Re-establishing the natural balance - Americas and Exotics
- Thread starter Toddy
- Start date
Yeah. They've done their part towards devastating the ground nesting birds too. The good side is they eat all the snakes as well 
Mainly West Kent, but some over the border on the boundaries of Ashdown Forest. One estate I helped out on used a contract stalker to help the game keeper out, with anybody else that was hanging around used to walk woods through, or shift the shot deer. In a reasonable day we would shoot and process 10 hinds, the game keepers cottage had a large larder attached. If the contractor was working on a larger estate, normally owned by the NT, or somebody similar, they would have to get in and out early in case the local animal charity got wind. But they would operate with several guns, and a team of dedicated blokes to process the carcases. Unfortunately the local press sometimes had a slow day and would do an "report" on these nasty people shooting deer. Interestingly Ashdown Forest have decided that while shooting deer is a good idea, it cant be done on the bit of the forest they look after, so its down to the adjacent land owners. Too dangerous because of the open access on the forest.
On a separate note, when I was at uni we visited a variety of wildlife reserves, parks, etc around Hampshire. Most were managed for general wildlife, but the ones managed for a single species could be pretty unforgiving. Then again group like the RSPB and SNH tend to be pretty quiet about there predator control policies, there was that hedgehog control thing in Scotland while ago, and gul nest were removed and poison was used to promote terns.
I confess, I hit and killed a sheep and her baby on the outskirts of Ashdown Forest. Close to Crowborough.
I had to finish off the sheep, the lamb was killed outright.
I worked in Crowborough, but had sessions at the Queen Vic in E. Grinstead.
I had to finish off the sheep, the lamb was killed outright.
I worked in Crowborough, but had sessions at the Queen Vic in E. Grinstead.
I planted an orchard ( apples, pears, plums) on my land in 5 Ashes. Deer damaged them time after time.
So I bought a couple of boxes of apples, baited and waited .
I waited a couple of nights, with my 12 ga.
Saw the deer, a beautiful, full horned buck. Could not shoot, he was to magnificent.
So I bought a couple of boxes of apples, baited and waited .
I waited a couple of nights, with my 12 ga.
Saw the deer, a beautiful, full horned buck. Could not shoot, he was to magnificent.
Bears? You don't discuss anything with a bear. Nothing. Everything is theirs. Your stuff, too. That's all you need to know.
They can and will bust out a door or window to get at the food in your kitchen. The wrong place for a gun battle but it happens.
In the National Parks and in the towns and villages like mine, the bears are baited and trapped in a catch on wheels and towed 100 km away away.
They get tagged with a big smear of house paint and released. Three times back in town and they are TOAST with no jam.
If any young bears start to stalk children at country school bus stops in the autumn or maybe late May or June
the bears are regulated.
They can and will bust out a door or window to get at the food in your kitchen. The wrong place for a gun battle but it happens.
In the National Parks and in the towns and villages like mine, the bears are baited and trapped in a catch on wheels and towed 100 km away away.
They get tagged with a big smear of house paint and released. Three times back in town and they are TOAST with no jam.
If any young bears start to stalk children at country school bus stops in the autumn or maybe late May or June
the bears are regulated.
Bears? Increasing all around Europe.
Tigers? The local population seems to not care, so nothing we can do.
Tigers? The local population seems to not care, so nothing we can do.
If you say so
I do like Speckled Kingsnakes though
RV, how many Gar do y'all have left?
Remember about 10 years ago when California was experimenting with non lethal bear control? When Fish & Wildlife officers responded to bear calls they would try using non lethal firearms (think rubber buckshot or rubber bullets) hoping the encounter would teach the bears fear of humans so they'd just avoid future contact (and conflict) I never did hear if it worked or not.
I have to call. I want a big bison side, maybe 450 on the hook or more.
Bears? That's really stupid. Knock them down for the limit and hope for the best.
We have a couple of really good bear butchers up here that have the hang and the smoke done well.
