Changes To The General Licence

[Old farrier]

27 minutes ago, lancer425 said:

GENERAL LICENCE
To kill or take certain species of wild birds In England. Introduced Midnight 24/04/2018 This licence replaces GL03/GL04/ GL05/GL06 And other bird Schedules In force prior to the above date.

Part one.

Wild birds which may be killed or taken at any time by authorised persons
Cormorant    Red-breasted merganser (in Scotland only)
Crow, carrion    
Crow, hooded    Rock-dove (in Scotland only)
Domestic pigeon gone feral    Rook
Goosander (in Scotland only)    ****
Gull, greater black-backed  
Gull, lesser black-backed  
Gull, herring    Starling
Jackdaw    Stock-dove
Jay    Wood-pigeon
Magpie  

Several Species of raptor Please See Game management Licence For Full details Available Free and Dowwnload Here On this website.  

Part Two

birds which may be killed or taken outside the close season

Any wild bird included in Section One And. Capercaillie Coot Curlew (other than stone curlew) Godwit, bar-tailed Moorhen Plover, golden Plover, grey Redshank, common Snipe, common Snipe, jack Wild duck of the following species—

Common pochard Gadwall Mallard Pintail Shoveller Teal Tufted duck Wigeon Golden eye Wild geese of the following species—

 Greylag Goose Brent goose Egyptian goose Barnicle Goose Canada goose Pink-footed goose White-fronted goose Woodcock.

And any other bird included in the new Version of the Game licence available free online on this website.

Please note Due to environmental changes As of October the !st 2020 the Shooting season will begin on October 1st and end on the first of march Inland and On March 20th On Intertidal areas. 

 

Very good thanks for taking the time and trouble with your reply 

[Dekers]

4 minutes ago, old'un said:

Yep, it was under the heading… Change to the general licence

So, what is the Thread heading change all about Mods!?

[panoma1]

Just now, old man said:

I'm with zapp on this, the actual truth is irrelevant, damage done in the eyes of the largely uncaring masses?

Yes I'm not disputing that, like when Packham posted on social media that the decline in Lapwing was due to persecution by shooting....he was immediately corrected by those who know that Lapwing have not been shot in the UK for decades!......but the damage was done..........and he left the post on his social media page for days after!.........For all his followers to see!

[joejoe]

I don't know if this has been posted as well. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/25/britains-rarest-birds-put-risk-natural-england-decision-revoke/ 

Makes a good point about the curlews.

[Ultrastu]

Just now, old man said:

I'm with zapp on this, the actual truth is irrelevant, damage done in the eyes of the largely uncaring masses?

Unless of course it gets out that packham actually paid someone to hang the crows on his gate to further his cause and incriminate shooters .

That would blow up in his face 

Dont let the truth get in the way of forcing people to capitulate to your demands. 

[Miserableolgit]

11 minutes ago, Miserableolgit said:

 

Firefox won't load them, Chrome and IE / Explorer will

 

Scrub that, I can't get any of applications to load on any of the browsers I mentioned now.

So, now you see 'em, now you don't.

[old'un]

20 minutes ago, mossy835 said:

so im out shooting saturday, what is left to shoot squirrals.rabbits. fox.

  thanks

Here’s the fix if you are using Firefox, just follow the instructions…https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/performance-settings

 

bloody hell thats stopped working now???

Edited April 25, 2019 by old'un

[Scully]

21 minutes ago, old'un said:

Petition to sack Chris packham

 

 

 

Is it me or has the heading for this topic changed?

Yeah, I've got a bit confused too; had to do retake of the thread heading! I thought I was posting in the GL thread! 

I blame BASC! 🙂

Edited April 25, 2019 by Scully

[Lord v]

4 minutes ago, Miserableolgit said:

 

Scrub that, I can't get any of applications to load on any of the browsers I mentioned now.

So, now you see 'em, now you don't.

These don't follow what NE were talking g about as interim licences. 

I believe those versions are the ones they are planning on releasing Monday. 

