bunnybasher84 Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 Afternoon all, Can someone clarify the law on using a shotgun within your own boundary? My garden is quarter of an acre quite overgrown in places with a 6ft thick timber fence around the boundary... In the last few weeks I've been getting a fair few game bird's on my garden and fancied having a pop at them. Now I'm not daft, I'd never shoot while they were in the air I'd only shoot while they're on the ground so the trajectory is at a downward angle. Is this allowed as I've heard mix opinions. Thanks. ☺️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 Traditionally game birds are taken on the wing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Boggy Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 You are within the law providing no shot goes beyond your boundary and the noise causes no nuisance. However, as Walked up said, game birds normally taken on the wing so it would be deemed most unsporting. OB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClemFandango Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 (edited) It's not illegal. Doesn't matter about being "Sporting" or not. Personally I'd prefer to head shoot with an airgun, you'll get less meat damage. Edited November 28, 2020 by ClemFandango Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 No, it’s not illegal, but most will think you an **** hole for doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUNKS Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 Not illegal, as stated. But if anyone reports you to the police they WILL investigate. In the right or not if you have gun licences you DO NOT want plod at your door! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead eye alan Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 Air rifle jobs a gooden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 We get a lot of pheasants, hares, mallard, rabbits etc in the garden. It may seem strange as food is food, but to me it seems alien to kill them here rather than enjoy their beauty. If I step the other side of the fence onto the farmland working the dog then it’s another matter. Weird I know but I only kill pests in my garden (squirrels, corvids, the odd rat). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 bunnybasher84, Do you have direct neighbours? If not how far is your nearest neighbour? Don't know if its still practised on the big shoots but a few keepers I knew would drive around the estate at the end of the season and shoot cock birds with the rim fire or shotgun, unsporting yes, but necessary in their eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultrastu Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 1 hour ago, London Best said: No, it’s not illegal, but most will think you an **** hole for doing it. I can't see how that is relevant . He isn't on a game shot day with a load of hurrah Henrys . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windswept Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 29 minutes ago, old'un said: Don't know if its still practised on the big shoots but a few keepers I knew would drive around the estate at the end of the season and shoot cock birds with the rim fire or shotgun, unsporting yes, but necessary in their eyes. Out of interest, why would they do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 Air rifle and head shots will do it no problem, or RF if you have a suitable backstop. If you keep it discreetly you won’t attract any unwanted attention. A lady I know who owns a massive garden isn’t averse to flinging open a sash window and potting a rabbit or pheasant as they graze her lawns. Nearly 💩mesen first time she did it! 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 (edited) 39 minutes ago, Windswept said: Out of interest, why would they do that? The old boy keeper I knew would do it as they only need a few cocks for the hens for next year’s broods and they worry about too high a density of cocks. If there isn’t enough food they wander off and take the hens with them. On the moors the keepers used to rifle old cock grouse on their stands. It was thought that the having too many old birds reduced the brood sizes as they didn’t have enough lead in t’pencil or sommit. Edited November 28, 2020 by WalkedUp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 13 minutes ago, WalkedUp said: The old boy keeper I knew would do it as they only need a few cocks for the hens for next year’s broods and they worry about too high a density of cocks. If there isn’t enough food they wander off and take the hens with them. On the moors the keepers used to rifle old cock grouse on their stands. It was thought that the having too many old birds reduced the brood sizes as they didn’t have enough lead in t’pencil or sommit. I know keepers who have done this also; I would think that if this season doesn’t pan out better than it currently is, there’ll be quite a few doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 1 hour ago, Windswept said: Out of interest, why would they do that? Think walkedup as answered the question but I will also add that to many cocks fighting and chasing hens will also push birds away. During catchup Feb/March if a keeper thought there were to many cock birds any caught in the traps had their necks pulled. And that leads onto a question, if game birds are classed as live stock whilst penned and wild once released, what is the status of caught-up birds that are penned, wild or live stock? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windswept Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 Thanks for the replies. That's what I was expecting from our own experience. On our few acres we've had a few hens rear broods this year. Our main resident cock has been around the place for a couple of years and is constantly fighting others off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisheruk Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 We are thick with cocks here, but hardly any hens this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultrastu Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Scully said: Air rifle and head shots will do it no problem, or RF if you have a suitable backstop. If you keep it discreetly you won’t attract any unwanted attention. A lady I know who owns a massive garden isn’t averse to flinging open a sash window and potting a rabbit or pheasant as they graze her lawns. Nearly 💩mesen first time she did it! 😂 An airgun pellet to the head will certainly kill the pheasant but it will also go into a massive flapping fit ,rolling around all over the place for a few minutes in its death throws . A much cleaner method is to use a .22 pellet straight between the shoulder blades targeting the H/L area. This will result in a instant death and immobility. Edited November 28, 2020 by Ultrastu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windswept Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 4 minutes ago, Fisheruk said: We are thick with cocks here, but hardly any hens this year. I was going to say, the broods that I have seen raised around the place have all been cocks. We seem to have an even split between hens and cocks but by the looks of it too many males. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 2 minutes ago, Ultrastu said: An airgun pellet to the head will certainly kill the pheasant but it will also go into a massive flapping fit ,rolling around all over the place for a few minutes in its death throws . A much cleaner method is to use a .22 pellet straight between the shoulder blades targetingvthe h/ll area. This will result in a instant death and immobility. I’ve found that if you head shoot with a RF, there isn’t a lot of flapping about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisheruk Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 2 minutes ago, Scully said: I’ve found that if you head shoot with a RF, there isn’t a lot of flapping about. .22lr though the body is very effective. No lead left inside and just a neat hole so little meat damage. One for the pot as required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 7 minutes ago, Ultrastu said: An airgun pellet to the head will certainly kill the pheasant but it will also go into a massive flapping fit ,rolling around all over the place for a few minutes in its death throws . A much cleaner method is to use a .22 pellet straight between the shoulder blades targeting the H/L area. This will result in a instant death and immobility. Think I know which shot I would go for, head, air or RF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 Having never tried it, I can't speak from experience, but its a very little head and I would guess an even smaller brain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultrastu Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 I have shot a fair few pheasants. I started with the head at first .but its a big bird that can have a lot of energy, when you head shoot it switches off the control room and the thing just goes into super flap about mode .even more so than a pigeon . The H/L shot is much less frantic looking . Thats my experience and is why I prefer body /neck shot pigeons over head shot ones . you have to remember the brain isn't the primary organ on a bird .the heart is . The opposite for a mammal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itchy trigger Posted November 28, 2020 Report Share Posted November 28, 2020 (edited) head shot a cock pheasant in the garden with the .22 air rifle, flapped a bit but not for long, took it to my pals up in the lakes, he cooked it and we had it for dinner, said that it was the nicest pheasant he had ever had, he eats a lot of game over the season its his staple diet from beating and picking up, he's 70yrs plus nothing to do with the topic but zoomed photo from the firing point in the summer, notice the young buzzard, was not interested in the pheasant, I think it was looking for slug and worms, pheasant was there a while after not bothered at all Edited November 28, 2020 by itchy trigger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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