Ah, I've traveled the Highlands, from Glasgow to Glencoe to Ft. William to Kyle of L to Skye to Inverness to Stirling to Balmoral to Dundee to Edinburgh (although not necessarily in that order -- we started in Glasgow and ended in Edinburgh. I've also traveled in East Anglia, and passsed military reservations.

I've also traveled fairly widely in Ireland.

I'm still amazed that there are places where riflery, shotgunning, and archery can be practiced.

As for proper range safety, the stricures on archery ranges in the UK are in place here as well. Ranges for firearms are even more closely controlled, at least the ones I frequent. Problems in the States arise from the fools who simply think that because they can't see anyone or any houses they can let fly with impunity.

But deer hunting in Illinois and Indiana, for instance, is limited (for the most part) to shotgun, muzzleloader, and archery because it is felt that the State is too flat and too populated for high powered rifle (.22s are allowed for rabbits and squirrels). Pennsylvania, on the other hand, while more populous, is also more mountainous and deer hunting is permitted there with rifles, as is Kentucky. Out here, with a population of (Census 2000) 1,293,953 on the 53,483,110 acres that make up the State of Idaho, the problem isn't as acute. But compare this to a 2001 population of 58,789,194 on 59,698,189.44 land acres in Great Britain!

See why I'm surprised??