Bigteddy1954 Posted Friday at 12:51 Report Share Posted Friday at 12:51 .Hi I see that BASC are calling for a voluntary restraint of shooting of geese ,ducks and waders in Scotland and have included reared mallard due to the weather conditions what do members think on this .cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewulf Posted Friday at 13:09 Report Share Posted Friday at 13:09 16 minutes ago, Bigteddy1954 said: .Hi I see that BASC are calling for a voluntary restraint of shooting of geese ,ducks and waders in Scotland and have included reared mallard due to the weather conditions what do members think on this .cheers It wouldnt be the first time, and I suppose it makes sense if the birds are struggling ? The key word is voluntary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conor O'Gorman Posted Friday at 13:16 Report Share Posted Friday at 13:16 Due to the widespread severe weather, BASC is calling for people who shoot in Scotland to exercise restraint, wherever it is needed, in the shooting of ducks, geese and waders including reared mallard. Under criteria agreed between BASC and the relevant government agencies today, 10 January, has been classified as the seventh consecutive day of severe conditions in many parts of Scotland. Areas particularly affected are Aberdeenshire, Moray and the Highlands. An alert has been issued according to procedures for managing the shooting of waterfowl in adverse weather. The decision to show restraint in shooting should be made by individuals and be based on local observations of the condition of the birds and their habitats. Further guidance is available here on our website. There is currently no overall call for voluntary restraint in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but it should still be applied where feeding and roosting are affected by snow and ice. If the freezing conditions were to persist, then it is likely that decisions will be taken by the Scottish government to impose a statutory suspension of waterfowl shooting, at the earliest on 18 January, which would last for up to 14 days. This should be reviewed after seven days and could be lifted if conditions improve. Although the forecast for much of Scotland predicts a thaw over the coming weekend, please continue to monitor our website for updates should freezing conditions return. In all cases, please show consideration and exercise restraint where appropriate in areas still affected by severe weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigteddy1954 Posted Friday at 13:30 Author Report Share Posted Friday at 13:30 Hi yeah it is . I understand that but why the addition of reared mallard. On my local shoot they are fed twice daily and any ice is also dispersed as well. Plus any wild birds feed happily with them . Probably the birds are better looked after than most families lol.cheers 20 minutes ago, Rewulf said: It wouldnt be the first time, and I suppose it makes sense if the birds are struggling ? The key word is voluntary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewulf Posted Friday at 13:32 Report Share Posted Friday at 13:32 Just now, Bigteddy1954 said: Hi yeah it is . I understand that but why the addition of reared mallard. On my local shoot they are fed twice daily and any ice is also dispersed as well. Plus any wild birds feed happily with them . Probably the birds are better looked after than most families lol.cheers Ah, I see what youre saying, I suppose your discretion comes into play here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigteddy1954 Posted Friday at 16:33 Author Report Share Posted Friday at 16:33 Hi got a question for Conor.If there was a ban on geese duck and waders in England due to bad weather conditions. How would this effect the reared duck put down on shoots with Basc grouping them in with wild birds ?.would this ban include them ? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pushandpull Posted Friday at 16:44 Report Share Posted Friday at 16:44 If there is a statutory ban it applies to all wild birds. Reared birds are legally wild as soon as they are released. This has been the case ever since the first hard weather bans. We had two in the winter of 80 or 81 I think it was - I do remember having to produce the signs and tie them on the marsh gates - twice ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet11-87 Posted Friday at 18:21 Report Share Posted Friday at 18:21 i could be wrong, but if the wild ducks are getting battered by the elements on their familiar feeding and roosting grounds they might seek shelter and food further afield small sheltered ponds that are fed and have had the ice broken to give access to water seem ideal for. coincidence maybe but the up and down the A1 and A19 the flooded area of fields has more birds on them than usual atm. however even if this isnt the case a bird thats been reared is classed as wild as soon as the they are released, the law doesnt differentiate and it would be messy if it did. best to just give everything a break. its more sporting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigteddy1954 Posted Friday at 18:25 Author Report Share Posted Friday at 18:25 1 hour ago, Pushandpull said: If there is a statutory ban it applies to all wild birds. Reared birds are legally wild as soon as they are released. This has been the case ever since the first hard weather bans. We had two in the winter of 80 or 81 I think it was - I do remember having to produce the signs and tie them on the marsh gates - twice ! Hi how are they classed as wild . If I rear them in my allotment with my other ducks and keep them there can I harvest them after 1st of February then or will they be classed as out of season? