who cant do enough for us. A reliable easy outlet for the pigeons and, most importantly, neighbours who are PRO Shooting, actively encourage me to go shooting and always ask me when am i going next!! i think breasting a few pigeons and walking next door is a very small price to pay for the advantages it provides. (no freezer, no travelling, no waste,PRO Shooting neighbours!! win,win,win!) If ever i get to the point where the neighbours cant handle the amount, which i doubt will happen, then there is a large OAP community in the village that i could tap into! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon69 Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 (edited) Scully- are you a professional/paid pest controller? do you get paid for it? If not and its not sport, why do you do it? Edited September 5, 2015 by silver pigeon69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 So if you dont get them in big numbers and only shoot them at harvest Why the need to shoot them for "pest control" what are they being a pest to ? We shoot them because the landowner asks us to, and indeed expects us to. If we don't he'll get someone else who will. They're all shot under the terms of the general license just the same as anyone else on here, or youtube or fieldsports TV, or anywhere else you care to mention, who decoys over stubble. How many posts are there on here concerning shooting over stubble? Do a search and then you can have a pop at them also. given that any serious pest control would be done when they are causing a problem to the crop not once the crops have gone . It is, if and when we can get there when the damage is being done. At least be honest and say you are shooting pigeons because you like to do so ( as we all do ) I have always been bluntly honest why we shoot pigeons, because we enjoy it immensely. I see everyone is skirting around the issue of corvids shot whilst decoying pigeons. These are dumped whether they're collected form the field or not; they're all ultimately dumped. I have come to realise that their is no point arguing with those that are happy to dump good food as its a subject we could never agree on . I could perhaps understand ( though never agree with) someone shooting large numbers of pigeon over standing crops where they are doing damage and not picking them , but to shoot them and then waste them because they are ravaging some stubble. I cannot. Then you're a hypocrite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 (edited) Scully- are you a professional/paid pest controller? No. do you get paid for it? Only in cartridges. If not and its not sport, why do you do it? For the same reason as you and everyone else who does it; I love it. If you care so much about pigeons why are you shooting them? Must dash; have been asked to shoot bolting bunnies while they combine the spring barley, which will mean svn more stubble for next week. Edited September 5, 2015 by Scully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 So if you dont get them in big numbers and only shoot them at harvest Why the need to shoot them for "pest control" what are they being a pest to ? We shoot them because the landowner asks us to, and indeed expects us to. If we don't he'll get someone else who will. They're all shot under the terms of the general license just the same as anyone else on here, or youtube or fieldsports TV, or anywhere else you care to mention, who decoys over stubble. How many posts are there on here concerning shooting over stubble? Do a search and then you can have a pop at them also. given that any serious pest control would be done when they are causing a problem to the crop not once the crops have gone . It is, if and when we can get there when the damage is being done. At least be honest and say you are shooting pigeons because you like to do so ( as we all do ) I have always been bluntly honest why we shoot pigeons, because we enjoy it immensely. I see everyone is skirting around the issue of corvids shot whilst decoying pigeons. These are dumped whether they're collected form the field or not; they're all ultimately dumped. I have come to realise that their is no point arguing with those that are happy to dump good food as its a subject we could never agree on . I could perhaps understand ( though never agree with) someone shooting large numbers of pigeon over standing crops where they are doing damage and not picking them , but to shoot them and then waste them because they are ravaging some stubble. I cannot. Then you're a hypocrite. Or pehaps someone with more morals , no problem with corvids being dumped as they are not a food source other than brancher rooks , but I am selling my crows too at the moment , its surprising what can be shifted rather than wastred with a little thought . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon69 Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 Scully- are you a professional/paid pest controller? No. do you get paid for it? Only in cartridges. If not and its not sport, why do you do it? For the same reason as you and everyone else who does it; I love it. If you care so much about pigeons why are you shooting them? Because i enjoy it and my family enjoy the very healthy food from it. i dont care so much about pigeons, they are vermin in my eyes, but i think, like every other resource on the planet, they should be used to their max and nothing should be wasted if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 Or pehaps someone with more morals , no problem with corvids being dumped as they are not a food source other than brancher rooks , but I am selling my crows too at the moment , its surprising what can be shifted rather than wastred with a little thought . Where are you selling your crows ? Not specific details, but the sort of outlet thats buying them might be useful to others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 Where are you selling your crows ? Not specific details, but the sort of outlet thats buying them might be useful to others. I rarely shoot many crows but the few I have shot since I switched to steel shot have been sold to BOP guys . I also hear someTaxidermists will pay good money for them . