A poacher who was convicted after police read a ‘WhatsApp’ chat has avoided jail. Earlier Shooting Times reported the conviction of Mark Bond of Maidstone in Kent. Bond was found guilty of illegally killing a fallow deer and of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog. The cruelty offence related to…
Poaching
Poacher caught out by incriminating WhatsApp messages
Thirty-eight year old Mark Bond, of Westwood Road, Maidstone, was found guilty of killing a fallow deer and causing unnecessary suffering to a dog after a trial at Maidstone Magistrates Court. Among the evidence offered at the trial were video and voice notes sent via WhatsApp. These included one where…
Why poaching has been part of rural life for centuries
Poaching has been part and parcel of rural life for centuries, usually carried out to procure food or as a means of making a slightly better living than other country people. The practice was particularly rife during the late Victorian and the Edwardian periods, when penalties were less harsh than…
Why you shouldn’t tackle rural crime by yourself
As sure as day follows night, hare coursing and the poaching of gamebirds and deer become more prevalent after harvest. The seasonal increase in poaching and rural crime generally isn’t for any noble reason or observation of a season of any sort, it is simply due to the fact that…
Police arrests in Devon for poaching and wildlife crime
Business and residential properties were searched to investigate alleged offences for poaching and the illegal supply of meat. Two men aged 37 and 42 were arrested for poaching offences and a further two men aged 19 and 57, and a 53 year old woman arrested in connection with firearms offences.…
Modern poachers are not the affable rogues of old
Thirty-odd years ago, poachers were still poaching game for their own pot, or flogging it at the backdoors of country pubs and hotels, where it would get converted into tasty game, or more accurately, poacher’s pies. There was still an element of “old country romanticism” involved. The culprits were roguish but…
From Shooting Times – Saturday 10 January 1931
“At Faversham County Petty Sessions, Walter James Fisher, of Maidstone was summoned for trespassing in pursuit of game, taking game without a licence and firing a gun within fifty feet of the centre of the road at Newnham, on October 15. Defendant pleaded guilty. Superintendent Hoare said that the wife…
Poaching is still biggest wildlife crime in Scotland
Government warns that crimes against pearl mussels and raptor persecution are just as serious as poaching
How to stop poachers
Liam Bell suggests ways you can stop poachers, such as putting equipment out of sight, locking gates, recording as much information as possible and reporting everything to the police
Baked trout with beetroot, fennel, and orange
Make the most of the closing days of the trout season with this deliciously colourful baked trout recipe. It’s a light, summery dish that combines the fresh fish with the crisp fennel, orange and beetroot flavours. And it’s good for you: trout is an oily fish packed full of the…
Gamekeepers and police join forces to fight poachers
Gamekeepers joined wildlife crime officers from around the country to pool their experience and expertise at the UK’s first national anti-poaching conference on 11 September at JCB’s world headquarters in Staffordshire. The event, which was organised by the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation and backed by the National Wildlife Crime Unit and…
Scottish government could extend charity’s crime-fighting remit
The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals could be given powers to enter land, examine objects and seize evidence without a warrant
Game shooting and legal liability: A shoot owner’s responsibilities
Shoot owners cannot ignore the law governing workers, guests, neighbours, buyers and even trespassers
How to make a complaint about a shoot
Our sport is possibly one of the most evocative of any pastime, and good memories from the season linger throughout the summer, sometimes enduring for years when a chance reminder brings the moment back to life again. On the whole, we are very positive about our sport, and the casual,…
Why poaching is inhumane
The many laws around deerstalking are designed to protect animal welfare, which is why poaching is not only illegal but often also cruel
Project Trespass set to tackle poaching
An initiative designed to provide a co-ordinated response to poaching has been launched
Anti-poaching posters launched
A poster initiative has been launched in Northern Ireland to support Operation Wild Deer
Three men found guilty of poaching in Staffordshire
Three men found guilty of poaching in Staffordshire: Three men have pleaded guilty to poaching rabbits and deer with dogs on Cannock Chase on 24 November last year.
