Swans attacked in crossbow horror at Throop Mill

[Richard Hamlyn]

An interesting choice of logo on page 30 for their "Bio-Diversity Supporting Strategy"...............it's our furry friend again................

 

[John Walker]

i said i wouldnt post on the subject of otters any more and i wont, one thing however, yes i have been fishing without a licence these past 2 years,
SEA FISHING! i got a tad fed up with coarse fishing and its politics and also what was and is going on in our sport, at no time have i inferred i fished rivers or lakes without a licence, if you read carefully what someone posts you will realise this, all i said was i haven,t bought an EA licence for 2 years! the couple of reasons were,
one is i have been very close to death these past 2 years the last (january)
the doctors informed my wife that my body functions had switched off and for 2 weeks i lived on nothing but oxygen and burnt up 3 1/2 stone of body weight, now fishing is still in my blood but prefer it done near our seaside lodge and in nice surroundings that suit the wifes taste ie warm sandy beaches, thanks for urging me to break the law but if i do then fishing running water or still waters without a permit wont be one , stop buying a licence and take up fishing where ones not needed is my idea of getting attention from governments ect if enough people do the same.

 

[Neil Smart]

i said i wouldnt post on the subject of otters any more and i wont, one thing however, yes i have been fishing without a licence these past 2 years,
SEA FISHING! i got a tad fed up with coarse fishing and its politics and also what was and is going on in our sport, at no time have i inferred i fished rivers or lakes without a licence, if you read carefully what someone posts you will realise this, all i said was i haven,t bought an EA licence for 2 years! the couple of reasons were,
one is i have been very close to death these past 2 years the last (january)
the doctors informed my wife that my body functions had switched off and for 2 weeks i lived on nothing but oxygen and burnt up 3 1/2 stone of body weight, now fishing is still in my blood but prefer it done near our seaside lodge and in nice surroundings that suit the wifes taste ie warm sandy beaches, thanks for urging me to break the law but if i do then fishing running water or still waters without a permit wont be one , stop buying a licence and take up fishing where ones not needed is my idea of getting attention from governments ect if enough people do the same.

You certainly led us up the path with the no license stance John, it seemed that you were taking a stance whilst actually fishing for coarse fish, after all this is BFW.

However to not fish the rivers, and fish the sea will not send any message at all really, it will merely serve to suit your own situation I think, unless the loss of your revenue will be the tipping point.

Sorry to hear you have been so ill, that sounded really serious, but it sounds like you are on the mend, and I wish you well wherever you fish.

 

[John Walker]

Neil, my revenue alone is exactly the same as one fisherman protesting,
just a lone raindrop in a river or in other words zilch, if all anglers did the same
as a protest would put MPs either on the carpet or out of work if the main source of revenue was with missing!, my health has nothing to do with it but thanks anyway, i am a tough old boot whats spent a lifetime in slaughterhouses and meat processing plants in all over the place and several countries and its not the 1st instance i have had death blowing in my face
i am rapidly gaining my strength back and the parts of my grey cells that perished have replenished themselves and the mind is again honing itself sharp. any serious threat to fishing needs addressing and situations need careful thought and history knowledge, yes certain animals have been hunted and populations massively reduced but to my knowledge the last animals in uk to be decimated completely were wolves and bears,
Moderation in numbers and careful planning in keeping predatory animal population in check is whats needed before any unrepairable damage is done,
Not After its happened.

 

[Joe Fletcher]

Neil, my revenue alone is exactly the same as one fisherman protesting,
just a lone raindrop in a river or in other words zilch, if all anglers did the same
as a protest would put mps either on the carpet or out of work if the main source of revenue was with missing!, my health has nothing to do with it but thanks anyway, i am a tough old boot whats spent a lifetime in slaughterhouses and meat processing plants in all over the place and several countries and its not the 1st instance i have had death blowing in my face
i am rapidly gaining my strength back and the parts of my grey cells that perished have replenished themselves and the mind is again honing itself sharp. any serious threat to fishing needs addressing and situations need careful thought and history knowledge, yes certain animals have been hunted and populations massively reduced but to my knowledge the last animals in uk to be decimated completely were wolves and bears,
Moderation in numbers and careful planning in keeping predatory animal population in check is whats needed before any unrepairable damage is done,
Not After its happened.

Its funny John you say moderation in numbers and carefull planning in keeping predatory animals in check ?
The biggest predatory animal on this planet is MAN The unrepairable damage has already been done to some parts of the planet and if it all kicks of in Korea , Then it will be curtains for us all .
With careful planning ,Perhaps we should start culling a few to keep them in check .

 

[Neil Smart]

Neil, my revenue alone is exactly the same as one fisherman protesting,
just a lone raindrop in a river or in other words zilch, if all anglers did the same
as a protest would put mps either on the carpet or out of work if the main source of revenue was with missing!, my health has nothing to do with it but thanks anyway, i am a tough old boot whats spent a lifetime in slaughterhouses and meat processing plants in all over the place and several countries and its not the 1st instance i have had death blowing in my face
i am rapidly gaining my strength back and the parts of my grey cells that perished have replenished themselves and the mind is again honing itself sharp. any serious threat to fishing needs addressing and situations need careful thought and history knowledge, yes certain animals have been hunted and populations massively reduced but to my knowledge the last animals in uk to be decimated completely were wolves and bears,
Moderation in numbers and careful planning in keeping predatory animal population in check is whats needed before any unrepairable damage is done,
Not After its happened.

