Pheasant Shooting

Posted by: i am simon 2 on 03 January 2007

I had my first ever day shooting driven pheasant a couple of weeks ago, and what a charming day out it was, on may levels.

First of all the people involved from the "guns" to the beaters and the Keeper were all a friendly bunch and much good banter was enjoyed.

Secondly the oportunity to spend a day out in the fresh air of our beautiful english country side was almost worht the trip in its own right.

I understand that we owe the fact that we still have some of the english woodland that used to cover much of the country is down to shooting. Small woods and copses are ideal game cover, and as a result, land over which game is shot is generaly well managed from a conservation perspective, in order to create a sustainable habitat for both wild and reared game. In fact I read that shooting occurs over about two thirds of the british country side these days!

The sport was excelent, this was only a small shooting syndicate and we had in total 45 brace of pheasant (90 birds) and a few woodcock.

As a clay shooter I found it dificult initialy to get a feel for the speed of the birds, and shot behind several before I realised that they only look slow as they are quite large, and realy they are quite quick. But in the end I bagged 7 birds, which was a fair contribution to the overall bag for my first day.

The chance to see peoples gun dogs in action was also a treat, from labs to pointers and cockers, they were all well versed at picking up and they all demonstrated how much work must have gone in to training them for their intended purpose. The dogs clearly enjoy the chance to use their natural instincts.

I do not feel the need to defend this sport against the criticism I might get from lefties as every bird shot was taken for food. In fact this is much more rewarding than going to the supermarket to buy a chicken.

My freezer is now well stocked and I think Pheasant roast is in order at the weekend.

If you get the chance to have a go, or even do a bit of beating I would highly recomend it.

Kind regards

Simon
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by Willy
quote:
Originally posted by Rockingdoc:
quote:
Originally posted by Willy:
Forget the rats we have cats to deal with those.
Willy.


Well you've either got braver cats or wimpier rats than us. Came home to find decent size London rat up on its back legs in our toilet, screeching at our THREE pathetic cats cowering in the corner.
Er, I was a bit scared of it myself actually.


You let your cats into the house? No wonder they've gone all soft. How strange you city dwellers are.

Regards,

Willy.
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by i am simon 2
Nigel

What you are saying is that because in this country people tend to prefer chicken and beef, it is ok to industrialy farm chickens and cows in less than free range situations, and then kill them (out of site from the public so they are not put off their food). However just because pheasants are less commonly eaten hence worth less, we should not shoot them.

I might argue that the reason we eat so much chicken is because they have been bred over the years to be fat and not fly, therfore they cannot fly away and you dont need a 12 bore to kill them!

Just a thought.

I think the main division in our opinion is the means vs end question.

My view is that it is ok as one mans end ie shooting for sport, fortunatly happens to be the means to the end of another (Belgians who like eating pheasant). Thefore shooting for sport is moraly justifable.

It seems that you are not happy that one might enjoy the sooting bit. So therfore, lets say hypotheticaly that we ban shooting pheasant for sport. But at the same time we allow licenced farmers to breed pheasant for the supermarkets. We then employ somone to kill them. To do this this they could either lure the pheasants into a cage, causing them distress and then gas/electricute/strangle or whatever to kill them, or possibly just let them fly around, and shoot the odd one.

Now as long as our employed pheasant farmer is not enjoying his job - are you happy?

Kind regards

Simon
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by Nigel Cavendish
Really, Simon, can't you do better than that?

You, and your mates, shoot pheasant because it is fun, you enjoy doing it!

This has absolutely nothing to do with commercial farming or with the provision of foodstuff at all.

If beef was as unpopular as pheasant, and was not farmed commercially, would you be happy to gun down some cows? and if not why not?
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by Hammerhead
I am Simon 2,

Seems to me the season for wild Cavendish is due about now. The poor creature is obviously in pain (judging by all the noise its making) and needs to be put out of it's misery as soon a possible.

Good hunting,

Steve
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by Nigel Cavendish
Fucking intellectuals
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by Roy T
quote:
Fucking intellectuals

Sounds good to me.
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by garyi
I would admit that I would like a go at pheasnt shooting. I have no more care for the bird as a do for a chicken sat in Tescos.

I enjoy the taste, this would be a bonus, but I would like to have a go a shooting pheasant, just for the enjoyment of it.

I am not hypocritcal I know how famr animals are reared and I am happy to eat them. I know how pheasants are reared, why and how they die and am happy to eat them. I would be happy to shoot them.
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by acad tsunami
quote:
Originally posted by i am simon 2:


The concentration camp comment just touched a nerve I guess. To suggest you could ever begin to justify such event is in poor taste - thats all.

Kind regards

Simon


What on earth are you talking about? What event is it exactly that you think I am trying to justify? My point was quite simple, it seemed to me that you were justifying killing on the grounds that it was profitable. All I did was take that thinking to its logical conclusion and I justfified nothing. Do not ever try to twist my words to suit your own agenda. Thank you.
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by acad tsunami
quote:


I would like to get "acad tsunami" out on a clay ground and see how hard it is to hit a clay flying in a consistent direction, let alone a driven pheasant which will be changing direction and speed.


