Wood pigeons

[jamesleee123]

Hi fellas what is the legality of shooting Wood pigeon, ferals and magpies in your garden. I don't want to break any laws obviously and the woodies will be eaten.

Cheers 

[oldypigeonpopper]

Just now, jamesleee123 said:

Hi fellas what is the legality of shooting Wood pigeon, ferals and magpies in your garden. I don't want to break any laws obviously and the woodies will be eaten.

Cheers 

Hello, check out the general licence GL / 40/41/42 on the BASC web site, you can print off the list as see what is allowed or not as the case maybe, 

[jamesleee123]

Don't think I can justify as not causing damage and not endangering rare species.

 

[Rimfireboy]

Wood pigeon on GL42 can be taken to stop them eating livestock feed and to prevent spread of disease and to prevent serious damage to crops, fruit, vegetables. You can’t shoot them because you want to eat them. It depends what you’ve got in your garden and if they’re doing any of these things? If not, you can’t shoot them.

[jamesleee123]

I'm growing peas but it's hardly a crop, think I will have to let them get on with it. 

[oldypigeonpopper]

Hello, magpies if they are attacking wild birds or taking eggs,

[Mice!]

1 hour ago, jamesleee123 said:

I'm growing peas but it's hardly a crop, think I will have to let them get on with it. 

The argument is you could net those, but a farmer can't net his fields.

You can shoot magpies to protect red or amber listed birds. 

Ferals in your garden would be a strange one,  how many, are they making a mess, risk of disease?

[jamesleee123]

I get say half a dozen mopping up spilled bird food a couple of times a day, the woodies and magpies are constantly around. I don't think I could claim damage and I couldn't prove magpies are killing birds, even though we know that they are.

It's a pity because I enjoy pigeon.

[Mice!]

This is why I only feed sunflower hearts and crushed nuts in my bird feeders, very little spillage to attract rats or ferals,  but the pigeons clean up any bits several times a day.

[jamesleee123]

Both neighbours have open bird tables, I have cleared the squirrel population and haven't seen a rat for 2 months, I've got a trail camera out constantly, but there are Wood pigeon and magpies everywhere.

[wobbly bob 2]

23 hours ago, Mice! said:

You can shoot magpies to protect red or amber listed birds. 

 

I would like that to be true, but after a lot of searching I cannot find a legal basis for that, and would be grateful if you could help me on that one, Mice! 

I did find though that the RSPB have starlings on the Red List.  Sometimes I think I must be going nuts. 

[Pangolin]

12 minutes ago, wobbly bob 2 said:

I would like that to be true, but after a lot of searching I cannot find a legal basis for that, and would be grateful if you could help me on that one, Mice! 

I did find though that the RSPB have starlings on the Red List.  Sometimes I think I must be going nuts. 

You can find the list here for the GL.

https://www.bto.org/our-science/publications/psob

Edited March 28, 2021 by Pangolin

[Mice!]

35 minutes ago, wobbly bob 2 said:

would like that to be true, but after a lot of searching I cannot find a legal basis for that, and would be grateful if you could help me on that one, Mice! 

I would just have posted what Pangolin has, protecting red/amber listed birds and attacking livestock are now the only reasons for controlling magpies, I doubt anyone who knows the countryside agrees but that's what we've got, so get bird spotting,  I've got song thrush, Bullfinch and tree sparrow in my garden.

How Mallard are on the Amber list I have no idea.

[jamesleee123]

Let's face it if it flies into your garden to be on the safe side don't shoot it!

[moondoggy]

Does pooping all over my beehives count as justification? Surely not good for hygiene reasons?

[oldypigeonpopper]

On 27/03/2021 at 19:26, jamesleee123 said:

Both neighbours have open bird tables, I have cleared the squirrel population and haven't seen a rat for 2 months, I've got a trail camera out constantly, but there are Wood pigeon and magpies everywhere.