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 Because i enjoy it and my family enjoy the very healthy food from it. i dont care so much about pigeons, they are vermin in my eyes, but i think, like every other resource on the planet, they should be used to their max and nothing should be wasted if possible.Good for you. Others see it and do it differently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 Or pehaps someone with more morals , no problem with corvids being dumped as they are not a food source other than brancher rooks , but I am selling my crows too at the moment , its surprising what can be shifted rather than wastred with a little thought .For crying out loud. You're bringing morals into a debate about killing wildlife for no other reason than you enjoy it? Do you know the meaning of he word hypocrisy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew f Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 (edited) Mmm handbags at dawn gents no different with mixi rabbits you can eat them but we choose not to they end up in the hedge do they not? Edited September 5, 2015 by andrew f Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 (edited) For crying out loud. You're bringing morals into a debate about killing wildlife for no other reason than you enjoy it? Do you know the meaning of he word hypocrisy? As I see it I am bringing morals into a debate about the waste of a perfectly good food source , as my mum always told me when I did not finish my dinner " there are people starving you know " Yes I enjoy pigeon shooting , would I do it if I had no use for them ,without a doubt no , I would go and shoot clays. Edit to say , as in my first reply to your post it is something we are never going to agree on so lets leave it at that and mve on. Edited September 5, 2015 by fenboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 Neither will I. Why can't some put the same thought into accepting the fact that some people are shooting for pest control and not 'sport'? Not everyone cares about pigeons in the way others do; they are vermin after all. Why can't some people accept that? If you care so much about pigeons, stop bloody shooting them! We already travel some distance to meet our dealers staff halfway to deliver rabbits, and he isn't interested in pigeons (only once did one of his staff come to us to collect, and he received a rollocking from our dealer) and we get 1.50 per head shot rabbit so freezers space is taken up with them. How much is a pigeon worth....25 pence? Our two local butchers aren't interested either, so they get ploughed in or buried along with the other vermin such as corvids after I've breasted what pigeons I can take. Our farmers are quite happy for us to do this, but like I've already said, they live in the real world where your 'sporting' sensitivities count for nowt. We don't get the pigeon numbers around here as others do on arable prairie farms; the only time we get to shoot pigeons in significant numbers is now, harvest time, at the landowners request, and even then the corvids generally outnumber them 2 to 1. If people want to get their collective knickers in a twist about pigeons left in margins to be ploughed in then give me your phone number and we'll see how many are willing to spend their free time and fuel to travel up here to collect them. Before you set off it's worth bearing in mind some are pretty hard hit; this is pest control and we don't think twice about sparing 'unsporting' birds. Some aren't even worth breasting. first of all I didn,t reply to any of your comments, and I,m not getting into a heated debate either, all I will say is its about having a bit of respect for what you shoot, I travel 70 to 80 miles round trip to take pigeons to a game dealer when the freezers are full, but I won,t travel hundreds of miles to off load them, and I would stop shooting them if I didn,t have an outlet for them within the distance I mentioned its that simple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 As I see it I am bringing morals into a debate about the waste of a perfectly good food source , as my mum always told me when I did not finish my dinner " there are people starving you know " With all due respect to your mum, you can eat all the food you can instead of wasting it and all you'll get is fat, but it wont stop those in the world who are starving from starving. Yes I enjoy pigeon shooting , would I do it if I had no use for them ,without a doubt no , Then your 'pest control' must be very selective. We shoot them whenever we're asked and sometimes before we're asked. If you're not shooting them as pest control then you're shooting them for fun. No doubt you pack up as soon as you've shot the allotted amount your moral code allows? I would go and shoot clays. I shoot a few clays as well. Edit to say , as in my first reply to your post it is something we are never going to agree on so lets leave it at that and mve on. I see, you now want to move on after you've finished criticising me. Fair enough. Here's something else for you to ponder. I've just got back in from shooting bunnies bolted from spring barley as asked by the landowners. I had phoned around for guns but as it was short notice ( less than an hour ) everyone was busy elsewhere, so as it was only a couple of smallish fields I did it myself. The numbers weren't as high as we'd expected so I'm thankful no one could make it. We bolted 11, of which I