Establishment fight back

[JohnM]

I'm more than slightly surprised that game shooting isn't already licenced. You can bet your life it would be if it were the pass time of people from the other end of the social scale.

Like Ian Botham you mean?

[Wolford6]

Most moors in Yorkshire are licensed to shoots. Such shoots buy new game birds and try to protect existing ones in the close-season by creating breeding nests and shooting foxes, crows, magpies etc. The shooting is only part of the hobby; training family pets to be gundogs is a major aspect. Yorkshire Water issues licences to shoots because they effectively help to maintain the moors at no cost.

 

It is not a particularly  cheap hobby, but many members are working class. Two of my former colleagues in local government were keen members of different shoots. Some days they shoot, other days they "beat" the grassland for their colleagues to shoot the disturbed birds. The total number of birds shot in a season is strictly policed by responsible shoots.

 

Whilst shooting game birds might be regarded as cruel, the shot birds are eaten and flock numbers are maintained. Without protection from the shoots, the birds would be rapidly depleted by predation. The mountain above the village where I lived in Wales was a well known shooting ground, run by local landed gentry. However,  the shoot was wound up  during the last war. Nowadays, there is not a single grouse on the mountain

 

There is a well known iron gravestone commemorating a gundog that was accidentally shot by his owner.

 

http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/411521/details/THE+CARLO+MEMORIAL%3BTHE+DOG+STONE%3B+MYNYDD+VARTEG/

 

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/677788

[Futtocks]

Like Ian Botham you mean?

He's already proved to be somewhat irresponsible when his weapon is in the public eye...

[l'angelo mysterioso]

http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/383363-gamekeeper-found-guilty-of-mass-poisoning-of-birds-of-prey?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=New

 

must have been a moment of madness. I mean why would a game keeper do this? A one off no doubt.

That pesky RSPB should butt out.

[Severus]

no: we say raison d'être.

Strictly speaking the non English words should be in italics

[l'angelo mysterioso]

Strictly speaking the non English words should be in italics

je suis désolee  

 

 

 

standards: what happened to them?

[tonyXIII]

Strictly speaking the non English words should be in italics

 

Strictly speaking, the non-English words should be in English.  

[Wolford6]

Strictly speaking, I cocked up.

[l'angelo mysterioso]

this article has a lot of interesting things to say IMHO. I've read other things by this person and he seems to know his stuff. I enjoy cooking and eating game of all kinds, but I wouldn't miss it if it wasn't available. If a bird, fish, or animal has been killed for someone's pleasure, the least we can do is put it to good use. But on the whole I mistrust the shooting and fishing industry and its devotees

http://markavery.info/2014/07/09/shooting-good-wildlife/

[Larry the Leit]

this article has a lot of interesting things to say IMHO. I've read other things by this person and he seems to know his stuff. I enjoy cooking and eating game of all kinds, but I wouldn't miss it if it wasn't available. If a bird, fish, or animal has been killed for someone's pleasure, the least we can do is put it to good use. But on the whole I mistrust the shooting and fishing industry and its devotees

http://markavery.info/2014/07/09/shooting-good-wildlife/

Interesting read that.

What was the Countryfile thing?

[l'angelo mysterioso]

Interesting read that.

What was the Countryfile thing?

Interesting read that.

What was the Countryfile thing?

a poll

click the link at the top

[JohnM]

http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/383363-gamekeeper-found-guilty-of-mass-poisoning-of-birds-of-prey?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=New

 

must have been a moment of madness. I mean why would a game keeper do this? A one off no doubt.

That pesky RSPB should butt out.

Why would you want them to butt out? I certainly would not, which is one reason why I give them money every month.

[JohnM]

a pollclick the link at the top

Overwhelming opinion is that it does more harm than good. But is is an opinion poll, what people think, not what is the actual case. Quite a lot of people expressed their opinion that they wanted ukip councillors last May, but it does not make them right.

I would, though wish to see greater chances of detection of illegal acts by gamekeepers, and much greater penalties...but then that applies to many other things, too!

[l'angelo mysterioso]

Why would you want them to butt out? I certainly would not, which is one reason why I give them money every month.

irony dear boy, irony.

I was being 'in character'

[Trojan]

I don't know anyone who shoots grouse. I do know plenty of people who go pheasant shooting, they are very anti raptor, they approve of gamekeepers poisoning and shooting raptors.  IIRC most pheasant shoots buy birds in as poults, gamekeepers feed them and hand rear them, they are then released.  In the shooting season, they are driven by beaters towards the guns. and they are shot in huge numbers.  Greater numbers than there are people who want to eat the dead birds.  Large numbers of these expensively reared birds are then buried.  In other words their sole existence on this earth has been to be shot in order to provide pleasure to those who like to shoot things.  I am totally opposed to blood sports for pure pleasure.  Don't get me wrong I have eaten pheasant, I didn't enjoy it but I'd give it another go.  But I think there needs to be control of shooting.  I'd also ban coarse fishing, if ever there was a cruel human activity coarse fishing is it.  It'll never happen of course. The Tories'd never ban blood sports and Labour certainly wouldn't alienate huge numbers of its supporters by banning coarse fishing.

[JohnM]

irony dear boy, irony.

I was being 'in character'

 

Je sais, je sais.   

 

However, I clearly don't move in the same exalted social circles as Trojan, as I don't know anyone who shoots grouse or pheasants and I don't know anyone who is anti-raptor

[Shadow]

Je sais, je sais.   

 

However, I clearly don't move in the same exalted social circles as Trojan, as I don't know anyone who shoots grouse or pheasants and I don't know anyone who is anti-raptor

I know two people that shoot pheasant quite regularly

One's a carpenter the other's a telephone engineer. Obviously they are both elitist silver spoon sucking oppressors of the working man.

[Wolford6]

I don't know anyone who is anti-raptor

 

Every single owner of racing pigeons.

[JohnM]

I don't know any owners of racing pigeons, single or married. I've lost interest ever since Jack Duckworth died.

[Wolford6]

I don't know any owners of racing pigeons, single or married. I've lost interest ever since Jack Duckworth died.

 

 

Most pigeon fanciers keep and race their birds under the widowhood system.

[Robin Evans]

I don't know any owners of racing pigeons, single or married. I've lost interest ever since Jack Duckworth died.

John Lambie. Ex manager of Partick Thistle. On of Scotland's finest.... so say the Maryhill massive!

[Wolford6]

John Lambie. Ex manager of Partick Thistle. On of Scotland's finest.... so say the Maryhill massive!

 

Hermaj. When she has a day off, you can always find her in her overalls and wellies, cleaning out the lofts at Sandringham.

[Wolford6]

Of course, now Trojan will claim that pigeon racing is an elitist sport, undertaken by the squirearchy for the sole purpose of cocking a snook at the working man.

[l'angelo mysterioso]

I know two people that shoot pheasant quite regularly

One's a carpenter the other's a telephone engineer. Obviously they are both elitist silver spoon sucking oppressors of the working man.

my former supplier of partridge, pheasant, rabbit, salmon and sea trout paints trawlers in the shipyard at Whitby.

Now my son and his daughter have split up, the supply has dried up. It was great while it lasted, but I don't miss it. I'm not keen on recreational killing, but the least you can do is put the results of it to good use if it comes your way.

There is a lot of elitism of course there is especially on grouse moors, but things are never that simple

[JohnM]

tha'ts as maybe....but has he had any of his works selected for the Royal Academy?