<snip>no offense everyone but why so heavy with the nanny ranting? and why the incessant respect and abiding of freedom and culture-eroding laws such as not being allowed to camp wildly on our own land, regardless of it being owned or not. If I want to camp, make fire, and kill game on a small one man scale for a weekend in a corner of a wood I will bloody well do so.
i'm a grown adult who takes responsibility for my own risks and decisions. accept it.
i want you all to see me as someone who really dosn't give a damn about land owning laws unless they are for a clearly acceptable reason/cause such as not camping on agricultural/game plots... or.... or.... ummm, what else? Absurdity.
I think this is maybe where you went wrong. I'm a realist, so are most people here. Do you think everybody has permission to camp? Don't you think some people may "Drop under the radar" for a few nights out? Don't you think that this is where the leave no trace ethic comes into its' own? Maybe it does, I'm not saying any more than that!
You can't come to a new forum and start throwing your teddy in the corner when you get pulled up on it though. Scotland has different land access laws to England and Wales so it may be worth a visit, we're not happy with that, but that's the way it is. Imagine you found a land owner who gave you access to his land and will let you fish the trout in his river, use the wood in his beech woodland for fire wood and hunt his rabbits for your own personal consumption. All he wants is for you to keep the place nice and clean and leave no visible fire scars or rubbish, maybe keep an eye on his livestock and report any damge to his fences. Sound reasonable?
Then, imagine somebody goes onto that land without permission, rips up plants and starts a massive fire, wrecks a few fences gaining access and animals escape, leaves junk everywhere, etc etc. What do you think the land owner will do? He'll stop anyone coming on his land, you included. So because of the thoughtless actions of a minority, you just lost your permission on a fantastic piece of land. Sound unfair?
So, now put yourself in the shoes of the guy who may have worked hard to get the permission on the piece of land you are about to use without permission. Can you now see the point I'm trying to make? You don't have to tell me how frustrating it is not being able to find a bit of land to practise your hobby. That's the Law though, and this forum also has rules.
As for my comments on Mountain Rescue, well, you mentioned a survival blanket as your only means of keeping warm other than a fire and then suggest a week out. Who is gonna come and find you when you don't call in because you are hypothermic? Maybe not Mountain Rescue, but some sort of Emergency Service and that is a situation that could have been avoided. It's great to test yourself, don't get me wrong, but do it responsibly. Consider the implications your actions could have on other people.
And taking any animal from land you don't have permission on is poaching, if you use even an air rifle it becomes armed trespass. Know the Law before you put yourself in a situation you really don't want to be in.
