shooting

[wistavon]

please can someone help me, i own my own land at the rear of my house that i graze my own horses on . i am surrounded by different farmers land. the farmer with the field next to mine has sold the shooting rights to someone.
does anyone know anything about pheasant shooting laws and if grazing animals are given any protection under the law.
i do not want to stop the shooting (i know i cant do that) but i want to protect my horses and my right to graze them as i want on my land. Please any help would be fab.
thanks

 

[GinaB]

Are they scared at all? You can check out http://www.basc.org.uk

 

[wistavon]

we have always had some form of shooting carried out on farmers land to clear the ferrel birds but it has never been in the field nextdoor. luckily they arent getting upset yet but my concern is that the chap was shooting towards my horses and then sent his dog onto my land to try and drive a pheasant out. want to know if my horses get any protection from the law.

 

[soggy]

The short answer is No!

However I would suggest a quite and neighbourly word and a explanation of your concerns.

99.9% of shooters are very law abiding folk. They have to be in order to keep their shotguns and rifles. They are also nice people once you get to know them just like hunters.

 

[wistavon]

thankyou to those who have replied, i have now found a local police office who is our wildlife welfare office had all the answers to my questions . you have to be over 100 meters from any boundary that you do not have the shooting right on and that if you fire a weapon in the dirrection of someone elses property endangering them, their animals or property you can call the police, also if any shot falls onto that property or dead bird that is a form of trespass and any attempt to remove a bird dead or alive from the property is poaching. the gun laws are very strict.
so i hope that after a chat with the guy i wont have any more probs .
thankyou all for your help

 

[soggy]

Just a couple of points.

There is no such 100m boundary rule. He could if he so choose stand right on the boundary and shoot as long as he was doing so safely. You local plod is getting the rules regarding shooting adjacent to a public highway and territorial boundaries slightly confused. With the former you are required to be 25m from the centre of the highway.

Falling shot or falling bird is not trespass. Trespass is a civil tort and not an crime and would require redress by you through the civil court. Removal of the fallen bird however is poaching.

Endangerment is a very difficult thing to prove. It is after all your word against theirs.What you might consider endangerment might not necessarily be so.

Quite word, expalnations and considerations are by far the most productive and effective methods of ensuring good neighbourly relations. You never know he might just offer you a shot pheasant or two as a friendly gesture.

 

[RunToEarth]

I agree with SBB, although there are no laws, shooters work with etiquette and most will do with a polite whisper in their ear, I live on a shoot and everyone is very respectful- I always get a 24hour shooting warning, so I know whether to turn horses out and where I can hack about.

 

[wistavon]

have again contacted welfare office to confirm what he told me, and he has confirmed the information that he gave me is correct. could it be that becouse the land surrounding me is agricultural ? i dont live on a shoot it has always been the farmer clearing a few wild birds of his land .
all i want is for my horses to be safe and happy.

 

[wrighty]

"99.9% of shooters are very law abiding folk"
I've got to ask for your sources on that one.

Plus

How can someone be very law abiding? Can you have someone slightly law abiding, almost law abiding?
(Silly comments I know but couldn't resist)

 

[soggy]

Of course he would say his info was correct. DUH ! Otherwise he's going to make himself look very foolish. Much like Wrighty! :-0

It matter nowt what type of land you live next to the same rules, regulations and laws apply.

Part of my shoot boundary is with a property owned and lived in by a High Court Judge. I shoot alongside that boundary hedge regularly through out the year. You can bet your life that I made absolutely certain what the rules , regs and laws were before I took the shooting right.

Try telling your neighbour that he can't shoot within 100m of his boundary etc and he's going to laugh himself all the way to the pub.

 

[wistavon]

i do not understand why s-b-b is becomming so aggresive about this ? all i am trying to do is findout what i can do to protect my animals land and property. i have always got on well with the two gentlemen who shoot the surrounding fields they are very respectful of my horses and have done some ferreting for me, however the gentleman who has now bought the shooting rights could do nothing but f and b at me when i asked him not to send his dog under my post and rail fence or shoot at the pheasant sitting in my field. i have up until now been pro shooting and the rights of my local farmers to protect their land however i do not feel that all gun owners are responsible people and if i feel under threat or find this person on my land again i will call the police, you as a gun owner have a responsibility to fire it in a safe manner as i as a horse owner have the responsibilties that brings. maybe the shooting laws need to be made clearer and more widely available i have spoken to serval associations all who say they cannot help me as i am not a gun owner or member . surely this could all of been prevented if the chap had popped in for a chat and cuppa before going out to the field.anyway fingers crossed it wont happen again and i will be able to sleep at night again.

 

[soggy]

i do not understand why s-b-b is becomming so aggresive about this ? all i am trying to do is findout what i can do to protect my animals land and property.

Who's being aggressive?
You asked a reasonable question and you received a reasonable answer. You then went on to post incorrect information regarding the use of a firearm adjacent to boundaries plus other aspects of ownership and usage . These was addressed and you informed of where you're errors were and what they might lead to.

Sleep well.