Sounds like you had a stroke John, well if that is the case I guess you need to exercise the old grey matter, and you certainly are doing that.
I guess we have a parralel work history, to a certain extent, I have many jobs over the years and leaving home at 15 with little or no qualifications meant I had to blag a job from someone, and that was the old Min of Ag where had the title of checkweighman and graded pigs, when UK had a pig industry, it was Harris's in Calne and on a Monday morning alone there were some 1,500 pigs slaughtered, it was tongs and gas, quite humane I guess. Oh yes I can still remember mutalated ears stags rigs and boars although the money was poor, and so I joined the RAF Police as a dog handler.

It was there I was set upon by a Wolf, well it was under the guise of a 'bad' Alstation that was in the USAF and took chunks out of it's handlers and so was donated to the RAF , my Cpl dog section was a fantastic trainer and he straightened out 'King' the Timber Wolf, and particulary enjoyed the training element on letting King loose on us hapless Airman, it hurt like hell.

Sorry, drifted from the thread somewhat, it's an age thing

 

[Adrian Williams]

Did you know the dog handler at RAF Laarbruch in the 70s who shot himself in the foot while practising his fast draw on patrol in the woods?

 

[Howard Cooke]

Sounds like you had a stroke John, well if that is the case I guess you need to exercise the old grey matter, and you certainly are doing that.
I guess we have a parralel work history, to a certain extent, I have many jobs over the years and leaving home at 15 with little or no qualifications meant I had to blag a job from someone, and that was the old Min of Ag where had the title of checkweighman and graded pigs, when UK had a pig industry, it was Harris's in Calne and on a Monday morning alone there were some 1,500 pigs slaughtered, it was tongs and gas, quite humane I guess. Oh yes I can still remember mutalated ears stags rigs and boars although the money was poor, and so I joined the RAF Police as a dog handler.

It was there I was set upon by a Wolf, well it was under the guise of a 'bad' Alstation that was in the USAF and took chunks out of it's handlers and so was donated to the RAF , my Cpl dog section was a fantastic trainer and he straightened out 'King' the Timber Wolf, and particulary enjoyed the training element on letting King loose on us hapless Airman, it hurt like hell.

Sorry, drifted from the thread somewhat, it's an age thing

A little more drifting- I grew up in Calne when Harris's was in full flow. From our house you could hear the pigs arriving at the factory. Unpleasant. Tough old place to be when the factory closed though.

 

[Neil Smart]

A little more drifting- I grew up in Calne when Harris's was in full flow. From our house you could hear the pigs arriving at the factory. Unpleasant. Tough old place to be when the factory closed though.

Tore the heart out of Calne was the expression I think Howard, not so sure I would want to be doing that job these days. But the pigs were humanely despatched by being gassed first, and was less stressful for all concerned.

 

[Neil Smart]

Did you know the dog handler at RAF Laarbruch in the 70s who shot himself in the foot while practising his fast draw on patrol in the woods?

Really? No I didn't but then we wern't trusted with a pistol, although trained as a marksman in their use, but then again we had a dog that loved to bite, but probably I would rather take a bullet for my dogs, and they certainly would for you.

Incredible wonderful creatures, and the best trained dogs of all.

BTW King (The Wolf) went on to be a star in the Police Demo team with Cpl Fear the only one that could handle him

 

[Adrian Williams]

In RAFG they had them in a white webbing holster it could be they stopped issuing them routinely because of that muppet.

I also had my marksman badge qualified at Swinderby on the old 7.62

I loved watching the dog display teams at the airshows, I might go to Cosford this year and relive a few old times.

 

[Neil Smart]

In RAFG they had them in a white webbing holster it could be they stopped issuing them routinely because of that muppet.

I also had my marksman badge qualified at Swinderby on the old 7.62

I loved watching the dog display teams at the airshows, I might go to Cosford this year and relive a few old times.

If my memory serves me right I did my basic training at Hemswell the sister station was Swinderby which in my day was a WAAF unit and as you point out was the firing range? Got my x rifles on the old 303 and later the Browning Pistol, the Police side arm. That badge meant a lot to me, more than the fake Cpl stripes. I moved on to Debden in Essex for the Dog training/ Police, happiest days of my life, fantastic instructors.

Perhaps the most difficult thing I have ever done was the calling off the attack dog, they trained you and the dog to leave the attack even if the dog was in mid air with his /her mouth open, and to drop like a stone.
Incredible stuff, and so many lost voices after in the NAAFI

Enough of this I have to work

 

[Patrick Cooper]

Really? No I didn't but then we wern't trusted with a pistol, although trained as a marksman in their use, but then again we had a dog that loved to bite, but probably I would rather take a bullet for my dogs, and they certainly would for you.

Incredible wonderful creatures, and the best trained dogs of all.

BTW King (The Wolf) went on to be a star in the Police Demo team with Cpl Fear the only one that could handle him

I've seen the rafs weapon handling first hand. Shocking is the only word i can say about i

 

[Adrian Williams]

Should have seen me mate, safest place to be was in front of the target.

 

[John Walker]

Adrian, the lads in camps at uxbridge and ruislip still carry live rounds,
my lad used to give the usa unarmed combat sergeant some private tuition by request, they became soul mates by the time the seargent left