Fao visit

[moonlighter 1,163]

Just wondering if this is routine and if any one else has had this happen? I've just received a phone call from my fao saying he has to come see me regarding a hare coursing/lamping complaint. The day in question, or night was last November when the police arrived at the field I was shooting following a phone call from a member of the public, after seeing a lamp shining. The police took ours names and asked that in future we call the police first. That was it until today. They never looked at the guns, asked what we was shooting or looked in the van to see we had no dogs.

[SportingShooter 0]

If you've nothing to hide then you've nothing to worry about.

[Rikweller 14]

Had the fuzz turn up first we went out a few months ago as the golfers next to out permisson complained, they checked license and attempted to check the guns then just told us to call 101 when we turn up to shoot. Have done this ever since and had no visits. As previously said if you have nothing to hide ull be fine :-)

Atb rik

[moonlighter 1,163]

Im not worried but it's hard to prove you was or wasn't hare coursing 4 months later. As I said, I asked is this common?

[GRAM71 29]

not heard anything like it before, perhaps they're so far behind in checking up on people. you could easily turn this around and offer to help spot any hare coursing on or near your perms.

[matt_hooks 188]

moon, admit nothing. They need to prove that you were doing something illegal, and four months afterwards they'll struggle to prove anything!

[SportingShooter 0]

You're making it sound as though you've got something to worry about about...

 

As I said, if you've done nothing wrong then don't worry. It is quite a common occurrence for FEOs to visit certificate holders during the course of their license and they will usually ring you before hand as they have done here.

[moonlighter 1,163]

As I said, I'm not worried, just curious. As I do a fare bit of hare shooting, the police get called offen and details are exchanged regular. But I've never had the fao visit me before?

[matt_hooks 188]

You do know that shooting hare with a lamp is illegal right?

[moonlighter 1,163]

All hare shooting is done in the day with shotguns and a beating team with dogs. Lamping is for rabbits and foxes.

[shootlodge 145]

The more you are out, the more chance the police may get called.mobile fone scurge !! but ....the more they are called out the better, it shows you are out there doing what you say you are doing !! Every call out gets a authenticity from the land owner & a log filed. well done You must of passed , on your eve out ,you are keeping it legal.

Edited February 13, 2012 by shootlodge

[moonlighter 1,163]

Good point.

[moonlighter 1,163]

Fao has just visited, and I was wrong about the night in question. It was regarding a night 2 weeks previous. My friend had gained some local rabbiting permission, do on passing one night we shone the lamp into the field to see if any rabbits were present. There was but the field also had cows in. With that a guy pulled up in a car and questioned us. We answered his requests, only to be informed that it wasn't who's field we said it was. He then told us to f**k off before he calls the police. We had no dogs, no guns and hadn't even left the truck, just shinning from the window. We left thinking we had the wrong field, but on calling the farmer and meeting him in person we did have the correct field all along. Well when my fao came he showed me this chaps statement.... To say I was shocked would be an understatement. It said we were firing a gun across his land and was also hare coursing using infer red light! Anyway, luckily the fao was on our side but had to follow the report up. I can only assume that this guy likes rabbits and dosnt like pest control.