paulm Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 Hi there, I'm a complete beginner in the world of pigeon shooting (or any shooting for that matter), the only gun I have owned is a small gas powered air pistol with laser sight. What I would like to know is what are the legal issues involved in pigeon shooting, and how could I go about getting involved in the sport. I've heard something about a general license that is issued by DEFRA but was unable to find a valid one on the web. The only one I could find expired last December: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/regulat/...s_man/WLF18.pdf Is it legal to shoot pigeons in your own back garden? Are there any public places where you can shoot pigeons or other pest birds? Do you know of any clubs or private places where you can get permission to shoot pest birds in and around Hampshire? Could you recommend any mail order shops / websites where you can purchase equipment, or do you need to be physically present in a shop to buy an air rifle? What would you recommend as a good basic setup for under £300? Is there a the legal power limit on an air riffle, and do you need a license to operate a more powerful one, if so how would you go about obtaining such a license? If there are any other tips or advice you could give me I would be most grateful. Regards, Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutty Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 Paulm. First things first,welcome to the site If its info your after your at the right place, some of the lads on here are veritable experts when it comes to what your looking for. I will try to answer your questions but dont include myself in the latter lol The licence for shooting vermin which includes pigeon(ferral and woodies) is as you say held by want of a better word "the government" this is an "umbrella licence" and covers you . As for shooting pigeons in your back garden, if i am correct, you would need to prove that they were causing damage to crops etc to warrent them as a pest species, the R.S.P.C.A. are a bit tetchy about these kind of things and it still remains a bit of a grey area, better off sticking to farms ,commercial sites etc. You can not shoot or discharge a gun in any public place/area, in fact to carry a gun on private land without prior consent could be construed as armed tresspass so another no no. As for clubs perhaps others on the site may know of some in your area, they do exist and many have access to thousands of acres of land for a yearly fee. In my oppinion "TRY BEFORE YOU BUY " is best when it comes to spending large sums on things like air rifles Go to a few shops and talk to customers as well as the owner, there are hundreds of air weapons on the market and one that suits others may not suit you . The legal limit is 12 pounds and to obtain one higher rated you would need a fire arms certificate. However saying that 12 pounds will easily kill small vermin inc Rabbit etc at sensible distances and if they are hit in the right spot. In my oppinion if you are serious about taking it up as a sport (Pigeon shooting ) i myself would get out a few times with A.N.Other, have a go and then think about Applying for a shot gun cert, have some tuition maybe a clay session or two. getting hold of a resonable shotgun(nothing fancy )tuition, and a few clay sessions could well be below the three hundred quid you speak of. I hope this has been some help to you good hunting. Regards Sutty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 Paulm, that is good information from Sutty. I would add, that it is definitely worth reading the back posts on the Forums, a lot of your questions have been discussed in the past. If you are particularly interested in airgun vermin shooting, that Forum is very informative. Most Clay Shooting Grounds have their own shotguns available for the use of customers, who don,t have licences/guns . That would be worth a try to see if you like using a shotgun, or to assist you in the type of shotgun you want. You will also get more responses, if you ask questions one at a time. Not everyone likes typing a manuscript in reply to a lot of questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snakepitlee Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 take a look at www.bluemoonguns.com .cheap set up under £100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulm Posted March 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2004 Thanks everyone for your posts, they've been really helpful. I will keep reading through some of the past posts on this site to see if i can find some info on sites near me etc.. Cheers, Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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