The moderators were quick to pull the comment down, but I doubt they managed to do it before at least one of the many gamekeepers in the group had read it. It had been posted on a thread discussing grouse shooting on one of the large rewilding groups on Facebook. The commenter asked “Why don’t we stop hunting grouse and just hunt gamekeepers and their Tory bosses instead?”
The cyber abuse of gamekeepers has reached shocking proportions. Join an online rewilding group or scrutinise the comments section of one of the big anti-shooting blogs and you will find endless abuse of gamekeepers and gamekeeping.
The abuse is not limited to anonymous internet trolls. Celebrities have thrown their weight behind it. Before a new BBC director-general pushed him towards moderation, one of shooting’s leading opponents told a protest in London: “We’ve had it with snares, lead shot, illegal persecution; we’ve had it with a lack of scientifically informed decisions and animals being ripped to pieces with dogs; we’ve had it with our dwindling wildlife being wasted by psychopaths.”
Of course, the polished and media-savvy faces of the anti-shooting movement know they can’t call for harassment and abuse. But it is their rhetoric that creates the environment in which more extreme voices feel safe to speak out.
On the ground this has turned into real action that affects people’s lives.
Endless
Esta historia es de la edición December 30, 2020 de Shooting Times & Country.
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Esta historia es de la edición December 30, 2020 de Shooting Times & Country.
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United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside