I've been here before

My cyber buddy, Derek Faulkner, posted a comment on yesterday's offering with the general vibe being that "anti -hunting/shooting" folk are unaware of (although I think it is more a case of unwilling to accept?) the positive aspects that cultivated game habitat provides our other native wildlife. Very likely true, but not restricted to that single group within modern society.
There are millions of individuals, living in the UK, who have never been fox hunting, pheasant shooting or fishing, never wanted or needed to, yet have an opinion which is extremely negative, on all of these activities, purely because the influence our media providers are able to assert. Never been out on a cold winter morning and seen a "long dog" coursing a hare - but have a firm opinion that it's barbaric and cruel! A David Attenborough T/V program, viewed in the comfort of a warm living room, showing a Cheetah hunting a Thompson's Gazelle - bloody spectacular, nature in the raw!  I sometimes wonder how many of these same people are cat owners? -  "Oh, but it's part of nature!" So is, therefore, a Greyhound chasing hares! Domestic cats kill more native wildlife than cars!!!!! None of this stuff is natural - they're all man-made situations!

It all comes down to perception and personal opinion. I don't shoot, it's not something I wish to do as a hobby, although I would have no qualms about killing in order to feed my family. Luckily, Dewhurst's, and associated butchers, do this on my behalf and I'm able to remain comfortably ignorant of that part of the food chain process. I have, however, no gripe with those who do shoot for sport (?) - it's their conscience, they've got to live with it. Being a totally selfish, and conniving, soul I do try not to make enemies of  other groups who utilise the same countryside that I do. I attempt, for the most part, to live and let live. I try to engage with the majority of those who make an effort to converse and will go that extra mile to ensure that those landowners, whose ground I'm on, are fully aware of my gratitude for being allowed this privilege. So what if I'm a creep? I get to go places that the vast majority of birders and anglers will never be allowed - who's the loser now?

This type of notice is becoming increasingly familiar around our countryside.
Happily, it doesn't apply to me because I find no problem with the guys who are in control.
Instead of griping about how "unfair" it all is and finger pointing - accept the situation and get on
with living your own life - not trying to tell others how to live theirs!

When both my children were growing up I took them on a small syndicated Pheasant shoot, out in the Hertfordshire countryside, near Wheathamstead, purely to allow them to decide for themselves about the cruelty involved in "blood sports". I would like to think that they derived as much wisdom from that experience as any they were taught in school. They now both have opinions based upon knowledge, not hearsay and/or paper talk. They are able to see a bigger picture, understand the wider issues involved with country pursuits, without needing the "smoke and mirrors" of some political spin doctor to steer their thoughts.

If you're going to eat meat, hasn't this pheasant had a better life than the chicken that
provides the meat for a KFC?

The birding community are subjected to, and misled by, huge amounts of negative stuff posted by various "conservation" sources. Obviously, some of the stuff is very worrying and of concern to us all, some of the trivia that get dolled out is mind-numbing and belittles much of the good work done by this group of like-minded people. Anglers are no better - the "anti Otter" stuff is, quite simply, bollocks! Otters belong in all our river systems, they are native, indigenous, mammals who have suffered from decades of persecution and pollution. That they are now making a, man assisted, recovery is to be welcomed. Not by barbel anglers it ain't! These fish, as much as I enjoy catching them, are only native to five river systems in the UK, yet present in 82! We, as anglers, are now in much the same situation as the Pheasant shooters are with Common Buzzards. Alien v's Predator - a great title for a film? The crazy thing about both these scenarios is that our natural species are being viewed as the villains!

Me with "The Long Fish" - my PB barbel from The Kentish Stour.
They are not native to the river - I'd get a whole lot more pleasure seeing an Otter in Kent.

Happily, I can sit on the outside, looking in, because I play no active role in either of these pastimes, I just go out and please myself. I am an individual who has made choices which have gotten me to where I am now. An individual, to me a hugely important part of my being - I'm not easily bought or mislead. I see many situations where media hype and political spin have distorted facts to the point that any semblance of reality has been lost. Next time you see an E-petition, have a think about what, and why, you are supporting. Does the loss of a duck pond in Birmingham really impact on your own life - with all this modern technology, how many times can we cry "wolf" before the political goal posts are moved?