Salopian Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Not very nice to hear that Buick and Whooper Swans are down by 35% in migration figures due to shooting people using them for target practice according to the lady from WWT at Welney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow Bear Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 What was more worrying was that the interviewer did not challenge the statement as a fact or just conjecture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konnie Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Any link to this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panoma1 Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Apart from the odd idiot with an air gun, I doubt they get shot at much in this country, are they by any chance shot at in their summer quarters? and any countries they migrate through to get here? they also fall victim to manmade airial obstructions such as power cables and wind turbines! Possibilities the WWT female employee chose not to mention! Her selective and targeted unsubstantiated accusations fit in well with the WWT's campaign to damage shooting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 They do seem so much better at getting their points on to nationwide tv ( no matter how flawed ) than us don't they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grrclark Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 They do seem so much better at getting their points on to nationwide tv ( no matter how flawed ) than us don't they? They do, but it is much easier to promote a story of faux outrage than it is one of responsibility. The expectation is that we as shooters behave impeccably. News headlines are all about the exceptions and we cannot ever do anything that is seen as being exceptional, because that is the baseline for us. I really do wish that our journalists did their job and challenge these outrageous statements from the likes of the WWT, but that wouldn't sell copy either. The other thing that annoys me is that the good work in conservation efforts that is done through the shooting community is too highbrow for populist media, it is too big a subject to tackle in a short headline and easily digested article. "Land management by shooting estates sees x% population increase in vulnerable bird species", etc just isn't sexy :( The best chance that I think we have to promote shooting is through sporting achievement, because it is inoffensive as nothing gets killed, yet the various clay or target shooting associations don't seem to have any talent what so ever in that respect. It is left to BASC, CA, GWCT, etc and they have the toughest of gigs because they all support live quarry shooting and promote the highbrow message. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toontastic Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 Not very nice to hear that Buick and Whooper Swans are down by 35% in migration figures due to shooting people using them for target practice according to the lady from WWT at Welney. Lies, lies and more lies. As shooters we complain when people alter facts to justify their arguments and yet you have done the same. The girl from WWT never said Berwick Swan numbers were down 35% due to target practice, she said 35% of Berwick swans examined had gun shot wounds. When asked by the reporter why would anyone shoot a Swan she replied "for food, tradition and target practice" I do believe the report should have made it clear that these practices of shooting swans mostly occur in other countries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 Lies, lies and more lies. As shooters we complain when people alter facts to justify their arguments and yet you have done the same. The girl from WWT never said Berwick Swan numbers were down 35% due to target practice, she said 35% of Berwick swans examined had gun shot wounds. When asked by the reporter why would anyone shoot a Swan she replied "for food, tradition and target practice" I do believe the report should have made it clear that these practices of shooting swans mostly occur in other countries. This a good and valid point, which I'd overlooked while initially reading the post; it is illegal to shoot swans in this country, so the WWT spokesperson must have been talking about birds which ha emigrated here after being shot in other countries. I haven't seen the article so I'm assuming from your post above, this wasn't made clear in the report. As the saying goes...'never let the facts get in the way of a good story'. If this is so then the damage has now been done. Unknowledgeable people in this country, seeing the programme, will now assume they were shot in this country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old man Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 Anyone know if this comment made by the reserve warden? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevo Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 (edited) Surly these orgs like the WWT and the RSPB . RSPCA ect ect can be slander or whatever you call it . For making false accusations ? If we made such outlandish claims about them the would soon be all over us like a rash . I remember not so long back the RSPCA made a statement about not bringing legal action aganst fox hunters or something like that as they had NO evidence and just wasted there donated money . Surly there are lessons to be taken from that ? If these groups were threatend with some legal action for making ALL these umfounded / proven coments they my start to rethink there efforts ? Edited December 28, 2015 by stevo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toontastic Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Surly these orgs like the WWT and the RSPB . RSPCA ect ect can be slander or whatever you call it . For making false accusations ? If we made such outlandish claims about them the would soon be all over us like a rash . I remember not so long back the RSPCA made a statement about not bringing legal action aganst fox hunters or something like that as they had NO evidence and just wasted there donated money . Surly there are lessons to be taken from that ? If these groups were threatend with some legal action for making ALL these umfounded / proven coments they my start to rethink there efforts ? Can you please explain what false allegations she made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norfolk dumpling Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Usual half truths. No doubt edited to omit any reference to foreign shooters. Don't know if any of you saw article but chap (think not of UK origin) seen walking through Beccles Suffolk, carrying a dead swan! Surprised it wasn't full of lead.