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A little dissapointed in BASC


ShootingEgg
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So a friend and I made the effort to contact BASC and offer a day of clay, pheasant and duck for young shots on our shoot, as its one area that seems to be getting left behind. 

A great day was had, and I eagerly awaited January / February's magazine for the write up. Open it up today and there is no more than two paragraphs in the regional section of the magazine.

I wasnt expecting a full on 5 page feature but a bit more needs to be done to promote the sport to the youngsters and at the older generations to try and get them involved. 

 

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I contacted them last year over a legal right of way, that had been used as a road for over fifty years after the new farmer put a locked gate on preventing vehicular access to Crown foreshore  response? " Yes we have had other reports of this " & NOWT!

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I was a bit disappointed with the magazine, can't remember if it was the last one or the one before, nearly all about driven shoots, and what little there was on rough shooting, pest control, etc., it was in the context of something to do during the close formal shoot season.  While I'm sure there are plenty of BASC members who do go on driven shoots, I'm sure there is still a sizeable number who don't, either because they don't want to, or just can't afford it.  

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53 minutes ago, catchthepigeonmutley said:

I was a bit disappointed with the magazine, can't remember if it was the last one or the one before, nearly all about driven shoots, and what little there was on rough shooting, pest control, etc., it was in the context of something to do during the close formal shoot season.  While I'm sure there are plenty of BASC members who do go on driven shoots, I'm sure there is still a sizeable number who don't, either because they don't want to, or just can't afford it.  

Their interest of late does seems to follow the money! 

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My Wildfowling club has left BASC and joined another organisation with the same insurances etc, can't give full details, but has above, not enough for the rough shooter or pest control members of BASC, mostly concerns driven shooting, and pampering too the tweed brigade. The shooting times has gone down the same road, that's why I cancelled my subscription after 40 years. Earlier magazines would contain, articles ranging from fishing too feretting, but all it seems now is driven shooting on large estates, and adverts for 40k 4/4s.

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i cant fault them to be honest. always been very helpful over the years. think it is the one organisation we should back then, they would have more push to protect our sport. for me it is legal cover and insurance  which is a must for the amount of shooting activities we do. very rarely read the magazine but do look at the pictures :lol: 

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I doubt it somehow.Many years ago,  I seem to recall WAGBI and later BASC having access to some land in the Porthmadoc area. A lot of members gave up a lot of time and effort volunteering to undertake a whole load of conservation work and improving the habitat for both game and wildfowl. Just a shame that only the top brass of the Association,  ever got to shoot it  !

Edited by Westley
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This:

"I have Said it before and I will say it again . It’s the big commercial shoots that are going to ruin shooting for all of us. They are an abomination and far from what shooting should be ."

Plus this:

"The BASC has been driven shooting orientated for some time."

Equals disaster.

I really do hope that neither of the above comments turn out to be valid. For a few years I've had very little time for BASC on two grounds - one of which is currently no longer applicable (hopefully, it'll stay that way), but to my mind - and I'm aware that I'm in a very small minority - the other does remain valid. However, if it were to turn out that the quotes are accurate, then without BASC we really would be in a someone-or-other's muddle

 

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Looking through the latest BASC magazine I see there were three fowling related articles against one game shooting. Let`s not forget that wildfowlers number less than 10,000 and there are now more women members of BASC that coastal gunners.

Magazine content will reflect membership preference and like any magazine, the editor is always after decent copy. If you do`nt see the articles you`d like to in S and C, why not have a go at writing one yourself and send it in.

From the positive comments written by BASC about ShootingEgg`s generous offer it would seem that BASC too put a great deal of effort into organsing the infrastructure of the day and one has only to look through the courses BASC offers to see that they put a huge amount of time, effort and money into encouraging all age groups, and both sexes, to take part in shooting.

Can I ask the original poster what did he actually expect? He has a concise but heartfelt "thank you" of about the same size as the article underneath his, the Ladies wildfowling Course - a course encouraging other groups of people - to take up shooting.

