Hunting and Angling.

[Cranfield]

A Game Licence is not required for the purpose of shooting and taking rabbits from land with the owners consent.

 

Where the confusion arises, is that a Game Licence IS required if you wish to SELL the rabbits.

 

The requirement to supply proof of shooting land or membership of a recognised shooting Club is not a requirement of applying for a Shotgun Certificate.

It IS for a Firearm Certificate.

[Chris Goddard]

Sorry Brian, but I would have to tell you that you are wrong. I have personally been fined for "Attempting to take conies whilst not in possesion of a game licence." For this I was fined £15. And the armed tresspass I got off with!! I even got my gun back

 

Chris

[Cranfield]

Chris, I was quite certain that a Game Licence was NOT required to shoot and take rabbits on land where you have the owners permission.

 

I also checked this with the BASC and the Kent Police before I posted my reply.

They both confirmed my understanding as being correct.

 

It may be that the law has changed.

The size of your fine would suggest that the offence occurred a long time ago.

When you were a foolish youth, perhaps.

[Newt]

US Hunting - first a couple things from the North Carolina regulations (most states are fairly similar) to give an idea of how different the rules are here vs. the UK

 

Handguns

Permit to Purchase ........ YES

Registration of Firearms .... NO*

Licensing of Owner .......... NO

Permit to Carry ............ YES

 

*Police recordation is made of handgun acquisitions.

 

There are no state licensing requirements to possess a rifle or shotgun.

 

(and bearing in mind that the rules here are "if it isn't specifically prohibited, you can do it)

 

It is unlawful for any person to manufacture, assemble, possess, transport, sell, purchase, deliver, or give to another, any fully automatic** firearm, shotgun with a barrel of less than 18 inches or an overall length of less than 26 inches, rifle with a barrel length of less than 16 inches, or an overall length of less than 26 inches, any muffler or silencer for any firearm, or any projectile device, other than a shotgun, with a bore diameter of more than 1/2 inch.

 

** fully automatic meaning that if you press the trigger the gun keeps firing until you release it.

 

Hunting is fairly inexpensive unless you want to hunt an animal that is located in a different part of the country. Certain species of mountain sheep come to mind as well as hogs. Also there is still a shortage of some birds such as quail, phesant, grouse, in parts of the country due to habitat loss that hasn't been fully corrected.

 

For the rest, you can probably find good to excellent hunting near your home. The deer population is much greater today than it was 50 years ago due to successful efforts by hunting groups working with the game and fish commission to restore habitat and populations. When I was a youngster, the season limit on deer was 1 and it had to be a male. These days, it is more likely to be one per week of either sex during the hunting season.

 

And there will be a bow season that starts the earliest and runs until the end of the gun season. And a "black powder" season that starts after the bow season but before the regular gun season and again runs until the end of the gun season. Plenty of public land holding good populations.

 

The place I usually stop for bait on my way to fishing is also a hunting shop. During deer season, not at all uncommon to see 4 or 5 pickup trucks with deer in the back stopped there.

 

Waterfowl populations can be sorta iffy these days. Loss of Canadian nesting grounds and the strange weather. You may have to drive some to get to good duck hunting. Geese don't seem to be affected and there are more of them than I remember from past years.

 

A hunting license will run around $20 for the year with extra fees required for deer, waterfowl, and maybe a few others. Usually around $10 for each extra sort of permit.

 

An interesting happening just north of where I live is the re-introduction of black bears into the Great Dismal Swamp (huge area between North Carolina & Virginia). The project was started around 20 years ago and the population is large enough now that you can go bear hunting there during the season.

 

In general, once I owned the proper gun(s) and bought a license, I could hunt for deer, turkey, rabbits, birds, waterfowl for about the same cost as fishing. Cost of shells and bait would about equal out.

 

I don't have exact figures but my best guess is that almost all hunters here are also anglers.

 

And in most areas (I exclude the large cities, California, New Jersey, and lower New York cause city folks are just too strange) even those who neither fish nor hunt will still strongly support both sports.

[Jim Roper]

Paul_H:

I personally think there is a big difference between hunting (with a firearm) and shooting. I know a number of people who shoot but none who really hunt(with a firearm) in this country.

My shooting club membership, along with affilliation to B.A.S.C costs less than £100.00 a year.

 

For this I have public liability insurance and duck shooting from October 1st to February 20th whenever I like to put a gun under my arm.

 

Through contacts that I have developed over the years, I can use rifles, both rimfire and centrefire up to .357 calibre, over several thousand acres controlling foxes, rabbits and deer. All this is for FREE in exchange for helping out with chores from time to time.

I do not have to ask the police every time I find somewhere new to shoot. I am my own safety officer and can use my rifles anywhere that I consider it can be done in a safe way.

If people, who know how to behave, really want to shoot live quary, it is no more expensive than fishing as a hobby.