[ronnie12342003]

On ‎24‎/‎04‎/‎2019 at 15:36, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Careful Mate, we can't sit here and state that BASC just take the money and do nothing as we will be accused of being bitter, twisted people who don't like to waste our money!

*****

[storm in a teacup]

10 minutes ago, Scully said:

Yeah, I've got a bit confused too; had to do retake of the thread heading! I thought I was posting in the GL thread! 

I blame BASC! 🙂

Well it wasn't me and I started the thread.

[lancer425]

13 minutes ago, Old farrier said:

Very good thanks for taking the time and trouble with your reply 

No trouble at all glad to indulge your Post Request, Cut and paste the old 1954 a little Tongue in cheek Retro Juggling, adjust a few pet observations , and it looks Liveable with. Lets face it this thread as run its course long ago, a little light hearted wishfull thinking never did anybody any harm and it smells way better than the intermingled smell of Rotting BASC flesh with that hint of Packham vomit with a sound track of 12 angry men. .

[Zapp]

Two people have now received suspensions for posting pictures with very obscene captions.  Irrespective of how we feel, the house rules stand.

Dont do this, or you will be suspended and you risk getting the thread locked.

[Ozz]

Iv now signd an shared evrything (including the sack him fromm the bbc one) and even tho i started the day feeling let down ect im going to bed slightly hopful after reading as mutch as i can on whats happening ect although cant seem to load the page for the temp licence but will try again tomorrow .

[Miserableolgit]

22 minutes ago, Lord v said:

These don't follow what NE were talking g about as interim licences. 

I believe those versions are the ones they are planning on releasing Monday. 

 Wild birds: licence to control certain species in question with links that don't work here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wild-birds-licence-to-control-certain-species

[motty]

1 hour ago, JohnfromUK said:

Then I suspect you will struggle to get a license on the 'individual' basis.  Ad for a future 'General' license, we will have to see what the future brings, but my guess is that it will 'roll down' the inference that shooting can only be removed to control an unwanted species when all other methods have been found unsatisfactory/unsuitable.

My guess is that any form of 'fun', or sporting will not be permitted.

Only my opinion of what may happen

I won't be alone in this. Thousands of people roost shoot every year, and most decoyers shoot on stubbles. Then there is flight shooting.

[joejoe]

• semi-automatic weapon
• cage trap that doesn’t meet the size requirements of the Wildlife and Countryside Act
• hand-held or hand-propelled net to take birds not in flight

Does this mean you can only use a semi automatic now?

[motty]

2 hours ago, Dekers said:

Its not about what you want, the GL isn't about Sport, its about Pest Control under specifically defined circumstances!

You need not be presumptuous. When did I mention sport?

[Gerry78]

Lads don’t want to seem ignorant but for u guys to shoot pigeons on farmland etc does everyone of yous have to get these forms ???I hope the BASC get on the ball it seems to have happened so quick Think it’s a disgrace Just a couple questions I wanna put out does this guy CP not understand that farmers crops will be decimated first a farm over were I shoot the farmer lost 19 Acres to pigeons second if there’s a ban on crows/rooks etc does he not think that songbirds etc will also get hit hard Commonsence gone Mad 😡 

[Old farrier]

14 minutes ago, lancer425 said:

No trouble at all glad to indulge your Post Request, Cut and paste the old 1954 a little Tongue in cheek Retro Juggling, adjust a few pet observations , and it looks Liveable with. Lets face it this thread as run its course long ago, a little light hearted wishfull thinking never did anybody any harm and it smells way better than the intermingled smell of Rotting BASC flesh with that hint of Packham vomit with a sound track of 12 angry men. .

Tend to agree hence my attempt to be proactive and move forward 

4 minutes ago, joejoe said:

• semi-automatic weapon
• cage trap that doesn’t meet the size requirements of the Wildlife and Countryside Act
• hand-held or hand-propelled net to take birds not in flight

Does this mean you can only use a semi automatic now?

Did you read it all properly?

