Have Anyone Had The Misfortune To Use There 3rd Party Insurance ?

[marsh man]

This is just a follow up from my thread ( Near Misses In The Field ) when things do go from a near miss to going badly wrong , if we see as many near misses as we do then sadly you will get ones that connect rather than just miss .

I have been a member of W A G B I and B A S C all my shooting life and touch wood have never had any reason to use the insurance that is built in with the membership and don't know anybody who have .

I have mentioned before on the forum where I was on a peg on a game shoot that had a housing estate way behind me , on the pep talk we were told  no shooting behind , this was fair enough as shot can travel a fair way and some of the residents could be watching .

Well as the drive progressed a cock Pheasant came between me and the next gun , I took it from my side and hit it but not enough to bring it down and sadly I couldn't follow it up and give it a second shot , we watched it going towards one of the house's on fixed wings and into one long glide , it ended up hitting the gable end of a house and in slow motion dropped down the brick work , no harm was done and we never heard it mentioned from that day to now .

Now lets say it had hit a window and ended up in the bedroom , blood and feathers scattered around the room and if the residents wasn't injured they would have certainly been in shock . if the police were called could they had charged the person who was responsible ( me ) , and would my B A S C insurance had covered the damage ?

So do you know anyone who had claimed , and how would I have stood if the worse had came to the worse ?         THANKS

[Cawdor118]

There would be little to no way the police could prove it was you who had made the shot. Secondly, it wasn't an intentional act. 

I would suggest this is exactly what the insurance was meant to cover. 

 

 

[marsh man]

26 minutes ago, Cawdor118 said:

There would be little to no way the police could prove it was you who had made the shot. Secondly, it wasn't an intentional act. 

I would suggest this is exactly what the insurance was meant to cover. 

 

 

  THANKS

[London Best]

I managed to put a hen pheasant full toss through a brand new Land Cruiser windscreen. Shattered glass, blood and feathers all over the cream leather upholstery. The owner was not over happy but sportingly declined my offer of payment.

[JDog]

MM, to ease your anxiety you should have shouted ‘good shot’ to your neighbouring Gun.

[WalkedUp]

🤣🤣🤣

[marsh man]

42 minutes ago, JDog said:

MM, to ease your anxiety you should have shouted ‘good shot’ to your neighbouring Gun.

 

 One of the rare , or only time I could ever remember not following up a bird I was sure that had come down , I didn't fancy knocking on the front door and asking the owner , Please sir , Could have my bird back  , no let sleeping dogs lie , if he wanted it he was perfectly welcome to have it free of charge  

[WalkedUp]

I was on a shoot in Cheshire as walking gun through woodland on the last drive of the day about a decade ago. A dog put up a cock pheasant that flew straight across the road and crashed through a big window into the house. No one shot at it and the break-in was under its own volition. I had a vision of a bloodied pheasant running amok in someone’s master bedroom. 

[39TDS]

So that's where it came from!

**** everywhere and stunk the whole upstairs out eventually snuffing it on the landing. Couldn't figure out how my window had broken at first but didn't take a lot of detective work.

Pheasants are not noted for their intelligence but even I would expect it to miss a house.

[stockybasher]

Many years ago I was based in Germany, and had a Jagdschein (hunting licence) together with necessary German insurance cover.

Pigeon shooting one afternoon I managed to shoot through a power cable, part of the local village power supply, which fell to the ground swirling and spitting sparks and just missed me !!  The village was without power for several hours until the cable was replaced.

To say I learned a lot about (not) shooting near cables etc is an UNDERSTATEMENT, and 40 years later I will not shoot anywhere near any form of cable !!  The positives......the Insurance paid up !!!

 

 

 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Whoops!  

Glad nobody was hurt, only inconvenienced.  

[Jonty]

@marsh man i can't for the life of me remember where I read it, but I did read once that the majority of 3rd party shooting insurance payouts went to repair bills for body & windscreen damage to parked vehicles caused by falling birds.

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, Jonty said:

@marsh man i can't for the life of me remember where I read it, but I did read once that the majority of 3rd party shooting insurance payouts went to repair bills for body & windscreen damage to parked vehicles caused by falling birds.

I can well believe it , wherever you park when a drive is taking place can often be the wrong place , Partridges are not to bad although when dead in the air with a strong wind behind them they can still do some serious damage when they come into contact with someone or something .

Pheasants on the other hand can be a heavy bird depending on what strain you rear and one of them hitting you smack on can leave you with some medical issues that could easily be life threatening .

