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Coursers Karma.


Cranfield
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We get coursers that drive round crop fields looking for hares and when they jump one they throw the dogs out the doors, not exactly Waterloo Cup.

Here's one that fell foul of some very wet ground on a direct drill rape field.

This field had no gate, but the Farmer has now dropped two large old ploughs in the entrance, so this vehicle is going to be there a while.

 

The Police reaction ?

"Low priority", "not interested as the vehicle is on private land", etc.

 

 

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The Police attitude is driven by the fact that unless they can catch them with a dead hare, or have a witness prepared to make a statement that they were seen killing a hare, there is not much chance of a conviction for coursing.

Diligent police hassle them and check their vehicles, insurance, etc., but even when caught in a field on foot with their dogs, they claim they are just taking them for a walk, or the dog has run off and they are looking for it.

Every field shows some evidence of vehicle tracks around it where its been visited, as this is growing crops that are being damaged, I would have thought criminal damage might be a relevant offence.

 

The owner of this vehicle (and his three friends and four dogs) went into the nearest farm the morning he got stuck and asked for a tractor to pull them out.

The farmer refused as it was not his field and none of his business.

The same day the old ploughs were put in the gateway and a week later a man approached the farmer who owns the field and said that his wife had taken their dog for a walk, had lost it and was driving around looking for it (no mention of the four men and four dogs) when she got stuck.

The farmer told him to go forth and multiply.

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Sadly, if any of the noble ideas suggested above were put into action you could expect some unpleasant retribution visited upon you or your farm/ farm equipment which could end up being costly and unpleasant (or both) to deal with. Plod are just as likely to be unhelpful with that too. Here they just leave them get on with it, tracks all over the drilled wheat, winter rape, lucerne... etc. etc.

 

We have something stupid like two, yes two officers for rural East Herts at night. Ne'er do well's come fill your boots!

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Last saturday I was visiting friends to deliver a couple of brace and as I turned up they were waiting for the RAC.

 

They first thought he had driven up their farm track and stopped, but as I got up to the house they asked me but I hadn't seen an RAC van.

 

It turned out to be our pikie friends on a little coursing trip.

 

The next door farmer was phoned as it was his crop they were damaging whislt driving all over the place.

 

The Police were called too and surprisingly they never attended.

 

We tend to let them get on with their illegal activities and take regestration numbers for passing to the Police.

 

If they get stuck they can get out or leave the often un-registered and un-insured vehicle behind, walk back to their caravans and steal another 4x4 soon after.

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It certainly makes you think about lamping at night whilst these guys then enter a field and if dogs come at the shooter what do you do? - that wold be a awful situation.

I caught two burglars on my permission, coursers out illegally in fields... makes me feel slightly unsafe shooting at night now.

Glad they got their truck stuck, except the fact they'll likely as TC says, just go and steal another soon enough.

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  • 3 weeks later...

So say you are on a permission lamping rabbits at night and these guys turn up with thier dogs what do you do hide? Or show yourself and hope they dont jump you and take your firearm

I'd guess it's fairly likely that if the dogs come out, they'll sniff you out and then the people will think you've been hiding and watching them, thus causing you more agro?

 

I'd suppose the best thing to do would be to try to make a swift, silent exit, and then phone plod so that it's reported...

 

Wondering what the legalities is if a dog came to attack you, can you legally shoot it if you feel endangered by it? (however you'd need to have set up a phone on video record to ensure that you can show footage to police after).

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I'd guess it's fairly likely that if the dogs come out, they'll sniff you out and then the people will think you've been hiding and watching them, thus causing you more agro?

 

I'd suppose the best thing to do would be to try to make a swift, silent exit, and then phone plod so that it's reported...

 

Wondering what the legalities is if a dog came to attack you, can you legally shoot it if you feel endangered by it? (however you'd need to have set up a phone on video record to ensure that you can show footage to police after).

The shooting of animals for the protection of other animals or humans is a condition under expanding ammunition I have used this to shoot dogs attacking livestock . If a dog is acting aggressive at me and I back off and it keeps coming I wouldn't hesitate

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Surely though if they are sneaking onto land they will have seen your lamp long before you see them. I doubt you would get an aggressive lurcher ome up to you they are usually fairly good at socialising dogs ive just wondered how to deal with the situation as i remember watching andy crow on fb talking about how he was shot at by a poacher and he called the police and 30 mins or an hour later a normal police officer turned up no armed response or anything so you are on your own basically. Probably best asking a gamekeeper as they encounter this more i suppose

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Probably best not to go up to them. I know someone who did and they were reported for threatening them with a firearm, despite it being slipped. Plod came round, all sorts of awkward questions, problems at renewal with more questions. The police didn't seem to be too bothered about the trespassing issue... private land etc. etc.

 

One law for one...

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