Been there, done it, bought the T shirt and beat a local champion in my very days shooting. We had a competition and I shot my clay and he missed his and I got it with my second shot. Everyone fell about laughing. It was a very enjoyable morning with a good bunch of chaps and a great roast dinner in the local pub afterwards. Don't know why I didnt go again it was great fun.
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by Andrew Randle
quote:

My freezer is now well stocked and I think Pheasant roast is in order at the weekend.


This form of hunting is fine, because Simon will be eating what he's shot.

I draw the line at fox hunting, they don't eat what they've caught - and those found fox hunting should be made to (!!).

Also, shot pheasant is far more humane than buying battery-reared chicken.

Andrew
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by Rasher
I hope that no-one on either side of this argument would entertain buying a battery-reared chicken, or eggs for that matter.
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by acad tsunami
I watch a tv documentary on how chickens are 'farmed' - it was disgusting. It was interesting to see the 'farmers' modify language as part of the process of rationalising what they were doing in order to justify it. They did not refer to 'raising, breeding, producing' they called it 'growing'. They did not even say they were in the business of 'growing chickens' they used the term 'growing chicken' which is slightly more sanitised.

Another aspect was how those 'farmers' who crammed 8 million chickens into a space the size of an average sitting room felt so superior to those they claimed crammed 10 million in calling them 'inhumane'. Roll Eyes
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by Bruce Woodhouse
...by comparison with which most game has a pretty reasonable life (if not death).
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by acad tsunami
Very true. If ever I shoot my wife I will use this argument in my defence. Winker
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by Bruce Woodhouse
Be very careful, I'd always assume mine would shoot back.
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by acad tsunami
quote:
Originally posted by Bruce Woodhouse:
Be very careful, I'd always assume mine would shoot back.


Now that's what I call sporting Smile
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by Willy
quote:
Originally posted by Andrew Randle:
quote:

My freezer is now well stocked and I think Pheasant roast is in order at the weekend.


This form of hunting is fine, because Simon will be eating what he's shot.

I draw the line at fox hunting, they don't eat what they've caught - and those found fox hunting should be made to (!!).

Also, shot pheasant is far more humane than buying battery-reared chicken.

Andrew


Foxs aren't hunted for the table but to stop them slaughtering all the hens in a coup and then only eating one. They are vermin and their numbers need to be contolled.

Regards,

Willy.
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by garyi
I agree and thought it was propaganda spread by pro fox hunting. But a friend had around 150 hens in a large enclosure purely for eggs, one morning half were dead. He was devastated and would have been happy to see foxes gone off the planet haha.

Not that I would say this was a excuse, again, I could well imagine getting out on a horse with loads of dogs, your friends around you and the promise of a nice pint at the end would make for a fantastic day out.
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by Don Atkinson
Nigel asked
quote:
I have a question of my own: In a civilised society is it right to kill for fun?

Is this a general sort of question, eg picking-off random pedestrians with a well-oiled snipper's rifle ? in which case "No".

Or is it specifically related to the topic of pheasant shooting? in which case "Yes", but i'm not at all clear why you felt it necessary to incorporate the words "In a civilised society"

Of course, these are my views, naturally. And I don't expect everybody to agree with me. I don't pretend to have a monoply on defining what is right and what is wrong. And neither do you.

Cheers

Don
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by acad tsunami
Selling dog meat is illegal in the Philippines. Fact. There are no dog markets in manila or anywhere else in the Philippines. Fact. Republic Act 7394 - The Consumers Act of the Philippines.
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by Don Atkinson
quote:
Republic Act 7394 - The Consumers Act of the Philippines.


Which Act in England prohibits this activity ?

Cheers

Don
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by Roy T
Not too far from home I'v seen Hot Dogs on sale form many a roadside stall, sure makes you think.
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by acad tsunami
quote:
Originally posted by munch:
Don i dont think we have one ,they can eat us though.munch


LOL - I shouldn't laugh but I did.
Posted on: 05 January 2007 by u5227470736789439
Hunting is perfectly normal for the hunter gatherer, "homo sapiens." It is not to be despised by those with no conexion with the "rural" conception of life, which is more rooted in reality than the urban. There were over two hundred Boxing Day Foxhunt meets, and the "Anties" were conspicuous by their absence.

I personally never saw much use in pheasant shoorting, as the birds are plain thick and predictable, and more often than not reared for the slaughter, but hunting real game is as human as the human being. No less so than slaughtering domesticated sheep, pigs, or beef cattle, or even more thought provokingly drinking milk from animals whose fate will be the same anyway as civilisation has apparently progressed...

I do not think it so diffrernt to picking a plum from the tree in the glorious Autumn season. Only those immune to thoughts of where there food comes from would really think otherwise. Don't vegetables have feelings? Apparently Mrs Thatcher's Cabinet did...

Also remember that "in UK Law" the Fox, like the Grey Squirrel and Rat, is classed as vermin, for which there there should be no particularly squeemish reaction to their destruction.

Most people do not get too vexed about killing rats with Warfarin [rat bait: slow and painful death]...

No more than rearing chickens for a neck ringing at 13 weeks, so a few hand-reared pheasants falling to "the gun" seems a small indulgence. Fancy all the fish "angled" every year. That is a real target for the politically correct!

Just putting on my bullet proof vest, and Steel Helmet, before exiting left! [Exiting left might have been a bluff: I am not pheasant! Possibly a peasant, but I am not saying any more].

Fredrik