The release of game birds

[The gouse]

A very good watch. 

[NatureBoy]

Brilliant! Once again! Well done Johnny and TGS. Great balanced factual view! Thanks for posting TG!   NB

[markm]

Now that is a brilliant promotion for shooting and actually gives a balanced view. 
 

How come BASC aren’t producing such good films from their ‘state of the art media centre’. (Wasn’t it £90,000?)

 

 That place must be gathering some dust.....

[wisdom]

I totally agree.A well balanced view and very well put together,and delivered.Can't do any harm.

[NatureBoy]

The other vid they have just done on shooting/social media also very good. Maybe it will push our orgs to catch up and push it harder? Like they say, they are the ones with the money and connections. We can all play our part tho. If you don't stand by what you do, you should be doing it!!   NB

[islandgun]

Great stuff, Whatever your views, management plans, and quotas are the way this will go if game shooting is to continue. also good to see the Danish perspective. very good film and good to see some are taking it seriously.. need some more, but perhaps shorter to reach a wider audience

Edited November 1, 2019 by islandgun

[oowee]

I want to support the view proposed in the film, I really do but there are so many gaps in the presentation. It talks about wildlife and wildlife numbers enhanced by the pheasant management process but there is little discussion or evidence of the bio diversity and support of wildlife claimed. There is mention of song bird numbers but no evidence and data, there is no data given on invertebrates, insects or reptiles. There is also an absence of any counter argument that would help to balance the discussion. 

I know here on the Mendips where we have some of the most important reptile habitat in Europe that the release of pheasants is seen as a real problem for the maintenance of the existing populations. 

Its good to see the discussion started but it would be better to see some cross organisation review of the evidence for and against and analysis of different production and management methods to reach a stronger and more scientific evidence base. 

[markm]

Science would stand in court or against the government if a review is carried out. 
 

The general public aren’t interested. Just look at the countryside dribble on the TV. 
 

We need to hit both. 

[old'un]

24 minutes ago, oowee said:

I want to support the view proposed in the film, I really do but there are so many gaps in the presentation. It talks about wildlife and wildlife numbers enhanced by the pheasant management process but there is little discussion or evidence of the bio diversity and support of wildlife claimed. There is mention of song bird numbers but no evidence and data, there is no data given on invertebrates, insects or reptiles. There is also an absence of any counter argument that would help to balance the discussion. 

I know here on the Mendips where we have some of the most important reptile habitat in Europe that the release of pheasants is seen as a real problem for the maintenance of the existing populations. 

Its good to see the discussion started but it would be better to see some cross organisation review of the evidence for and against and analysis of different production and management methods to reach a stronger and more scientific evidence base. 

as you say lots of holes in the video and no counter argument, what we really need is a David Bellamy to counter Packham and the like.

[NatureBoy]

What hole /gaps? What do you think is lacking to you? Give them feed back! Can only improve!. . .There's plenty of evidence of good practical science and data out there! Besides the bigger orgs have a look at just look at what CRT and SBS are doing! Tony Juniper said himself a while ago said that what CRT are doing at Larkrise Farm etc and  there other projects is a blueprint for a way forward for farming, wildlife and shooting!

I don't know whats happening where you guys shoot or are involved in? But round my way a lot of farms and people are doing huge amounts for real conservation, shooting and on going growing wildlife population!  Using and adapting  proven habitat management and creation. Selective planting of the right wildlife mixes game covers RBAPS  trials etc. Supplementary feeding when necessary  and more importantly using targeted vermin and pest control! Providing and monitoring  protecting nest boxes and sites for some species.  RSPB BTO Trusts ect have been involved know this and why! They keen to harvest the data that suits them  and from the targeted ringing and taging it allows them to do. Farm clusters locally really doing well growing numbers of turtle doves, woodcock, snipe, english partridges, many other red listers, water voles, harvest mice etc. . . . Away from this where i and few others are doing the same stuff ourselves with equal or more success they don't want to know (no funding/grants available). Because i/we are not land owner/manager/farmer  is doesn't tick there box and because we are doing it by thinking outside the box!!!!!!! Showing up there tunnel visioned arrogance! Making there funded big moneyed meddling and lock of local knowledge very lacking! No schemes  or grants involved for free and in our own time! Getting great/ better results for wildlife and shooting off smaller patches of land water and habitat by tweaking things from those results because we know the ground, the wildlife and what works! It's not hard! Doesn't really take a lot of effort! I use it to help educate folk (public and shooters) who can see the positive results and explain how/why i have done it and sometimes get them/more involved!

Plenty of evidence of conservation and shoots in GWCT's Working conservationists and there other publications! BUT! Anyone know (connected to) why our orgs are being so low key at such an important time for both shooting conservation and the environment!??????? I hope they are not paying us like the RSPB WJ etc play there membership and folk to gain followers and MONEY!???

