The Shooting Party

The Pheasant Shoot
Shooting is a popular pastime round here and, for some, part of country life. It's obviously a social occasion which seems to bring together people from all walks of life, as long as they own a 4WD. A mix of old farmers and those who've deliberately purchased all the gear for their occasional romp in the countryside. Their wellies probably never see mud at any other time.
As you can probably tell, I'm not particularly in favour of shooting. Don't get me wrong. Though once a vegan and keen hunt saboteur, I do now eat meat and am even prepared to send it off to slaughter or kill a chicken myself.
I would far rather that any animal lived a natural life in the wild before reaching its end to go on someone's dinner table. Better to occasionally eat this as a delicacy than to gorge on meat with no interest or concern as to how it got to your plate or how it lived.
However, I still have an uncomfortable feeling when I see or hear a shoot. Most of the victims don't lead a life in the wild. Million upon million are released every year - goodness knows what conditions they are raised in. Scaring them into the air and blasting them back out hardly seems to constitute a sport.

The one that nearly got away.
This afternoon I witnessed several 4x4's arrive, along with about a dozen flag-waving beaters and about a dozen shooters. They tramped along the dykes and through the fields, (I'm sure the farmer gets a good whack out of this, and is probably a popular man amongst those involved)  like an invasion party. All this in an area which is winter home to Buzzards, Peregrines and even Hen Harriers and Short-eared Owls occasionally. Also Lapwings and Golden Plovers. After they'd blasted a few pheasants to the ground, they all got in their 4x4's and headed off to invade the next area.
Unfortunatley, not one of them bothered to go and find the bird which was obviously injured in flight and crash-landed after a long glide of about 500 yards. They can not have helped but notice it. I have witnessed the same behaviour from a duck shooter before, as an injured mallard crashed into the river near where I was watching the swans. I was unable to reach it, but fortunately it came to a quick end, unable to hold it's neck above the water. I hope that pheasant didn't suffer for too long either. What a waste of a life.