[Fellside]

Any shooting org’ insurance, which ever one, is only as good as their underwriter doing the claims work. I have learned this from bitter experience - after dropping a pheasant through a windscreen. Those birds can certainly wreck a windscreen - wouldn’t like to be hit by one!

[activeviii]

I use to pick up on a shoot in the cotswolds.  1st and 2nd drive was amazing.  Only a small shoot acreage size but it was 450bird days and a syndicate. 

All the guns would turn up in the high end sports cars, supercars and even the odd rangerover. It was all about the money, showing off their wares. Later I found out alot of the cars were rented just for the shoot day.

1st and 2nd drive, as I said,  was amazing.  

On first drive, guns 5,6,7 and 8 would be next to the big house, the cars would be behind the big house in the car park. On second drive guns 1,2,3 and 4 would be stood where 5,6,7 and 8 had been. The valley was deep and the birds were high, very high. But birds being birds, would like to take cars out, like they do on our roads.

In the years I picked up on this one shoot, I don't think I ever saw a house window smashed by a pheasant.  Somehow, they managed to either hit the roof and roll down onto the cars parked under the back of house or they went in like kamikaze pilots, just miss the house, die in the air and then bomb the cars over the back.

We use to pick up 2 drives back, so kept away from the guns, let them shoot 2 drives first, then we would sweap up behind them. Starting around peg 1 drive 1 and then just keep moving forward in a line, letting the dogs pick up, ga,e cart driving below the slopes and string the birds. But we never went into the car park for the birds, we left them for the guns to take home.  Strange about the house windows really, the old diamond lead panel type, a light push and they fall apart. It's like the birds knew and wants most costly damage, the vehicles. 

If the wind was from the house and blowing towards the guns then it would be carnage in the carpark.

Yep, from where we stood, watching the first 2 drives, we could clearly see the carpark. Lucky really as we was alway picking up drive 4 and 5 by time guns were back at their vehicles as it would have been nice to hear the moans and groans.

I can still see the image of one gun wincing with a cringe as he watched the bird clear the house and then the bang as bird hit a car roof.

 

I did enjoy working that shoot. Many fond memories. It's closed now. Just as well, not sure the insurance company's could coupe much longer

 

 

[Bigbob]

Only time i ever had any bother 

I used to lamp the rabbits at my work a great number during the summer used to get 70/80 a fortnight kept the ferrets feed all summer .There was a woman  security guard a confirmed anti used to bring in a carrier bag of bird food a week  to feed the birds on her days off i put a trap under the bird feeder and got 23 grey squirrels in a weekend . She used to bring in food for a vixen and her cubs till one bit a student and she was told to stop it , Used to call me up when drunk Bob your a great guy but why do you have to kill things till  she got told second word is off 

Anyway i was needing some ferret food so went to my work my wife driving the car i was in the back with my son who was 18 years old by the way and the rest of the guards always spoke and asked how many you got . When i heard a shout what the **** re you doing . Turned out this woman was in the shadows having a smoke and had witnessed a rabbit getting shot 

Next thing i get a call from the HR department requesting me to a meeting saying i was shooting on campus something i had been doing for over 7 years to date at this point . Im thinking sod this and phoned sacs they gave me a list of 21 questions to ask and said if i need to say this meeting is finished till my lawyer from Sacs can attend 

So i walked into a room for a chat to be met with 7 suits the other side of the table they asked what i was doing shooting on campus and this guard said pellets where falling all round her so had went straight to HR (to get me sacked for killing rabbits ) 

How long have you been shooting rabbits on campus ? 7 years plus 

You come in once a year ? every fortnight it a good job 

Who gave you permission as Health and safety and HR know nothing about it  you just cant come in and shoot with students being here ? You should of seen there faces when i pulled out my permission , risk assessment and insurance  permissions from J Swan Landscape  manager okay ?

I got off with it and kept my job but they suspended shooting till they had a enquiry LOL but i was glad i had insurance and would of been able to produce a lawyer because when i was asked if i had anything to say i said yes just these questions ?  they never answered one LOL 

Funny thing is a while later a mate said Bob im back shooting at the University I thought sod that i went straight to  the head  of HR  She said i was waiting on you we now have a company in doing the rabbits and you wont be back . I said total rubbish your company is a guy that used to come in with  me and how cant not come back as i was proved innocent  .I was barely out there building when i was told to report to the director of health and safety ( To be my new boss unbeknown to me )He said Bob if you can tick all my boxes you will be back shooting rabbits next week and i was 