Bears? That's really stupid. Knock them down for the limit and hope for the best.
We have a couple of really good bear butchers up here that have the hang and the smoke done well.
Sorry folk, but this thread had lost its balance and some culling and pruning has been done.
All the posts back and forth as a result of Tengu joking about Winnie the Pooh and Tigger have been removed. Lets not go back there.
The thread started out about a very specific UK situation. The North American/International view is certainly interesting, but the direction it goes and the volume of posting noticeably drove other members away. That isn't good for the forum.
If you are UK based, and want to post about UK flora and fauna, there is a thread here:
https://bushcraftuk.com/community/index.php?threads/re-establishing-the-natural-balance-uk.148901/
This thread is for everything else, and since it started getting into hunting a lot, it has been moved to Fair Game.
Lets see how this works.
All the posts back and forth as a result of Tengu joking about Winnie the Pooh and Tigger have been removed. Lets not go back there.
The thread started out about a very specific UK situation. The North American/International view is certainly interesting, but the direction it goes and the volume of posting noticeably drove other members away. That isn't good for the forum.
If you are UK based, and want to post about UK flora and fauna, there is a thread here:
https://bushcraftuk.com/community/index.php?threads/re-establishing-the-natural-balance-uk.148901/
This thread is for everything else, and since it started getting into hunting a lot, it has been moved to Fair Game.
Lets see how this works.
Good idea, Mod Claycomb!
Here on Island we have issues with 4 invasive species.
1: Green Iguana.
The Old Woman's Tale says they were brought to Island on a boat with fishermen from Honduras. They had them trussed up ( alive) aboard as food, but when they breached Caymanian waters, our Customs took them (fishermen), the boat and the hidden, trussed up Iguanas to land. Discovered the Iguanas, and let them loose.
They are now all over the Island, numbering around 2 million, doing hellish damage to trees, bushes, gardens. Eat anything green. All flowers, specially Hibiscus. Crap in pools, on cars, everywhere.
Culling does not work. I kill them in my garden, with a (legal) airgun.
No solution in sight.
2: Rats
Not a big problem yet. Most houses have traps with poison.
Our dump called is Mount Trashmore - tallest ‘almost natural’ feature on Grand Cayman - is a perfect breeding ground. Lots of food, and lots of eine cirks fir the rat babies to play with!
Most houses have traps or poison traps.
They eat my bananas - I am fine with that. Then they eat the electricals in my outdoor AC units - I am not fine with that.
So we poison them.
3: Agouti aka Cayman Rabbit.
Been here over a Century. Implanted as food. Not heard of any excess damage to the environment.
Fun to hunt, you bait an area with apples, sit very quietly and shoot them.
4: Lionfish. Like all good things on this world, we got it from the US, where they were kept in aqvariums. Got released from an aquarium in Florida. Spreads like bushfire, eating all small fish it can. Devastates reef eco systems.
Here, the diving industry have done an amazing job culling them. Restaurants serve them.
Good eating. We are the most successful island on Lionfish control.
Here on Island we have issues with 4 invasive species.
1: Green Iguana.
The Old Woman's Tale says they were brought to Island on a boat with fishermen from Honduras. They had them trussed up ( alive) aboard as food, but when they breached Caymanian waters, our Customs took them (fishermen), the boat and the hidden, trussed up Iguanas to land. Discovered the Iguanas, and let them loose.
They are now all over the Island, numbering around 2 million, doing hellish damage to trees, bushes, gardens. Eat anything green. All flowers, specially Hibiscus. Crap in pools, on cars, everywhere.
Culling does not work. I kill them in my garden, with a (legal) airgun.
No solution in sight.
2: Rats
Not a big problem yet. Most houses have traps with poison.
Our dump called is Mount Trashmore - tallest ‘almost natural’ feature on Grand Cayman - is a perfect breeding ground. Lots of food, and lots of eine cirks fir the rat babies to play with!
