Shooting pigeons, rooks, magpies, etc.

[Teer 0]

Hi lads,

 

I'm writing this post because I'm a bit confused right now (and maybe I'll get some clarifying answers from yous )and it might also help a few people to stay out of trouble.

So here we go.

 

Licence to kill or take certain birds for the purpose of preventing serious damage to livestock, foodstuffs for livestock, crops, vegetables and fruit (for Scotland in this case) states that you can shoot Great Black-backed Gull, Collared Dove, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Hooded Crow, Jackdaw, Magpie for preventing ...(look at the name of the general license ).

 

Now, I've had a chat with one of the guys I went foxing with and he's a professional pest controller and he said that as long as you're not an authorised person (in this case it would be owner (or owner's agent) of grounds where the owner has crops, stores food for livestock or where some of the birds can cause damage to livestock, etc. you can't shoot those birds specified in the license. He said it as I mentioned that I'd like to find some new permissions where I could shoot some pigeons as well.

 

Then I asked a guy at a gun shop if for example I was on a golf course permission and there were woodies, crows, rooks, etc. there if it's legal to shoot them? He said yes, but I can't see them being pest on that particular ground, whatever way I look at it.

 

Also the pest controller guy told me that some time ago some lad shot a crow somewhere in his garden and he lost his firearm license and got a big fine as well because they were not a pest in his garden (despite them being on a pest list they didn't meet the pest classifying criterion).

 

I suppose the pest controller guy is right, you have to be careful and make sure that you actually know when you can legally shoot those birds. But I'm a bit confused as I've seen many posts here from your days out hunting and a lot of you bagged a few crows, rooks, woodies, etc. but it didn't always seem like some of you did it legally meaning that those birds haven't always met the criterion to classify them as pests i.e. they weren't shot at places where crops were grown, etc. (seen a post from a golf course shooting here once and the lad bagged a few rooks there I think, there were also posts (if I'm not wrong) from people showing what they've bagged in their back garden).

 

Also I've additional question, if something is classified as vermin (e.g. Grey Squirrel) can you 'shoot it on sight'? Just want to make sure before I shoot anything on my permissions

So to sum up, I'm not sure how the whole thing with pest species works but be careful guys and make sure you know what you can shoot on your permissions as many people seem to think that if something is on a general license you can shoot it straight away and the truth is it can turn out nasty if you break the law.

 

Atb,

.Tomek

[Ron Weasley 83]

In theory, your pestie pal is right - to satisfy the terms of the general license, there must be a reason to kill the species. Even indoors (for example a pigeon gets into a supermarket), technically, shooting should only be carried out after a period where all other methods of removing the bird (trying to encourage it to fly out etc) have failed.

 

I think there may be a little variation across the UK, but you can also legally shoot the birds to prevent the spread of disease or to preserve air safety (although this is unlikely to affect us airgunners).

 

Your golf course for example...you could justify shooting pigeons on there due to the risk of disease being spread through droppings which may contaminate golf balls etc.

 

(I know that's a bit speculative, but in theory, it would satisfy the terms of the general license.)

[Karpman 44]

To preserve public health of safety.

 

Having large numbers of birds shitting on golf courses rugby pitches and the cars and buildings including tables and eating areas is good reason for me.

 

And magpies make the most horrendous enough to drive you mad! Whats healthy about that? I have to clear such specie at work, They shit on the cars dude comes along spits on tissue rubs it off his window and puts it back in his pocket!

 

So better kill em to make sure me thinks.

 

Karpman

Scotland

[Karpman 44]

Just and after thought like, As for Greater black back gull probably should not be attempted with an air rifle anyhow.

 

And for gulls I wonder how many can happily identify them well enough to know which one they are picking off.

 

Karpman

[rossi_j 99]

Teer, your pestie mate has a point.

It seems to me the law is unclear and open to interpretation.

The species dosent have to be caught in the act of being a pest, e.g if you have a problem with pigeons over crop, you can catch up with them when they are roosting.

Rats, rabbits and squizzers can be shot on permision without worry as grey squirrel and rabbits are to be controlled nationaly, greys because of there negative effect on our native species of birds and our beloved reds , rabbits probably because of there widespread damage to crops and the economy (on farms) on golf/rugby grounds ect for the damage they make with there diggings and the risk of someone twisting an ancle

rats can be shot because they are filthy little disease carrying vermin.

