Run In With The Neibhbours

[Hugh Wilton 11]

As some of you know I have a small permition at a local village cricket club. On Friday evening I popped down there to re zero and to see if there was anything hopping about, it has been very quiet down there for a long wile.

 

I was just calling it a night when I spotted someone cutting through the field up to the gate.

 

Now I have been told that we have had a problem with the owner of the land next door, he runs a hourse sanctuary and use to be in the council. However, he was thrown off that.

 

Well as I got back to the car I see him taking photos of me, my rifle and my car. Now being the civilised prison that I am I asked him what he was doing. His response was that he was documenting who was killing the rabbits on the cricket pich. He also went on to explain that he had been campaigning to stop the killing of rabbits for the last 20 years, and it was this conflict that had seen him "forced" off the council. He also has an online partition of over 1200 people signatures. I have had a look at it and about 90% of the people on there are from overseas. And I am willing to bet don't even know where this place they are trying to save the bunnys is, or the laws of the land that says that vermin should be controlled.

 

I pointed out that on this occasion I was just zeroing and was not killing anything, this he did not believe as I had combat trousers on. Now as I had kept my cool and not shouted at him I got into a bit of a conversation with him and he then went on to tell me about how he target shot and how he had .22 rf s and had shot them on or around his 4 acres of land.

 

Now this is the problem I have, he had no reason to take those photos other than to use these as part of an anti hunting campaign, this I am consurned will mean that he posts them on anti web sights were some of the people might not be as peasful.

 

The other thing I am wondering is dose he have firearms and if so are they all license. Dose he have an open licence or has the land been cleared by the police?

 

Now what do I do? Is it worth a call to the firearms office? The police or anybody else. I am feeling threatened. I am just thinking if anything happens to me or the car then at least the police have a starting point.

 

What are people's thoughts on this?

[BORDERSCOT 3,816]

I think you should kill him!!!! I really do!!!!

[pernod 466]

If you have permission then you should have told him where to go, folk of that ilk do not deserve conversation.

On the other hand if you genuinely feel threatened then phone the cops and explain the situation to them i.e. going about your lawful business and having some 'weirdo' taking snapshots of you. At the very least he will have to explain his actions to plod.

An a personal note i dont think i would have been as controlled as you, i take these sort of actions far too personal.

 

 

Yours in sport Pernod

[AR177 588]

Umm sounds like a call to the police might be the best thing, even if its just to make them aware that you might be on some antis radar

 

ATB

 

Adam

[the_stig 6,614]

I think you should kill him!!!! I really do!!!!

and quick

[j j m 6,487]

let the police handle it he seems a right tree hugging numpty

[Joolz 1]

Well I am a tree hugger and ex plod but don't see why we should be over run with vermin, wild or human! Was this man not trespassing? Campaigning against the destruction of rabbits on a cricket pitch is ridiculous. I think the friendly local plod is already sick of this man but should be kept up to date with his fantasies.

[The one 8,408]

Phone the police and say he is stalking you and your worried

[Hugh Wilton 11]

Pernod it has taken many years to develop the levels of tolerance to these sorts of people. I have to admit had it been a few years back I would have grabbed the camera and slung it as far as I could and told him to " go forth and multiply". However I have found that if you take the time to talk severely to them they are often quite happy to drop themselves in it, and make themselves look the uneducated fools that they are.

 

I think that I will give the old bill a call in the morning, just to be on the safe side, oh and as an added bonus might just piss him off too.

[The one 8,408]

Just say its a few time's you have caught him taking your pict or your car and your worried but you always unload your gun and sleeve it ,Play him at his own game mate

[thedogman199 51]

Point of law if he objects to killing rabbits his fac would not be for vermin control but for target shooting with unless he had a home office approved range on his land he would be breaching his conditions! You can not just go to a field and shoot targets the only way that this is lawful is if you are zeroing your rifle for vermin control if you have a fac for target shooting it must be done at an approved range where adequate insurance is held...... In short pal don't report it on 101 as the lads they send out don't know what they are talking about .... Trust me

 

Phone the firearms licensing department for the area in which his land resides and explain that a man who was very threatening towards you said that he enjoys shooting targets with a .22 lr in his field and you are concerned for the safety of the public

 

It will work as its a tick box form and that covers them all .... If they are licensed they will be removed and if not he can have free lodge and board for a few years

 

Atb buddy

[andyz 30]

It is bloody annoying, but I think you made the right decision.

 

Let us know how you get on with the old bill.

[reaper1064 285]

Send him a letter to tell him that if you find he has posted any pics of you online you will seek legal action of breach of privacy, let him know that the club have a legal obligation to manage the rabbits on their land. Also see if the cricket club have given him 24 hour access to their land, if not then get them to write to him threatening legal action for trespass.

Call the dibbles and tell them you felt threatened by his behavior and then see if he gets his FAC renewed. Play the dickhead at his own game.

[hunter100t 56]

Pernod it has taken many years to develop the levels of tolerance to these sorts of people. I have to admit had it been a few years back I would have grabbed the camera and slung it as far as I could and told him to " go forth and multiply". However I have found that if you take the time to talk severely to them they are often quite happy to drop themselves in it, and make themselves look the uneducated fools that they are.

 

I think that I will give the old bill a call in the morning, just to be on the safe side, oh and as an added bonus might just piss him off too.

Thats the right outlook hugh, you have done nothing wrong, i had a similar problem last year, this woman (tree hugger, do gooder) went out of her way to watch when i arrived at my shoot,follow about 50 to yrds behind me with her 3 dogs, went down the talking polite route to no avail, on this final occasion i was static in a hide overlooking a good bunnie warren, she walked past 50 yrds out and one of her dogs caught and killed a rabbit. I phoned the police there and then, they were there within 10 mins, arrested her under the hunting with dogs laws, she was prosecuted with the help of my video of the kill by one of her dogs,heavily fined, and a restraining order put on her by the land owner.

Not seen her to this day, I think the reality of it all caught up with the fantasy world she was living in, seen no antis either as she was warned about insightment.

It is your right to go about your lawful buisness of pest control, best to forwarn the police as i did, stay one step ahead mate.

 

atb Phil

[PaulEamonn 37]

Hi Hugh

 

Something that no one else seems to have picked up on so far are the very telling words in your initial post and those are

 

'.........the land next door.'

 

Now, if it can be shown that the rabbits coming onto the the cricket pitch are from warrens on his land, he can legally be forced to deal with them.

 

Here's a link to a Word document on the Natural England website that tells you all about it.

 

http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/images/wmla02_tcm6-4231.doc

 

If you can't hit him any other way, you can always hit him in the pocket.

Edited February 18, 2013 by PaulEamonn