Hunting and Angling.

[Nightwing]

Very true on both accounts Rob. I bow hunt for deer, and consider myself above average, yet I would not take a shot at much beyond 30 meters.

Simply put, there is no excuse with shooting beyond the effective range of the weapon, and with a bow, 30 meters is about it. Oddly, its not so much a lack of accuracy(hitting a target the size of an apple is the accuracy rate one should be able to attain), but instead the time it takes the arrow to arive at a target at longer distance. A deer has sufficient time to move, even if not alerted, during the arrows flight time, and thus you run a very real risk of wounding or loosing an animal, which is simply beyond excuse.

What an interesting conversation for a fishing list. Thanks for the insight into your world, guys.

 

RobStubbs:

I don't know the reasons why bow hunting is illegal here but I'd have a guess at it being in part because it's more difficult to obtain a clean kill. I know bows can be extremely effective and deadly in the right hands but generally speaking, you'd have trouble matching the accuracy of a rifle.

 

Rob.

[Jim Roper]

Newt:

Anyone have an idea what the thinking behind this prohibition might be?

Perhaps it's because arrows don't have expanding heads. We are not allowed to used amminition for deer that does not expand on impact.

 

I expect you will find that bows are not specifically 'banned', but not 'allowed' within the various Deer Acts from, I think, 1963 onwards.

 

Jim Roper

 

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

http://www.thisisdorset.net

 

[ 12. August 2002, 07:26 PM: Message edited by: Jim Roper ]

[Jim Roper]

Newt:

Anyone have an idea what the thinking behind this prohibition might be?

Perhaps it's because arrows don't have expanding heads. We are not allowed to used amminition for deer that does not expand on impact.

 

I expect you will find that bows are not specifically 'banned', but not 'allowed' within the various Deer Acts from, I think, 1963 onwards.

 

Nightwing; Is there a single shot rifle available in .357 magnum calibre. It would save having to carry a Marlin underlever about. Are H & R still around? Is there an up-to-date Shooters Bible or Guns Digest printed?

Jim Roper

 

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

http://www.thisisdorset.net[/qb]

 

[ 12. August 2002, 07:31 PM: Message edited by: Jim Roper ]

[Newt]

Or maybe the "no bow hunting" is just a rule that was made for some nonsensical reason and has remained on the books thru inertia.

 

Nightwing has it right about needing to be close due to flight time of arrows.

 

OTOH, I was never better than "fairly good" with a bow but I hunted rabbits (using blunt arrows which did a nice job from the force of the blow) and could usually hit about 1 in 4. A good archer could probably approach 100%. And I hunted with a man who could hit flying ducks with rarely a miss if he was close enough.

 

As to the horseback thing, the mongols developed the recurve bow so they could have a bow with power but short enough to handle on horseback. I have read they were very accurate. The American Indians did some horseback hunting but it was bison (large target) from point-blank range so we can't count that.

 

At any rate, bow hunting would certainly be viable in the UK for most of your game animals and maybe even game birds for the really good archers.

 

Seems a shame since England was pretty much the home of the long bow which was the weapon that ended the whole "knights in armor" thing.

[Jim Roper]

Newt:

 

At any rate, bow hunting would certainly be viable in the UK for most of your game animals and maybe even game birds for the really good archers.

 

Seems a shame since England was pretty much the home of the long bow which was the weapon that ended the whole "knights in armor" thing.

(1)Shooting of any bird, even cormorants, with a rifle is not allowed in the UK, so they are not going to allow bows.

 

(2)As far as Tony Blair is concerned, 'HISTORY DOES NOT EXIST' only 'MODERNITY'.

 

Jim Roper

 

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

http://www.thisisdorset.net

[Croix]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jim Roper:

 

(1)Shooting of any bird, even cormorants, with a rifle is not allowed in the UK, so they are not going to allow bows.

 

[/QB]

---

Jim,

 

As far as I am aware it's perfectly legal to shoot any of the birds on the DEFRA pest species list with a rifle, provided of course that you are the landowner or have authorisation from the landowner.

Game birds are another matter, although I don't think it's actually illegal to shoot them with a rifle, just not the 'done thing'.

 

Dave

[phonebush]

Nightwing,

NICS is pretty through. A couple years before I retired I was diagnosed with a compulsive psychological disorder and remain today under the care of a physician and medication. I attempted to purchase a handgun and these facts were revieled. Appearantly it is not a violation of our gun laws to be "crazy" cause I got the gun.

Phone

[OregonDave]

Oddly enough I got an interest in airguns in August, 2001 from a link on this forum to a UK airgun forum. Hadn't shot any of my firearms for years, but in 8/01 I just wanted to redevelop such shooting skills as I once thought I had.

 

Have to go along with Newt on this point: I don't know any shooters or hunters in America who don't also go fishing. On the other hand, I didn't even realize until now, that there may be fishermen who don't shoot or hunt.

 

Different states have different laws in the US as noted above. Different ingrained ideas as well. Nope, I cannot go out and buy a bunch of deer tags - I can buy ONE, but I'm more a plinker of tin cans.

DaveK

[RobStubbs]

As others have mentioned birds are legitimate quarry with a rifle. Pigeons and crows being prime examples. Cormorants are protected by EA law and thus can only be shot with the relevent licence.

 

Rob.

[Newt]

RobStubbs:

Cormorants are protected by EA law and thus can only be shot with the relevent licence.

What sort of load does the license take?

 

Sorry Rob but couldn't resist.