The law on shooting game

I wonder if anyone can help with this? Are there any laws (Health & Safety or other laws) on game shoots with regard to the safety of members of the public? E.g. do the shooters have to be a certain distance from public footpaths? Or do they have to put up warning signs when a shoot is taking place? What about any game that drops onto a public footpath (& another dog runs off with )? Is there a governing body or Code of Practice for gamebird shoots?

Thanks for any advice.

There are laws about how close to roads and footpaths, can't remember the details now. I had problems last year with a shoot, I get fed up with them virtually imprisoning us.

Try googling.

Check out Shooting times I am sure there will be an artical or two, if not a link to guide you in the right direction.

I remember when I went beating there was a public footpath a few hundred yards from where the shoot was taking place. I wondered at the time if any dog walkers and their nervous dogs ever got caught by surprise with the guns going off.

And, I was once walking along a local footpath, minding my own business and my dogs were putting up pheasants when I saw some perfectly still figures in the field. I quickly realised they were guns and my dogs were probably scaring the birds off! I beat a hasty retreat!

I dont know the answer to your question but would be interested to since 2 of my dogs are scared of guns and it does worry me a little that we may be caught out one day.

http://www.basc.org.uk/en/codes-of-p...g-practice.cfm

My OH who is an instructor for National Small Bore Rifle Association is informing me now that basically:

You cannot shoot within 50 feet of the centre of a public highway with vehicle access, this doesn't apply to public footpaths or bridleways. (from the highways act section 161)

To shoot across a footpath or bridleway that is in use may constitute a public nuisance or willfull obstruction they may also be a liability for negligence

It's an offence to be in possesion of a loaded shotgun in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.

Look on www.basc.org.uk click on codes of practice

Hope this helps

We have two public footpaths running through a couple of the drives on our shoot, we put spotters at the ends of the paths and stop shooting until they've gone through

You can ring your local firearms officer, he will be able to tell you whether they are right or wrong in what they are doing. I had to do that once when riding up a bridlepath through the woods with gunfire coming at us from all directions He told me there should have been somebody at the bottom of our track and at the top, warning people, which there wasn't!!! They are not allowed to shoot across bridleways if they don't have that in force, I do know that much now.

You are also able to find out the dates and locations for all shoots, they have a calendar of them all too.

I know im not allowed to shoot game from my garden (its actually in my tenancy agreement ) and im not allowed to keep anything that may fall in my garden after being shot

Its a grey area this one! Technically,the moment a keeper opens the release pens the pheasants become wildlife and therefore belong to no one so if your dog was to grab a shot bird you wouldnt be breaking the law.

With regards to shooting over footpaths-its perfectly legal im afraid although its common decency for them to lower their guns as people approach.They're not required to put up signs because despite the footpaths location it is still their land afterall.