dammit how did I manage that? pressed something too soon - - - --
anyway, these poor pheasants etc (not native to Scotland I believe) slowly lumber into the air to be blasted at by eejits that think they are great for killing or maiming them -- - why can't they prove their skill with clay pigeons?
(* the birds that escape the kill make their way along the hillside towards where I live, come right up to me for food when I am calling my hens around. The 'game' birds associate mankind with nurture- - to me there is something obscene about killing a creature that sees you as a surrogate parent!)
There is an argument that 'deer need to be culled to keep the herd healthy, there are no natural predators in Scotland'
Well - IF that is the case, then the only people doing the culling should be qualified / licensed professionals. Not egotistical assholes. Personally I think that nature will take its course and herd sizes will settle according to the food /forage available.
The estate personnel tell us that Mountain Hares must be culled as they carry ticks that affect grouse and pheasants (as if nothing else carries ticks!!)- so now there are hardly any Mountain Hares left! (Eagles eat Mountain hares- their food source is being decimated. And strangely enough, a lot of eagles mysteriously vanish off the face of the earth close to certain estates..... apparently they take lambs-- probably because there are no hares left?
There are people far better qualified than I am who can give facts and figures- - but think on this: How did these estates come about? the land was where the people lived and worked to feed their families, make a living. But then 'aristocracy' (who made them aristocracy?) appeared and took the land, or were awarded it by 'kings' (who made them kings?)and the people no longer had anywhere to live, grow crops to feed themselves, keep a roof over their heads.
In some countries the land belongs to all the people of that country, not a few rich ones - or worse, outsiders who are not actually residents or tax payers.
Time for CHANGES!!!!