Airguns

stephenp

New member
Hi All,
Our woods are getting vandalized by the airgun nuts ,had a shoot round our woods this Sunday morning, a lot of our direction signs and pegs look like Swiss cheese and I picked up a empty box of marksman pellets and co2 propellant bulb.

Hope its a one off and they don't come back.
Regards Stephen..

Ratpack Archers.
Binsted Nr Arundel
 

speed

New member
Ironman
Hi All,
Our woods are getting vandalized by the airgun nuts ,had a shoot round our woods this Sunday morning, a lot of our direction signs and pegs look like Swiss cheese and I picked up a empty box of marksman pellets and co2 propellant bulb.

Hope its a one off and they don't come back.
Regards Stephen..

Ratpack Archers.
Binsted Nr Arundel

Sorry to hear about the problem but if they do come back a few of you go to the police and report it and point out that this is actually discharging a firearm in a public place. ( even if your land is private access to your entrance is probably public and so a pellet could end up on public land ) if need be place a pellet or two there and get the police to come and see them.
 

Steve_W

New member
Sorry to hear about the problem but if they do come back a few of you go to the police and report it and point out that this is actually discharging a firearm in a public place. ( even if your land is private access to your entrance is probably public and so a pellet could end up on public land ) if need be place a pellet or two there and get the police to come and see them.

:shocked: Your not seriously suggesting planting evidence are you?
As an Air rifle shooter myself, I get as annoyed as everyone else when some idiot does something stupid, but report the facts to the police, not some fairy tale.
 

phil_r_58

Supporter
Supporter
Ironman
The problem is that so many places sell air weapons, but there is practically nowhere to shoot them. In the days when dad taught me to shoot with my old webley .177, at the age of 5 or 6, we could walk to the local tip by the side of the river Trent and shoot at cans, or bits of wood in the river, or rats in the evening. No one got into any trouble, and none was caused.

Father-in-law lets a few responsible people from the village take their air rifles down the fields. To be honest the bottom field, with lots of bushes, and old building foundations from when it was requisitioned by the RAF in 1940 is overrun with rabbits. They are running out of food and invading gardens in the village. Not to mention eating grass that is intended to be processed into beef. A lot of the old farmers have no problem with locals doing the same. But the newcomers buying up land, or the agribusiness farmers wont do that.

If somewhere was provided for the kids, or adults to shoot, there would be less trouble. Well apart from the small minority looking for sick fun. In my day we were to afraid of getting "had up" by the local bobby. Now some of the kids from certain families know that they are untouchable. Or that some bleeding heart do gooders will explain that they shot at passers by because they have deprived family backgrounds, and they are just a bit mixed up. Some well paid solicitor will earn a fortune off legal aid, getting the police told off for victimising them, and contravening their human rights, and suggest the taxpayer needs to send them somewhere warm to swim with dolphins to compensate them. :bang:

Yes, I do have a powerful and accurate compressed air weapon, and my kids all know how to shoot responsibly, they where taught from an early age. In fact, the oldest, when she was 8 or 9, loved going out with Pete next door and his son, with shotguns and ferrets in the local woods. I also have a wax jacket, and hunter wellies. But draw the line at a flat cap or Labrador.

And as for planting evidence. Way out of line. My younger brother used to do that. He was in with one of these extreme animal rights groups. They used to buy thick sea fishing line and big carp hooks, and huge floats. Then plant "angling" litter for publicity stunts. I caught him out one night. He had a carrier bag of line and hooks in his room, and was tying lengths of line up with hooks, and scrunching it into balls. Days later he had press photo's of a "clean up" they did in a public park, with bags of fishing stuff.
 

speed

New member
Ironman
Sorry to anyone who thinks I was saying plant evidence straight away but up were I live a taxi had 3 ( yes 3) actual bullets fired at it and the local police did absolutely nothing because the taxi driver could only identify the car as light blue and small.
When the police do not do thier job then further action has to be taken but the best solution is that the police actually do thier job properly.
Another example of how bad the police are is teenagers go drinking in one of our local parks ( and cause trouble, plus it is a no drinking zone anyway) and the inspectors attitude was about underage drinkers is that he at least knows were they are!
I am disgusted in the sorry excuse we have for a police force and especially in the light of incidents such as the tragic one involving Gary Newlove, the police should takle these issues more responsibly.

If the police did thier job properly they could probably succeed in stopping the majority of people using airrifles irresponsibly just by taking details and giving them a good talking to and warning about what would happen if caught again.

