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Shooting wildlife for fun

WaysideWayside Posts: 845
in Talkback

Hi,

I've a neighbour who shoots their air-rifle up their garden.  There is no backstop, and ricochets do enter our land.  I've been out in the garden while pellets have rained close to me.  (The gardens are quite narrow without fencing.)  I have raised it as an issue, but it mainly falls on deaf ears.

This morning I witnessed the shooting at crows across another neighbour's property.

From the BASC website it states that all birds are protected.  But also suggests that you  can shoot at certain pest species under license.  I don't quite understand the law when it comes to shooting live quarry/birds?

http://basc.org.uk/airgunning/basc-air-rifle-code-of-practice/

We try and encourage wildlife so it's quite saddening to see others choosing to destroy it.

There is a separate issue of having permission to shoot over land.  I wouldn't be happy if someone was shooting at a tree in my garden!  If they were to injure/kill the quarry, then they'd have to fetch the animal to possibly dispatch it.  Which would require trespass.

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Posts

  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841

    Call the Police. Your neighbour's behaviour is irresponsible and dangerous and the Police will take a very dim view.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,136

    What they're doing is extremely dangerous and totally illegal.  It's a police matter. Use 101, the non-emergency number for the police - unless someone's actually in danger when you're making the call when you should dial 999.


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • xx Posts: 100

    Don't waste another minute. Call the police.

  • Alan4711Alan4711 Posts: 1,657

    Hi Wayside The correct thing to do is as advised ,I realise you dont want any comeback from your neighbor so cal 101 and quote 

    BASC Air Rifle Code of Practice Firing pellets beyond your boundary

    It is also against the law, in England and Wales, to fire an air rifle within 50 feet of the centre of a highway if this results in someone being injured, interrupted or endangered. These offences could be committed, for example, when someone is shooting in their garden close to a road and the pellets ricochet onto the highway.

    The Police will not let the offender know who complained,  Good luck 

  • granmagranma Posts: 1,931

    This happened in our neighbourhood where I used to live,the school kids were shooting out of a window which had been built in the roof.

    I called the police on the local number.the police didn't waste a moment  we had a visit and the lads were still shooting , paid them a visit the police put a stop to it.but not before they had shot at the ladies window next door .I later found a pellet and cracked window in the greenhouse.

    Will your other neighbours support this ?

     

  • granmagranma Posts: 1,931

    I reported them and kept quiet,  which I thought best at the time.

  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,352

    How horrible for you, Wayside - I really don't understand the mentality of some people.  Strongly support advice given above but I would suggest you actually ask the police to be discreet when it comes to revealing their 'sources'. They probably would be anyway - but it is probably best to ask directly for discretion - you don't need to have this escalating into something more unpleasant.

    Hope this gets sorted out soon before somebody or something gets injured.

    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • BookertooBookertoo Posts: 1,306

    We had an episode of this a few years ago - once they were spoken to by the law it stopped thank goodness - I early don't think it occurred to them to wonder where the pellets went!  Hope you have good results too. 

  • Alan4711Alan4711 Posts: 1,657

    One for the wildlife as well,image hope they got a clip round the ereole,imageor was that in days gone bye,image bit dull erein Muns Norfolk.

  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845

    I found this similar thread:

    http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/wildlife/f/3070/t/20339.aspx

    Thanks for the feedback.  If I understand the information in that thread correctly, then the shooting of wild birds in a domestic garden is unlawful.  As it is also to shoot across non-public land without permission.

    Personally I think it would be most helpful if any neighbours/general public witnessing the above behaviour would report such incidents.  It can feel that the closer you are to the crime the harder it is to report.  Apathy and the non-involvement and lack of support of others (not in my backyard, not my problem) can be quite upsetting and only leads to the perpetuation of such problems.

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