Would you have taken the shot?

[Phantom 631]

Imagine the scene:----

 

Its dark, its very cloudy, you've been out on your permission for an hour or so and you've already missed 2 bunnies.

 

While gently swinging your gun around the field, a pair of jewels are illuminated by your scope mounted torch and they are moving across the field about 50 yards from you.

 

You make your way slowly across the field, there is no cover at all and you have street lights behind you. As you get to within range you kneel down for a nice steady shot.

Behind you at the entrance to the field, you hear a car, a quick glance back reveals a white car slowing down near the entrance, (nothing out of the ordinary as there is a cricket club house and bar across the road).

 

You shoulder your gun and bring the scope up to your eye, you settle the crosshair on the sweet spot of the bunny, bring your breathing down and take up the first stage of the trigger.

 

As you feel the first stage end, you notice a flash of blue light reflect off the eyebell of the scope and your glasses. Again this is not uncommon as there is a major dual carrage road at the far end of the field and there are often blues and twos racing down it. But this time is different, the light is being reflected OFF the eyebell!

 

You glance back over to where the white car is and realise the blue flashing lights are on top of the car and a figure dressed in black is standing at the gate in a way that lookes sort of 'edge on' ie: how you would stand when taking a standing shot!

 

You turn your head and have a last peek through your scope to see the bunny still sat there, crosshair still on its head.

 

Now, you get the dreaded feeling that there is at least one, probably two red dots on poised over your heart/lung area of your back do you still take the shot?

 

This happened to me last night

 

 

I'll tell you all the rest after you tell me what you would have done to handle the situation.

 

Phantom

 

[wuzzy 0]

i know I'd of shot the bunny the armed response unit doesn't announce its arrival with blue lights so nothing to worry about

[zini 1,939]

Tony,

 

If i honestly new that i was within my rights and that the land was defo part of my permission that bunny would of been eating 16 grain FX pellet mate.

 

What did you end up doing?

 

Si

[ratattack 111]

Not taken the shot. Theres plenty more bunnies out there for later.

 

You would be pretty daft to knowing a copper is stood there watching you. Even if you are in the right.

 

the copper may only have been there to deal with a problem at the bar in the cricket club though.

[bedrock 16]

Thank god for written permission

[RaiderBoy 19]

i wouldent of taken the shot, even though you have written permission the police will still find out a way to get at you because thats what there like they dont like it when you do something they dont like and they cannot do anything about it.

 

Richard

[davyt63 1,845]

hi tony

having the armed responce unit turn up twice to me before,and knowing i have all the written paper work permission in my rucksack and proof of insurance. im afraid i would have had to look DAFT as "ratattack" puts it .and taken the shot no mercy when on pest control!!

regards

 

davy

[farmboy99 1]

i would of nailed it in a heartbeat the cops arnt going to shot you for hunting rabbits well id hope not

[zini 1,939]

Same here Davy mate.

 

If you have written permission and your in the right, that makes the land your on private property so there is nothing that the police could have done apart from come over to you and ask you what your doing.

 

You would then show them your written permission and that would be it.

 

If they still were not happy you could phone the land owner and let them speak to them for final reassurance.

 

Guys,

 

You have to stand up for your rights. If we start giving away our God given rights as hunters to people it won’t be long before we have none at all. It takes some people a long time to gain permission and all of a sudden stop shooting because a police man is standing watching is wrong.

 

Stand up for yourselves.

 

Zini

Edited November 30, 2009 by zini

[ferretville 69]

SSSSSSSSSmack accupell straight in its head

[Phantom 631]

Thanks for the replies guy's

 

Heres how it went.

 

I lowered the gun and stood up fairly slow. I began walking to the gate as I got to within 30 yards I shouted "I wondered when you guy's would take the time out to come and visit me. Do you mind if I just discharge this into the ground, I dont want any accidents"

With the street lights and the blue flashes behind the figure I couldn't make out what the officer was holding, but I did notice there were no red dots on any part of my upper torso

 

The reply was in the form of a female voice "Yes, please do" she said. So I held the gun out a little way from my body and let the shot off. I then walked over to her.

 

"Oh its you" she sounded a little relieved. One of the local girls from the station near my home, I have spoken to her a few times in the street and I had asked her to get the local FEO to contact me a few months ago.

 

I asked her "How come it was you and not the ARU that came? I'd have thought a report of a man with gun would have had the heavy mob out?"

 

She told me that she had seen me sweeping the field with the lamp as she drove off the A63 and she wanted to find out what I was up to; as there has been a lot of horse thefts in the area recently.

I had heard this from the guy who gave me the permission.

I told her that I was just hunting the bunnies both here and in the cemetery and I had both sets of written authorisation on me if she wanted to see them.

 

She said that she believed me and she didn't need to see them. She also said she would give the FEO grief for me because he hadn't gotten back to me to answer my quearies

 

She will also make it known that I am there legally to the other guy's should anyone ever report me.

 

So all is well I just wanted to know how you guy's would have handled it. If she had been the heavy mob, I think they would have began shouting orders as soon as they reached the gate. I would of course obay them if that was the case.

 

Phantom

[welsh terrier 10]

i would have taken the shot , you were there to do a job so do it, what happened next?

[Phantom 631]

i would have taken the shot , you were there to do a job so do it, what happened next?

 

WT, must have posted about the same time. I replied just before you

 

Phantom

[andyz 30]

Tricky one, I would have taken the shot and then thought sh!t what if......

[John-B 4]

Last time I was out ferreting we were stopped by the police and they asked if we do any lamping, i said yeah, and he said if i'm going to be out lamping ring them and let them know where i will be and they will give me a reference number so if any reports come in from concerned members of the public etc etc they know it will be me. might be worth cinsidering mate

 

Oh and i would of took the shot.