Irish Extra September 2023
By the time you read this, the duck season will be open. It’s a duck season a little different in Ireland this year what with a few changes in legislation that have caused some discontent within the shooting community. A ban on lead shot on wetlands is now in force, with a steel shot requirement on wetlands which have been outlined on a map for the whole country, there are areas it won’t affect and others who won’t be able to avoid it. The debate raged on for some time on the issue and there is a lot more to the argument than simply “lead” on wetlands. Many gun owners have firearms unsuitable for steel shot which will result in expense not to mention the hassle of upgrading a firearm. Expense aside, the time it can take now for a firearms license to be granted or renewed seems to be getting longer with many shooter applications far longer than they should. I have first-hand experience of this myself. I was never a person for changing guns and owned my last 12 bore for 17 years. However last year I decided to make a switch to a 20bore and what should have been a relatively straight forward process to 8 months and quite a few phone calls. Ireland doesn’t have a “one on, one off” system and to simply change a shotgun for example requires a whole new application, a system that should have been long updated. The steel shot issue only seems to have raised its head in the last week or so among the shooting community although it appears to have been complete since February of this year. For myself, I do occasionally stray into “wetlands” if you want to call them such, and the disappointment for me here is I will no longer be able to shoot my .410. I have always enjoyed shooting a .410 and find them with the correct ammunition and understanding of limits, a very capable gun. In fact, only two weeks ago I shot a fox behind my house in broad daylight, the same fox that took four of my chickens, all in daylight too.
My daughter had asked me to drill a small piece of wood for her as she was making something. I went out the back and was making my way to the garage when she spied the fox in the field behind the house. He didn’t see us and he slipped through the fence and into the field I have the chickens. I was unable to get either my 20bore or my rifle as I had both locked in the pick up ready for work later that afternoon. I was able to slip back in while my daughter kept an eye on him roaming near the chicken coop and I got the .410 and had one cartridge in a coat pocket! I tip toed up the side of the dog yard, looked back and a got a thumbs up he was still there and a one clean single shot done the job. The .410 for me is a fantastic and handy little gun but no longer available for wetlands as steel shot just does not work in the calibre.
The second and almost bizarre legislation to come into effect is the changes to the open season order. Back in July I covered this and explained that Minister Malcolm Noonan (Green Party) and in charge of the NPWS in Ireland, stated the following:
“While government-led efforts and initiatives to protect birds have intensified and are significant, so too is the challenge of reversing declines in threatened bird species, and other habitats and species. Despite more than 30 years of effort to protect and conserve biodiversity under the EU Birds and Habitats Directives, the latest assessments under these Directives show declining trends in the conservation status of some of our most threatened species. We must make every effort to protect our birds and, in line with our EU counterparts, it is appropriate that we consider the role of hunting activities in this context.
“Our aim is to continue to restore and preserve the conservation status of vulnerable bird species, and in the context of hunting and the Open Seasons Order, to support sustainable hunting practices. We must also develop better processes for data collection and periodic review of the Open Seasons Order. This must be collaborative, and based on scientific evidence.” In parallel, the National Parks and Wildlife Service is undertaking an analysis of available data in order to inform decisions on the retention or removal of species, or to the amendment of the open season for particular species. NPWS is also seeking to set out other short-, medium-, and long-term actions that will be required to meet Birds Directive obligations and to ensure the sustainability of the Open Seasons Order. As part of this public consultation, the NPWS will engage with stakeholder groups and members of the public to consider how best to manage the Open Seasons Order, and to gain a clearer picture on the impact of hunting on threatened bird species.
While it appeared on one hand that the consultation was taking into account the opinions of the various stakeholders, a document which turned up only a week ow two ago shows that a restriction on many quarry species and a reduction on the open season is already a done deal – With no regard for stakeholders. The document dated 13thh September 2022 entitled “Annex II Bird Species on Open Seasons Order – NPWS Management Board”, presents two options being considered.
Subsequently, 4 species have been removed namely – Goldeneye, Scaup, Pintail & Pochard. It would appear that only Irish data has been considered in the removal of these species and not the wider population status, with no consideration for international obligations. Three of the four area species of either least concern, or at increasing or stable levels with Pochard being “non problematic”. It really is a case of “the fox guarding the hen house” with a Green Party, animal rights activist in charge of rural legislation and making decisions that make absolutely no sense.
On a lighter note – My daughter and I had a rather pleasant trip to Germany earlier in the week to collect a puppy! I have for sometime wanted to acquire a Miniature wire haired Dachshund and spoke with lifelong miniature enthusiast, breeder, hunter & former DTK president Mr Dieter Honsalek. In February Dieter told me plans were afoot for a mating and 6 months later we returned home with “Niobe” Vom Gesselner Feld. “Niobe” has from the beginning, been socialised very well. Many breeders could take note of the way Dieter handled the puppies from their earliest days, introducing them to everything little by little. They played in ball ponds, water, pipes, tunnels and were introduced to people and noise from a very early age – This has stood “Niobe” well and she is as steady as a rock. Dieter sent us a video a few nights before we left for Germany of her digging a molehill while a combine harvester roared a few feet behind her cutting wheat. Many thanks to Dieter and Heike for a fantastic little bitch that I look forward to writing more about in the future. I am sure she will honour her Gesselner Feld name here in Ireland.
Until Next time….