But it was a big wake up call for me how vicious that lying anti could be , but shes still there and the management knows what shes like ?>

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, Bigbob said:

Only time i ever had any bother 

I used to lamp the rabbits at my work a great number during the summer used to get 70/80 a fortnight kept the ferrets feed all summer .There was a woman  security guard a confirmed anti used to bring in a carrier bag of bird food a week  to feed the birds on her days off i put a trap under the bird feeder and got 23 grey squirrels in a weekend . She used to bring in food for a vixen and her cubs till one bit a student and she was told to stop it , Used to call me up when drunk Bob your a great guy but why do you have to kill things till  she got told second word is off 

Anyway i was needing some ferret food so went to my work my wife driving the car i was in the back with my son who was 18 years old by the way and the rest of the guards always spoke and asked how many you got . When i heard a shout what the **** re you doing . Turned out this woman was in the shadows having a smoke and had witnessed a rabbit getting shot 

Next thing i get a call from the HR department requesting me to a meeting saying i was shooting on campus something i had been doing for over 7 years to date at this point . Im thinking sod this and phoned sacs they gave me a list of 21 questions to ask and said if i need to say this meeting is finished till my lawyer from Sacs can attend 

So i walked into a room for a chat to be met with 7 suits the other side of the table they asked what i was doing shooting on campus and this guard said pellets where falling all round her so had went straight to HR (to get me sacked for killing rabbits ) 

How long have you been shooting rabbits on campus ? 7 years plus 

You come in once a year ? every fortnight it a good job 

Who gave you permission as Health and safety and HR know nothing about it  you just cant come in and shoot with students being here ? You should of seen there faces when i pulled out my permission , risk assessment and insurance  permissions from J Swan Landscape  manager okay ?

I got off with it and kept my job but they suspended shooting till they had a enquiry LOL but i was glad i had insurance and would of been able to produce a lawyer because when i was asked if i had anything to say i said yes just these questions ?  they never answered one LOL 

Funny thing is a while later a mate said Bob im back shooting at the University I thought sod that i went straight to  the head  of HR  She said i was waiting on you we now have a company in doing the rabbits and you wont be back . I said total rubbish your company is a guy that used to come in with  me and how cant not come back as i was proved innocent  .I was barely out there building when i was told to report to the director of health and safety ( To be my new boss unbeknown to me )He said Bob if you can tick all my boxes you will be back shooting rabbits next week and i was 

But it was a big wake up call for me how vicious that lying anti could be , but shes still there and the management knows what shes like ?>

Great write up , I would imagine that lady would have more support on her side than you would have on yours, as her and her supporters look at Rabbits totally different from how you and I would look at them , not only that she could say there was a element of danger every time you pulled the trigger even though you have been through all the safety procedure with the people who granted you permission and it would then put them in a tight corner .

Glad you came out of it unscathed .   MM

[Bigbob]

Yes as said i did it for 7 years and only a handful of folk knew and that was how i liked it , I couldn't believe the venom in the woman that for killing rabbits that where costing the university a fortune she would lie to get me sacked to save a few rabbits . I still get to shoot there but it leaves a sour taste in the mouth and i rarely go now apart from holidays when i know its going to be quiet As said i was just glad i had insurance and help was only a phone call away 

The university are in a green flag scheme and during the interview after being inspected they where asked do you have rabbit control in place ? yes and said what i did and all was fine . Do you have grey squirrel control in place  ?. No and because they wouldn't let me trap them in case a picture of a squirrel in a trap appeared on social media they got knocked back for a award LOL 

In another place we where ferreting and there was a small estate next door  surrounded with grassy fields a 5 highland cattle used to graze (more of a ornament for the owners wife like a pair of black swans on her loch )  and it was riddled with rabbit holes after asking about it i was told there was a old boy came for a couple of hours every Sunday and did the rabbits . After 6 months i got a phone call the old fella didnt fill in a hole he dug to get his ferret out and a highland cow had broke its leg falling in the hole and had to be put down I often wonder if he had insurance ?.because they asked if i was interested in taking over and did i have insurance ?.LOL 

[scolopax]

thankfully not personally but i know of two cases both a long time back:

1.  A guy lost some fingers when shot in a pigeon hide by his pal

2. A beaters dog lost a leg when shot in the foot

Both cases the insurance was through BASC and in both cases they paid out. I know for the dog money for treatment was made quickly and also funds to cover the cost of a replacement trained gun dog, as although alive the dog the dog could not work any longer. 

Edited November 22, 2021 by scolopax