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toontastic Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Usual half truths. No doubt edited to omit any reference to foreign shooters. Don't know if any of you saw article but chap (think not of UK origin) seen walking through Beccles Suffolk, carrying a dead swan! Surprised it wasn't full of lead.... The woman from WWT was tagging swans and found 35% of them had evidence of being shot, she was then asked why would anyone shoot a Swan she then gave the answer that they were shot for food, where it was tradition and for target practice. So was she wrong and if so can someone give me other reasons as to why someone would shoot swans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaunda Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 We might have more credibility if we could correctly spell the species under discussion - BEWICK, after Thomas Bewick q.v. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B25Modelman Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 We might have more credibility if we could correctly spell the species under discussion - BEWICK, after Thomas Bewick q.v. ahhh but they do motor once they get going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 These swans migrate here from Siberia which means they pass over a lot of the old communist Baltic states where they are most definitely going to get shot at. Not for "target practice" but for food.Now that communism is no more in these countries gun ownership has become easier and more affordable so if numbers are dwindling its probably not suprising Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 The woman from WWT was tagging swans and found 35% of them had evidence of being shot, she was then asked why would anyone shoot a Swan she then gave the answer that they were shot for food, where it was tradition and for target practice. So was she wrong and if so can someone give me other reasons as to why someone would shoot swans. I don't think the reasons they were shot is in dispute, but rather whether the impression was given that they were shot in the UK, which could be misleading as the birds were migrants to these shores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toontastic Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 I don't think the reasons they were shot is in dispute, but rather whether the impression was given that they were shot in the UK, which could be misleading as the birds were migrants to these shores. Yes the article didn't make it clear as to where they were shot, but some people are still adamant the swans weren't shot for the reasons the WWT woman stated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Rubbish as per usual. They may not like it, but it is perfectly legal to hunt swans in many countries. There are loads of vids on the net decoying in artic Canada. Also, there is a general trend this year being recorded by the bto on a reduction of winter migrants of many species. It is being put down to mild weather in northern Europe. Finally, there is an overall trend being observed that might be due to climate change. Take, for example, the reduction in wintering pochard and goldeneye over the last decade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panoma1 Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 I think it's what wasn't said by the WWT woman and the inference and implications that omission invited the public to draw that has annoyed people..........the cynic may say it was a calculated deliberate omission in support of the WWT's not so covert anti shooting agenda? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Yes the article didn't make it clear as to where they were shot, but some people are still adamant the swans weren't shot for the reasons the WWT woman stated. Fair enough. Rubbish as per usual. They may not like it, but it is perfectly legal to hunt swans in many countries. There are loads of vids on the net decoying in artic Canada. I remember a bit of outrage on this forum some years ago after someone posted such a vid'. Some people seemed to think that just because swans are protected in this country they shouldn't be shot elsewhere. In some countries they are just another goose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Yes the article didn't make it clear as to where they were shot, but some people are still adamant the swans weren't shot for the reasons the WWT woman stated. Yes I agree, saying people use them for target practice is derrogatory, implying a wanton irresponsibility behind the shooting of them. The truth may be that in places like Lithuania and Estonia they may form a significant food source for what are still very poor rural people in the winter months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norfolk dumpling Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Anyone watch Loch Lommand last night - gamekeepers persecuting hen harriers, pine martins etc. you almost never see a UK wildlife programme without our sport being rubbished. If only we could get the public to see the good bits and how amazing the wild bird population thrives on keepered land. I love to see those old cock pheasants sparing on my lawn - wouldn't happen if the guy the other side of the hill hadn't released a few thousand there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toontastic Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Anyone watch Loch Lommand last night - gamekeepers persecuting hen harriers, pine martins etc. you almost never see a UK wildlife programme without our sport being rubbished. If only we could get the public to see the good bits and how amazing the wild bird population thrives on keepered land. I love to see those old cock pheasants sparing on my lawn - wouldn't happen if the guy the other side of the hill hadn't released a few thousand there! And that is where the various organisations are letting us down, they should be liaising with programme makers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Fair enough. I remember a bit of outrage on this forum some years ago after someone posted such a vid'. Some people seemed to think that just because swans are protected in this country they shouldn't be shot elsewhere. In some countries they are just another goose. Well that would be a stupid attitude to take. Curlews were still fair game in this part of the UK until a few years ago. I shot them early in the season. And they were just a good as any other wader to eat. Would the same attitude have applied I wonder? They also shot Brent\brant in the USA. I don't see the difference?!? If they are legal quarry, so be it. I would dare to suggest that shooting and the conservation of wildfowl going hand in hand is much more progressive across the atlantic than the UK. Both the wwt and shooters could learn a thing or two from the places where they hunt swans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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