[Dekers]

2 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

Then I suspect you will struggle to get a license on the 'individual' basis.  Ad for a future 'General' license, we will have to see what the future brings, but my guess is that it will 'roll down' the inference that shooting can only be removed to control an unwanted species when all other methods have been found unsatisfactory/unsuitable.

My guess is that any form of 'fun', or sporting will not be permitted.

Only my opinion of what may happen

The GL was never about fun or sporting, it was always about PEST CONTROL.

It isn't and never has been there for enjoyment, it is there as a means to control/remove a Pest issue!

 

Edited April 25, 2019 by Dekers

[lancer425]

21 minutes ago, joejoe said:

• semi-automatic weapon
• cage trap that doesn’t meet the size requirements of the Wildlife and Countryside Act
• hand-held or hand-propelled net to take birds not in flight

Does this mean you can only use a semi automatic now?

No idea but frankly nothing would surprise me.

[Guest]

Has anyone been successful in applying for the licence? I have tried multiple times on my iPad, laptop and iphone and each time it just hangs. Appreciate there are probably loads of people doing the same but just wanted to check.

One of my perms is drilling peas this week so need to get out there soonish.

Worn out with this whole debacle since the news was released from NE to revoke the GL and been following this thread for three days along with Avery and others on the radio (including the mad bint from Isle of Skye and Tightchokes comments on Vine’s program), the self righteous Packham on Twitter with the mindless masses following him and the hanging crows (still reckon that was a set up) BASC, CA, NFU statements etc..etc....

Hopefully will all get sorted but have my doubts

Time to hit the Gin

Cheers 

[Lord v]

The one I read before they disappeared would require one for each permission but could be applied for by either the landowner or someone with the land owners permission.

It was unclear if a landowner or an other could pass the permission onto someone else (ie you act on their behalf under the licence in the applicants name.) As the licence seemed to be location rather than person  specific that would be a strong possibility. 

Edit: section 6 includes a deceleration about anyone else operating under the licence, so you can shoot under a licence applied for by someone else. 

Multiple species could be included in the same application. 

There did not seem to be any time bounding 

In short, an initial ball ache, but once done allows business as usual. 

Edited April 25, 2019 by Lord v

[JohnfromUK]

33 minutes ago, motty said:

I won't be alone in this. Thousands of people roost shoot every year, and most decoyers shoot on stubbles. Then there is flight shooting.

I have done them all, but I rather think that they may have gone.  As I understand it the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA) only allows 'control' under license, issued by Natural England (NE). 

This used to be the General Licenses (revoked from today) - which nominally required that all other avenues of control were considered and had not been satisfactory - so shooting was allowed.  This "all other avenues of control" has never been enforced, and in a typically sensible British way, we continued to shoot much as we always had done with a 'common sense pragmatic' interpretation that the species listed in the licenses were numerous, not endangered and (at least in many parts) pests. 

Everyone was happy, it worked as a sort of common sense 'fudge' and most people (me included) weren't aware of the "all other avenues of control" aspect.  I had never actually read the license.

Then along come a pressure group fronted by Packham and Avery - who threatened to take NE to court because they were issuing General Licenses wich didn't satisfy the conditions of the WCA because there was no check on the "all other avenues of control" ever being checked/enforced.

Having been caught out, the 'faulty General Licenses' have been revoked in a hurry and will be replaced - again as I understand it by initially short term 'individual licenses' and theoretically in the longer term by some replacement for the old General License.  I think we can assume it will be MUCH more onerous to ensure that Packham, Avery and Co cannot find any possible grounds to threaten them with court action again.  Once bitten, twice shy as they say.

So my personal belief is that it will become near impossible to do any form of pigeon shooting other than as a 'pest control' measure - and then only after some traceable check on "all other avenues of control" has been done (to cover their backsides).  Whether you consider roost shooting, decoying on stubles to be valid or not will be I guess an 'interpretation', but I think the new license will be written to minimise the opportunity for 'interpretation'.

I hope I am wrong, but that is how I think it will end up.

Edited April 25, 2019 by JohnfromUK