Deer Stalking… reliable word of mouth recommendation from someone you know has undertaken such stalking being offered by a specific syndicate is best. Like other walks of life, stalking has its scammers. E.G., make sure there is deer, of the species sought, on the land being made available; that appropriate insurance is in place; that there is recourse for recompense if it all goes wrong. In addition, obtain and understand terms and conditions; consider the implications of allowing a syndicate leader to be a FAC mentor; make sure ‘coaches’ are suitably qualified; consider the quality of deer management, the construction & execution of a shooting plan and safety; determine if the land is over-shot.
dromia wrote:
Much as I enjoy wild life, alive in its natural habitat as well as on my plate, and abhor wanton cruelty, animals are not humans and when we remove natural predators we need to address the imbalance that causes.
As for human culling, globally we seem to be doing OK in some places so it isn't as one sided as bambi shaggers would have it, nature is hard, cold and cruel however much we would like it to be all doe eyed, warm, soft and cuddly.
All life dies, its just a matter of when and how. The trick is what we do with the time before it happens.
My thoughts as well.
“The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.”
dromia wrote:
Much as I enjoy wild life, alive in its natural habitat as well as on my plate, and abhor wanton cruelty, animals are not humans and when we remove natural predators we need to address the imbalance that causes.
As for human culling, globally we seem to be doing OK in some places so it isn't as one sided as bambi shaggers would have it, nature is hard, cold and cruel however much we would like it to be all doe eyed, warm, soft and cuddly.
All life dies, its just a matter of when and how. The trick is what we do with the time before it happens.
My thoughts as well.
Oh come on guys! - don't give me the 'nature's cruel' bull-crap!
We have the benefit of communication and technology - Assuming we don't get hit by a meteorite, we have full control of our own destiny for hundreds of thousands of years....but we're making a right cluster-f*** of it....and taking out a lot of nature with us...
...there's been 4 or 5 major extinction events since the birth of our planet, all caused by catastrophic events - but now we are actually starting to approach a point where our (caused by humans) extinction rate is nearing that of the previous catastrophic events - Even if you include the previous 4/5 extinctions, our current rate of extinction is 100 000 time that of the normal average.....that makes us somewhat more dangerous than nature.
MiLisCer wrote:On Saturday I had the pleasure (hmm>?!) of spending the day on a boat with someone who is involved in the study and is an advocate of the vaccination of ALL wild badgers, we had an interesting debate/discussion - but he argument just did not hold water (no pun!)
In order for vaccination to be effective, they need to be vaccinated every year. (within 2-3 weeks of the anniversary anyway) - now in order to do this, they will need to trap the badgers, they will then need to be permanently identified, along with some form of recording of when they were vaccinated - they then need to catch each and every badger yearly (within that 2-3 week window) and then vaccinate them again.
Despite my efforts to point out that the logistics of such a trapping exercises would be fruitless and nigh on impossible - he was still adamant that this was the way forward and that they would easily get enough "volunteers" to enable trapping to work.
Trapped by volunteers? - that really is a recipe for disaster, without the logistics of trying to trap every badger in the UK once a year!!
I just do not see how vaccinations could work.
Mike
In England it probably won't work - They're having a go at it in Wales, but it's not so densely populated (domestically or agriculturally), so worth a try - As I've said before the best vaccine for badgers would be oral (would also save some well-meaning volunteers getting bitten)....
...However, there has been a recent (only read it today) break thorough in the vaccination of cattle - some British scientists think they may have found a testing technique that won't be confused by the BCG vaccination (otherwise you can't tell if a cow has been vaccinated, or actually has TB) - it could take 2 years to test it and get it cleared by the EU...but if it works...it would take badgers out of the equation
dromia wrote: along with the buggers brazenly snuffling round my croft for the first time in my lifetime, something needs to be done to manage the population.
Are they causing you a problem (ok maybe a few holes )? I'd be happy if I had badgers on my land for the first time in my lifetime...
OK, nature might not be 'cruel', but she certainly doesn't play favourites.
If we do succeed in wiping ourselves out, I am sure that balance will be restored just like it has been after the major extinction events you mentioned. At least until the sun dies and expands to swallow the Earth.
A village abandoned after Chernobyl being reclaimed.
“The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.”
Exactly and we will continue to f*ck the planet and all our species to extinction as all life is finite.
This planet and its thin epidermis of life matters not one iota to the universe and when the planet dies we will return to the stuff of the cosmos, we are but an aberration of a instant in cosmic terms and are only of importance to our own pathetic selves.
Make the most of what we have as one day tomorrow will not come, the very cleverness, adaptabilty, profligation(?) and inventiveness of the human species will mean that we will/are/have out evolve the rest of the planet ultimately at our own expense, such is the price of "success".
We do not have full control of ourselves, there are deep and profound evolutionary drivers within us that our thin veneer of western post modern culture barely covers. We are the catastrophic event of our age.
More dangerous than nature? Are we not part of that nature that drives all living things to succeed. Nature is as much a victim of us as we are of it.
Just look at all the environmental/social issues that have reared there head over the years, global climate change, hunger, genocide, species extinction, over consumption of finite resources etc. etc etc and globally as a planet we have been unable to deal with any of it just leaving a bigger mess for each ensuing generation to inherit so what chance do a puckle flea ridden badgers have.
BTW this is in response to Dougans 9.16pm post.
Come on Bambi get some
Imperial Good Metric Bad
Analogue Good Digital Bad
so why would I care about being crass and ungallant about her?
Well I can't speak for you. But I would hate to be thought 'crass or ungallant.' clearly it doesn't trouble you.
Jenks
Jenks you have said 'ungallant' things about people you don't respect on the forum - and I don't respect the lady.
I didn't want to get into this, but I don't think she's as nice and intelligent as you do - she drank her way through a 2.5 million inheritance (over 12 years), and then declared herself bankrupt - And was prosecuted 5 years ago for attending 2 hare coursing events...do you really think that endears her to us 'tree-huggers'?
Sandgroper wrote:OK, nature might not be 'cruel', but she certainly doesn't play favourites.
If we do succeed in wiping ourselves out, I am sure that balance will be restored just like it has been after the major extinction events you mentioned. At least until the sun dies and expands to swallow the Earth.
A village abandoned after Chernobyl being reclaimed.
Cool photo - Nature is indeed doing well in Chernobyl - but really only for 2 reasons - 1. the land is too contaminated for development, so there's no humans there, and 2. trees don't worry about cancer as much as we do.
dromia wrote:Just a point of clarity there Dougan, as a self confessed tree hugger there mate are you going to come out of the closet too as a bambi shagger?
I ask purely for information to help deepen the discussion.
I am sure that everyone will understand and make room for your proclivity. :lol:
I'm the equivalent of speechless :lol: ....trying to think of a response I can actually put on the open forum....
)? I'd be happy if I had badgers on my land for the first time in my lifetime...
