ethics of game shooting

[jonnie drake]

ever since I first got myself an air rifle for pest control I've been racking my brains about the ethics of shooting as a whole. Now non fac air rifles and pest control seem me to be the most ethically sound hunting practice. However the ethics of game shooting get me a little more confused, especially when it is in such a scenario where the game are captively bred and the shooter pays large amounts for the privelege of shooting such game. Im not into giving the anti's fuel for there already large fire, but would just like to expand my knoledge and understanding a bit further.

I have spoken to a couple of guys who are beaters and they say most of the time the enjoyment for the client is just shooting the game, and rarely are they actually bothered about the meat.

 

[British Red]

I lived on a driven shoot for years (and a good few members here visited me there). All the game that was shot lived a natural outdoor life and was processed by a game butcher and eaten (not by the guns, but eaten none the less). It was by far the most "free range" meat you will ever see.

There were square miles of woods that were home tol buzzards, kites, stoats, weasels, deer, sparrowhawks, kestrels, merlins, adders, grass snakes, slow worms, all manner of invertebrates, fungi and I could go on.

The day the shooting stops, the clear fell chainsaws will move in. I know, the landowner told me over a pint of my homebrew.

PLEASE protect shooting and fishing - they are the people that promote the wild places.

Red

 

[Robbi]

PLEASE protect shooting and fishing - they are the people that promote the wild places.

never a true'r word spoken.

 

[Rob]

Too true. There are a whole lot of other things that the anti's can play with. How about some food production techniques?

If it wasnt for people managing areas of land for shoots then the other critters that benefit from the same environment which aren't on the menu owuldn't have a place to live.

Personally, other than for pest control I wouldn't dream of shooting anything that wasn't destined for the plate - unless it needed a final helping hand.

 

[Tadpole]

Since the time of the Norman invasion, the wild places were protected mainly for hunting, without hunting shooting and the like, most “wild” places would be car parks for ‘out of town developments’ and or fields hundreds of hectares in size, with cash crops grown that are exported to countries that wouldn’t dream of grubbing up their countryside.

 

[Bushwhacker]

I'd be more concerned with the ethics of the produce from supermarkets rather than what's running/flying freely.

 

[Melonfish]

Actually if it wasn't for game shooting Cheshire would be one of the most barren yet green areas in the country. cheshire is extensively farmed and landowners back in the 1800's decided they needed area's to shoot in and so created alot of woodland.
cheshire has actually benefited (as have other parts of the country) from the whims of the well off
Pete

 

[JonathanD]

The day the shooting stops, the clear fell chainsaws will move in.

PLEASE protect shooting and fishing - they are the people that promote the wild places.

As someone who works in conservation for rare species on a daily basis, I can confirm that Reds statement is 100% true.

 

[mickeyluv]

ever since I first got myself an air rifle for pest control I've been racking my brains about the ethics of shooting as a whole. Now non fac air rifles and pest control seem me to be the most ethically sound hunting practice. However the ethics of game shooting get me a little more confused, especially when it is in such a scenario where the game are captively bred and the shooter pays large amounts for the privelege of shooting such game. Im not into giving the anti's fuel for there already large fire, but would just like to expand my knoledge and understanding a bit further.

I have spoken to a couple of guys who are beaters and they say most of the time the enjoyment for the client is just shooting the game, and rarely are they actually bothered about the meat.

In my opinion the most ethical way of hunting is to ensure the prey does not suffer and whilst sub 12 ftlb airrifles can kill cleanly theres less chance of wounding with a higher power rifle.

 

[adestu]

if you own an air rifle or any other firearm for whatever purpose to support the sport please join the BASC.its a conservation and a voice for field sports.not only are you doing your bit,you get amoung other things liabily insurance.good idea these days.

 

[Home Guard]

The only people I know of in this country that plant vast amounts of cover and feed crops, keep ground predators at a stable population, fight the war on the greys and hunt for crop protection; are gamekeepers and shooters. The crops planted on estates are probably the most responsible for keeping songbirds alive throughout the winter, etc.

Shooting does more for nature than just kill......