 

I earn £4.32 an hour plus £45.00 a week for working nights.

 

There are plenty of farmers willing to sell pigeon shooting on a 'day ticket' arrangement, often supplying the decoys and hides to use.

 

I have never sat on a horse and you would not get me on one.

 

As for the age-old quips about hunters dressing up in fancy clothes. Most of the colours are for indentification and the styles are time-prooved to be functional and hard wearing. I suspect that that most joggers and cyclists spend more on fancy coloured clothing than most people who hunt on horseback.

 

As you might have seen from the timing of the postings, Newt and I were composing at about the same time!!

 

Jim Roper

 

http://www.searchlineuk.com/FishList.htm

http://www.thisisdorset.net

 

[ 09. August 2002, 07:02 PM: Message edited by: Jim Roper ]

[Jim Roper]

Cranfield:

Chris, I was quite certain that a Game Licence was NOT required to shoot and take rabbits on land where you have the owners permission.

In certain circumstances, rabbits and even pigeons can, or could, be classed as 'game' in court.

On the other hand, you do not need a game license to shoot hares in certain circumstances.

Both cases depend on whether or not the offender had permission on the land involved and in some cases whether or not the sport was being paid for or is seen as pest control, from what I remember.

 

The police can get away with almost anything in front of magistrates who are not up to it, especially if the court clerk is of a certain persuasion.

 

Get a copy of Fair Game by Charlie Parkes and John Thornley.

 

Jim Roper

 

http://www.searchlineuk.com/FishList.htm

http://www.thisisdorset.net

http://www.march-info.org

[Paul_H]

With reference to Jim Ropers post sorry Jim I think you are missing the whole point about what I am trying (unsuccesfully obviously) to say.

 

You are in a very fortunate position being able to have access to all the hunting opportunities you do, obviously due to the people you know and the area in which you live. I do not believe that you will find such facilities available to the average citizen within the uk (nothing to do with cost whatsoever).

 

If I was a citizen of Canada or America I could go out and buy a shotgun or rifle probably the same day I decided that I fancy haveing a go at shooting deer(or whatever) and providing it was in season and I had the correct permits (bought over the counter) I could drive somewhere and have a go.

 

In this country though could I do that?

 

Say I lived in the London and owned 100 acres of woodland in Surrey with deer on some of which I wanted to shoot. How long would it take me as a non shooter who is not a member of a gun club and does not want to join one to legally obtain a rifle and have a go at shooting those deer? Could it be done (I don't know, but suspect it would be extremely difficult)?

 

Or say I lived in London didn't want to join a gun club but wanted to buy a shotgun to do some clay pigeon shooting (don't know where yet), without owning any land or knowing anybody that owned land could I do this (once again I don't know)?

 

Bearing in mind most people live in towns, not the countryside they will not have access to local landowners who allow shooting. Certainly most of my friends in this country have not tried hunting or shooting because it is just not available to them in the same way as it is in other countries. The ones that have, have been on things organised through work and these have all been target shoots rather than hunting. This is why I believe the hunting and fishing groups are unable to forge an alliance in this country whereas they can in other countries. Haveing not participated or even haveing friends who participate in the others sport we do not appreciate things in the same way.

[Newt]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jim Roper:

[QB... I can use rifles, both rimfire and centrefire up to .357 calibre, over several thousand acres controlling foxes, rabbits and deer.[/QB]

---

Jim - if you are using a .357 on foxes and rabbits, you really ought to get together with nightwind (using #2 shot for birds). ROFLMAO

 

I once went dove hunting and used #0 or #00 buckshot. Didn't hit many but oh boy those I did hit. Accidental though. I had grabbed the wrong vest and thought I had shell loops full of #8 shot for my 12ga.

[chesters1]

i am a little :confused: about the muzzle velocity of uk air rifles ,didnt it change in the early 60`s to what it is today, i own a pre ww2 air rifle am i breaking the law in owning it? i also used to have a collection of gas guns (air rifles with a methonal?/ether injector) if i still had them would i now be in breach of the law .

as for shooting deer with shotguns i used to hang about with a chap with a 12bore ,he used imported boar slugs ,he was a very good shot and dropped them all ,so is it illegal to shoot deer with a shotgun or is it illegal to use shot

i also used to help the terrier man at the goshuns?

hunt ,i cannot see them banning on the cruelty front as most times they may have chased a fox but rarely caught one ,i think its anti toffs forgetting that most of the people that attend the hunt are lookers on and indistinguisable from you and me

 

[ 10. August 2002, 12:27 AM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

[poledark]

I am not certain of this but I think that Air rifles had no legal limit back in the early 60's(?)

I used to own a BSA Airsporter and it was rated at around 14lbs. This was with leather washers, with modern materials it would probably run at abot 16lbs.

 

I also have very vague memories re the single shot/shotgun/deer shooting, but what these memories are, I just cant seem to recall :confused: :confused:

 

Den