Richie#
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the Daily hi thread
Pest Control
- Thread starter Paynut
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ok thanks, will ask one when i find one.
zakdingel
Member Extraordinaire
Its under the threads menus called H3 but you need to ask for access and might need a post count?
Richie#
Super member
Mad Andy
Super member
zakdingel
Member Extraordinaire
and its not going to
I made that point.It was a subject broached on here that most forum members would be against it, found it strange, so thounght to find out
That comes from the experience of being a member on here (and the old AGF) since 2009
We have an 8000 or so strong membership on here, and as yet you've got less than 100 responses
You must consider that many opposed to pest control may not even view the thread.
I used to be a professional pest controller and have carried out pest control for over 40 years.
The club I belong to, has a reasonable membership, but only a very small percentage shoot any live quarry and we are in a rural area
Paynut
Member Extraordinaire
I get your point, only started this as a matter of interest, no malice intended so hope we are good
Totally good.I get your point, only started this as a matter of interest, no malice intended so hope we are good
Just pointing out, that really, as pest controllers, we're minorities in our own sport
I have hunted in the past but don't hunt now. Not against it but finding a shoot (I refuse to use the stupid, placatory phrase 'permission') is very difficult these days & I don't drive so would need to be local.
One fact I use when discussing the morality of hunting is the fact that most pest species were introduced by man. We introduced them so it's up to us to control them & manage the immense damage they do to native species.
Non-exhaustive list of introduced species that can be controlled by shooting, which is the preferred method of most on here I would think:
Rabbit
Black Rat
Brown Rat
House mouse
Mink
Grey Squirrel
Various deer species
Various Pheasant species
Canada goose
Man is responsible for the 'pest' status of these species & for the damage they do, so it's up to man to manage them. Most people just don't understand the history of what they call innocent animals like rabbits & squirrel & the harm they can do not only to native species but to the pest species themselves. Just look at mixxie in Rabbits.
We have a duty to humanely control introduced species, it is cruel to ignore that responsibility.
One fact I use when discussing the morality of hunting is the fact that most pest species were introduced by man. We introduced them so it's up to us to control them & manage the immense damage they do to native species.
Non-exhaustive list of introduced species that can be controlled by shooting, which is the preferred method of most on here I would think:
Rabbit
Black Rat
Brown Rat
House mouse
Mink
Grey Squirrel
Various deer species
Various Pheasant species
Canada goose
Man is responsible for the 'pest' status of these species & for the damage they do, so it's up to man to manage them. Most people just don't understand the history of what they call innocent animals like rabbits & squirrel & the harm they can do not only to native species but to the pest species themselves. Just look at mixxie in Rabbits.
We have a duty to humanely control introduced species, it is cruel to ignore that responsibility.
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Paynut
Member Extraordinaire
DaveP796
Member Extraordinaire
I wonder, from time to time, how much "the system" is to blame for that?
I understand that land owners need to know who is roaming their land with a gun, and to be able to repose some trust in their common sense, as well as their technical skills.
I understand that people doing the shooting might have concerns about others being permitted to shoot over the same land, both from a safety point of view and from a returns point of view if they have invested in hides and feeders.
But the result of this state of affairs appears to be that it isn't even worth trying to get a permission if you aren't able to commit to regular and frequent shoots, which is the reason I've never tried.
Wouldn't a consortium type of arrangement have advantages all round?
DaveP796
Member Extraordinaire
Another way to put it is that having disrupted the natural ecosystem by removing apex predators and inventing agriculture and lately monocultures, humans now find that the tattered remains need continuing intervention to keep things lurching along...
Trampilot
Member Extraordinaire
When I was living in suburbia an escape out with the rifle to shoot pests was a welcome joy. I am not ashamed to say I enjoyed putting the skills learnt on the range to the test. Not to mention the fieldcraft. In some ways it was a sport.
We also used slug pellets and sprayed the plants and crops at the allotment.
However since moving out to the sticks we have changed somewhat. Our philosophy is to live and let live unless there is an actual problem. This is apart from squirrels and magpies which have zero tolerance. They turn up. I turn out. Also applies to blackfly and slugs.
For instance, we have a colony of very healthy rabbits here that have lived here before the house was built. It is as much their land as ours. We've fenced off the veg so that is safe. They do some damage to the other plants but its no worse than the weather smashing it down. They bring a bit of extra life to the plot.
Then last year I counted more than 8 rabbits. This was too many so I killed a few. They got the message and we are down to three.
IF they got into the veg then the cull would happen again.
As far as veg pests go we don't use chemicals outside of fairy liquid and cheap lager for the slugs. We net what needs netting and know we will lose some to "the locals". As we have a healthy hedgehog population then slug pellets are also not used anymore. We are about as organic as we can be. We don't even use weedkiller on the driveway.
