Hunting for the butcher?

[FerlasDave]

I've had my rifle for a while now its a .22 air rifle that fires at 550 FPS. It has a 4X20 scope on it and im begining to get to be a fair shot.
Ive shot mostly at targets and a couple of magpies (attacking a sparrow in my garden ) and it took them out pretty well.

So that got me thinking, could I shoot small game and maybe sell them on to one of the butchers near by? things like pheasant, rabbits, grouse. im not really sure how to go about it but i bought a book on tracking from matalan which may give me an idea on what is out there.
i know i will have to ask my local butcher for advice but i thought that someone on here may be able to give me some advice on the laws, how to go about it and what to shoot. and if itis possible to sell the meat to the butcher.

does anyone do this or have and ideas or advice?

 

[FerlasDave]

also does anyone know how to go about getting permission to shoot on farmland or know anywhere near to me (Dudley way) i could go??

 

[dwardo]

Its usually just a case of knocking on doors and asking Maybe you can find a local shooting club and see if they can point you in the right direction.
Ususally farmers are only too happy to have you knock down the local rabbit population. Game birds are a different ball game as they are worth money to the land owners who introduce them to their land.

 

[FerlasDave]

but i thought that they didnt like birds as they would eat the crops? i will ask some local farms though.

 

[HillBill]

Hi Davey.

I shoot, not as much as i used to though.

Permission is hard to get, my advice would be to join the BASC and get shooting insurance. It still will be hard but the insurance will help.

Please do not think about shooting pheasant grouse etc as it is illegal with an airgun and if yours is doing 550fps its only around 10ftlbs which is ok for vermin out to around 25 yards. If you are a good consistent shot (10 shots under a 2p coin everytime at the distance you are likely to shoot) then you can add 10 or 15 yards (headshots only).This makes it especially hard shooting birds as they have small heads..

I used to sell rabbits to a butcher. The going rate was 75p a rabbit.I had to remove intestines etc but could leave its jacket on. I only did this when i had a good day/night though as i always though it was more effort than it was worth. It was ok for paying for more pellets though.

Airgun Quarry is as follows (as far as i can remember)

Rabbit (edible)
Grey Squirrel(edible but hard to prepare for what little you get)
Wood Pigeon ( edible, very nice but not much on them)
Crow ( breast is edible)
Magpie
Rook
Mink
some Gulls
Used to have sparrows and starlings on the list but they are removed

Im sure there are a couple i forgot but thats what you will commonly see

 

[FerlasDave]

thanks for the advice. i had no idea you could eat crow. what would you say would be the minimum power for a good hunting rifle then. (i thought 550 was quite powerful)

 

[locum76]

this site has a good list of airgun dos and donts.

http://f4bscale.worldonline.co.uk/gunlaw.htm

I'd be careful when shooting birds, (even magpies) you should really only do that with a licence.

 

[HillBill]

thanks for the advice. i had no idea you could eat crow. what would you say would be the minimum power for a good hunting rifle then. (i thought 550 was quite powerful)

It depends, The legal limit in this country is 12ftlbs(600/620 fps) so 10 isn't bad.

What airgun do you have, what pellets do you use?

Lighter pellets (14ish grain) go better in a springer than heavier (16ish grain). They are just easier for the spring to push out and will add slightly to your power. Heavy pellets work better in a pre charged.

 

[FerlasDave]

i forgot the name of the gun, and i think i threw the leaflet that came with it away. but i use sportsmarketing SMK pellets, doesnt say what grain though but i would assume theyre 14, they are lighter than the ones that came with the rifle.

 

[BossCat]

Way back in the mid 80's I used to do a bit of aringun hunting.

I recomend that you ask at your local Golf Course. Ask the Greens Keeper or the Chairman of the golf course, as there always getting pestered by Rabbits digging holes in the greens/fairways ect.