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigteddy1954 Posted Friday at 18:32 Author Report Share Posted Friday at 18:32 6 minutes ago, Bigteddy1954 said: Hi how are they classed as wild . If I rear them in my allotment with my other ducks and keep them there can I harvest them after 1st of February then or will they be classed as out of season? Just read that they are classed semi domestic so not classed as wild like pheasants ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet11-87 Posted Friday at 18:41 Report Share Posted Friday at 18:41 Just now, Bigteddy1954 said: Hi how are they classed as wild . If I rear them in my allotment with my other ducks and keep them there can I harvest them after 1st of February then or will they be classed as out of season? if they are kept theyre not wild and i dont know the ins and outs of fowl/poulty keeping, if you release them with the intention of then shooting them theyre wild as soon as you put them down and cant be shot to release birds for the purpose of shooting they must be released no later than july 31st it all falls under GL13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CumbrianWildfowler Posted Friday at 19:25 Report Share Posted Friday at 19:25 Always good to encourage voluntary restraint first. I hope the pheasant shoots tomorrow will exercise this with woodcock and snipe, the first to suffer when the ground is hard. I was thinking about this tonight but knowing the thaw is on the way tomorrow makes it an easier decision. Here the wigeon and geese can keep on grazing grass. The mallard and teal stay on the marsh and will be hungry by now after 4-5 days. Always good to put the quarry first but the usual warm, wet **** will be back by Sunday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conor O'Gorman Posted Friday at 20:08 Report Share Posted Friday at 20:08 3 hours ago, Bigteddy1954 said: Hi got a question for Conor.If there was a ban on geese duck and waders in England due to bad weather conditions. How would this effect the reared duck put down on shoots with Basc grouping them in with wild birds ?.would this ban include them ? Cheers I think other PW members have answered your questions adequately. However, if you feel anything is missing and need legal advice around keeping and killing kept domestic ducks and you are a BASC member please email me at conor.ogorman@basc.org.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigteddy1954 Posted Friday at 21:49 Author Report Share Posted Friday at 21:49 Conor your the man in the no.All I'm asking now is if I have mallard ducks in the allotment can I legally cull them any time in the year . Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet11-87 Posted Saturday at 00:50 Report Share Posted Saturday at 00:50 3 hours ago, Bigteddy1954 said: Conor your the man in the no.All I'm asking now is if I have mallard ducks in the allotment can I legally cull them any time in the year . Cheers YES https://www.gov.uk/guidance/slaughter-poultry-livestock-and-rabbits-for-home-consumption Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigteddy1954 Posted Saturday at 08:48 Author Report Share Posted Saturday at 08:48 7 hours ago, Sweet11-87 said: YES https://www.gov.uk/guidance/slaughter-poultry-livestock-and-rabbits-for-home-consumption Hi ty sweet11-87 .At last someone with a good bit of info ty .cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigteddy1954 Posted Saturday at 09:26 Author Report Share Posted Saturday at 09:26 Hi doe's that also apply to the pond in my field that my reared mallard go on .cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pushandpull Posted Saturday at 09:27 Report Share Posted Saturday at 09:27 This thread started with the shooting of reared mallard but ended up with the slaughter of captive birds - a very different matter. Dare one ask if the OP is registered as a poultry keeper ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigteddy1954 Posted Saturday at 10:04 Author Report Share Posted Saturday at 10:04 Hi yes I have .It became law on 1st October 2024 in England and Wales even if you have only 1 bird with APHA.cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conor O'Gorman Posted Saturday at 13:49 Report Share Posted Saturday at 13:49 15 hours ago, Bigteddy1954 said: Conor your the man in the no.All I'm asking now is if I have mallard ducks in the allotment can I legally cull them any time in the year . Cheers To be fair you are asking lots of different questions and I think you are best talking to an advisor at BASC - are you a BASC member? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted Sunday at 20:12 Report Share Posted Sunday at 20:12 Members ask all these questions about can we or can't and as the restraint is voluntary then they can often answer there own questions , at the end of the day we go wildfowling for the sport and the first few days of hard weather can produce very good sport and then the hard weather start to take it's toll , the splashes on the marshes freeze over , then the dykes and any non moving water such as the Norfolk Broads where I live , this then restrict where the wildfowl can find open water , people with flight ponds can break the ice and try and keep the water open , even large numbers of wildfowl can help to stop the water freezing over , this is where large numbers of duck can be shot and legally they are doing nothing wrong but morally it don't seem the right thing to do . I walked around the side of our estuary this morning and the wildfowl were sitting in places within gun shot range and were already showing signs of stress during this spell of hard weather , yesterday it was minus 6 and this morning it was a bit warmer at minus 5 , years ago we would had prayed for weather like this but nowadays we are in a different era and the general public would be the first to complain and rightly so , within the next few days we should see milder weather so the voluntary restraint should be over . MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted Monday at 07:42 Report Share Posted Monday at 07:42 Well said MM, surely any good wildfowler should see the sense in preserving their sport by being sensible about their quarry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted Monday at 13:08 Report Share Posted Monday at 13:08 5 hours ago, TIGHTCHOKE said: Well said MM, surely any good wildfowler should see the sense in preserving their sport by being sensible about their quarry. Fully agree TC , we no longer have to shoot wildfowl to put food on the plate like we did when times were harder than they are today , a few times over the years our local club have imposed there own restraint or a ban before it had came into U K force , we did also use our gun punts to transport sacks of grain to places where you couldn't get to on foot , this then went into the local paper and we got a certain amount of respect from the general public , at the time the general public, along with the bird watchers were going along the estuary wall to watch the huge amount of various wildfowl , I don't think we would have got a lot of Brownie points if they were watching them and we were doing our best to shoot the hungry wildfowl . MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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