99 Station Street

The preserve of hunting has usually fallen into two basic camps, for food or for pleasure. My father in law is a very keen fisherman and in his mid 70s this is a hobby that gets him out, in all weathers, for fresh air and some relaxation time. I on the other hand am a shooter and this comprises removing pests or providing something from the table. Ask a farmer which beasts cause him the most grief and he would tell you; rabbits, pigeons and foxes. As a herb and nut gardener, with an interest in attracting wild birds, my arguments are against squirrels, crows, squirrels, magpies and errm squirrels. The problem is that half of these creatures are inedible and growers would probably need to bring in hired help to solve their pest problem. The other half appear in recipes and this provides the shooter with his pay for aiding the land owner. Rabbit, pigeon and latterly squirrel are prolific pests and a few sharp words will not deter them from ravaging crops.

A twist in this tale is that the pigeon, for some inexplicable reason, may be getting a hand out from one of our governing bodies. An organisation, you know who you are, put in a recommendation that a condition would be added to the general license for shooting wood pigeon that they may not be sold on. Luckily common sense or country sense came through and this was lifted, at least for 2010. The general licenses lay out what can be shot, when, for what reason (eg conservation, pest control etc) and with any conditions stated. They are issued annually and basically lay out the rules for general shooters.

If you take away the motivation behind pest control, there will be none. Land owners have held arrangements with hunters for over a thousand years in the UK and there was always something in it for both of them.