For the past couple of weeks the lanes around our area have been teaming with young Pheasants that have just been released for the shooting season. You can tell that they are young birds by their plumage. Some are found on the lanes have been run over, probably a better way to die that being shot. The others when approached by vehicles don’t know where to go, being more liable to be run over, as the quickest way of escape is to run in front of the vehicle, into the path of oncoming vehicles. In a few week time the Christmas corporate shooting parties will be starting. Very often with inexperienced guns, who will injure the Pheasant or other game birds, rather than an outright kill. In this area the public are not particularly safe. Most of the shoots are next to the lanes. Passing cars have been showered with shot, and on numerous occasions Horses and riders have been frightened by unexpected shooting, as they pass by shoots, just as the game birds are flushed out, into the waiting guns.
The recent report of the Hen Harriers being shot, shows that nothing is allowed to get in the way of these large shooting estates. The Scottish Grouse Moors are the worse, with regular reports of endangered species of Birds of Prey being killed to protect the game birds from taken by them. It cant be a large percentage that are taken by Birds of Prey, so why don’t the estates put a few more game birds down. Better still ban the sport. I have said it before, shooting is a far worse sport than hunting with dogs.
The Ewe Lamb that we put back with the Sheep last night, was laying flat out this morning and had obviously been bullied over night. I have taken her out again. I will not try to introduce her to the other Sheep as we can see that she may well be killed. I only put her back as she was waiting by the gate for most of the day. I will take her to Market with the others that we are sending either this or at the latest next Saturday.