I don't see Pest control as a sport. I take pride in trying to do it well, humanely. I enjoy the challenge but there is always a pang of sadness for me when I know I've killed something (apart from squirrels and magpies) . For some this would be too much but it has be accepted. You either deal with the problem or accept the consequences.
We also used slug pellets and sprayed the plants and crops at the allotment.
However since moving out to the sticks we have changed somewhat. Our philosophy is to live and let live unless there is an actual problem. This is apart from squirrels and magpies which have zero tolerance. They turn up. I turn out. Also applies to blackfly and slugs.
For instance, we have a colony of very healthy rabbits here that have lived here before the house was built. It is as much their land as ours. We've fenced off the veg so that is safe. They do some damage to the other plants but its no worse than the weather smashing it down. They bring a bit of extra life to the plot.
Then last year I counted more than 8 rabbits. This was too many so I killed a few. They got the message and we are down to three.
IF they got into the veg then the cull would happen again.
As far as veg pests go we don't use chemicals outside of fairy liquid and cheap lager for the slugs. We net what needs netting and know we will lose some to "the locals". As we have a healthy hedgehog population then slug pellets are also not used anymore. We are about as organic as we can be. We don't even use weedkiller on the driveway.
I don't see Pest control as a sport. I take pride in trying to do it well, humanely. I enjoy the challenge but there is always a pang of sadness for me when I know I've killed something (apart from squirrels and magpies) . For some this would be too much but it has be accepted. You either deal with the problem or accept the consequences.
Paynut
Member Extraordinaire
Maybe so, there are consortiums out there, but as you say, permissions are hard to come by, it’s all about levels of trust with landowners, only need one fly in the ointment to spoil it for others. I have one permission, worked hard for it, I do once a week work dependent, owner is happy, I can turn up whenever I like as long as I let him know, it’s a working industrial plant, so have to get timings right from a safety aspect, so works out well for weekends where there is little or no activity.
I accept that there is a need for pest control and an air rifle is sometimes the best tool for the job (I use a rifle for controling rats as traps and poisons are not practical in my case). I am grateful for those people who go about their buisness in a competent and professional manner. I personally don't want to be looking at bragging photos from those who seam to take great delight in shooting anything that moves (often not in line with the general license with more vigour than competency) and then boast about taking a rabbit at 80 yards with their tactical Milbro.
There are people in our modern society that do find the idea of any form of rifle offensive and killing of a living creature totally abhorrant. You will not change these peoples minds and they will always be the louder voice. Better to keep them in the dark and make sure they are happy in their own little world.
There are people in our modern society that do find the idea of any form of rifle offensive and killing of a living creature totally abhorrant. You will not change these peoples minds and they will always be the louder voice. Better to keep them in the dark and make sure they are happy in their own little world.
Exactly. Man introduced dogs & cats. We take the responsibility to look after these introduced species (most normal people) in life & death. It is no different with legitimate needed pest control.
Most indigenous pest species have indigenous predator control, there is a balance. Introduced species usually disrupt that balance.
introduced species usually don't have sufficient predator control, which results in situations like the mouse plagues in Australia.
We have a duty to control the problem we caused. Most antis would say we introduced the species, so let them live, it's not their fault, which is a weak & ultimately cruel argument because leaving an introduced species inevitably impact indigenous species. So it's death, struggle & disease for many indigenous species to allow an introduced alien species to live, usually to the alien species inevitable detriment too.
1260engineer
Member Extraordinaire
Very nice Sir . a wise hunter aways looks after wildlife too .
shows we are not all just monsters with guns .
Berber
Member Extraordinaire
It is a few years ago now that I had to start attending to squirrel damage in the garden and on the house. Being relatively innocent on such matters, I bought a trap, caught No 1, took it across to the nearby heath and released it. THEN found out it is illegal to release a caught grey squirrel. Whoops. I sought out my father in law’s old B2 and taped an LED torch onto the barrel so I could see their eyes in the gloom.
A friend was doing something similar but dropping the cage into a water butt, until The Sun informed him that he would likely get a massive fine if caught, based on an actual court case. It takes them a few seconds to drown, so is therefore cruel as argued by the RSPCA.
These days, I could manage a single shot at distance without the trap, but the trap increases the chances of coming into contact with the little so and sos in a shootable position in the garden, so I shoot them at 10 yards whilst they are still curious about the torch light. At least they get a hearty last meal of the finest peanut butter.
At the time, the official legally approved dispatch method guidance seems to have been, “Stick them in a sack and batter them to death with a spade.” Good luck with that one.
Presumably, it is the same issue with rats? Caught the first one a few weeks ago and am trying to convince myself that as they tend not to climb trees, I can justify some NV gear.