Sooo mad four pheasants killed!

artieanna

To my delight, nearly every day since October five pheasants came up the back field, under eight large sycamore trees and dug up slugs and worms from under the dead leaves. I really enjoyed looking at these beautiful creatures.

However a person not far from my home has been out shooting odd days over the past two weeks and now I only see one poor bird on his own.

Without a doubt they have been shot and I am soooooooo angry, its such a pity to see it happen and I could do nothing about it.....

The blasted shooting has my poor dog terrified too!

Carraigrock

Thats sad news.

However, they may have been part of a breed and release type scheme that many gun clubs across the country run in order to repopulate the pheasant numbers....so then they will have birds to shoot during the shooting season.

They hatch the chicks, then release them (I think in Spring)....then start shooting once 1st Nov hits.

I don't agree with bloodsports, however, they do provide some, small, benefits, (along with the obvious negatives like killing of innocent creatures) to the environment as a whole. They promote the growing of cover - the bushes, trees, woodlands etc that birds such as pheasants, woodcock, etc require, thus adding to the number of habitats and ecosystems for all the other creatures.

This fact isn't going to bring back your 4 pheasants, but hopefully the remaining one will make it thru ok to the end of this years shooting season.

marlin vs

I can see where you'r coming from, but if it's gunclub land, you can be sure the pheasant's will be replaced, however if there's no gun club in you'r area that could be a different matter.

artieanna

The thing is these phesants were on our own farmland and naturally they wandered into neighbours farmland. While shooting is not permitted on our land (I see to it that anyone who wanders onto our land with a gun is made aware that no shooting is allowed).

The neighbour in question shoots on his land which borders ours. There is a gun club in the area but there are non club members who shoot too. I am not aware of any breed and release scheme in our immediate area.

AAh its just a shame, such beautiful birds.....:(

John Griffin

Pheasants are not a native species, they were introduced to Ireland for shooting. Without gunclubs releasing pheasants they would quickly die out regardless of shooting. Pheasants are shot and eaten. Think of it this way, they are chickens that were reared for the table but they were allowed to live in freedom and given a fair chance at survival up until they were harvested. They had a much better life than the life a lot of farmed birds get and a they were a hell of a lot better to eat too. If more people ate pheasants instead of chicken we would have far better habitats for wildlife in this country.
Game meat is the healthiest and most environmentally friendly source of meat possible and the most natural and humane way of treating an animal for food.

Amalgam

Without gunclubs releasing pheasants they would quickly die out regardless of shooting.

I find that hard to believe, they do nest across a wide area, both country and urban. I'm not trying to troll you, just curious about that statement.

John Griffin

Amalgam wrote: »

I find that hard to believe, they do nest across a wide area, both country and urban. I'm not trying to troll you, just curious about that statement.

Pheasants are ground nesters, take a look at how similar ground nesters are surviving, for example the Corncrake and Grey Partridge. Between predators, road traffic and especially sillage and modern farming techniques they wouldn't last ten years before disapearing into small isolated populations. They are also poor parents and most hens fail to rear any off spring in a season. A shooting estate releases upto 20,000 birds in the year and local gun clubs can release upto 500 birds and only shoot the cocks. In Wicklow county between 60-80,000 pheasants are released each year. It would be very noticable if this stopped.

Amalgam

I wasn't aware, that's an impressive amount released.

The Hill Billy

John Griffin wrote: »

Pheasants are not a native species, they were introduced to Ireland for shooting. Without gunclubs releasing pheasants they would quickly die out regardless of shooting. Pheasants are shot and eaten. Think of it this way, they are chickens that were reared for the table but they were allowed to live in freedom and given a fair chance at survival up until they were harvested. They had a much better life than the life a lot of farmed birds get and a they were a hell of a lot better to eat too. If more people ate pheasants instead of chicken we would have far better habitats for wildlife in this country.
Game meat is the healthiest and most environmentally friendly source of meat possible and the most natural and humane way of treating an animal for food.

John - I agree entirely.

artieanna - I am sorry that this upsets you, but shooting is a fact of country life. Personally, I enjoy eating pheasant. Pigeon too. It is free & it is healthy.

artieanna

From what I hear alot of the birds shot are not eaten at all but dumped. The shooting is the sport but this does not necessairly mean they are eaten, I'm afraid.

I have no problem with someone shooting a bird if they cook it. I disagree with shooting birds for fun and then just throwing them away.

I am not trying to cause trouble here I just think that not all people who shoot care where the birds come from or what stunning creatures they are.

