Whats With All The Out Of Season Hunting?

[lurcher666phil 43]

can any one explain why you would want to hunt now when things are breeding, surely you are killing sport for winter. it seems to be very common around my end especialy with the younger "sportsmen", maybe there scared of winter weather or dogs cant do the job when quarry is at its fittest

[Huan72 687]

I think its about respect, or lack of it. It makes me cringe to think about pregnant animals or the very young being killed, we are not in a survival situation were survival depends on killing whatever we can get. We have the luxury of ethics, we can hunt with principle and show respect to our quarry. Its one of the few things that separates us from other animals and when we loose that respect, we demean ourselves. Time and time again, hunting with disregard to sustainability has led to extinction, imagine no more quarry, when its gone, its gone...........everyone's different but to me, the way I think about the quarry and the way I treat it is important. To some, killing will be all that matters but they will never fully understand the deep connection to nature that its possible for hunting to provide. All just my opinion of course

[Huwidge 69]

rabbits are breeding almost all year round these days. if you waited for them to stop breeding you would never be out. as for larger stuff, if the job needs doing and their doing damage they must go whatever time of year it is.

[barnesyboy86 14]

Its a divided topic because proper hunting is through permission. More than likely permission given in regards to pest control in some form. A farmer usually gives the nod when his livlihood is taking a hit. I think that its about being responsible with your hunting. If we were to go out and shoot the life out of the permission given, we'd shoot ourselves out off the sport. Get the balance right and everybody is happy. Pest numbers stay down , the farmers happy and at the same time theres enough quarry left to reproduce keeping the sport ticking over. Great topic!!!

[brazer 287]

I think they are reading and want to do things Jerry attricks style JMO

[paulus 26]

I hear the same old arguments every summer from both shooters and dog men. The answer is simple, If its pest control on permission then you haven't done a good enough job over the winter months, Control in these months whilst there numbers are at the lowest is pest control in the pure sense of the word. This time of year land owners will see a few young about and think there world is about to end. This normally the case with both the very new and the very old land owner. Unless there is a real problem, summer hunting does not sit well with me. As both me and the dogs getting on in years, we look forward to the summer for a bit of R & R. Anything outside of this is either killing for pleasure or just stupidity. I await all the "if i don't do it someone else will" and the " im bringing on a pup" posts

[whippet 99 2,613]

im sure ive seen this thread a hundred times over the years..........lol.....

if people cant work out by now the reasons behind it .................it makes you wonder........

socks off here does it all year round as its his job.........( lucky bugger)....lol

needs must......

[low plains drifter 10,299]

Right then who's for bbq baby rabbit legs ?

[dazzz 421]

im sure ive seen this thread a hundred times over the years..........lol.....

if people cant work out by now the reasons behind it .................it makes you wonder........

socks off here does it all year round as its his job.........( lucky bugger)....lol

needs must......

Ye thats fair enough but on the other hand some will say got a call from the farmer when they dont even have permission must admit i started in august last year

but it was new permission and i wanted to impress, and it worked, otherwise i try to leave it alone as much as i can get away with, if it's a problem fox then i will do my best

to get out with the rifle as they can cause alot of damage, more so than rabbits if they are already being controlled

[C Hall 552]

Hunting pregnant animals and animals nursing young

Edited May 14, 2013 by C Hall

[jamesmc 582]

Summer hunting........when average dogs,become legends....lol...

[inan 841]

im sure ive seen this thread a hundred times over the years..........lol.....

if people cant work out by now the reasons behind it .................it makes you wonder........

socks off here does it all year round as its his job.........( lucky bugger)....lol

needs must......

Paid ferreting for a living in the summer months is different to deliberately going out after hares during the summer don't you think?

The reasons given for coursing during the summer are excuses that don't pass close inspection, imo.

"Bringing on a pup"," everyone else is doing it ",etc

These are not valid reasons for killing pregnant /nursing does,imo.

 

Rabbit control is a different ball game.I don't know how may hundreds of rabbits Magwitch and I have shot in orchards through the last few years, probably a few of thousand.

 

Its pest control pure and simple,done to keep the permission, with the carcasses going to dealers, friends , or the dogs ,and ferrets.

 

Ferreting during the summer is very often no picnic, what with overgrown cover and inevitable lay ups,

I've worked with Socks, he is a pro, its graft for coin ,pure and simple

.I doubt he considers himself lucky when he is sweating his nuts off diigging down to a nest,or being stung to death by nettles.

Edited May 14, 2013 by inan

[Ideation 8,216]

It's just amazing how many 'pest controllers' are on here . . . . when the summer comes around

[Millet 4,497]

I don't mind a day time walk in the summer monthes with just the dog.. but the lamp and ferret's stay put till i think the time is right which is usually around October these day's..if anything is daft enough to stray far enough from home then so be it..it will be caught but doing day time mooches like this kill's very few bunnies as 9 times out of ten the bunnie is down it's hole before the dog can catch up to it..

 

But on the other hand i have helped a mate several times over the year's during the summer monthes..which involves killing any bunnie that move's no matter what age or sex.. purely at the farmer request to stop them from hammering his already weak crop field's.

[inan 841]

It's just amazing how many 'pest controllers' are on here . . . . when the summer comes around

If that's directed at me ,I've given my reasons for shooting rabbits during the summer.

I don't hunt with the my dogs during this time of year ,and wont start again until late Sept / October.