The poacher.

[fishfish 17]

Depending on where you come from the poacher will mean different things,to some when they hear the word poacher think of the illegal taking of endangered species for their valuable parts in places accross the globe.African wildlife has over tha last centuary suffered incredibly at the hands of the poacher,in 1960's Uganda there were 800 black and white rhino but by 2003 they were extinct in that country,similarly the great apes of the central african jungles have suffered,who can forget the film 'gorillas in the mist'?

In the United states poachers are regardd as the lowest of the low,some might say scum.The US suprisingly will go to any ends to catch poachers,the washington dpt of fish and wildlife actively seeks to encourage citizens to report poachers offering rewards of up to$500.00 on its website.No poaching signes are a common sight in many national parks.

And yet in the country considered the home of law,Britain, there is a diferent view of the poacher,ask folk what they think of when you say poacher and generally they will talk of a mischevious country carachter,garbed in flat cap and trench coat concealed within a secret pocket rabbit or game,evading the village constable and having the respect and hatred at the same time of the lords game keeper.Intrestingly the word poach is derived from an old french word that meant pocket.

The poacher has become part of british folk lore,who hasnt heard tell of trout tickling ,snaring conie or noosing roosting pheasants? or the addidge 'one for the pocket and one for the pot'.For many poaching was ,and in some cases is,a necesity to supliment a poor income.In my fathers childhood food was scarce in the war years and meat scarcer still,cept for the times when he and his sisters would go poaching rabbits on the chalk downlands of Salisbury.Not so long ago in Salisbury pubs best part of a weekly bar tab maywell have been payed with ill gotten game!

The real poacher is a conservationist and lover of gods earth,he knows his 'patch' 'manor' intimately,every set,den,warren and nest he knows ,and if he is a fish man he knows his waters well,where the brown trou will lay under the willow and the salmons reds.His hunting skills are famous,taking conie and game in the simplest of manners and with what apears to be ease.I once knew an old boy who could catch a hare by its ears! but then he had been doing it for 70 years since he was a boy working the fields before and after school.

The poachers skills were recognised by even Winston churchill,during the war years when nazi invasion seemed iminent ,churchill formed his 'secret army' of would be resistance fighters.Mentioned in his plans was the recruitment of poacher who "...know every nook and cranny of the land and can walk the woodsand copses silently..." and of course knew how to shoot streight.Tis funny to think that the countrys trusted last defence was the humble poacher!

Admittdly many will feel uncomfortable with the mention of 'poacher',as in more recent times there have been spates of the bad sort of poacher whoes sole motivation is greed,they work sometimes in gangs taking valueable deer for little more than its rumps,leaving the rest to rot.they arent realy poachers they are little more than theives,cirtainly theres no intention of one for the pocket and one for the pot in them.

Yes poachers are meligned the world over ,but remember theyre not all bad. should you one day by chance see an old shifty looking chap in a quaint country pub longdog at his feet and the locals sniff and mutter poacher,remember once he was churchills and your countrys friend.

[Ossie 11]

an excellent read, great pics, and very true!

[fishfish 17]

thank you!

[FJager 0]

Yes I enjoyed that read fish, well written mate.

There was a post recently about snipers and there is a mystique surrounding them. The skills a military sniper is taught are the type of skills the old poacher used to practise his trade, this is where the military gained their experience and in the original days of military sniping it was always the country lads with hunting experience that were employed in this position for obvious reasons.

Edited March 9, 2008 by FJager

[Coney 3]

Well worth a read, nice one.

[Guest terrierman94]

there are 2 kind of poachers

1. one poacher will catch to feed his family

2 the other will catch and sell his kills for money

[shotup 9]

what about the one that kills milky hares and leaves them to rot in summer they dont really go by the name of poacher. to some its a name to be earned.

[Guest markbrick1]

excellant read and thanks for putting it up,it should educate some on here mark

[pritch 335]

top post

[BlueCoyote 0]

very very well written!

i didnt know that about Churchill either.

 

and its funny how the US regards poachers. its not too different from you guys though. sure there are rewards but not many will turn in his cousin over it. i've even been party to it once... and i dont feel one bit bad about it because it was filling a dying man's request for fresh venison, and not something he would have to chew on for days. so i went with my uncle to find a young doe.. and we did. maybe it was selfish to do that. i dont know.. but what do you do for someone who only has three pain filled months to live?

 

i dont know why the US is so strict about poaching. deer are not endangered to go away any time soon! if anything they need to be culled....

[Malt 379]

Cracking read Fishfish. Cheers for sharing.

[whin 463]

DONE ENOUGH GAMEHARVESTING FOR MONEY IN MY LIFE TO SAY MY PIECE, IN AMERICA THYE HAVE SO MUCH FREE STATE LAND THAT THEY DONT NEED TO POACH , I HAD AFAMOUS HUNTING GUUY OVER HE DONE A THREE PAGE , RIGHT UP ABOUT SCOTLAND FROM AN AMERICANS VIEW VERY INTRESTING FOR USE ,, POACHING TO ME IS ONE FOR MONEY ONE FOR FOOD , OUR LAND OS NOT DIVIDED EQAULLY AND WE HAVE TO MANY PEOPLE IN OUR SMALL LAND . SO PEOPLE HAVE HAD TO POACH AND WELL THINGS SHALL NEVER CHANGE , YOU DIVERSIFY AND MOVE WITH THE TIMES , BEEN ALL OVER THE STATES NEW MWEXICO HAS 10 MILLION ACRES OF PUBLIC LAND FOR COURSING JACK RABBITS COYOTES , YOU CANT BEAT FREEDOM