They're back !!

[sewer rat]

Pheasants - hundreds of them. Last year they decimated ny cauliflowers and sprouts - but this year I am ready with my secret weapon - picture attached.
Since his first rabbit, he's had 5 more and some mice and he has chased hares til he's collapsed exhausted.
Pheasants should be "easy meat"

[Johnny Appleseed]

When's the party?

I'll bring some wine if you supply the pheasant via your new secret weapon

BBC - Food - Recipes - Pheasant breasts braised in cider

[Two_Sheds]

Ah, he's too cute to catch the birdies

[carlseawolf]

you could always add a meat section to your veg boxes as an xmas special .

[HayleyB]

Philly one of my GSDs thinks she's a retriever/greyhound. She chased a hare 1/4 mile up to the farm, farmer friend in kitchen looking out over garden, hare runs onto lawn followed by dog, dog kills hare, leaves on lawn and comes home, very bemused farmer rings me up says "you lost a German Shepherd?".

Pheasants she catches but doesn't quite kill em, mum (me) walks in from drive Philly with pheasant proundly drops at mums feet, pheasant jumps up runs across orchard, Philly in hot pursuit catches pheasant brings back to mum drops at mums feet, pheasant jumps up runs across orchard and escapes this time.

Philly does look daft with tail feathers hanging out of her mouth.

[burnie]

You do know that it's now illegal for a dog to hunt and you could be prosecuted and fined,especially if the shoot that puts the birds down finds out!!

[HayleyB]

You do know that it's now illegal for a dog to hunt and you could be prosecuted and fined,especially if the shoot that puts the birds down finds out!!

Yep, considered handing myself in at the police station

Darned pheasants are so thick you'd think they'd stay away from our orchard, as for Philly's tendency for hare coursing when the mist come up she goes amazingly deaf, it's a right pain when one appears and she's off the lead.....

[Johnny Appleseed]

Please excuse my ignorance on this "hunting" issue but if my dog runs off and gives chase to something (usually squirrels or rabbits) would that be classed as hunting even if we are on a normal daily walk and my dog is not trained or encouraged to hunt?

Would there be a difference if she ran onto private land instead of public land where we normally walk?

She is a hound and once she sees something to chase - she becomes 100% stone deaf.

[burnie]

My ex hunting associates assure me that it's your responsibility to restrain your dog,but of course policing it is a difficult thing to do...........if you get caught you could consider yourself unfortunate I suppose.

[shirlthegirl43]

Please excuse my ignorance on this "hunting" issue but if my dog runs off and gives chase to something (usually squirrels or rabbits) would that be classed as hunting even if we are on a normal daily walk and my dog is not trained or encouraged to hunt?

Would there be a difference if she ran onto private land instead of public land where we normally walk?

She is a hound and once she sees something to chase - she becomes 100% stone deaf.

What sort of hound?

[sewer rat]

You do know that it's now illegal for a dog to hunt and you could be prosecuted and fined,especially if the shoot that puts the birds down finds out!!

Trust me, if the farmer in question (the one who puts the birds down, lays one finger (or lead pellet ) on my pup, he and not his pheasants would be dead meat. He has been informed that any birds found in my 5 acres are mine and therefore fair game. Trust me, he won't argue !!

[Johnny Appleseed]

What sort of hound?

She is actually a rescued Rhodesian Ridgeback cross (with what we have no idea) but she has a superb ridge and triple rosette crown. She has a light wheaten coat, white bib and socks - but is smaller than a pure bred Ridgeback.

She has long legs, a very deep chest and a very high line from her chest to her narrow waist - much like a greyhound profile - and she runs like the wind. Stamina wise she will run until she drops and loves to be chased by other dogs. She enjoys running with greyhounds, she can't catch them but she can outlast them in staying power. She treats dogs of all sizes as playmates and has rarely been told off by them when she goes into the play bow to invite them to play with her.

She rarely barks, except to warn of someone walking down the path but when she does bark, she makes the plates vibrate in the doorbell before anyone pushes the button on the doorframe. A result of her very deep chest no doubt.

Her nature is fantastic. A great family dog. Devoted to my wife as the source of all food and to me for tugs of war, find the treat games and endless ball throwing LOL

[HayleyB]

Believe me if someone has the audacity to try to nick me for hunting with my dog I will politely but forcibly explain that I am not breaking the law as I am not hunting it is my dog that is doing the hunting just like any self righteous fox would do.

It is the humans hunting/coursing using dogs or hounds to hunt that is illegal, not dogs on walkies dashing after flopsie.

[Johnny Appleseed]

I can't think of any other logical reasoning than yours Hayley. There is a huge difference between going out on a walk with your dog and setting out to hunt mammals.

The three Jack Russells "dispatched" some 40 rats in a farmers barn in the Martin Clunes "Man and his dog" programme. Is that hunting with dogs in the eyes of some or simple control of vermin?

Is the world going mad?

[HayleyB]

Yep Johnny and it was our present daft government that came up with the idea. They'll be stopping shoots next and then where'll we get our game from, oh I know they be stuck "humanely" into tiny little cages and then "humanely" have their heads copped off.