16ga.com ~ View topic - To Gamekeeper and any other Englishmen here . . .

Member Joined: 27 Nov 2005 Posts: 258 Location: Nordern MN

Gamekeeper,
Do you care to tell us about sporting hobbies in the UK? I'd be interested to know what you hunt (pheasants, ducks, etc?) You may be aware that "British Labradors" are all the rage here in the US . . . do you have a dog(s)?

In the USA we always hear that only the rich hunt in Europe, but I read in a book (Living the Dream: The Education of a Duck Hunter, by Norm Seymour) that isn't necessarily the case. I got the impression that if a person was dedicated enoug to pass the tests and find a place to hunt, the hunting was available regardless of social class.

Can you share pics?

Thanks and take care

NR

Mod 97

Shooting in the UK is varied, you can join a clay pigeon club, or a rifle club.
If you want to shoot game, that can be expensive on a driven shoot, thats where beaters drive the birds over standing guns. You are called a "gun" on these sort of shoots. If you prefer walked up shooting, we call it rough shooting, that is less expensive. Deer stalking can also be expensive.
If you know the right people,farmers etc you can sometimes shoot vermin (rabbits, pigeons etc) for free. Wildfowling takes place on the coast and there are wildfowling clubs you can join. There are a lot of restrictions on what firearms you can have. So most British shooters are pretty dedicated to put up with all the B.S. we have over here!

We don't have bag limits though, you can shoot as many rabbits,pheasants,ducks,squirrels as you like. Pigeon shooters often go into treble figure's shooting wood pigeons over decoy's.
Labradors and springer spaniels are the most common dogs used but all sporting breeds can be seen working somewhere.

As my title suggests I used to be a Gamekeeper on a small private estate in Worcestershire. We used to put down 1200 Pheasant, 150 Partridge and about 75 Mallard. We would shoot on about 9 days in the season with about 8 "guns".

In England and Wales Hunting and Shooting are two different sports, Hunting is with a pack of hounds and Shooting is what you guys call Hunting.

Air rifles are very popular over here because there are less restrictions on their use. 12 bores and .410s are common as are .22 rimfire and deer caliber rifles. Handguns are banned except for muzzle loaders.

Although the rich hunt and shoot they can't do either without us ordinary guys doing the work. Beaters for instance are given a free days shooting at the end of the season as well as being paid to beat!

Gamekeeper...

Did I read you correctly? NO ONE can own a handgun? We have one jurisdiction in this country (The District of Columbia) where that is true, but an appeal of that harsh law is pending at the US Supreme Court.

How in the world do people in England protect their homes and persons from criminals? Statistics on this side of the pond tend to show much lower levels of criminal activity in jurisdictions where the criminals know there is a higher likelihood that a homeowner or individual is armed and capable of responding.

OSL

OSL,
Yes, you read it correctly. Handguns were banned after a madman went on a shooting spree at a Junior School in Dunblane, Scotland.

Very few people can legally own handguns now. Cap and Ball revolvers can still be used but only at approved ranges!

Even if you own a shotgun or rifle you are not allowed to use it for self defense unless you are being threatened by someone with a firearm.

This country and its stupid gun laws are doing nothing to stop armed crime. Since the ban on handguns gun crime has risen dramatically! Mad

Member Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 1545 Location: Michigan

Gamekeeper,
Don't you also have to keep your firearms locked in a safe? And can't the authorites stop and check to make sure all guns are secured?

Yup, you've got it! Its a nanny state gone mad! Like I said earlier we have to be dedicated to shooting over here. We have so many hoops to jump through before we can even buy a gun! Evil or Very Mad

Good Lord, Gamekeeper!

I did not realize it had gotten quite that bad in "Merrie Olde England"... that is pretty scary. Sadly, if not for our own Second Amendment to the Constitution, I think there are plenty of people in Washington DC who would cheerfully pass the same legislative scheme over here. Thank goodness for the great wisdom of our founding fathers and the dedication of vigilant gun owners and a few libertarian-oriented lawyers over here!

