“But there are many people who don’t realise that unless we controlled vermin, never mind pheasants, there would be no other wildlife to speak of.”
I think we’ve been saying this all along. Unfortunately I think the quote doesn’t refer to what we call “vermin”.
I read the shooting article with great interest – and some sadness – because this seems to have been an estate doing almost everything right – restoring ancient woodland, looking after hedges (rare in Norfolk !), encouraging public access and a judicious gamebird release policy in contrast to the horrors of the commercial megashoots. Whatever the RPA do (and they at this very moment will be wondering hard how they can do nothing) this one incident has spoilt a generation of good work and left a blot on the estate’s name. Whilst Charlie McNicol no doubt moves in circles where most friends might be supportive, there will be some who are deeply upset by what has happened – both the illegal action itself and the pall its casts over shooting as a whole. Was it really worth it for a bag full of Buzzards, hardly a real threat to the shoot ? And how is it when all the odds are stacked against the investigators so many keepers still get caught, and absolutely red handed ?
During the late 1980s a forestry friend gave me a couple of slides of an awful gamekeepers gibbet he had come across in Norfolk – and I’m pretty sure the wood was ****** Wood ********** Note from Mark – I thought it wise not to name names. Good comment though, thank you.
Good comment from Roderick about odds being stacked against investigators..and would just like to add that it goes against all reason that the few times gamekeepers are caught, they just happened to be carrying out a one-off crime.What is far more reasonable to assume is that in this most traditional of activities, the killing of wildlife goes on on a routine seasonal basis.
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“But there are many people who don’t realise that unless we controlled vermin, never mind pheasants, there would be no other wildlife to speak of.”
I think we’ve been saying this all along. Unfortunately I think the quote doesn’t refer to what we call “vermin”.
I read the shooting article with great interest – and some sadness – because this seems to have been an estate doing almost everything right – restoring ancient woodland, looking after hedges (rare in Norfolk !), encouraging public access and a judicious gamebird release policy in contrast to the horrors of the commercial megashoots. Whatever the RPA do (and they at this very moment will be wondering hard how they can do nothing) this one incident has spoilt a generation of good work and left a blot on the estate’s name. Whilst Charlie McNicol no doubt moves in circles where most friends might be supportive, there will be some who are deeply upset by what has happened – both the illegal action itself and the pall its casts over shooting as a whole. Was it really worth it for a bag full of Buzzards, hardly a real threat to the shoot ? And how is it when all the odds are stacked against the investigators so many keepers still get caught, and absolutely red handed ?
During the late 1980s a forestry friend gave me a couple of slides of an awful gamekeepers gibbet he had come across in Norfolk – and I’m pretty sure the wood was ****** Wood ********** Note from Mark – I thought it wise not to name names. Good comment though, thank you.
Good comment from Roderick about odds being stacked against investigators..and would just like to add that it goes against all reason that the few times gamekeepers are caught, they just happened to be carrying out a one-off crime.What is far more reasonable to assume is that in this most traditional of activities, the killing of wildlife goes on on a routine seasonal basis.