Hello, well go for the magpies, every one deceased means a lot more song bird 👍

[wobbly bob 2]

Thanks for that chaps. It’s all a bit of a minefield. I think I read somewhere you can only use the exemption during the nesting season. Which means shooting magpies when they will have chicks left to starve in the nest, when instead you could more humanely dispatch them earlier. None of it makes much sense does it?

[Mice!]

28 minutes ago, wobbly bob 2 said:

Thanks for that chaps. It’s all a bit of a minefield. I think I read somewhere you can only use the exemption during the nesting season. Which means shooting magpies when they will have chicks left to starve in the nest, when instead you could more humanely dispatch them earlier. None of it makes much sense does it?

Clear as mud, the magpies are free to plunder other birds nests but they are protected?

Lots of folk have said if you're shooting magpies then keep quiet about it or be very sure you can back up your reason for doing so.

 

[bruno22rf]

Cannot believe what the shooting world has become, scared of what some Karen might say, well I say s*d them, if you have a dandelion in your garden and pigeons are eating it then put a hole through them, you eat young dandelion leaves dont you. Too many shooters dropping their trousers to be royaly rogered by yoghurt knitting bunny huggers and it's high time we all put our big boy pants on. I have one neighbour who feeds the birds every day on one side of me and a CID officer on the other, if I so desire any pigeon landing in my garden can (and has) been on a plate within 3 minutes. Magpies avoid my garden at all cost, 5 made the mistake late last year of sitting within range.

[wobbly bob 2]

Hahaha. Thanks Bruno, you really did make me laugh out loud. 

[clangerman]

17 minutes ago, bruno22rf said:

Cannot believe what the shooting world has become, scared of what some Karen might say, well I say s*d them, if you have a dandelion in your garden and pigeons are eating it then put a hole through them, you eat young dandelion leaves dont you. Too many shooters dropping their trousers to be royaly rogered by yoghurt knitting bunny huggers and it's high time we all put our big boy pants on. I have one neighbour who feeds the birds every day on one side of me and a CID officer on the other, if I so desire any pigeon landing in my garden can (and has) been on a plate within 3 minutes. Magpies avoid my garden at all cost, 5 made the mistake late last year of sitting within range.

well said lack of a pair is how this rubbish all come about any pigeons in my peas get eaten with the peas anyone fancy trying to prosecute me can be bring it on 

[bruno22rf]

Here, here.

[JDog]

35 minutes ago, bruno22rf said:

Cannot believe what the shooting world has become, scared of what some Karen might say, well I say s*d them, if you have a dandelion in your garden and pigeons are eating it then put a hole through them, you eat young dandelion leaves dont you. Too many shooters dropping their trousers to be royaly rogered by yoghurt knitting bunny huggers and it's high time we all put our big boy pants on. I have one neighbour who feeds the birds every day on one side of me and a CID officer on the other, if I so desire any pigeon landing in my garden can (and has) been on a plate within 3 minutes. Magpies avoid my garden at all cost, 5 made the mistake late last year of sitting within range.

Be careful Bruno. You might just be talking common sense and joining the minority on this forum.

[jamesleee123]

No one is bothered about the Karen's of this world, but I can't shoot birds for the same reason I can't course Hares anymore, it's against the law! Which even if I don't agree with I still have to abide by.

[bruno22rf]

No it is not, it all depends upon how you decide to take the law, if pigeons are eating anything in your garden (you grow peas?, well it's a crop to you - doesn't have to be a thousand acres of peas unless the law specifies such, which it doesn't) then there's a perfectly valid reason. Do you hang clothes out to dry? Do the ferals c&*p all over them or try and nest in your roof? Bang. Alongside this is the chance of being caught/prosecuted, when most policemen seem hell bent on persecting nasty motorists I doubt that some nosey neighbour ringing the call centre to report you shot a Feral pigeon in your garden would even raise an eyebrow. I shoot in MK and in some very public spaces indeed, yet the police (as from December last year) no longer treat such an event as worthy of reporting as they are far too busy on other jobs.