The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

I see the Badger cull is to end 2022. Now you could argue that if we can vaccinate our population of 66 ish million then the 20 odd million cattle here should be a walk in the park and the stripy things can carry on regardless, acting as traffic calming devices and eating red listed ground nesting birds eggs and young or whatever they do.

Alternatively they could be popped on the general licence and possibly kept in check although the Fox population does seem to be growing at a reasonable rate despite the countries gamekeepers doing their best.

For the record I very much doubt I would shoot one even if they were on a GL.

Thoughts anyone?

I live in a London suburb, so won't be shooting the local wildlife. That said, on my 1-hour government allowed walk a few nights ago I counted five foxes and two badgers... it's too late they're completely urbanized.

Well, if you will build your houses on our roof!

How do you scare the badgers enough to queue up for a vaccine with no long term testing though

If something is a pest and is legal to shoot I have few issues, if its tasty and legal to shoot I have no qualms, if its a pest and tasty to eat and is legal to shoot it ain't leaving the field!

I’m sure they will be stood in line next to the gray squirrels waiting for their birth control.!!!

The badger has shown it can thrive with protection, but it still concerns me that certain "cultures" consider it to be a suitable species for pitting canines against. Putting the badger on the general licence wouldn't result in management, but almost an invitation to some.

Some sort of "half-way house" is needed. Not GL, but not fully protected.

I have not heard of a case of baiting in ages and the first link I found suggested:

In 2018, 675 reports of badger incidents were linked to crime and intelligence, compared to 598 in 2019.

So it is still happening. I do follow the results of Op Galileo however that is coursing/poaching. No reference to baiting.

Do the people carrying out acts of baiting even hold FACs or SGCs, or give a toss about the GL? I have been out lamping after dark with keepers and if we did spot a Badger lumbering across a pasture we ignored it. Especially so if we were rabbiting with dogs, we just found another place. BTW, a good night would be 4-5 rabbits with a dog, 10 fold this with a rifle.

I am certain they do not give a toss about anything, utter scum, taken out the back I say.

Sim G wrote:The badger has shown it can thrive with protection, but it still concerns me that certain "cultures" consider it to be a suitable species for pitting canines against. Putting the badger on the general licence wouldn't result in management, but almost an invitation to some.

Some sort of "half-way house" is needed. Not GL, but not fully protected.

putting badgers on the general licence will in no way remove their protection from baiting, it would allow numbers to be controlled locally according to the conditions, in the same way we control fox,deer and rabbit numbers , control being the operative word not eradication

If the Fox is anything to go on, Badger numbers would probably not go down significantly if they were controlled under GL.