When we mow our meadows during summer we alway go through them with the dogs to run out any pheasants and their young and this works pretty well.
Last year I carried two young into a neighbouring field where the mother then joined them.

It would be much more fun I think if the pheasants could shoot back

fits

artieanna wrote: »

From what I hear alot of the birds shot are not eaten at all but dumped. The shooting is the sport but this does not necessairly mean they are eaten, I'm afraid.

They absolutely are eaten. Why would you dump tasty valuable pheasant?

Think about it, it doesnt make any sense...

If you visit the restaurants in Wicklow you will find most of them have pheasant on the menu at this time of year, just where do you think it comes from???

artieanna

I would love to live in your world.............
I have not yet seen pheasant on the menu in these parts....I am being completly honest..

fits

That does not mean, by any stretch of the imagination, that they are dumped. There are huge game estates in Wicklow, and therefore a plentiful supply. Not so much in the west.

I'd be more than interested if you found evidence of dumping. I think you'll find its a rumour spread by people with no understanding of hunting.

gerky

I know 25-30 people who shoot pheasant, of that I know only maybe ten or fifteen that eat what they kill, there is a large amount of game meat dumped or disposed of in one way or another in this country.
I also know people who shot pigeon in huge numbers and don't eat them, also several others birds and animal too.

Sorry but to say its only a rumour is to either not know the facts or to try to hide the facts.

The Hill Billy

I sincerely doubt that there is much, if any, dumping of pheasant. Anyone worth their salt who shoots would know plenty of people who would gladly take any pheasants off them.

As for pigeons - these are mainly shot as a means of reducing damage to crops. There isn't a huge demand for pigeons (people honestly don't know what they're missing!) hence these would likely be dumped unfortunately.

John Griffin

artieanna wrote: »

From what I hear alot of the birds shot are not eaten at all but dumped. The shooting is the sport but this does not necessairly mean they are eaten, I'm afraid.

Depends on who you are listening to i suppose. I don't know of anybody that goes out to shoot pheasants or any other game with the intention of dumping it. Yes they enjoy it and it is regarded as a sport, but whats wrong with that. I know people that don't eat pheasant, but they still shoot them. Any that i know give the birds to people that do want them. I'm sure some people will waste the odd bird through laziness but people waste chicken too.

I disagree with shooting birds for fun and then just throwing them away.

I don't have a problem with people enjoying themselves while hunting but I totally disagree with dumping pheasants when they can be used as food.

I am not trying to cause trouble here I just think that not all people who shoot care where the birds come from or what stunning creatures they are.

Maybe not all but 99% probably do care about the birds and appreciate them. To give hunting and hunters a negative spin for the perceived wrongs of a small minority is not fair.

When we mow our meadows during summer we alway go through them with the dogs to run out any pheasants and their young and this works pretty well.
Last year I carried two young into a neighbouring field where the mother then joined them.

Many hunters do this also and fair play to you for doing it. But you can't run the eggs out:D

It would be much more fun I think if the pheasants could shoot back

I don't think it is funny when people are shot or have guns pointed at them. This just shows your feelings and contempt for people who hunt. These people who actually bother to take responsibility for acquiring their own meat to supplement their diet and keep fit in the process, while the vast majority of our population fail to recognize meat as a product that was once a living animal and fail to care about or visualize what sort of life it led before arriving in Tesco's and the knock on effects to the environment.
I will make no apology for eating game meats, I butchered a deer calf this evening, which will be eaten. I shot it, i make no apology for that either. I rarely eat farmed meat. People are horrified at what i do, my own mother and sister wouldn't touch game meat, but they'll eat burgers, suasages and any meat that comes from a package with a sticker on it without question, even after i tell them that i worked as a butcher and in meat factories and have seen both sides of the fence. It's a crazy world.:rolleyes:

Go to youtube and watch "Kill it, cook it, eat it", made by the BBC. Watch the farming series and then watch the wild game series in particular the deer one.

Amalgam

Hill Billy wrote: »

As for pigoens - these are mainly shot as a means of reducing damage to crops. There isn't a huge demand for pigeons (people honestly don't know what they're missing!) hence these would likely be dumped unfortunately.

I'm surprised to see two members mention eating Pigeon, it's a lovely dark meat, very flavoursome. Cooked with wine and herbs or caramelised.. Yum. My family on the Mum's side are French. It was on the table a lot.

