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Bird ownership


Sawyet
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I have 25 acres of woodland in North Wales on which we have our own clay shoot (basic 4 traps which we move about), shoot a couple of dozen pigeons & around the same pheasant every year. The land is "sandwiched" in the centre of a horseshoe & the sporting rights on the land around us is let to a syndicate which run a semi commercial shoot (mixture of invitation, lets & members). we have always got on well with the lads who run the group & even let them use a corner of our land to make an extra drive.

This season it has changed hands & last weekend whilst we were cutting some wood to stack for next Winter we had a visit from the new keeper & owner. It started off with pleasantries, they wanted to check that they were still okay to use the corner for their last drive (agreed, but explained that I had a very basic agreement that I wanted them to sign). The discussion turned to our shooting & what we shot, at this point I thought they were joking when they said that they understood we shot the odd pheasant & if so it was their intention to request a charge for them as they were "their birds". Once I realised they were serious I questioned the validity of their claim as we have had quite a number of pheasants breed as nature intended over the years plus there are a couple of other hobby shoots in the area.

Just want to check that they have no claim over the pheasants that take up residence in our woods/on our land?

To be 100% clear we only ever shoot into our land if after game & all our traps are positioned so everything (clays & shot) travels in & never leaves our boundaries.

 

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Your land and your birds.   There is nothing in law that they can do about it.   Feed as hard as you like and they are still your birds while on or over your land.

We used to have two 'herberts' who would stand along the edge of one of our drives.   As the beaters came along the wood they would fall in with them - one abeam and one forty yards ahead.   Anything going out on their side got shot.   B annoying but nothing we could do about it as one of them owned that field.

We did try publishing the 'wrong' shoot dates but they were always there waiting for us.

Tell your neighbours to BO and don't let them drive your land. should concentrate their brains

Edited by Grandalf
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Once released pheasants are wild birds and owned by no one! If on your land, take as many as you want!........they have got a damn cheek approaching you with this attempt at extorting money from you!.........I would approach them and tell them in no uncertain terms, that because of their veiled threat and attempt to "have you over" you've changed your mind and they can **** right off, and they are not set foot on your land!

Or if you really want to urinate on their fireworks, tell them the cost of them using the corner of your land, is strangely...........ten pheasants or the equivalent cost of 10 pheasants every time they hold a shoot day!

As OF said..."it's a two way street"

Edited by panoma1
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10 minutes ago, panoma1 said:

Once released pheasants are wild birds and owned by no one! If on your land, take as many as you want!........they have got a damn cheek approaching you with this attempt at extorting money from you!.........I would approach them and tell them in no uncertain terms, that because of their veiled threat and attempt to "have you over" you've changed your mind and they can **** right off, and they are not set foot on your land!

 

+1 

I wouldn't let want anyone on my land with an attitude like that. You should tell him he can look elsewhere for their final drive and that the agreement you had with the previous keeper doesn't extend to him and make it abundantly clear that any birds on your land are yours.

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1 hour ago, Mice! said:

well that's made me giggle, nothing like a good first impression!! I'm sure an extra drive every time they shoot is worth loosing a few pheasant for, now they'll likely loose both.

100%    Classic example of how to lose friends and make enemies.  I would be tempted to feed up and shoot everything I see, that is after telling them their extra drive no longer exists.

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Thanks for all the replies, they all confirm my initial reaction, I just wanted to make sure that “etiquette” was not on their side.

Have just sent an email to the syndicate letting them know that permission has been rescinded & the reason for the decision.

Its a shame as we had a good relationship with the previous crowd for nearly 27years. There is always one a$$hole who spoils it for everyone!

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37 minutes ago, Sawyet said:

Thanks for all the replies, they all confirm my initial reaction, I just wanted to make sure that “etiquette” was not on their side.

Have just sent an email to the syndicate letting them know that permission has been rescinded & the reason for the decision.

Its a shame as we had a good relationship with the previous crowd for nearly 27years. There is always one a$$hole who spoils it for everyone!

Expect a visit from the shoot captain, cap in hand and "eating crow!"

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I agree with Tightchoke, trying it on to see what you're made of. Surely nobody could be that stupid to ask to use your land then charge you for the odd few pheasants you shoot.....actually I take that back, some of the silliest folk I've met have been whilst pheasant shooting. :lol:

Edited by Ttfjlc
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No body can own wild game birds ,except when they are penned and are being fed and watered .as soon as they leave the pen even if they are on your own land they are classed as wild birds . The land owner is allowed to pursue wild game on his own land .if they stray over the border there is nothing he can do other than gain permission from the neighboring land owner to pursue the game on his land .i would send them on their way .

harnser

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1 hour ago, Vince Green said:

There have been many stories on this and other forums of resentments around this subject. They may be plonkers but be careful not to start a war. 

 

If the OP is not putting any birds down the war will be pretty 1 sided war.

 

As has been said the shoot is being a wee bit (wel big bit really) silly here and has no doubt just shot itself massively in the foot.

Just mind just as u can't go onto his land to pick dead/imjured birds neither are they able to come onto ur ground to pick birds or flush or dog in either without permission.

 

Know a fella in a sort of similar situation and used to let the surrounding shoot stand a few guns in his small field for a drive or 2, anyway things changed with the shoot and a bit of a fall out with the field owner yet they still set guns out in his field without having permission (not the same tresspass laws in scotland, althou u still can't do it with a gun) so he just grabbed his gun and walked out into the drive and stood in the hot spot shooting away.beside all the paying guns. They did wonder wot was going on when a stranger just joined in

Eventually they took the hiint and shot come to apologise

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