Posted on 03/04/2005 6:51:29 PM PST by quidnunc
Country sportsmen keen on pigeon pie will need to put the cat among them first. Farmers and landowners will also need to hone their windmill gyrations and scarecrow impersonations if they are planning a potshot at crop-eating birds.
The Government has ruled that it is now illegal to shoot a crow, rook or pigeon for the pot without scaring it first. The legislation says shooters must attempt to frighten off the birds before pulling the trigger.
Only when the birds fail to respond can he or she shoot it for dinner. The same rule applies to farmers who have shooting days blasting woodpigeons and rooks to protect their crops or gamebirds.
At this time of the year thousands of people pull on their camouflages for a day’s rough shooting. They are now acting unlawfully. They too must first engage in frightening techniques to disperse the birds. Only if their antics are ignored can they shoot legally. Failure to comply can result in a fine of up to £5,000 or a maximum six months in prison.
The new rules emerged this week when new “general licences” were issued covering the killing of pest species, which also include magpies, jays, collared doves, Canada geese, and greater and lesser black-backed gulls.
However, without warning, a new rule was added that states: “This licence can only be relied upon in circumstances where the authorised person can demonstrate that appropriate non-lethal methods of control such as scaring are either ineffective or impracticable.”
The “licence” referred to means a general permission for everyone; it is not a piece of paper, it is simply a law. Firearms licences must still be applied for in the usual way.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
That's what I thought too.
This is from The Onion, right? Scrappleface? BSNN?
The best way to try and scare them is to yell.....PULL.....followed by a quick shot.
I never realized that so many Monte Python skits were based on reality.
Has spongiform encephalopy really been controlled in England? Are we sure there isn't a subtle brain wasting disease running rampant there?
I suspect Rove is behind this. Rove or maybe Rover, the PETA lobbyist....
Nah, it's no-holds-barred class warfare.
The city proles are bent on making life unpleasant for the country toffs .
bloody skeet !!
It's obviously not particularly subtle.
That is one law I would flat out ignore.
LOL! "Hellooooo, there, Mr. Fox, old chap, I'm going to fire at you now!"
What, precisely, constitutes "frightening techniques"? I'd say having a shotgun discharged at me would be rather frightening ...
No self-respecting hunter shoots a sitting bird anyway.
Crows and such don't count.
Well this is a stupid law. How they going to shoot anything when they aren't even allowed to have a gun over there? >sarcasm off
I believe that the government must provide all poentially targeted birds with sufficient hours of classroom training to enable them to distinguish between a harmful shout that would cause them to fly and be shot and a harmless sound such as a sneeze.
Scary that we see it being a possibility. Guess we'll wait and see.
You mean this wasn't??
And when it's so much more merciful to ***BANG!!*** drop him, never suspecting.
I hope someone is able to dump this little turd of liberalism right slap in the middle of the 'GUNGEON"
I keep trying, but the "REDNECK ALERT" catches Me every time.
If this is not evidence of mad cow disease, I sure don't have another clue!
Next, they will need to shout out before they wipe their hiney, to give the bacteria a fighting chance, Ohmygoodness, where are My happy pills? The damned muslims seem to be correct, about some people. I am now speechless, lest I get blacklisted, this post was self censored, try to imagine what I really wanted to say!
The United States and Mexico have a joint migratory bird treaty that requires our states to set a closed season on crows. Apparently this is because there are some species of crows in Mexico that are considered threatened. However, the state laws generally provide that crows may be shot out of "season" if they are seen to be depredating, or about to depredate, farm crops, fruit or nut trees, etc.
Personally, I have never seen a crow that was not depredating, about to depredate, or thinking about depredating something.
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