Hunting

[wagon ropes]

On Sunday we had to chase a hunter off our land. He was inside the red signs and, unfortunately, we did not spot him 'til after he had shot a rabbit.
Today the OH watched a hawk take a small bird out of a bush and take it to his mate for her to eat.
I think this really explains what hunting is about. The only reason to hunt wild animals is if you need to eat.
The man in question was just a mindless idiot, after all if he wants to shoot what is wrong with clay pigeons? In fact anyone who hunts for pleasure is beneath contempt in my book.

[princess peach]

were you not a little wary incase he shot you!
you were very brave.

[julian]

hunters are cowards, you don´t need to be scared of them

[gavilan]

what would he be doing with a rabbit other than eating it?

[julian]

maybe just getting the thrill of watching it die !!!

[princess peach]

hunters are cowards, you don´t need to be scared of them

well yes,there wouldnt be any need to be frightened if it was old style hunters with spears,however i presume this one wouldve had a gun,unless he had extremely fast legs and was able to chase the rabbit himself.
Maybe the hunter is suffering with money problems too,and maybe the rabbit was to feed his starving family,who knows.

[ashtondav]

What's wrong with hunting and eating rabbit? As far as i can see only that he was doing it without permission on your land - but so was the hawk

[campo babe]

I agree that hunting is OK if you are going to eat the rabbit, and I believe that is what they do around here.

However, I object to being surrounded by men with guns and dogs every Sunday. They walk across our land carrying their guns over their shoulders and this is dangerous. They are not supposed to fire them within a certain distance of the house, but this is not always adhered to.

Our poor cats are prisoners inside the house on Sundays.

Last year we were fostering an abandoned dog and she used to bark when the men and dogs were around, they soon disappeared. I am trying to get hold of a cd of dogs barking and perhaps this will do the trick.

[brucexpat]

So,one must automatically presume that all the members on here that are so against hunting also practice strict vegetarianism?
The animals that are hunted and killed by a bullet or a bow are killed in their own environment and killed humanely.I am an avid hunter but as i have stated many times before,i only ever kill what is going to be eaten and what i dont eat goes in my freezers.The podencos get the rest that is in-edible,Nothing is wasted.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?sou ... &ct=title#

preview the clip above then tell me that you still think hunting is cruel ?
When you buy your lamb chops from Mercadona do you think they have come from a field full of green grass with little yellow buttercups in.I think not!
Hypocrites.

[julian]

I think you´ll find that you are the only one here using the word cruel, no one else mentioned it.
what has been mentioned however is hunters being cowardly , mindless idiots.

[Devils Advocate]

Julian, to be fair, and I have no love of hunting BTW I think people do get confused between proper hunters and back door poachers etc.
We live in a rural setting here in the UK and the crack of shotguns is far more frequent than in the Campo in Spain, especially on Sundays.
I obviously know a few of these "hunters" and you'd actually be amazed at their attitude. They have total respect for their quarry and vilify people who may just take a gun out for a "pot shot" every so often............they are more against animal suffering than you'd think and don't welcome people into the fold unless they know what they're doing.

At the end of the day butchers shops,abatoirs and meat farms are only in existance to stop the masses from hunting and provide an easy and clean route to fresh meat....evolution
The annoying and concerning thing about this thread is the initial posters statement about people with guns on her land acting without care, Now that is out of order and people like that should be battered as far as I'm concerned, that does NOT happen in the UK. Problem is the Spanish are inherently cruel to animals anyway so the normal civilised etiquette flies out of the window I'd imagine.

DA

PS never been hunting in my life, don't agree with bull fights, **** fights and tying dogs to oil drums

[country boy]

I have no argument with the concept of someone taking a gun (or bow and arrow/spear ) to go out and bag a rabbit or pidgeon for supper etc. I have no problem with culling foxes and badgers: What really gets me going are the mindless idiots round here who ignore the No Hunting signs, shoot at anything that moves, usually three or four shots in succession because they are such useless shots, and take things like owls and birds of prey as fair game. They have even shot the Red No-hunting sign near us!
They are just out on a jolly and like "Ropes" said are beneath contempt.

[katy]

I know some people around here who shot a Boar but only in the hind. It was not dead so they systematically clubbed it until it was

I have a son-in-law who shoots birds, grouse etc (my Daughter is a vegetarian!) I abhor all forms of killing. Otherwise he is a great and caring person. Naturally it never comes up in conversation.

[julian]

the hunters that shoot within a few metres of my front gate turn up with a four wheel drive, trailer full of dogs , guns, bullets etc.....all those costs and these people are shooting just because they need to eat???!!!!
I think that buying a rabbit in the local butcher would work out to be slightly more economical.

[Laslomas]

It must be awful to have to put up with people traipsing all about your land with guns and dogs. It certainly sounds like sport rather than from neccessity. If they are rotten shots too, then they may leave injured animals about the place to die in agony. If you have signs around the perimeter that say 'privado' do they take any notice of them and keep outside the area? It would be interesting to know what the law is on this matter, and what is enforceable.

[wagon ropes]

There are laws regarding hunting and to be fair they are largely adhered to in this area.
Basicly the large areas designated for hunting are divided into smaller areas each of which is marked by green and white signs and given a number. These numbers are allocated to designated hunters by the gun clubs and only so many hunters are allowed on each area. If you do not want the hunters on your land you go to the Town Hall to say so and then your land is surrounded by red signs. The hunters are given maps showing the 'no go' areas. Also it is not permitted to fire within 200mtrs of any dwelling.
As I say, in this area the rules are obeyed by and large and the Policia Local and the Guardia Civil do show their faces around at weekends. I believe that in other areas this is not the case so once again it just depends where you live.

[hillybilly]

Also it is not permitted to fire within 200mtrs of any dwelling.

The permitted distance does vary, depending on which category your house falls into
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=16951&p=

[country boy]

My English Neighbour who is a member of a Pizarra Gun Club tells me it is 500 metres, which is quite a long way: Round us, still in Pizarra District,some come a lot closer than that. We are surrounded by red signs

[katy]

Yesterday a Man who was out picking mushrooms was shot by a Hunter and is in a serious condition. Happened around Algatocín. Another Man was also shot and killed last month by a Hunter in another part of Spain.

[campo babe]

It's not surprising that people get shot when out hunting, when you see them wearing camouflage and in groups on opposing sides of a valley hunting towards the middle!