shot and killed 10, plus 2 which sat tight and paid the price plus another 2 that apparently bolted on the blind side of the crop towards the end which I couldn't see. I didn't have time to stop and paunch any as I was walking gun, being on my own, and in the hot sun and having being shotgunned they were in no condition to process when we'd finished. I removed the back legs of those which weren't too hard hit at that end, for the ferrets, and then the landowner and me threw them down rabbit holes in the hedgerow surrounding one of his woods. Our game dealer only pays 50p for shotgunned rabbits and then will only take delivery of them in quantities of 100 or more, same as head shot ones. Landowner was very happy, so I am too. Although we do a lot of shooting on this land, this is the first time I've done this on this particular farm, but now word will get about and in the words of the landowner ....'well the' wasn't much got away theer ***** '. Farmers soon spread news around; some serious brownie points accumulated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 first of all I didn,t reply to any of your comments, and I,m not getting into a heated debate either, all I will say is its about having a bit of respect for what you shoot, I travel 70 to 80 miles round trip to take pigeons to a game dealer when the freezers are full, but I won,t travel hundreds of miles to off load them, and I would stop shooting them if I didn,t have an outlet for them within the distance I mentioned its that simple Then with respect, that isn't pest control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted September 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 Someone stole my topic!!!! We already had a discussion previously with scully about his views regarding disposal. Little piles of dead things are part of his field etiquette. Fair enough. Wouldnt be my cup of tea and i wouldnt share a hide with someone who behaved like that. But there we go. Each to their own. Back to topic. Field etiquette? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 Someone stole my topic!!!! We already had a discussion previously with scully about his views regarding disposal. Little piles of dead things are part of his field etiquette. Fair enough. Wouldnt be my cup of tea and i wouldnt share a hide with someone who behaved like that. But there we go. Each to their own. Back to topic. Field etiquette? Quite big piles sometimes actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted September 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 (edited) It would be too easy. So I won't😄 Edited September 5, 2015 by Dr D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 It would be too easy. So I won't You should have; it would have shown you don't take yourself quite as seriously as many think you do. Never mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshMike Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Respect the landowners wishes Never leave a mess Tell them of any issues with fences, livestock etc Treat others with a similar level of respect that you would like in return Try and dispose of what you have shot in a considerate fashion (not related to pigeons before I spark the arguments again). For example I dispose of fox carcasses in the rough areas on the farms I shoot away from footpaths, or in one case I leave them on the farmers lawn for him to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.w. Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Respect the landowners wishes Never leave a mess Tell them of any issues with fences, livestock etc Treat others with a similar level of respect that you would like in return Try and dispose of what you have shot in a considerate fashion (not related to pigeons before I spark the arguments again). For example I dispose of fox carcasses in the rough areas on the farms I shoot away from footpaths, or in one case I leave them on the farmers lawn for him to see. +1 welshmike has it spot on its about respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShropshireSam Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Respect the landowners wishes Never leave a mess Tell them of any issues with fences, livestock etc Treat others with a similar level of respect that you would like in return Try and dispose of what you have shot in a considerate fashion (not related to pigeons before I spark the arguments again). For example I dispose of fox carcasses in the rough areas on the farms I shoot away from footpaths, or in one case I leave them on the farmers lawn for him to see. It comes down to respect to all involved in our sport. I think respect for the landowner's wishes is the top one. I have one landowner who does not want foxes shot so I respect that (although I disagree with it). I have heard of one gamekeeper who has shot foxes left in a bag for him. He lets them "ripen" for a week then leaves them on a field margin to discourage dog walkers from trespassing near his release pen. Apparently dogs repeatedly rolling in rotten fox quickly stops the dog walking traffic!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 I have heard of one gamekeeper who has shot foxes left in a bag for him. He lets them "ripen" for a week then leaves them on a field margin to discourage dog walkers from trespassing near his release pen. Apparently dogs repeatedly rolling in rotten fox quickly stops the dog walking traffic!! Yep, I can see how that would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oz.man64 Posted September 24, 2015 Report Share Posted September 24, 2015 Basically treat everywhere with upmost respect. Leave no rubbish take all your birds home dont walk thru crops etc. Be polite and frirndly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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