General Licence SCOTLAND

[Deker 3,478]

As I predicted when England went through the GL grief, Scottish Natural Heritage have now embarked on a review of the GL.

[Gav 1,708]

And this is why I stuck with and supported you guys South of the border! Hopefully it won't be half the battle you guys faced a few months ago.

One for all and all for me

Edited July 28, 2019 by Gav

[Gav 1,708]

At least it looks like they are sorting it before it actually gets revoked, which is at least a lesson learned.

[Sausagedog 7,381]

My money is on Scotland getting it right.

It's only an exercise in damage limitation of the authorities by any accuser.

Once it's sorted it'll be forgotten and all that will change is people will just talk in a different language about their time in the field and take more scenic photos!

Of course this is just my opinion and not necessarily correct or the same views of others here.

[Sausagedog 7,381]

10 minutes ago, timmytree said:

I would like to think thats how it will go and I'll agree with what should happen but when you get a post in Hunting video clips that says, "Air rifle hunting, food for the table" with a pic of a woodpigeon I don't hold much hope. On another forum, shooting woodpigeons off a water trough on a "horsey" perm. What were they doing? Pecking horses eyes out? Woodies can only be shot for crop protection so are water troughs a crop now?

Some shooters will screw it for everyone eventually.

The thing is mate, you, wild justice, government, who ever, ain't going to stop it from happening.

Look at it from a common sense angle.

There are millions of woodies and to some me included, they are a viable food source, no different than rabbit.

Some despite laws the obvious will be screaming at them!

What makes it all the more bazaar is that they can be slaughtered over crops and eaten. So a missed bird in July can't be shot at say two months later over the same field for the pot. For some that will always be two much to bear.

The real issue as I see it is the legislation. The woodpigeon is not an endangered species as is not the crow, jack daws and magpie. Any country man can see this for themselves without and expert getting involved but it is the experts and bodies or individuals with either personal agendas or political reasoning that do get involved and any reasonableness or commonsense is completely lost. For some, no many that will simply be to much for them to bear.

So they make it illegal because some don't comply, it'll just go the way of other banned things, completely underground, completely out of control.

Look at badger baiting. It was banned. Did it stop? No. Further legislation introduced. Did that stop it? No.

Now, had the government grown some balls and given a two or three month culling season that would of worked in favour of the badger and no right minded land owner would tolerate a badger baiter on his land, there would be no need for such.

I understand your angle that the rules were being abused but the rules were the problem in the first place.

Look at it this way,  the rules on crows and woodpigeon and collard doves have been abused for years ok but has it resulted in the serious decline of those species? No.

Has the abuse of existing rules promoted life for weaker species? Yes, absolutely. So the rules are wrong then and not the people.

So to sum up, it is us the minority, the hunters being subjected to an overbearing burden of compliance forced upon us by a completely unsympathetic majority of thought controllers, communistic thinking minds. Our way of life and identity is slowly being eroded, a forced cleansing of our minds by people that wish to control us out of existance to achieve their view of utopia.

Human nature is so predictable!

 

 

[Sausagedog 7,381]

11 minutes ago, timmytree said:

I agree with most of that but with the increase in punishment for wildlife crimes and the public interest there are a majority of shooters who face losing live shooting because of a few who won't abide by the rules. Some will still shoot regardless but the majority of law abiding people will lose out. Is that fair? The bit I put up about the horsey perm, that is someone who shot woodies off a water trough in the recent hot weather, no crop, no threat. We have been asked in the past to exercise restraint in hot weather or extreme weather. Those birds were not a threat, they weren't going to attack horses. The only reason to shoot woodies is crop protection, what crop is grown at a stables? The majority of us can comply with rules set by DEFRA, the risk is the idiots who cannot or will not understand or don't care . I'm going to carry on highlighting the idiots because they are ruining my sport that I've enjoyed for 50 years. If they don't learn then I'll start reporting to wildlife crime unit, DEFRA, NE and anyone else that will listen and i hope the fuckwits get busted for the full amount which is now an unlimited fine, 6 months inside and a lifetime ban from owning anything more than a catapult. I abide by the law as do most of us, we may have misunderstandings sometimes but you know exactly what I mean. I'd like woodies to be declared a game bird and end the aggro but that isn't going to happen, not while 50 million+ pheasants get released every year. Right now they are covered by GL 36, crop protection only, that's the law. If we don't stick to it we'll lose it, that also includes trying to get other shooters to obey the rules doesn't it?

You crack on brother but I feel it won't make a difference, they won't chase up on anyone you bring to their attention, they won't make an example of someone. What they will do is just ban it outright, the age-old British solution to everything problematic. Then they can dust it under the carpet and pretend it's sorted but you know what, that guy taking birds off the water trough, I bet he still takes birds off that water trough!

[Sausagedog 7,381]

6 hours ago, timmytree said:

Ok, then shouldn't we be doing our best to sort out the planks on the forums? That's what I'm doing because I want to keep some shooting, not have a total ban. We already know that the antis are watching us, so are the police, WJ and DEFRA/NE. DEFRA have already stated they are prepared to revoke the GLs again if the rules are abused. Do you want to sit back and let that happen? Or would you rather get involved and call out the prats who are ruining it for everyone? Do you want to tell your grandkids that they can only shoot paper targets because you wouldn't stand up for your rights against the dickheads? I see it clearly, the prats who are screwing up shooting are no better than smackheads in the community, they need sorting out before they screw it up for all of us.

How can they ban it? They had to back peddle quickly when the non experts turned up with evidence of damage by crows and pigeon.

They know despite any hidden agenda crops and livestock has to be protected and no law will stop that from taking place. A total ban as you fear would only produce more crime and not produce anything of use.

They are using fear tactics. That fear is coming through in how some speak, turning on hunters, using demeaning language won't impress those you fear.

Everyone would celebrate their catch of woodpigeon on the net before all this fuss, crows too. I don't recall you or others blaspheming them/us then!

Internal bickering against each other is what they want and it ain't gonna be me that gives it to them.

It matters not what is said or done here, they are going to stop us. They will twist it all roads to achieve their goal. There is no fear, anger, disapproval or bad language that will change their mind set.