Now This Is What We Need!!

The Sportsman

Foreword

Getting Shot Of Our Opponents by Sir Ian Botham

I hope that, like me, you have been enjoying the delights of shooting in the fading summer. Hundreds of thousands share the pleasure of walking through our stunning countryside with friends, honing our marksmanship and bring home supper- and often quite a few meals besides.

We have every right to revel in how the gamekeepers we work with make our moors and estates teem with such a variety of birds. We provide the premier breeding grounds for many of Britain's red list birds and, with grouse, the ultimate free-range food. Our environmental results and our ethical food stand any comparison. Yet we are all aware of the merchants of spite. These self-imagined friends of the birds who spend their lives stirring outrage on Twitter instead of lifting a finger in the real world. They claim to care about persecution but by their obsessive opposition to grouse shooting disclose their real agenda.

The eco-left want to obstruct those who appear to them to be rich - regardless of its impact on jobs and the environment. If they had a their way and grouse moors were closed, it would grievously damage hundreds of upland village economies and snuff out countless thousands of ground nesting birds as foxes ran wild.

Let's never forget that the estate owners are investing tens of millions into the environment instead of swanning around in superyachts.

The ultimate hypocrisy is that of the RSPB. While claiming to be the protector of hen harriers it is opposed to Defra's plans to reintroduce them in southerner England in partnership with the Hawk and Owl Trust. What worked spectacularly well for the red kite is suddenly the wrong approach for the RSPB. Or too likely to succeed.

This is the same RSPB which last year had seven hen harriers nesting on and it controls and this year only one nest. In both years these nests only saw on chick successfully fledge. The RSPB is fast to blame others but fails to explain its abysmal record on conservation.

Given the confected outrage of our opponents it is all to easy to dismiss them when we have a sensible government in charge.

But times change. Back in 1983 the Labour party was led by the less than formidable Michael Foot. The media described him as 'Worzel Gummidge' and his manifesto as 'the longest suicide note in history'.

That manifesto for the first time contained the pledge that 'fox hunting and all forms of hunting with dogs will be made illegal'. Labour lost the 1983 election spectacularly. But the pledge persisted and in 2005 the Hunting Act became law.

So what can you do to safeguard your investment and your sport for the long-term when Labour is no longer run by veteran left-wingers? The solution is changing the narrative now.

We need to work together to show how the end of shooting would ruin rural economies and ecologies.

This means funding research on abundance. We need to expose the failings of our community who treats raptors with contempt. We must uphold the law if we want to shape it.

We also have to be proactive in the media. (You might have noticed that I am not entirely shy in that regard.)

It is also time to get involved with the policy makers, not leaving any part of the dialogue to our opponents.

This is not rocket science, but it would be the height of folly to do nothing in the hope that someone else will do it. Better to get our eye in now before the birds have flown past.

If you want to play your part then drop me a line: beefy@youforgottenthebirds.com or visit youforgotthebirds.com

If you read through this it really is what we need to do, I feel back in NZ.
To have somone like Sir Ian Botham take up the flame for us. (No not Hore:sick:)

Anyway I just thought that this forward in the sportsman was really well writen and you guys on here might be interested in what he had to say.

@Sideshow
Mate - only just saw this.
A thoughtful perspective on game birds and, by association, hunting as well.
If NZ hunters/shooters (of all varieties), in all the shooting fraternities that exist, were to speak with a united voice, Gov't's might actually think that we're a sizeable chunk of voters and worth listening to,versus the free exposure given to groups (by the so called 'unbiased Press), that are 'anti' just about anything that doesn't fit into their 'ideal world'.
Most of these (anti's that is), wouldn't experience the continual, wonderful background to a hunter/fisherman/ outdoors persons activities in the NZ bush.
That hunters/fishers/outdoors person often just goes for a walk/sail/motor, with no intention of harvesting any animals/fish/birds, seems to escape our replies to these 'closet greenies'.
We - generally - tend, through our activities as hunter/gatherers, to have a far better idea of conservation, than a lot of proponents of 'cheaper, cost effective application of poisons (1080 springs to mind)' have.
We - as a UNITED group - need to send pictures, words to our Press, showing the after effects of a large area 'controlled' poison drop - eg dead Weka, Kiwi, Kea, etc., that have died due to ingesting carrion, insects or poison, after a 1080 (in particular) drop.
It's time we started 'pushing back' - together, rather than depending on one or two pressure groups ie COLFO, NZDA, etc.
And we need to talk to the PUBLIC, in addition to sharing this excellent information amongst ourselves.
Cheers mate - enjoyed reading your post.
Wally :thumbsup:

WallyR
Well put!
I'm a NZ by birth and English by accident :D (don't worry guys there is only one rugby team and there wearing Black)!
I'd like to see a united front. But by nature kiwis are a solitary lot.
I've posted here before on what impact we have to the vote and economy. Not just shooting but fishing.
Going by the research it's a lot.
So if we did mobiles we would make rather a lot of noise... but it needs to sound right and be correct.
Correct in sciences correct in law!
How we go about that is an entirely different matter.
We could take a leaf from the BASC here in England. They even have a media centre to try to counter any bad, misplaced interpretation in the press.
But before all of that we really need to stand back and think of how we come across to the general public every time we are seen publicly.
That is the hard part. It's really easy to tell Mr or Mrs tree hugger to go and have some traveling sex. But if your filmed (every one has a phone camera) it dose non of us any good... it just comes across as oh look another red neck at best and at worst, well let's not mention seals!
I just really liked the gist of what he was saying. Be it England our anywhere, I felt that his underlying point you on here would like.
Cheers
Sideshow :)