I suppose that upon reflection, we should also be grateful to our common former sovereign, George III, for being such an ass to deal with, that the founders of the USA made sure the people had the means to overthrow any government that became too overbearing. Wink

OSL

Joined: 05 Feb 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Philadelphia, PA

Whoooa there. Don't you remember what happened at Waco or Ruby Ridge? Try taking on a tank with your trusty ole smoke pole. Still, the Brits are fubar. I saw a clip on the news from the UK recently. Some poor fool was trying for a shot at a rabbit with an air rifle. Some busybody saw him, called the fuzz and and they responded with a swat team. That is big time FUBAR. They've all gone nuts.
nialmac

I have been very interested in Gamekeeper's posts and this thread. Then this past Sunday morning on the television show "Sunday Morning" (ABC I think) there was a story on gray squirrels taking over the habitat of the red squirrels in England.

There was a guy shooting gray squirrels with what appeared to be a .22 rifle with a silencer. The rifle was no big deal, but the silencer? A silencer certainly makes sense when hunting squirrels, but with all the restrictions, it took me by surprise.

Just wondering,

Milton

mdm1,

Yes the gun laws here make very little sense. if you want a silencer for a firearm you have to have it put on your firearm certificate (licence to hold a firearm) If you want a silencer for an air rifle you can just go out and buy one! Silencers or sound moderators are very common over here. We use a lot of sub sonic .22 ammo otherwise the sonic crack makes the silencer useless! We even sell sound moderated shotguns, the barrels look like Bazooka's. Rolling Eyes

nialmac,

The police here will sent a SWAT team out if "anyone" reports someone carring a gun.

They shot one man dead because he was carring a chair leg wrapped in plastic. Someone saw him in a bar and told the police he had a sawn off shotgun. The guy had the chair leg to repair a chair. He did not use it as a weapon. But was shot dead and the Police got away with a warning! Crying or Very sad

Member Joined: 27 Nov 2005 Posts: 258 Location: Nordern MN

Gamekeeper -
Check your private messges!
Thanks,
NR

Joined: 05 Feb 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Philadelphia, PA

Gamekeeper, I spend part of every year in Ireland where I have a small cottage. I keep a shotgun there and use it for woodcock. As you know, they are fairly restrictive there too but nothing like the madness in the UK. Most of my neighbors keep shotguns, it's a rural area and as an illustration of the local attitude I'll relate the following. A neighbor, a retired policeman and one of the few who doesn't have a gun, was troubled by crows tearing up the plastic covers on his silage. He asked another neighbor to shoot them as they sat along a power line. He obliged and of course shot down the wire in the process. Power is out to the houses all down the whole road. The culprits make themselves scarce but of course everyone knows exactly what happened. The power company (ESB) shows up and sees the evidence, including dead crows, and wants to know what bollocks shot their wire. It would have been unthinkable for anyone to rat. We all stood around, including one of the perps, saying nothing but trying to keep straight faces.
Still, as the population increases and the level of prosperity rises I'm afraid that the same craziness that exists in the UK will take hold. So far the gun clubs are doing a great job of holding things together so maybe the future isn't all bleak.
nialmac

nailmac,
Great story, real Irish humour! Very Happy

I remember when the UK was like that. A licence to own a shotgun cost 10 shillings from the post office. Lots of people kept their shotgun behind the kitchen door, no gun safe's in those days or police checks on security!
Gun crime was also very rare too.

By the way, over here in Hampshire it's been a good season for Woodcock.

Joined: 05 Feb 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Philadelphia, PA

Gamekeepr, I remember things being that way too. In 1959 I bought a single barrel Webley 16-bore at Thomas Bland, just off Trafalger Sq. They never even asked my name. I took it back to Ireland and shot snipe along the Shannon. It only weighed about five and three-quarter lbs. but with a 32" barrel was very easy to get on 'em and stay on 'em. Those days are gone forever.
nialmac