We can all play our part with the science and data  regarding GL by doing the surveys for requests  for evidence from DEFRA and GWCT! The latter make more sense and easier to fill in. Again i have met very few people (6) who have or are bothered doing either!? Not even mentioned on PW???  . . I personally  think  the surveys are not aimed at or bothered about folk like me. The grass roots, non land owning pest controller, conservationist, rough shooter. Shame! Because i think they have very little idea of how much a very few do for real conservation! The RSPB coming out against shooting have just undermined that even more!

 Unlike those against us! I don't mind if folk don't agree with me what i do or my way of life and enjoy the debate and banter! BUT! If they disagree and still want to stop what i do! My way of life or tell me what i should/shouldn't be doing/eating while still claiming to know better, care more about wildlife, conservation and the environment after what i have told or shown them. I simply ask them!  SO WHAT DO YOU DO THAT MAKES  OR IS GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! ??????????? Very few have an answer and/or are doing nowt!

Easy for them to talk the talk. It's up to us to walk the walk!!! 

Another longer rant over!       NB

 

[old'un]

I like yourself have done my bit over the last 50+ years, I am getting a little long in the tooth to continue as I did but for the most we do seem to preach to the converted, BASC seem very reluctant to spend much money on getting shooting across to the general public, I personally would like to see our orgs come together and put on more summer time country fairs aimed squarely at the general public, make it a good informative day out for the non shooting family.

You are correct that most people involved with country pursuits are perhaps a little apathetic and think will all go away, I have said before, we need those who use social media, be they the orgs or individuals to push our side of the argument harder, also you say there are plenty of scientific studies/papers out there but why are they not being pushed out on social media platforms?

I posted this in another thread which makes some good points..https://www.vintageguns.co.uk/magazine/rural-terrorism-in-280-characters

[NatureBoy]

On 02/11/2019 at 17:17, old'un said:

I like yourself have done my bit over the last 50+ years, I am getting a little long in the tooth to continue as I did but for the most we do seem to preach to the converted, BASC seem very reluctant to spend much money on getting shooting across to the general public, I personally would like to see our orgs come together and put on more summer time country fairs aimed squarely at the general public, make it a good informative day out for the non shooting family.

You are correct that most people involved with country pursuits are perhaps a little apathetic and think will all go away, I have said before, we need those who use social media, be they the orgs or individuals to push our side of the argument harder, also you say there are plenty of scientific studies/papers out there but why are they not being pushed out on social media platforms?

 

 

I posted this in another thread which makes some good points..https://www.vintageguns.co.uk/magazine/rural-terrorism-in-280-characters

Thanks for posting that link Old'un! Great artical and sums them up, what is happening and how it will go if we don't up our game! They are so savvy and have a slick and sometimes targeted very subtle media campaign going on! Undermining a lot of  good work thats being done by shooters and the real conservationists! You are Right! This and other articals like it need shareing to a wider public! Think some of it about age  and that a lot of older shooters are county folk with no interest in wider social media. Not big fan of myself and not that social😉. But i try and do my bit. I was brush'n on an average size (150 bird) shoot my way the other day and at 55 felt like a youngster! It was a shoot that does a huge amount for conservation. Showing by example! Results are there before your eyes and for wider public to see and enjoy! I find if you push to much science and to many facts at folk, both other shooters and general public  they will switch off. Show and tell them a little and and the real facts to compare to a lot of the antis miss information. If you have still got them and they ask/ want to know more guide them towards that information CRT SBS  BTO and selected good shooting progs on youtube etc. Even better get them to join! It's great when folk come back to you with facts and more info to support what you told them that they have found themselves. Even better when they then share this new retained information with there family friends ,work mates, and groups. It's not hard to do and it works. They may not agree or will ever shoot themselves but they will understand  better and most can be supportive. Since i cancelled my membership of the RSPB a few years back and the GL fiasco i been ramping it up and taking it to the birders etc. I live close to minsmere and other reserves and wildlife trust sites so easy to do. Take away the rabid key board trolls and arm chair birders and a lot i have spoken  to face to face are not so different to us . just use bino;s/camera instead of gun. A lot are not happy with the RSPB at mo or fans of Packham, Avery and WJ. The fact they put up a in your face (350k) predator fence after Springwatch was filmed there didn't help! Or the sudden huge cull of the red deer in the area! Some did need culling, but was one of the few places you could see reds on the beach.  NB   

[old'un]

Not into the types of social media that most youngsters are into, I do have nieces and nephews that seem to have their bloody phones super glued to their hand, what I did notice (the article picks up on this) is the short attention span they have on articles they are looking at, if its got lots of text and few pictures they skip past and flip to something else, if its got few words and a picture they read the text, look at the picture, smile and click ‘like’ then flip to the next thing, this made me think, which one made the most impression?, as they say “a picture paints a thousand words” bit like the picture of Packham in the article.

Not a media expert but does anyone know if the orgs like BASC are using this tool (social media) to the best advantage of field sports? Even some fake news by the orgs on these social media sites is better than making a video telling us all (the converted) how good shooting is for the countryside and nature in general, unless these videos get onto main stream TV they are a waste of money and time.