I was horrified today to be greeted by a photograph of children holding the carcasses of a mallard and female pheasant as if they were trophies.. after coming back from their first shooting.. A couple of weeks ago a similar image showed hoards of dead pigeons at their feet.I find this absolutely disgraceful.. Their 'proud' parents excuse is that the sons are part of the BASC, British Association of Shooting and Conservation.How can destroying lives, our wildlife, be conservation? As members of the RSPB, we're protectors of birds and wildlife, what can we do to stop this?
Sad....I've never understood people's fascinations with guns. I could never shoot anything.
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Nothing to stop it. If the law is being broken, such as gun laws/conservation laws, then the police can get involved, but nothing can be done about the legalised hunting. The land immediatly west of titchwell is hunting land, and i saw geese being taken near cley, though detail on that caused some problems. Ive seen woodcock been taken on the east coast and in small woodlands, surrounded by guns in cumbria. Its something we have to live with, and although it sounds weird it has a benefit for wildlife. Pheasant feed is a MAJOR benifit to our farmland species- an important, regular year round food source. Equally benifits are seen in the habitiat management for shoots. Shooting land probably protects more land than nature reserves, giving protection to many non hunteddspecies. Its a difficult matter, and not as simple as it seems.
Just to clear that up- i dont agree with hunting....
I think Michael M has summed this up very well. I dont shoot and have no wish to. I do have great respect for BASC which has done a lot of good work in protecting wildilife from unlawful activities. As MM indicates there is a lot of beneficial side effects from shooting. We do have the additional problem that virtually all conservation bodies shoot for pest control at some point.
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Like Bob I think Michael has summed it up very well if no law is being broken there is little you can do to stop it.Game and Wildfowl shooting has always been part of the country way of life and many of us like to eat a bit of pheasant or wild duck.My main gripe with shooting is with the few who insist on shooting raptors and these are in the minority thank goodness.Legal well run shoots help a lot of other wildlife to survive the winter.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can