Funny, you get Irish people who would wrinkle their nose at the thought of eating Pigeon and other game meat, but will gladly gobble up the muck that passes for chicken in their local supermarket.

stevensi

I think the problem is with pigeon is that most people think of the dirty feral pigeons you get on the city streets and so that puts them off. I have to agree it's a lovely bit of meat when cooked properly.

Actually talking of pigeons and in this case wood pigeons i have never seen so many as i have this last couple of months. In fact on one day over christmas i counted over 100 flying over me. I presume they are migratory??

blinding

Just out of curiosity is their many people out there willing to gut and clean A bird of any type these days.

Amalgam

We have eight alone, in a small south Dublin garden, the size of small dogs. I will try and post a picture of one standing on a bucket (feeding area), for reference.. with that groove down the chest and bulging on either side. Myself and the mother were jokingly discussing the idea of getting someone in to dispatch them for food.

Surprisingly, They're quite aggressive and tetchy towards each other. Good food is being put out, they cleared two 500 gramme beakers in about 3 hours, I was hoping the smaller birds would have got a look in, they didn't.

I'm putting together feeders that only, tits, finches, robins etc. can get into.

The Hill Billy

blinding wrote: »

Just out of curiosity is their many people out there willing to gut and clean A bird of any type these days.

This probably isn't the thread for it (Food & Drink may be more appropriate if you are asking from a culinary perspective/Humanities if you are interested in the ethics of it), but I, for one, have no problem drawing a bird. Have done & will continue to do.

fits

I have done and will again too.

boneless

I am allowing this debate to go on with the usual caveat: if it becomes too far removed from the forum charter or becomes personalised it gets locked.

For the record, I eat game whenever possible. It was through being introduced to hunting that I developed a love of nature.

marlin vs

If I wasn't goint to clean and prepare it myself I wouldn't shoot it, so I do it myself.

blinding

Cheers to all that replied to my query about gutting and cleaning a bird.

I was just curious to know if there were many people out there still willing to do what is a not too pleasant task.
That was a good answer about being unwilling to shoot it if not willing to clean and prepare for the oven.

ODD-JOB

I'm curious to see how long this hunting thread goes in the nature and bird watching forum.

John Griffin

ODD-JOB wrote: »

I'm curious to see how long this hunting thread goes in the nature and bird watching forum.

Many of the people that appreciate/love nature and wildlife also hunt. Many others don't hunt. The OP obviously fell into the latter of the two. Regular contributors of this forum that do hunt tried to explain or justify the killing of pheasant that seemed to horrify the OP so much and put it into perspective.
Granted it has gone slightly of subject as some people have become curious and asked further questions.
Nature/ wildlife and hunting will always be closely linked to eachother and will always have the pro and anti element. Alot of the time the pro side feel misunderstood and the anti side feel they are dealing with barbarians. Conversation and discussion between the two can only be a positive thing provided it is civil and within the rules of the charter as our moderator has pointed out already.

I am allowing this debate to go on with the usual caveat: if it becomes too far removed from the forum charter or becomes personalised it gets locked.

For the record, I eat game whenever possible. It was through being introduced to hunting that I developed a love of nature.

Whispered

My Dad hunts, I'm vegetarian interesting conversation we have around the table at times. I don't fully agree with it, that is to say I personally have some moral problems with using animals for food either way. But if I had to choose to eat meat, it would be game only. I think what goes on in farming is so much worse.

My love and respect from nature comes from my dad, he is responsible about what he does and certainly doesn't dump the meat, in fact as a child in the 80's, a lot of our food was shop bought veggies and game meat as they could not afford much else. My dad still has game as often as anything else, depending on the time of year.

OP it's very upsetting to see it happen, but you can console yourself by knowing that those pheasants had a life as close to natural as you can get for "food" animals, they wouldn't have known what hit them and had a better life then the chicken many people are going to have with this evenings dinner.

Amalgam

It's nice to get an open minded and pragmatic post from a vegetarian.

marlin vs

John Griffin said it in a nutshell.I know it went slightly off topic but I think when someone askes a question it's only polite to answer as best you can.I get as much pleasure watching wildlife, as I do shooting, and I also try to respect other peoples views.

marlin vs

ODD-JOB, you've got it wrong, or else you have tunnell vision, I don't hunt for sport, I hunt to watch my dog's working, and anything that is killed is for the table and suppliment's the rest of my food, including the sliced pan. I reckon you'r only out with the wooden spoon as everyone else was polite up untill now. (selfish is not a nice thing to call anyone)