Most houses have traps or poison traps.
They eat my bananas - I am fine with that. Then they eat the electricals in my outdoor AC units - I am not fine with that.
So we poison them.
3: Agouti aka Cayman Rabbit.
Been here over a Century. Implanted as food. Not heard of any excess damage to the environment.
Fun to hunt, you bait an area with apples, sit very quietly and shoot them.
4: Lionfish. Like all good things on this world, we got it from the US, where they were kept in aqvariums. Got released from an aquarium in Florida. Spreads like bushfire, eating all small fish it can. Devastates reef eco systems.
Here, the diving industry have done an amazing job culling them. Restaurants serve them.
Good eating. We are the most successful island on Lionfish control.
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Your marine and terrestrial ecosystems are stuffed and you know it.
Anywhere that humans have manipulated the environment.
Four species? We have pages of them. Most Schedule C species in British Columbia can be killed on sight by any means,
no season, no bag limit, no licence. There's no interference from any animal emotionalists.
You are required to demonstrate property damage (buildings, crops, etc) in order to put Schedule B species in your sights.
Some of them are still subject to the rules and regulations of fair chase hunting, like the Canada Geese.
Schedule A species are listed in our hunting regulations with described seasons, licenses and bag limits.
In those, the goal is a sustained yield which allows abundant resources for successful breeding populations of both predators and prey.
For us, the argument is easily made for the protective management of native species threatened by resource loss to the invaders.
Anywhere that humans have manipulated the environment.
Four species? We have pages of them. Most Schedule C species in British Columbia can be killed on sight by any means,
no season, no bag limit, no licence. There's no interference from any animal emotionalists.
You are required to demonstrate property damage (buildings, crops, etc) in order to put Schedule B species in your sights.
Some of them are still subject to the rules and regulations of fair chase hunting, like the Canada Geese.
Schedule A species are listed in our hunting regulations with described seasons, licenses and bag limits.
In those, the goal is a sustained yield which allows abundant resources for successful breeding populations of both predators and prey.
For us, the argument is easily made for the protective management of native species threatened by resource loss to the invaders.
Our Island is fairly small, not to say tiny......
Under 200 square kilometers!
As there is not much natural, drinkable water, animals have to be very special.
Under 200 square kilometers!
As there is not much natural, drinkable water, animals have to be very special.
British Columbia is a big province. We have more biodiversity that all of the rest of Canada put together.
That means that invasive species can still devastate the smaller biogeoclimatic zones.
May not look like it when you're driving along the highway but the invasive plants have to be the worst.
Do Muntjac (sp?) get into orchards and vineyards in the UK?
The deer can do an awful job of an apple orchard here because their saliva is toxic.
They browse the twig tips and the next 12" of the branch is dead by spring.
That means that invasive species can still devastate the smaller biogeoclimatic zones.
May not look like it when you're driving along the highway but the invasive plants have to be the worst.
Do Muntjac (sp?) get into orchards and vineyards in the UK?
The deer can do an awful job of an apple orchard here because their saliva is toxic.
They browse the twig tips and the next 12" of the branch is dead by spring.
For you Muntjak hunters.
Works with other deer family meat.
I just found three interesting receipes for deer chilli at the GunsAmerica website.
https://www.gunsamerica.com/l/C13C1133-31BB-43D9-8C8A-C9CE35D840C7/m9S5T/20180319_BlogDigest_269.htm
I hope I am not breaking any rules, regulations or laws and I am not affiliated to them.
Maybe on the wrong thread though....
Works with other deer family meat.
I just found three interesting receipes for deer chilli at the GunsAmerica website.
https://www.gunsamerica.com/l/C13C1133-31BB-43D9-8C8A-C9CE35D840C7/m9S5T/20180319_BlogDigest_269.htm
I hope I am not breaking any rules, regulations or laws and I am not affiliated to them.
Maybe on the wrong thread though....
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