Gun Club PR

ldc

As far as i am aware Rathcormac Game and Wildlife Club have the best Game and Wildlife Nature Reserve in Cork and possibly in the country. The Reserve is open to the public and is very well used by families. Tremendous work done by a small club which showcases the best of what gun clubs are about. Their latest bit of PR should benefit gun clubs all over the country. They have a nesting box for barn owls and a breeding pair are utilising it again this year. They are going to be live streaming these owls every night thus following their progress as they prepare to nest in the nest box and rear their young. For sure it will generate great publicity for the work gun clubs are doing all over Ireland and give us some positive press instead of all negative. There is no reason that more clubs cannot follow their lead.
See link below:

https://www.facebook.com/Rathcormac-Game-and-Wildlife-Club-260756887793328

Birdnuts

Great stuff - the Blessington Game club does sterling work in this area too.

JP22

Lots of Game Clubs and their members do sterling work through the country and deserve all our thanks.

Sadly, most clubs get little or no recognition for their work and dedication to wildlife conservation.

Yes, a few have great local support and recognition however most do not and we certainly do not receive and support/recognition from the government and its various departments.

It should also be noted that in most clubs, its the same old hand-full of dedicated members who turn up to meetings and also do most of the work.

As the old saying goes, "lots of hurlers on the ditch, they pay their money and watch", it would be nice if they actually participated and done some work from time to time.

Just my tuppence worth.

Grizzly 45

Here's be a plan for Gun clubs to get more PR this offseason. We no doubt will have plenty of ticks again this year with their accompanying disease of Lymes disease.
Yet there is a very simple way of helping to break the circle of ticks spreading their disease, by making so-called "tick tubes" , an empty bog roll, some cotton wool soaked in DEET and dumped out in the forests and hedges
.Mice are the vectors that carry ticks, and in Spring they are looking for soft materials for their nests. Give them the materials that is sprayed with DEET, which will kill off the ticks thus reducing the numbers of ticks.

Very little work, bar the DEET and cotton wool, a litre would be enough for 100 tubes very little outlay, 100% biodegradable excellent PR once fed into the media, and a "hearts and minds" programme, as Lymes just doesn't affect us hunters,and with more and more people tramping about the countryside, sooner or later walkers,etc will pick up one or two ticks as well.
Anyone willing to give it a try?

garrettod

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

...
.Mice are the vectors that carry ticks, and in Spring they are looking for soft materials for their nests. Give them the materials that is sprayed with DEET, which will kill off the ticks thus reducing the numbers of ticks...

But what about the poor mice, won't they be harmed, or maybe discouraged from making their nests, and multiplying?

... You just know that's the kind of thing that the gob****e tree-huggers are likely to come out with, don't you?

garrettod

JP22 wrote: »

.... It should also be noted that in most clubs, its the same old hand-full of dedicated members who turn up to meetings and also do most of the work.

As the old saying goes, "lots of hurlers on the ditch, they pay their money and watch", it would be nice if they actually participated and done some work from time to time.

Just my tuppence worth.

Here's two suggestions to help deal with that :

* charge two membership rates, one for lads that give 20 hours a year to the club, and a higher rate for lads that don't.

* allow a small number of new members to join each year, conditional on them doing 20 hours work for the club, for say 3 consecutive years. If the lazy locals see lads travelling long distance, to join the club and put the effort in, they'll soon get the message.

That actually takes me on to a related point, with regards to hunting clubs not permitting new members to join, unless 18 of their family are already members, and live in each others fields etc. That needs to change, if every club brought a it off fresh blood in every year, there'd be more resources, and it would help grow our sport.

homerhop

Neighbouring club put in Sterling work creating a nature reserve that is open to birdwatchers, photographers walkers etc. Facilities for school groups to educate on trees, wildlife etc. Lately I have seen a well known photographer complaining on a councillors post about how the gun club have pens there to rear birds to be shot. I emailed the councillor explaining how it was the club who put in the hard work to provide the facilities there not the moaning photographer or her ilk who do nothing to help nature but expect everyone to bow to their opinions. Sadly no matter how much hard work clubs put in they will be overshadowed by the likes of said person.

Feisar

homerhop wrote: »

Neighbouring club put in Sterling work creating a nature reserve that is open to birdwatchers, photographers walkers etc. Facilities for school groups to educate on trees, wildlife etc. Lately I have seen a well known photographer complaining on a councillors post about how the gun club have pens there to rear birds to be shot. I emailed the councillor explaining how it was the club who put in the hard work to provide the facilities there not the moaning photographer or her ilk who do nothing to help nature but expect everyone to bow to their opinions. Sadly no matter how much hard work clubs put in they will be overshadowed by the likes of said person.

That’s deeply saddening and that’s coming from someone who thinks reared birds are grand for driven shoots but coming across a clutch of them rough shooting and we don’t even bother, you could damn near kick them up. Hard to beat a wiley old cock.

Grizzly 45

garrettod wrote: »

But what about the poor mice, won't they be harmed, or maybe discouraged from making their nests, and multiplying?

... You just know that's the kind of thing that the gob****e tree-huggers are likely to come out with, don't you?

You are going to get that irrespective of whatever you do.But lets just drop "the children " tactical nuke argument here in those cases. "obviously people would then prefer if the children got bitten by ticks and are infected with a potentially deadly disease while out playing in the summer!" etc;)
Or bluntly.. "when these peeople actually get off their asses and doing somthing likewise to stop a disease as "dangerous as Covid".tHen they can complain etc.

deeksofdoom

garrettod wrote: »

Here's two suggestions to help deal with that :

* charge two membership rates, one for lads that give 20 hours a year to the club, and a higher rate for lads that don't.

* allow a small number of new members to join each year, conditional on them doing 20 hours work for the club, for say 3 consecutive years. If the lazy locals see lads travelling long distance, to join the club and put the effort in, they'll soon get the message.

That actually takes me on to a related point, with regards to hunting clubs not permitting new members to join, unless 18 of their family are already members, and live in each others fields etc. That needs to change, if every club brought a it off fresh blood in every year, there'd be more resources, and it would help grow our sport.

There's enough politics in clubs without introducing two different membership rates, shooting is toxic enough without introducing that sort of ridiculous carry on.

useurowname

deeksofdoom wrote: »

There's enough politics in clubs without introducing two different membership rates, shooting is toxic enough without introducing that sort of ridiculous carry on.

I’d have to agree. Clubs are messy enough at the best of times without this.