Nocivi

Caw, caw, caw! A black shape emerges out of the morning gloom, circling above the bird decoys you have set up a few metres away from your hiding place. Quick as a flash, you stand, shoulder your Maxus and fire a Winchester Special Corneille. It falls to the ground. You’re happy, and so is the farmer. Shooting crows and rooks is becoming more and more popular with hunters. We’re going to explain why.

In 2011, I bagged my very first deer in the UK and that was when I made up my mind that I wanted hunting to be a full-time hobby. And what better way to do that than with a T-Bolt! Going back to my hunting roots wasn’t easy and there were a few obstacles on the way. But with the help of a good friend and a few other people I got there in the end, and I finally received all my licenses and qualifications. I began to be less of a recreational hunter and more a semi-professional wildlife manager.

In my opinion, small game starts with rabbits and stops with foxes: I’m sure it doesn’t come as a surprise to most of you, that both of the above populations require careful management across the country. I can say with confidence that almost every single hunter would pull the trigger if he saw a fox in front of him, in the right situation.

Varmint is an American word and we Brits tend say vermin to cover the various pest species that prey on crops, forestry and livestock in the UK. The list of quarry is a long one; rats, mice, squirrels, rabbits, hares, mink, foxes and even Muntjac deer who are the only species that has no off seasons and can be shot all year round; male or female! There is also selective culling of badgers due to their potential to spread the disease Brucellosis in cattle. On the bird list we have pigeons (ferals and woody) doves, all the corvids – crows, rooks, jackdaws, jays and magpies etc.