Greens to ban Bird hunting (certain types)

Cass

Article from the Mail on Sunday about how rural TDs are fighting plans by the Greens (again) to list some 20 or so species of Birds on a "banned" listing, meaning no hunting of them. Now I'm all for ocnservation and don't really shoot many, if any, Birds unless its crop protection, but the larger picture here is the fourth major attack on the shooting community in the last 18 months or so, and with the semi-auto ban looming that would make five.

dto001

I think possibly now its time to stand up for our sport and get more vocal otherwise in the next few years it'll be gone. The associations have to get vocal there may be alot going on behind the scenes but this doesn't show the general population what we do.

We need action not talk at this stage

clivej

Between this new thread, the Semi-auto centerfire rifle thread, the lead ban thread etc..............

Its all whinge, whinge, whinge amongst ourselves on this forum.

No one else gives a flying feck about any of it. Not even the shooting organisations whom are supposed to represent us. Where are the NASRPC and NRGC the two biggest organisations?????? Not a word from them.

OpenYourEyes

I'll start by saying i'm not a hunter, but I don't think that any of the species should be removed from the Open Seasons order. That being said, a review of the legislation is probably quite timely given the new research for these species in the last few years (i.e. updated population estimates and new red/amber listings). I can completely understand the mistrust of the Greens that most hunters have, but I think the Minister has been pretty level-headed so far and I expect he'll be guided by the science, NPWS and the various submissions the department receives in this regard. I suspect he has learned a lot about the realities of conservation since taking office, which perhaps he had little knowledge or appreciation of before. Hopefully they will know not to take submissions from animal rights 'organisations' seriously on what is a conservation issue, something the animal rights crowd clearly have no knowledge about.

While I wouldn't remove any species from the Open Season, as I think a) hunting hasn't been responsible for any of the observed declines, and b) that removing species from the order just alienates hunters and removes a very significant stakeholder group who otherwise might have done valuable conservation work towards the declining species, I would love if we moved to a situation where proper comprehensive bag data was collected, and if it was used to inform adaptations to the order down the line. For example, if a rare-breeding duck occurred on a lake in the midlands, perhaps the open season on that lake specifically could be delayed by a month to minimise the risk of the breeding individuals being shot (and therefore stop them breeding there) and maximise the chances that if that species is shot, it'll be migrant individuals instead and the local breeding population can continue to grow. Perhaps that extra month delayed could be added on at the end of the season, so that the hunters on the ground have the same amount of time to get out, just delayed in that particular location. For species like Golden Plover, maybe bag returns would show that nobody is really shooting them anyway and that removing them from the order mightn't actually be that controversial? What would the people here think of a more adaptive approach like that, with the ultimate conservation of a species in mind, while also trying to minimise changes from the hunters point of view? I realise the trust issues that would have to be overcome if comprehensive bag data was to be collated, but if we assume that could be overcome...? I suppose what I'm asking is, in an ideal world where trust and 'slippery slope' fears aren't an issue, are there changes to the legislation that you'd be happy to take on board, assuming there was a sound conservation-based logic to them and that the big step of removing a species from the open seasons order was considered a last resort that hunting-representative bodies would have to agree to before it could happen?

Also, I regularly see on various forums, hunters complaining about particular individuals bringing over large hunting parties from other countries and taking what some perceive to be an unsustainable amount of birds from a given area over the course of the season. Would there be widespread support within the hunting community to put a limit or stop to that in legislation? Or would a complete ban on that sort of tourism hunting from overseas likely cause problems for most game clubs to varying extents?

Grizzly 45

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117913762#Comment_117913762

And those that do try are attacked and scapegoated by the fudds and others with their own agendas.🙄

Also, I regularly see on various forums, hunters complaining about particular individuals bringing over large hunting parties from other countries and taking what some perceive to be an unsustainable amount of birds from a given area over the course of the season. Would there be widespread support within the hunting community to put a limit or stop to that in legislation? Or would a complete ban on that sort of tourism hunting from overseas likely cause problems for most game clubs to varying extents?

The trouble with this tourist hunting is it's another unregulated free for all here,with no controls whatsoever, coupled with good old begrudgery. There are people trying to run ethical and well-managed shoots, and there are others who just want to fatten the bank account and screw any type of management. Added to this the possible "hostile locals" seeing "their sport" being taken away by people and "dem furriners who pay loads to shoot loads"

There is a happy medium that would allow everyone plenty of shooting, without banning anything or curtailing any sport either.

It does need some regulation on how these commercial shoots of migratory birds and deer are run, possibly a bag limit on some species....SUBJECT to impartial scientific evidence and a review too. But Ireland is greener still than what the Green[water melon] party thinks it is.🙄

Eddie B

What pi**** me off, is that the Greens, along with everyone else knows, the main reason why these species are in decline, and its nothing to do with hunting. Most struggling species of birds in this Country are already protected, and aren't or never were hunted. Still their numbers are getting smaller and smaller. So instead of tackling the real issue, they take it out on the hunting community. Once again, it's all about money, and politics. This move will do absolutely nothing to increase populations of struggling species.

BSA International

Greens cannot do this without backing of FF & FG !

Grizzly 45

Article is very hard to read in that photo, but I see the usual suspect of John Carmody ARAN got his oar in again, and there is some response from NARGC in it as well?Anyone a bit of a computer whizz here who can clean up the focus on this?

Birdnuts

I would be of the opinion if he didn't move to restrict pigeon shooting that time, its unlikely that any of the most popular wildfowl quarry will be affected. I suspect this is more about the animal rights nuts trying to put pressure on a Green minister to just ban hunting full stop, which won't be a runner in the current coalition

PS: Just anecdotally the likes of Mallard, Tufties and Shovlers all seem to have bred well this year(I've noticed a steady increase in the latter over the past 10 years on my Turlough permissions in Mayo)_

Feisar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117915895#Comment_117915895

Semantics really however I imagine it's FF & FG keeping the Greens happy to maintain their backing.

Grizzly 45

I'd like to know who this "independent committee" is that is referred to who put this proposal forward?Is this the same crowd that suggested the ban on pigeon shooting,in 2020?

Feisar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917044#Comment_117917044

I'd say birdwatch Ireland are providing a few members!

BSA International

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917025#Comment_117917025

FFG will sell their grannies to stay in power .......... 😞

Feisar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917997#Comment_117917997

True that.

Pat McGroin

This is another attack on the rural community from a bunch of clowns that want to push their agendas down our throats. But now the chickens are coming home to roost from years of fools plastering photos of big bags of birds all over social media.

The same fools will tell you that they are proud hunters and its in their blood and they won't hide their sport from anyone.

The same fools that are now starting to point the finger at farmers for the decline in bird numbers due to farming practices.

The very farmers that own the lands that our sport needs to exist.

The greens dont need to do much, tighten a few screws here and there. Sadly the shooting community will do the rest to finish off our sport and all the while the divided NARGC battle away between themselves in the high court.

Im a right ray of sunshine here.

deeksofdoom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117921715#Comment_117921715

Chickens coming home to roost.... agree 100% with you, shooting is full of toxic clowns who do the sport no favours.