It seems that it was precicely because BASC was promoting shooting to other groups that any greater appluase for his extremely worthwhile efforts were squeezed to one side.

I really do sympathise with BASC. Whatever they try to do, there`s always someone who wants to complain about it!

 

 

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Mudpattern. Then why instead of hiding these things at the back of the magazine. Instead of a two or three page "what to wear to a shoot" feature!!! Use that space to promote young shot days and ladies days... 

Yeah there was a thank you and a paragraph, but over one hundred images of the day taken and ten kids loving there day, why not show off what they are doing with people like me, who actually offered the day, approached basc to do the day etc.. 

 

It was a crackong day im not disputing that. Just feel BASC focused to much on commercial shoots and what to wear in this edition. 

Just my opinion. 

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So-called professionsal writers often get things just plain wrong as they don't listen or don't understand. Furthermore, anything they or you submit for publication whether for BASC or the commercial press  (and I have experience of both) is liable to be omitted or reduced in size to fit the space available in that edition.  The most annoying thing is when the sense of what you have written is altered by a not-too-bright sub-editor. The editor, like the referee, has the last word unfortunately.

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I have to say that everything I`ve ever submitted to BASC, the Shooting Times, the Shooting Gazette etc. has been published in it`s entirety or, where some shortening was required, with my approval.

I`m not a professional writer but I feel bound to say that my experience is different to yours. BASC and the Shooting Times are both especially keen to get it right with some of the more technically obscure stuff.

 

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Agreed wholeheartedly. The core point I was leading up to is this, so many of the BASC knocking commentators seem to have a defeatist attitude, they`re often beaten before they begin, about dealing with BASC and the trials of life in general.

BASC frequently gets things wrong. They are not perfect. They have many shortcomings. Their staff are human and they make mistakes. I just need to get that out of the way lest I be accused of wearing rose tinted glasses.

I get great service from BASC, as I do from most of the people I deal with in life and business. I try hard to reciprocate.

The reason I get great service is that I`m often dealing with people I know. I make it my business as a member to know them. If they`re not known to me then I do what I would with any business contact, I make a note of dates, times and peoples names and if I don`t get the response I feel is necessary then I take steps to make sure that I do. 

I must say that in over 45 years of regularly dealing with WAGBI/BASC, I`ve only ever had to get bolshie on two occassions, and they were separated by twenty years and involved different staff members. I can put my hand on my heart and say that I get great customer service from BASC -  and I`m not easy to please!

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To just confirm my stance

 

The day was a huge success, James Green from BASC,  myself and my mate put together a great day for ten young shots. I have no issue with the south West team who worked with us to set the day up. 

My issue was the way the editors just pop a few pages at the back to say what has been done in the regions. Yet will do a "what to wear" feature of two or more pages. Just seems they are writing about the wrong things. Im not a rich city slicker, i put my self in a workg class background and enjoy fieldsports. I know what to wear and so do most shooters. So why cant publications write something a little different that some of us normal folk would find interesting and then know what kind  of things we can do to work with BASC to help the fieldsports community. Most regions would of done young shots days, so they could of done a write up incorporating all regions.. 

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ShootingEgg ,

 I sympathise with you , but let us not forget we do it because we love our sport not for the publicity .

I have represented BASC & WAGBI for over forty years  and still enjoy it today , but always remember the wise words of my good friend the late Tony Orchard of Apple Sporting who was BASC's original Pigeon shooting demonstrator at Fairs , when I first got involved volunteering Tony said , " Be careful BASC are users" and that surely is true .

The membership realises what the volunteers do for our sport , appreciate it , but do tend to take us for granted.

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18 hours ago, Salopian said:

ShootingEgg ,

 I sympathise with you , but let us not forget we do it because we love our sport not for the publicity .

This was in no way to get myself publicity, the event was to get a group of youngsters introduced to game shooting snd the whole cycle from keeping the birds to getting them to the table. And promoting the sport to them. 

 

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