Ask Greens Kepper or Chairman if you can have WRITTEN PERMISSION. You could like I did write somethiing up and ask the Chairman to sign it.

I was once stopped by the police one morning while walking along the road to my local GF. Thay asked what was in the bag. I told them an air rifle. They asked where I was going and I told them. There was then a big hoo haa about not allowed to shoot on the GF. I then produced the slip of paper with written permission form the chairman. Wished I'd had a camera as their faces changed from being all smug to not knowing what to say or do. They told me to get on my way

Hope this helps

TC

 

[FerlasDave]

thats a good idea, i never thought about asking at a golf course. and i should emagine they might have problems with some birds too e.g. magpies after the golfballs thinking theyre eggs. haha

 

[Scuba Pete]

Hi,

It is illegal to shoot wild birds. There are exceptions, for example you can shoot pest species e.g. the Magpie but only under the specific conditions set out in the general licence.

Some examples are when they are a danger too public health, damaging crops etc or to protect wild birds.

The fact they are stealing golf balls or being a nuisance is NOT a valid reason.

Even after these conditions are met you can only shoot them when you have shown that none lethal means do not work or are not practical to use. E.g. scare them away somehow.

I did this from memory so you really need to read up on the current law but you get the gist of it.

If you don't follow the rules you are in trouble.

 

[HillBill]

But if a landowner wants them shot, then its for him to justify. You are just doing what was asked. I never have any problems on private land (with permission).

Heres a link to the DEFRA general licence info

http://www.countryside-alliance.org...s/shooting-views/open-general-licence-advice/

 

[FerlasDave]

i dont really understand that site. it might just be me being stupid but doesnt it contradict itsself in places? it seems asthough you can shoot certain birds but at the top it says that all birds are protected. also does it mean i have to have a liscence to shoot wether i have the permission of the land owner or not?

 

[locum76]

you're not allowed to shoot wild birds without a license. If a landowner see some birds as a pest he must first prove that there is no other way of dealing with the problem and then find a licensee to do the shooting for him.

If defra have scientific evidence that a particular species are causing a general problem over an area, they will then issue a general license to that area so that all that is required is the landowners consent for you to shoot the birds.

pheasant and grouse are generally bred for shooting and are therefore not seen viewed as wild birds. you have to pay the landowner for the privilege of shooting them.

 

[deeps]

Might be a good idea to go and read a book like Total Airgun Hunting by Pete Wadeson or Air Rifle Hunting by John Darling. Would give you a much better idea of what you need to be thinking about than by gleaning snippets of info off the net. Try Amazon.

 

[HillBill]

i dont really understand that site. it might just be me being stupid but doesnt it contradict itsself in places? it seems asthough you can shoot certain birds but at the top it says that all birds are protected. also does it mean i have to have a liscence to shoot wether i have the permission of the land owner or not?

I do not have a Defra license though i do have BASC. All birds are protected UNLESS the species in question is a pest and is being one and the landowner wishes to keep their numbers in check and has good reason to do so. You can't just shoot them for fun.

 

[HillBill]

pheasant and grouse are generally bred for shooting and are therefore not seen viewed as wild birds. you have to pay the landowner for the privilege of shooting them.

But you have to use a shotgun or proper rifle. Game animals are ILLEGAL to shoot with an airgun. If caught you face several charges maybe a 5 year ban on owning any firearms airguns included. Not good.

I also agree with Deeps suggestion.

 

[FerlasDave]

i had no idea there were so many laws about this stuff. i thought you just got the permission and off you went, all this liscencing seems pointless to me, its not like theres not enough wood pidgeons or crows out there.

probably just me being arrogant though.

 

[HillBill]

Shooting is one of the most regulated sports out there. It has to be due to the fact that a gun can kill way too easily and there are many idiots around who give the sport a bad name. Yet, for the main part gun owners are some of the most law abiding and sensible people you will ever meet, who hugely contribute to the welfare and conservation of the countryside.