It's a pig of a job shooting corvids

You need to have your wits about you to take on some of the wiliest birds in the natural world, but adapting your tactics successfully in the field can be hugely satisfying

- SIMON REINHOLD

There’s no glamour in shooting on a pig unit, but then that’s not the point. Pest control with a shotgun is a job of work.

In a discussion recently with two well-known professionals in pest control, we agreed that the bag size is not necessarily the measure of the service you have provided. They sound impressive, intimidating even, in the age of Instagram, but making a large bag on a summer pea stubble or similarly attractive field to pigeon may not be the only guide to how successful your day was.

Shooting corvids is a separate and distinct challenge. It is widely recognised that they are some of the wiliest, most intelligent birds in the natural world. They can count and have been documented using tools in some countries, so it’s fair to say that if you make mistakes, they will outwit you.

We have a good tradition in East Anglia of high-welfare, outdoor-raised British pork, and the farmers are proud of this. But there is a price to pay. These units provide a year-round, reliable source of high-calorie food in an accessible form for crows, rooks and jackdaws. Pigs are messy eaters, so no matter how the feeder is baffled, there will always be some spillage.

The rearing and releasing of gamebirds is blamed by some who oppose shooting for artificially increasing the number of corvids, but it is curious to note that this argument almost always ignores the contribution made by outdoor pig units.

With a vastly reduced winter mortality rate, numbers have increased dramatically. The British Trust for Ornithology notes that their increased breeding success is probably due to increased food availability. Much of this extra sustenance in East Anglia comes from outdoor pig units.