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hunting with air rifle


dmac
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Welcome to the forum Check out any local clubs or ranges and get in lots of practice and make sure your grouping is consistant before you start asking for permissions also get yourself some insurance if not already done so most farmers insist on it

 

good luck

 

Lee

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You should approach getting permission as a long-term "sales and marketing " campaign.

No sensible landowner is going to give you permission to shoot on their land without knowing you and your skills level and experience.

In my view, the standard "permission letters" you find on these forums do not work as an initial approach - you have to personalise a relationship first! (be it over a pint in the Pub, by chatting up the farmers doughter, or by buying their produce!)

 

Apart from the earlier advice to become a beater on a shoot, which is good advice, I suggest you you should become a customer of a farmer who sells his produce directly to the public. Built a relationship, become trusted paying customers, become friendly with them, and then - and only then- pop the question asking for permission while chatting about the damage done by pests.

During your "research" period you could find out about local shoot syndicates, footpaths, rights of way, if land has been cleared for fire-arms, etc etc.

 

Target 2 or 3 local farms at the same time - with a bit of luck you may get shooting permission on one by the Spring/Summer. Accept that each landowner will have their own view on what is vermin and what is not! For example on one of my permissions I can shoot anything classed as vermin and suitable for air rifles, and on a neigbouring property I can only shoot grey squirrels and magpies, as the lady who owns the land likes to see the rabbits play on her lawn, and she loves the "chatting" of the rooks in her mature trees..."

 

Also, permission leads to more permission. Start with a small local smallholder with 5 acres who sells some eggs, move on to a larger farm quoting your experience, results and existing permission next year.

And don't forget there are many people with large houses and very large gardens who are delighted with some help clearing rabbits and grey squirrels - in fact some of the best shooting is to be found in private gardens as the bio-diversity is often better than on large intensively farmed estates. And these locations are often only suitable for air rifles as a shotgun or FAC rifle would be unsafe.

Golf courses, industrial units, equistrian businesses, schools' sportsgrounds etc are also good places to look for permission. And if there is any commercial woodland in your area you may get permission for grey squirrels.

 

Try to find a responsible "buddy" in your area who is prepared to take you out on his permission (with the landowners permission of course) and will show you the ropes. Many people are happy to share their experience -but do not try to get permission on land you have been invited to shoot as a guest, unless it is offered to you. You may upset the current permission holder and get a bad name.

 

It may be worthwhile to contact your local office of the NFU or CLA. Also talk to people at FWAG or the local Wildlife trust: Many people working in conservation are involved in shooting/hunting themselves and will be sympathetic and understand the issues. It is not a bad thing to be aware of conservation issues and "sell" your shooting as "conservation shooting" instead of "pest control" - providing of course you really feel strongly about conservation.

 

Finally, being well dressed, not showing tattoes, removing any metal body art from you face, not wearing camo when visiting a landowner, and generally being polity, kind, safety-concious, considerate etc is always helpful.

 

Good luck

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  • 4 weeks later...

I live local and tried every one with in 30 mile and have tried for last 3 year with no joy.

People collect the land and have way to much.

All I hear off farmer's is @we have these 2 guys one with shotgun and one for fox".

alway's same 2 but what make's me lough is some of the land you could have 20 shooter's on it is that big.

 

I'm ready to give up my self and I give people the oppertunity to come try get permission with me but like previous poster,there more interested in you getting the shoot and then inviting them.

 

I've managed to get a small place but can't invite or I would "sorry".

 

There is a hft/ft up in atherstone coleshill I go some time's and another in hendly in arden which doe's rim fire/airgun, 49th in alum rock and one over sutton coldfield.

 

Sorry to say but you have apsolutely no chance around birmingham and I kid you not when I say I have knocked for over 3 year's and I still continue to go back to ask same farmer's,golf club's,hotel's,stable's every 6 month.

 

Some one on here has all of coleshill and nuneaton way another over solihull.

 

I've done all west brom,sutton,minworth,rednal/rubery way and most of solihull.

 

you will find that most the farmers will work for 1 main farmer that rents all the land and he has a couple of shooters with all the permission.

 

Shame they have all this land but don't share,in my last 3 year's coming on and off this site I think I've seen around 2-3 post's where people in birmingham have been invited out.

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