Just make sure you cover yourself with birds, i.e have a reason specified in the general licence and permission to shoot that species from the land manager/owner.

 

Thats my take on it anyway

 

 

If anyone has anything to correct me on, please do, im happy to be educated

 

.atb. .ste.

[Rake aboot 4,929]

Corvids are a pest on much more than arable land

Contamination of livestock feed and enclosures

Protection of lambing sheep etc etc

They can also be controlled for the protection of gamebirds,,,your land doesnt have to be a shoot,, you can be protecting partridge for example.

 

You can almost always find a reason to control pest species, your permission owner wouldn`t ask you to shoot them otherwise.

 

Getting caught shooting pests in your own small garden could be an issue,, but again,, public health issues should cover you,,,,,,they are shitting in my ferrets water for example!

 

ATB

 

PS

I think you would have to be trying pretty hard to get humped for shooting a pest species outside the general license.

[Ron Weasley 83]

I didn't answer about rabbits and squirrels earlier, but yes, the whole of the UK is a Rabbit Clearance zone under the Wildlife and Countryside Act - what this means is that the land owner or occupier actually has a responsibility to control the rabbits.

 

Squirrels, as rossy_j mentioned are an alien species so are therefore a 'shoot on sight' pest.

[rossi_j 99]

I agree with rake, if I found someone trying to do me over I would go to court with a list of reasons for each species, if you want to make double shure be discrete about it :laugh:

 

.atb. .ste.

[matt_hooks 188]

There have been a few cases recently of people being prosecuted for shooting birds that are on the pest species list. Mainly it's someone who pots a noisy crow or a couple of pigeons in their back garden, and the neighbour takes offence. It's usually pretty easy to make the argument for controlling them, in terms of public health and, in the case of the corvids, protection of native song birds.

 

As for the "authorised person" it doesn't have to be the land owner, that's a big red herring. The act refers to "the landowner, or someone acting as the landowners agent." Now that second bit is pretty much un-defined, but if you have permission from the land owner to control pest species on the land, and you act within that permission then you can claim to be acting as the landowners agent. You don't need to be paid in any way.

 

Also landowner can be misleading, as it actually refers to someone who has the right to grant/exercise shooting rights over the land, not necessarily the person whose name is on the title deeds. A person who legally resides on the land will in most cases have the right to dispose of the shooting rights as they see fit.

 

The "after all other methods have been considered" doesn't mean that you can't shoot them until you've tried everything, you just have to have a reasonable reason why shooting is the best option. In the supermarket example, I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a bird, as that is an absolutely definite health risk, and any time spent trying to catch with nets etc. increases the risk of food contamination. If you have a farm permission, then you don't have to try Larsen traps or anything like that, again as long as you can show that there is a reason why they don't/won't work, or that using them would constitute cruelty to the call birds due to lots of foxes/rats, the ways to comply are myriad, the general licences are written in that way.

[davyt63 1,843]

WRONG SECTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Teer 0]

WRONG SECTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey pal, sorry I just realised that I posted this in a wrong section. I'll contact the mod and ask him to move it.

 

To anyone else, thanks for the replies that cleared a few things for me.

 

Again I'm sorry for posting in a wrong section. I'll try to sort it out.

 

Cheers,

.Tomek

[Karpman 44]

Theres two licences for same/similar Bird specie, One for protecting crops and live stock one for protecting public health.

 

I prepare food in my back garden, I skin, Pluck and barbecue in the summer months. I have good reason to control these specie in my garden on health grounds.

 

The 2 trees at the bottom of my garden sometimes have large number of jackdaws, Scaring is only effective for so long.

 

Anyhow shot a woodie at work this morning, Wright up and photos later:)

 

Karpman

[Rake aboot 4,929]

WRONG SECTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Why the hell is this in the wrong section ???????????????

 

Have you been having a cut and paste epi Davy????

[ftm 3,357]

just use your loaf if any one approaches you ,nowt will ever stop me killing magpies its a passion! if they want to come in my garden and shit on the washing then feel free to do so but be warned i will drop you

[StevoSmith 147]

I was under the impression that shooting gulls is illegal?.....i could be wrong but im sure i have seen people being prosocuted for killing gulls here in north wales.