Woodcock debate

Over the past few weeks, woodcock have been getting a fair bit of air time. There is a petition — yes, another one — doing the rounds which seeks to have the season moved so that the little waders don’t come on to the menu until December (News, p9).

The idea is that this would give our small resident population the best possible chance of enduring. Most of you will no doubt be thinking that you know of few people who raise a gun to woodcock until the migrants have flown across the sea, and there will be some of you who no longer shoot woodcock at all.

I am absolutely in favour of doing everything we can to give woodcock the best possible chance, but it saddens me that the issue is starting to be used as a stick to beat shooting with. To my mind, we need to be grown up about this. Let’s create more habitat, let’s harvest woodcock sustainably and let’s listen to those who are genuinely concerned. This has to be about conservation rather than tribalism. Those who see the woodcock debate as a battleground and who talk gleefully about winning are best ignored.

Patrick Galbraith, Editor

Follow Patrick on Twitter @paddycgalbraith