
Flying the roost
BASC member Richard Hall shares his journey from clay shooting to the rewarding experience of roost shooting.
Get information on the legal shooting season for mammals and birds in the UK.
Apply for funding for your project or make a donation today
Comprehensive information and advice from our specialist firearms team.
Everything you need to know about shotgun, rifle and airgun ammunition.
Find our up-to-date information, advice and links to government resources.
Everything you need to know on firearms law and licensing.
All the latest news and advice on general licences and how they affect you.
BASC has told Natural England the importance of woodpigeon control to the rural and farming community.
In a two-page document delivered today, BASC has highlighted the necessity of woodpigeon control ahead of the expected publication of the new general licence for controlling woodpigeon in England.
Natural England has said that the new licence is expected to go live before the end of the week.
Steve Bloomfield, BASC’s executive director of shooting and operations, said: “It’s important that Natural England realises the impact of woodpigeon on the rural and farming community and just how much damage they cause to crops and consequently people’s livelihoods.
“Woodpigeon have the ability to strip fields of crops and the knock-on effects are huge. The changes to the general licences have come at the worst possible time of the year for wildlife management, which is causing chaos and confusion across the country.”
There are over five million breeding pairs of woodpigeon across the UK and their population has increased by 134 percent between 1970 and 2011. BASC estimates that these bird pests cause £115 million damage to UK oilseed, brassica and pea crops annually.
For more information on the latest developments, visit BASC’s dedicated webpage here.
[Download not found]
BASC member Richard Hall shares his journey from clay shooting to the rewarding experience of roost shooting.
A proposal to consider excluding the use of general licences over some areas of land in Scotland has been challenged by the UK’s largest shooting organisation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC). BASC is concerned that this could penalise innocent land managers and affect their livelihoods.
Roost shooting can be an effective way of helping to control woodpigeon numbers, but one that requires fieldcraft and a degreed of patience.