Bit long this. Sorry about that, but from my perspective it is an answer to the question. I hope you agree. There is a little bit more to it than just pulling the trigger.
To answer the original question, for many, many different and varied reasons. I personally go wildfowling. Which is the shooting of ducks, geese and waders, mainly on estuaries and some inland wetland areas. A solitary activity, you have to spend a lot of time learning about these environments not least from a safety point of view given their tidal nature. Learning about the habits of wild, migratory birds is a lifetime’s work in itself, and I can assure you that as a wildfowler, you will have many blank visits before you are in a position to actually shoot something-so wary are the birds. When you do, and manage to get 2-3 birds to take home to eat, there is a sense of satisfaction in that you have used whatever knowledge and field craft gained over years of experience to do this.
Wildfowl tend to move around dawn or dusk to access feeding or roosting areas. This means you have to be in position before dawn. Experiencing the marsh wake up, and the night, melt into daytime, and the marsh come alive with the noises of redshank, curlew, widgeon, geese, duck and all other birdlife, is something I never, ever tire of. Years ago I was doing a WeBS count with an RSPB warden on the Kent coast. This was during daylight hours. He said that in his view, the best time to see these marshes is either dawn or dusk to experience the movements of thousands of wild birds. But then confessed that he could never be bothered to do that anymore. Well, I can and do on a regular basis. And he was right. The experience is magical. How many of you have ever seen 60-70,000 wild geese lift off a roost and fly directly overhead, calling all the time as they do this? To be able to experience one of nature’s great winter wildlife spectacles is a privilege.
Wildfowlers put a huge amount back into estuary sites, and are in my view, vital to the health of these sites. I belong to 2 wildfowling clubs. Both of these clubs own land on estuaries, and carry out physical habitat management to maintain the habitat in favourable condition for wildlife. The sites are designated under international, EU and UK conservation designations. They control grazing, carry out vegetation control, maintain the water levels to ensure the wetland sites are conducive to waterfowl and waders. One club has a higher level stewardship scheme specifically to manage the site for conservation. In addition to the management of the sites, individual wildfowlers act as wardens when on these sites to report unusual or even illegal activities. This could mean reporting aircraft illegally landing on the marsh, deterring illegal shooting and hunting or helping farmers and graziers recover stranded livestock. I have worked with the police extremism and counter terrorism unit, to encourage people to report smuggling of arms and other contraband goods. Many wildfowlers also take part in conservation survey work such as the BTO’s WeBS counts and bird ringing schemes. Or take part and supply data to the WWT’s goose and swan monitoring programme.
Wildfowling as activity is controlled by national UK statutory legislation, Wildlife & Countryside Act, and Firearms Act to name but 2. If it takes place on a site designated for conservation interest features, has to have a notice of consent given by the government, which contains site specific regulations and restrictions. Clubs have systems of rules that manage and regulate the shooting on the site and if you break these, you are no longer a member of that club. And they are enforced. I know many people that have been expelled from clubs.
Wildfowlers and many other shooting clubs undertake litter clean ups and organise social events including charity events for local good causes.