 

[Neumo]

Lots of wise words here. The anti's only see little fluffy creatures meeting their end; the gamekeeper/hunter sees how the whole ecosystem benefits from their sport. There lies the difference.

I know what you mean when people think about the ethics of what they do & it is something that every shooter that hunts has probably done at some stage. If there are some parts of hunting you do not like then you have the choice not to do it; trying to stop anyone else from doing it or trying to get it banned is another thing altogeather. I tried driven shoots but did not particularly like the experience; it was OK but I much prefer rough shooting. However I understand the huge benefits to the countryside that only happen because of driven bird shoots throughout the whole bredth of the land.

That said I am grateful for there being shoots on the land next to my permissions, when the odd pheasant decides to cross the fenceline in front of me...

 

[GordonM]

Hunters, shooters, fishermen and others work hard to provide wildlife with food, water, cover, space and arrangement to maintain healthy populations. Loss of habitat is today's greatest threat to wildlife. Reading the essays of Theodore Roosevelt and Aldo Leopold will give a great understanding of the critical relationship between habitat management and wildlife management in the conservation of wildlife. It is very good reading and I encourage you to give it a try.

Happy outdoors,

Gordy

 

[789987]

i dont understand the need to justify anything. its the way its always been and its the way it will always be. the sensibilities of a vocal few are irrelevant.

 

[Bothwell_Craig]

PLEASE protect shooting and fishing - they are the people that promote the wild places.

never a true'r word spoken.

Oooohh controversial.................I will not bite, I will not bite, I will not bite.....





Actually, I might.

There is a HUGE issue in relation to persecution of wild animals on some, not saying all, but some shooting estates where the interest is only in making money from the shoot to the detriment of all other wildlife.
Indiscriminate poisoning is the prime example and it's sadly on the increase.

PS. I'm all in favour of shooting and fishing, I have no problem with either.

 

[twisted firestarter]

I have no problem with shooting for the plate or for pest control but can someone tell me... is it true that the majority of pheasants end up being buried after a shoot?

 

[toilet digger]

The day the shooting stops, the clear fell chainsaws will move in. I know, the landowner told me over a pint of my homebrew.

PLEASE protect shooting and fishing - they are the people that promote the wild places.

Red

i agree with you whole heartedly but for example..

. thousands of hectares of heather moorland are artificially maintained to provide nesting/feeding habitats for grouse and little else.

. these moors are maintained to the detriment of other moorland habitat types which will provide higher biodiversity.

. red deer are, in an evolutionary sense not herbivorous fauna of fell and moorland but forest dwellers who have been disposed for sporting, forest clearance ( sheep pasture in edwardian times) and in more recent times to protect forestry operations. they currently occupy an evolutionary niche in the uk that was previously held by reindeer until their extinction in northern scotland in the 11th century.

having said that...
working practice, environmental stewardship, cross compliance, diversification and dare i say it..bunny strokers, have encouraged a forward thinking approach in land owners, estate managers, game beats and the MOD, to the point where british flora and fauna has expanded and re-occupied fantasticly.

in short - keep blowing the c**p out of stuff.

 

[jonnie drake]

some interesting comments, cheers all. Like I said not trying to rattle any chains just learn through discussion. R.e. the sub 12ft/lbs air rifle vs live rounds/fac guns I was under the impression that 12ft/lbs was more than enough to despatch small animals at close range (upto 35yards depending on the rifle) and also less chance of over penetration. From what I have read .22 rimfire is a bit overkill in a few ways.

Fairplay if you dont understand the need to justify anything but it's important to me. I hope that its not true about the majority of pheasants being buried at the end of a shoot?

my partner is currently training to be a vet nurse and she has just started a module on veterinary ethics which has also made me think a lot.

 

[British Red]

Aaah - you have to get further south TD - shoots down there are generally pheasant and partridge and based on broadleaf woods - plenty of Red Deer in some of those woods too

tf - I have never seen game birds buried - they all ended up sold to game butchers that I saw

A few round here ended up in my stove


Esse & Pheasants Sepia by British Red, on Flickr

 

[jonnie drake]

now that is a great pic