LOL---don't know which 'marksmen' you know but I bet you some animals sure as hell know about being shot!

Dreadful thing to do.

rune

Ironic or what - I wonder how many of those involved in fox hunting would agree with killing the hounds after they had killed someones pet cat?

You must know me by now that i'll listen to both sides of an argument!

The difference in my opinion is that foxes are wild animals and domestic cats are someones property.Cats are notorious predators of songbirds,but since they belong to someone nothing can be done short of making them wear boxing gloves to cover their claws! I know what you're getting at in that why should a cats life be worth more than a fox since they're both hunters of native wildlife,but it comes back full circle to the wild/domestic bit.I guess people will always feel emotionally charged when a pet has been killed and is likely worse when its done by another animal so they want revenge.

So do you know many rifle shooters personally? Im guessing not and that you're just making another sweeping statement!

Skip reading, partly a fuzzy head, partly an attempt to confuse the bug by annihilating it with red wine and VSOP Cognac! Anyway, where did the figure 8 million come from? Curious, as I did a very cursory search earlier, and came up with a max figure of about 3 million

Edited to add, first para is just a query to you Noushka, rest is just rambling after reading.....

With the question of trapping feral/wild animals, surely, an animal that is shot, without ever knowing it's been hunted, so stalked effectively, is better than being trapped, transported somewhere and then pts? I know which I think is more human for feral or wild animals.

And back to the cats, if there is such a problem, and they predate so heavily on our natural species, surely re-releasing any into the wild is wrong, they have to be pts? You can't condone allowing the predation to go on to any extent if it's such a problem.

Red legged partridge aren't for the record, a problem in this country, and it is by far, those who shoot that have done the most in recent years for the conservation of the grey partridge, amongst other species. On many shoots, it is prohibited to shoot the indigenous grey partridge, and on others, where they are allowed to be shot, they ensure they release sufficient numbers to try and keep a sustainable population. The red legged partridge has been a more popular bird on shoots, because of the way it flies.

You are making assumptions.

TBH anyone with half a brain knows that many many animals are shot and not killed. For those of us who live in rural areas it is painfully obvious.

Are you suggesting that all animals that are shot are killed cleanly?

rune

OK, you go out with your gun and see a cat crossing a field in front of you - how areyou going to distinguish that that cat is a feral cat and not someones pet, but hey, it doesnt matter its only a cat, just shoot is anyway

Reps!

Unfortunately I know (over hear) many ''marksmen'' (term used purely to relate) who admit it's sometimes not a clean shot. How disgusting.

I went out for a drive, walk and pub supper tonight. We stopped at a pub that is famous for it's menu. After ordering a glass of red we browsed the menu, only to realise to our disgust that fois gras was on the menu. We got up from our table and left with me having made it perfectly clear why I was leaving to everyone in there.

Man causing death, harm and suffering to animals is inexcusable, no matter how many arguments you throw this way.

TBH, yes, any people I know of involved with rifle shooting, will only shoot if they have a clear shot, they won't risk wounding.

It's down to the person who calls in those to do the shooting. I don't know of anyone who'd call in people who don't know how to shoot, and when they get shooting rights on a land, they don't abuse it.

Sorry Rune, but you make it sound like the English countryside is littered with half killed animals by inept shooters, and that isn't the case, in my experience

What you may be talking about, is incidents of illegal shooting, people who haven't been given permission, and take pot shots. One of the reasons some shoots allow and encourage the shooting of hares, is simply to discourage illegal hare coursing, I can imagine the same being true for other species, sadly.

Very well put!