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Shooting Pheasants that stray way over other land. OK?


jam1e
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Hi folks,

As a rule i don't, or should i say didn't shoot Pheasant. Until last week anyhow... Some years, the owner of one of the extended family's permissions i shoot on hire out several small woods for game folk to rear poults and have a small syndicate shoot. I usually help out by thinning out the squirrels that raid the feeders when i know an agreement has been made with the farm owner. But this year they is no-one who has reared any, and no woods leased out. When i arrived i usually drive the lands perimeter to see if anythings up that the owner should know about. Which i generally will do for all my permissions. I say "all" i only have 5. This one being around 600 acres. Then I drive to my favorite "safe" spot to try out different rifle loads when i have a new gun.                                                             Anyway, while doing this i saw dozens and dozens of Pheasants in groups ranging from 8 to around 25. In total around a 100 plus, maybe more mixed sex Pheasants. Way more than usual, even when the woods have been leased! Anyhow, having my .22lr with me, and knowing there was no business ventures costing someone on the farm, i popped one off for a Sunday stew. And very nice it was too! Thanks to the You-tube channel, "The Scott Rea Project". But admittedly, after the event It did cross my mind if i was within my rights? The birds were around half a mile away from the nearest woodland. So was ok to do so? I have to say, it was delicious! :yes:  And if the land owner gives me consent when i ask him, i intend to pop a couple more off for the pot.  

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I’m actually not sure of the legalities of Shooting game birds with a rifle?! 

Its not very sporting or ethical though is it? I suppose some may say the same about rabbits, but still, it’s not something I would do. 

Can’t you have a walked up shoot with the shotgun?

If they’re wild birds and you have permission crack on. 

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3 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

I’m actually not sure of the legalities of Shooting game birds with a rifle?! 

Its not very sporting or ethical though is it? I suppose some may say the same about rabbits, but still, it’s not something I would do. 

Can’t you have a walked up shoot with the shotgun?

If they’re wild birds and you have permission crack on. 

Why shouldn't people shoot game birds with a rifle?

its legal.

whats not 'ethical' about a clean kill of a bird? Is a shotgun a more ethical way to shoot animals?

odd post.

Edited by kyska
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4 minutes ago, kyska said:

Why shouldn't people shoot game birds with a rifle?

its legal.

whats not 'ethical' about a clean kill of a bird? Is a shotgun a more ethical way to shoot animals?

odd post.

Not something I would do personally. Same as I wouldn’t shoot a duck sat on the water. 

If you want to, crack on as long as it’s legal and you have permission.  

I just wouldn’t see the point. The thrill of the hunt, a sporting shot, all of that. 

What next? Just blast them whilst they’re still in the pen?! 

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7 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

Not something I would do personally. Same as I wouldn’t shoot a duck sat on the water. 

If you want to, crack on as long as it’s legal and you have permission.  

I just wouldn’t see the point. The thrill of the hunt, a sporting shot, all of that. 

What next? Just blast them whilst they’re still in the pen?! 

he shot one bird for the pot.

if were honest about it, some of us as eight guns shoot possibly 240 birds on a formal driven day primarily for sport. Which is the most ethical ??

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12 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

Not something I would do personally. Same as I wouldn’t shoot a duck sat on the water. 

If you want to, crack on as long as it’s legal and you have permission.  

I just wouldn’t see the point. The thrill of the hunt, a sporting shot, all of that. 

What next? Just blast them whilst they’re still in the pen?! 

Sporting isn't ethical is it, your opinion is confusing.

The 'thrill' of a hunt is the antithesis, a bullet through the brain and lights out is ethically sound.

A question, shooting a duck in the water is ethically wrong, yet shooting it on flight is ok? I'd love to know the difference ethically.

Edited by kyska
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10 hours ago, Luckyshot said:

So long as you have permission then crack on, once the birds are on your farmers land they belong to him.  As for using the rifle if they are going to be eaten then I don’t see a problem and I too use my rifle for the odd pheasant 

Sorry but once a pheasant is released it has now become a wild bird , no one owns it . If it comes onto your land then yes you can shoot it, but you do not own it just because its on your land , its a wild bird.

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10 hours ago, kyska said:

Sporting isn't ethical is it, your opinion is confusing.

The 'thrill' of a hunt is the antithesis, a bullet through the brain and lights out is ethically sound.

A question, shooting a duck in the water is ethically wrong, yet shooting it on flight is ok? I'd love to know the difference ethically.

The punt gunner in the middle of nowhere is one thing, but in common with most of our shooting 'lore' what is or is not considered 'sporting' is based on either courtesy or safety and the latter in the main being the case of the sitting duck.

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3 hours ago, ips said:

I think the crux of the matter is if your killing for the pot or for sport , one has to be honest about these things.

a sporting shot is totally different to a shot for the pot or indeed for vermin control.

+1  If you are taking it home to eat, absolutely fine. Personally I would never shoot one on the ground as it is all about the sport for me. Then again I don't particularly like the taste of pheasant ;)

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16 minutes ago, Ultrastu said:

Not 100 % sure .

But a conversation with basc last week. Highlighted that its against the law to shoot any game bird with a rifle .

So that includes pheasant .

It would be against the law to shoot game birds with a firearm that had a magazine capable of holding more than two rounds. So it's three shot max for shotguns and rifles.

Edited by TriBsa
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32 minutes ago, rimfire4969 said:

There seems to be some strange ideas in this thread. I would love to see where some of these comments are written in law.

 

If it’s moving shotgun if it’s sat still rifle. Clean kill for the pot. 

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

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Had I released the pheasant on the ground and found you had shot them with a ‘illegal’ firearm then I would bite my tongue. 

 

Same circumstance using a rim fire (and I would think 95% of people who have them for sporting use hold more than 2 rounds) I would be straight into the FLO.

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27 minutes ago, markm said:

Had I released the pheasant on the ground and found you had shot them with a ‘illegal’ firearm then I would bite my tongue. 

 

Same circumstance using a rim fire (and I would think 95% of people who have them for sporting use hold more than 2 rounds) I would be straight into the FLO.

I regularly use my bolt action rimfire to thin out cocks at the end of the season, are you suggesting that I am acting illegally and that you would report me for doing something that is perfectly legal.

I suggest you read the legislation before you pick up the phone though !!

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I think you will find that is not the actual legislation, but an incorrectly worded precis.

The actual legislation is stated below, it is also worth noting that the legislation also states "automatic weapon” and “semi-automatic weapon” do not include any weapon the magazine of which is incapable of holding more than two rounds", hence one is able to use a S2 semi auto shotgun. 

(c)uses for the purpose of killing or taking any wild bird—

(i)any bow or crossbow;

(ii)any explosive other than ammunition for a firearm;

(iii)any automatic or semi-automatic weapon;

(iv)anyshot-gun of which the barrel has an internal diameter at the muzzle of more than one and three-quarter inches;

(v)any device for illuminating a target or any sighting device for night shooting;

(vi)any form of artificial lighting or any mirror or other dazzling device;

(vii)any gas or smoke not falling within paragraphs (a) and (b); or

(viii)any chemical wetting agent;

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