Lastley I have owned both webly pistols and wierach and Alros airrifles as well as a 1816 replica firing the brockock cartridge and would hate to see people stopped from enjoying the sport, but a few irresponsible idiots will do that if not stopped from shooting wereever they want to with little or no regard for others or thier property.
 

phil_r_58

Supporter
Supporter
Ironman
I understand exactly how you feel. A few years ago, I was returning home with a new(er) car, with the partner, and two kids in child seats, bombing through Gainsborough at 70 on the dual carriageway. A gang of kids threw stones at us. One threw a huge rock that bounced off the bonnet and skimmed the windscreen right in front of me. The kid in question stood out, as he had white hair, not blonde, white.

We reported pulled into the police station in town and reported the incident minutes later. They just said we know the kid, he is under age, we will have a word with his parents, but they will just tell us to F**K off, they always do.

Sorry to anyone who thinks I was saying plant evidence straight away but up were I live a taxi had 3 ( yes 3) actual bullets fired at it and the local police did absolutely nothing because the taxi driver could only identify the car as light blue and small.
When the police do not do thier job then further action has to be taken but the best solution is that the police actually do thier job properly.
Another example of how bad the police are is teenagers go drinking in one of our local parks ( and cause trouble, plus it is a no drinking zone anyway) and the inspectors attitude was about underage drinkers is that he at least knows were they are!
I am disgusted in the sorry excuse we have for a police force and especially in the light of incidents such as the tragic one involving Gary Newlove, the police should takle these issues more responsibly.

If the police did thier job properly they could probably succeed in stopping the majority of people using airrifles irresponsibly just by taking details and giving them a good talking to and warning about what would happen if caught again.

Lastley I have owned both webly pistols and wierach and Alros airrifles as well as a 1816 replica firing the brockock cartridge and would hate to see people stopped from enjoying the sport, but a few irresponsible idiots will do that if not stopped from shooting wereever they want to with little or no regard for others or thier property.
 

Watch_Man

Active member
If it is a real problem then you could consider one of the Infra red cameras used by bow hunters in the USA. These are not very expensive when compared to other security devices. They mount to a tree and are camouflaged, they use an Infra red flash so the person cannot see they are being photographed. A PIR sensor sets them off and most have memory cards that store 100's of images. There are models that will transmit a photo via a GSM phone card so you can check why a photo is being taken.

Again I am only suggesting this if it is a continuing and serious problem which the police cannot help with. If you knew they were in the woods via a GSM signal a quick call to the police to say armed men had been seen in a public area I bet you would get a fast response :)
 

Tobytoolbag

New member
Fonz Awardee
Slightly radical idea, but instead of trying to chase the airgunners away, why not share your woods with them responsibly, if you can identify 'em and have a quiet little chat.

After all, both archery and shooting require a 'range' and have similar safety protocols. If they're shooting at your pegs, why not set up some tin cans or proper 'knock-down' targets for them to have a pot-shot at...
 

FlourPower

New member
If it is a real problem then you could consider one of the Infra red cameras used by bow hunters in the USA. These are not very expensive when compared to other security devices. They mount to a tree and are camouflaged, they use an Infra red flash so the person cannot see they are being photographed. A PIR sensor sets them off and most have memory cards that store 100's of images. There are models that will transmit a photo via a GSM phone card so you can check why a photo is being taken.

Again I am only suggesting this if it is a continuing and serious problem which the police cannot help with. If you knew they were in the woods via a GSM signal a quick call to the police to say armed men had been seen in a public area I bet you would get a fast response :)
If you fancy this option then I can take a look at specs should you worry about buying too cheap. It's my line of work!
 

stephenp

New member
Thanks for all the reply's ,
We are doing target maintenance next weekend, so I will have a look to see if any more damage has been done before I do any thing.But I have got to say that there is a very good air rifle club 3 miles away at Ford that caters for clay pigeon, 22.rimfire, air rifles, and tactical pistol so they are not without clubs in the area.where as I have got a hours drive past our club grounds before I can shoot at another NFAS club.
Regards all Stephen.
 

englishwarbow

New member
Slightly radical idea, but instead of trying to chase the airgunners away, why not share your woods with them responsibly, if you can identify 'em and have a quiet little chat.

After all, both archery and shooting require a 'range' and have similar safety protocols. If they're shooting at your pegs, why not set up some tin cans or proper 'knock-down' targets for them to have a pot-shot at...
Beat me to it! If there going to do it anyway why not get them on board? Afterall the old bill would only give you a crime number and allowing them to offiicaily use it would bring in some dosh.
 

ChakaZulu

New member
Possibly, although I have the cynical feeling that the kind of person who goes into a wood where they aren't allowed to shoot and vandalises the field course when there's a perfectly good airgun club just down the road isn't going to pay us and then stick to the rules when there's nobody there to check on them...
 
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