Saw this on Farming website. Thought it might interest ye
Where they roost shooting or something, or shooting over stubble they got penalised??
The laws are there, disagree with them as much as you want, but you can't complain if you break them and get done for it.
AFAIK it's not permitted to use decoys for crows!!
Ya not disagreeing with you there on that but something needs changing on the shooting of rooks with decoys the way the guys worded the statement on Agri land you’d swear rooks were an endangered specie.
Yeah it seems odd that you can shoot them to protect crops but you can't use a decoy to increase efficiency.
Not sure it says that you are not allowed to use decoys or callers at all. It just says that A) If rooks are causing a lot of damage you are allowed to cull them, but B) you need to do so in an approved manner.
What you can't do is get your buddies, a few decoys, a caller, and some shotguns and blast some rooks for a laugh. And apparently not even finish them off properly, if I read this correctly.
You are allowed to use decoys only for ducks, geese & pigeons.
Strange that there is no mention of what time of year it was either. There was a video on ICABS around the time this happened,that mysteriously disappeared just as quick.I'm wondering was this the same event?
another point that we should demand our lobby groups get changed in the wildlife act.its ridiculous that I can hunt game birds over a set of decoys ,but not an agricultural pest.
Ah, but game birds usually mean the money end of society, but crows, rooks etc mean just the plebs
I would love somebody in NPWS to explain exactly the logic and reasoning behind prohibiting the use of decoys and calls for corvids - they must have a very valid reason!!!!
I doubt any of them could. It’s in the 1976 Wildlife Act and why I have no idea. None of the current NPWS staff would have been involved in the wording of the Act.
It begs the question why can’t you shoot hen pheasants ? You can in every other country. You get the answer that it’s to preserve the stocks. Increasingly Gun Clubs are buying pheasant cocks only from game farms.
Contribution to increasing stocks ? Nil. Zero. Ok, so maybe we shouldn’t shoot Mallard ducks. Or indeed the female of any species.
Not to drag this thread off course but lots of farmers use crow decoys, as I assumed legal; sold in lots of shops. Anyway was looking at the Act and according to it lamping foxes is illegal too?? News to me, local lads do it for me. Remember reading something in IFJ along lines of Garda say if farmers see lads lamping to ring them but I thought about lads pretending to be shooting when scoping spots out.
Use of lamps, mirrors etc. in hunting prohibited. F113[38.—(1) Any person who uses—
(a) any lamp, light, torch, mirror or other artificial light-reflecting or dazzling device or appliance, or
(b) any device for illuminating, image intensifying or heat seeking a target, or
(c) any sighting device for night shooting, or
(d) any device or appliance which is of a type, class or description specified in an order under subsection (2) of this section,
in hunting any protected wild bird or protected wild animal otherwise than while either—
(i) attaching thereto any band, ring, tag or other marking device, or
(ii) hunting for educational or scientific purposes or for any other purpose,
pursuant to and in accordance with a licence granted under this Act by the Minister, shall be guilty of an offence.
(2) (a) The Minister may by order declare a device or appliance which is of a type, class or description specified in the order to be a device or appliance to which subsection (1) of this section applies.
(b) The Minister may amend or revoke an order made under this subsection.]
Annotations
Amendments:
F113
Substituted (31.07.2001) by Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 (38/2000), s. 45, S.I. No. 371 of 2001.
The lamping restriction only applies to protected species - deer etc
Foxes are not protected so can be shot using a lamp.
CROW DECOYS
it is not illegal to sell or buy crow decoys.
They can be used by wildlife photographers etc
The decoys cannot be used when shooting to entice crows in.
Thanks JR I thought crows, magpies foxes were all vermin and could be shot. Why confused about Minister in the article goinf on about protected species.
All birds are protected. Derogation allows for the control of certain species, if they are doing damage to crops, or are a health risk. The use of decoys and calls to attract crows for hunting purposes is illegal.
You can get a license from NPWS to shoot hen pheasants!!!
Our club does it every year.
Sure, we do the same but I might point out that as you well know and others may not we buy them in as poults. Then they have to be reared for the next 16-17 weeks until mature and you are only allowed shoot a percentage of them. Imho you may shoot the lot as they’re useless bloody breeders in the wild.
There is a foreign lad that acts thuggish in galmoy that goes around recording lads shooting. Damages property of hunters and none the less doesnt work. The derrogation list is there to be obeyed all the same. Glad the 2 guys didnt lose their guns
I don't know, but my guess would be that under the EU Birds Directive you have to have a good reason for a derogation. If a corvid is causing damage to a crop, that's a good reason. If they're there in the crop and causing damage you shouldn't have to use decoys/callers to pull them into the area. Needless to say there's loads of inconsistencies in the various derogations that make a mockery of very specific rules like this.
There is a foreign lad that acts thuggish in galmoy that goes around recording lads shooting. Damages property of hunters and none the less doesnt work.
Thanks!!! That was the goon I was on about.Lucky he hasn't had a shotgun butt to the stomach and face so far with his carry-on. Wonder was it him that filmed this?Should be arrested for threatening behaviour,tresspass and intimidation.
"If a corvid is causing damage to a crop, that's a good reason. If they're there in the crop and causing damage you shouldn't have to use decoys/callers to pull them into the area"
I agree that if there is a crop attack there may be no need for decoys......but sometimes a crop is being attacked besides a cut field.
To avoid damaging the crop by searching through it for downed birds (no farmer wants their standing crop dotted with dead birds throughout it) it is much handier to set up decoys in the adjacent cut field and attract the attacking crows into it with decoys...much easier to gather up at the end of the day with no damage to the crop,
Common sense. They won't agree to that.
No because the good hunting men arent thugs from the third world.
Same lad yes
Shooting on stubble isn't an issue. As long as its to protect crops in the area.
This wasn't on or near crops, which is why the guys were charged. They were doing it recreationally. As the lads said above, if you're going to shot birds, you need to know the laws
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