If you know the first bit about shooting, you would understand why this is distasteful.

Birds are not shot indiscriminately, they are shot when they fly above the guns as to provide a legitimate target, and there is some evidence that partridge are evolving to fly low. These are red legged partridge I might point out, which are not a native species.

If a bird flies high, and if the gun is fair, it's a good chance the bird will survive. If you look a tower, it will be a matter of tens of feet high, not hundreds of feet, and the guns surround the tower, hardly sporting.

One quote from my OH which I love, on partaking of a shoot during a syndicate appointment, he took a peg dog, he didn't agree with the other guns adjacent to him, who shot indiscriminately at anything that moved. On asking to use his peg dog to retrieve a bird, he politely asked 'which bit' and then moved off. Anyone who behaves in that way on a shoot isn't generally welcomed back, not the OH, the other guys

The conclusion of this study, by both BTO and GWCT says it all really Jo.

http://www.bto.org/news-events/press...gbird-declines


This is a high quality study based on unique long-term and large-scale datasets. Despite the limitations noted below (notes to editors) this robust study found that, for the majority of the songbird species examined, there is no evidence that increases in common avian predators and grey squirrels are associated with large-scale depression of prey abundance or population declines. It is also clear that, for the majority of declining species with unfavourable conservation status population, declines appear to be due to factors other than predation.

Other studies have suggested that over the period of this study, songbird population changes have been influenced by a range of other factors, most notably changes in farmland and woodland management

Who are BTO, it's not obvious from their website?

You have to be kidding re avian predators and grey squirrels? If you haven't seen this for youself you're lucky, I'm lucky in that where I live, grey squirrels are not prevalent, but they are here, and they are bl**dy awful predators of our garden/song species birds. To think otherwise is simply naieve

Absolutely agree with this. My OH shoots and is often disgusted by the attitude of certain other people (not on his shoot i might add). I've watched him shoot and he has a clean kill every time, he never tries a pot shot at a bird, or a fox for that matter

He would be shocked at this tower idea. The whole point is meant to be the effort and skill involved in hnting, not just blasting things apart for fun

British Trust for Ornithology, i thought all bird lovers had heard of them http://www.bto.org/about-bto

they are not political in any way they are well respected by all i believe.

The RSPB are also non political, nor are the RSPcA apparently, I won't have anything to do with either of them I'm afraid.

no i didnt think you would Jo ...so what are your thoughts on the GWCT who also took part in that research then?...bet they were hoping the study would show different results aswell lol, then they could push for a cull hey

BTO collect data Jo, theyre nothing like the RSPB ...they are impartial hence why they are respected by all...except maybe by you lol

Well I'm sure all those dead birds are truely chuffed that they've been shot by some one is only shooting it for ..... sorry dont quite see the difference here about someone shooting for effort and skill (surely he knows he has that by now so wjy carry on) and someone shooting for fun? What does he do it for? It cant be for control purposes.

I take it he gets no 'fun' out of this from what you say.

you said it already...they do it for fun

The point being a hunter shooting with effort and skill will kill cleanly aiming for instantaneous death and therefore less suffering to the animal. Shooting indiscriminately will cause horrible wounds far more frequently causing more suffering. Obvious when you think about it.....