The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Hi chaps and chapettes.

I appreciate that this wont be a black and white answer, but I've always wondered. How do you get into hunting?

I don't really have a huge urge to kill furry things, but it might be something I would *think* about trying.

So, how does that UK hunting system work. I doubt I can just whip out an SMLE and start blatting away at a bambi from the hip while running towards it screaming "FFOOOOODD!!"

For anything bigger than an air rifle and rabbits, you need a friendly farmer first of all, then (for rifle) a variation to add conditions for causing death to furry and feathered creatures. And then likely some expanding ammo, and then you can toddle off and kill things!

It's a skill...sneaking up on animals and having a clean safe kill at varying ranges...see safe shooting

Your hunting to eat, to cull and/or to terminate wild animals that kill your chickens/ ruin your crop yields etc.

Anyone who wants to kill for the sake of it...get help.

Mr_Logic wrote:For anything bigger than an air rifle and rabbits, you need a friendly farmer first of all, then (for rifle) a variation to add conditions for causing death to furry and feathered creatures. And then likely some expanding ammo, and then you can toddle off and kill things!

:cool2: ??...and using an air rifle to shoot rabbits is ok without the permission of the farmer??

Whether it is an air rifle, a .22 rim-fire or a 45-70 Gatling Gun - shoot on public land or ANY private land/other land over which you do not have express written permission is a serious criminal offence.
MOST firearms departments will insist on a copy of the landowners written permission THEN they will carry out a land check to see if the and is suitable for the type of firearm you wish to use for hunting there...

AND

PLEASE ONLY USE specific hunting bullets (if you reload)/hunting ammunition when shooting at animals you wish to give a swift humane death to.

Rabbits & other vermin in your own garden, etc. = as long as you know you can hit them in the head/chest = you are good to go

Anyone who wants to kill for the sake of it...get help.

I was planing on munching it afterwards. Hell, if I wanted to kill for the sake of it, there wouldn't be a single Chav on the Essex coast.

saddler wrote:

Mr_Logic wrote:PLEASE ONLY USE specific hunting bullets (if you reload)/hunting ammunition when shooting at animals you wish to give a swift humane death to.

....And also to avoid ricochets - If you're intending hunting deer there are specific courses you can go on that will explain the safety stuff: angles of fire, a good back-stop should you miss etc, etc.

Personally I reckon you should try 'running-rabbit' with your BP rifle :shock: ....but you might have to order take away for dinner :P

Before you get all huffy, why not query meaning first? You said it yourself - with an air rifle, you can whack rabbits, and pigeons, in your garden, and thus you don't need a farmer. It is that to which I was referring; had other things to worry about so did not give the long winded answer.

Regarding expanding, you can use 22lr eley std on rabbits to great effect, a-max on foxes, and hpbt 22 cal on vermin/fox also. Hence the word likely, because official expanding is not always needed. Apart from deer of course, where it's the law.

saddler wrote:

Mr_Logic wrote:For anything bigger than an air rifle and rabbits, you need a friendly farmer first of all, then (for rifle) a variation to add conditions for causing death to furry and feathered creatures. And then likely some expanding ammo, and then you can toddle off and kill things!

:cool2: ??...and using an air rifle to shoot rabbits is ok without the permission of the farmer??

Whether it is an air rifle, a .22 rim-fire or a 45-70 Gatling Gun - shoot on public land or ANY private land/other land over which you do not have express written permission is a serious criminal offence.
MOST firearms departments will insist on a copy of the landowners written permission THEN they will carry out a land check to see if the and is suitable for the type of firearm you wish to use for hunting there...

AND

PLEASE ONLY USE specific hunting bullets (if you reload)/hunting ammunition when shooting at animals you wish to give a swift humane death to.

Rabbits & other vermin in your own garden, etc. = as long as you know you can hit them in the head/chest = you are good to go

Dangerous to precise the law... what about distance to highway???

RTFM...and no need for huffs please.

http://www.full-bore.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=9

Shooting rabbits with a .22. Assuming you hold 'experienced' slot on your FAC; in other words you can shoot anywhere that you have permission for.

Talk to the farmer; if you don't know the area take a 1:25,000 map. Ideally take the bit with the farm on and laminate it. Understand what is his land and what isn't; draw it on the map. Know where the footpaths are and where people might be otherwise (unoffocial paths etc.). Walk the land without a gun; ideally with the farmer.

Don't shoot where there is a ricochet hazard (rocks and stone walls); don't shoot where you can't see a mile behind.

Just imagine in your minds eye shooting someone on a footpath; that will guide what you do!

W

Cheers for the info, guys.

As I say, I don't have a huge urge to kill fluffy nature things. I was just interested. I didn't even know how you started.

If I decide to take it up, I might try one of those courses. I'm going to assume that the rifles you're allowed to shoot with have to be "sporting" rifle. I can't use a 3-band musket or a No1 Lee-Enfield, then?