laws on shotguns while moving between farms or fields etc??

[Tony-c]

Sorry for my ignorance but as a target shooter I know nothing about hunting.

Last couple of days theres been a heap of poaching down here. Stupid stuff like a large stag shot. Beheaded left in the road and its head dumped in road further on.

Few local dogooders are obviously making a lot of noise. There was a huge kickoff today that she has seen some of the local farmers and pheasant shooting type people moving around on the roads in trucks landrovers etc. Shotguns apparantly on view.

Is this just bad form or is it actually illegal?

[Charlie Muggins]

Neither , plenty of reason to have a gun readily available, little reason to hide it on a short trip from permission to permission. Like all dogooders I suspect she had little knowledge but did have a good old reckon.

[Ovenpaa]

The local farmers lads used to head out across the fields in a pick-up during the summer evenings and would sometimes pass us as we walked the dogs. We were on their land yet they always discreetly lowered their guns out of sight and gave us a cheery wave as they passed. They had no reason to and I suspect it was as much out of courtesy as anything. My view is if you are moving a reasonable distance from point to point in a vehicle a slip is the safest way to transport the gun especially on the public highway however this is down to preferences and accepted local practice. Also if the journey is up a fire break then you may have a different take on things to a drive up the local A road.

Personally I would rather not have my gun rattling around the bottom of a pick-up with a load of muddy boots around it so I would put it in the slip and then rest it between my knees then it is secure and the people around me can see they are safe however that is just my take on things.

Obviously there are going to be exceptions, for me the best practice has to be one that shows a degree of safety and does not give rise to poor PR. As far as the argument 'Well we were only driving 100 yards' Goes, well you can imagine the counter arguments.

[Countryman]

However during a shoot, moving from field to field across or up a public lane no offence is committed..