squirrel shot for coming to the table. - Page 3

For some reason my post last night hasn't appeared. I remarked that my reference to the hunt was flippant, and that there is nowhere that foxes are meant to be.

Joe, I certainly didn't mean any old person should be shooting, hence my remark about people who can't shoot, using a rifle. People who can shoot will be employed, and I'm not talking about in built up areas, although the greys have strongholds in all major cities due to the amount of food available same as the foxes. Most likely will be poisoned or trapped. It really does need sorting out, I live in Birmingham and currently the fox and grey populations are out of control.

I'm all for things in their natural habitat, and helping to protect that. However WE have created an artifical habitat which they are exploiting.

Dovefromabove. do you think that the peasant farmers of the British Empire introduced foreign species of wild animals to Ireland and the British Mainland no it was Very rich landowners, in other words Landed-Gentry.

Derek

clogherhead wrote (see)

i blame it all on the landed gentry it was them who brought in the gray squirrel and the magpie for more game shooting out of season.

Hmmm .... Derek, please read what I wrote - I didn't say it wasn't the Landed Gentry - I said it wasn't 'for more game shooting out of season' which is what you said.  

Squirrels were not introduced to be shot as game, and magpies were not introduced - they are native!!!

yep your right the magpie is native , but was nearly made extinct in the 19 century in Ireland that's( what I get for listening to folklore)(anti British education)  the Gray squirrel was introduced into Ireland in 1911 at a wedding party in county Longford.

Sorry Derek

Thanks Derek, apology accepted 

Magpies are certainly more numerous than they were in the 50s and 60s when I was a growing up on a very rural farm, but then so are all the birds of prey too - you never saw a kestrel, sparrowhawk or buzzard back then - now it's a rare car journey that doesn't involve seeing several kestrels - we have sparrowhawks visit our garden, there are peregrine falcons nesting nereby on Norwich cathedral spire and I frequently see buzzards when out in the countryside - game shooting is just as big business as it ever was, if not more so, but the farmers and game keepers have (mostly) been educated to understand that birds of prey can co-exist with the game birds.