The Middlesex Woodpigeon Club & Home Counties Wildfowlers Association offers a free service for Pigeon, Rabbit and Vermin control. We provide a pool of experienced Pigeon Shooters to cover crops when the birds are on them.
Members include shift workers and retired people, so we are able to provide crop cover through the week as well as weekends. Despite being called the Middlesex Woodpigeon Club, only a handful of our Members live outside Surrey. The lands we have permission to shoot on are all within a 30-minute drive of Dorking.
In the main, Club Members control Pigeon, Rabbit and Vermin with shotguns. We will include Foxes at the Farmer / Landowners request. Club Members do not interfere with Game, Wildfowl or Protected Species. All Members are covered by B.A.S.C. third party insurance. Members use only fibre wad cartridges. Whilst we will use airguns if appropriate around farm buildings and similar, Club rules forbid the use of Section 1 firearms, so no Member will attempt to use a rim-fire or full bore rifle on the Club’s behalf.
In addition to shooting we also Ferret and Long-net Rabbits. We will lamp Rabbit and Foxes if requested. Likewise we have Drey-rods if Squirrel control is needed.
Nobody is permitted to shoot as a Full Member of the Club without having passed a stringent vetting procedure. This includes clay pigeon shooting with Committee Members to assess gun handling before they ever get to see a live pigeon. When we are confident a person is a safe gun. We will then allow them in the field accompanied by a Committee Member. Once we are convinced of their suitability and competence they may be elected a Full Member. A lengthy process which can take years but which has meant no injuries or other incidents involving our Members. There are no shortcuts to this process, anyone not content with it should not even consider becoming a member.
Each Full Member will be in possession of a current membership card signed by the Secretary. They will also have an identity card with their photograph on it. Club Member’s vehicles will have a yellow window sticker. Each of the areas of land covered by the club is clearly mapped and a copy of this map held by all Full Members. The map shows farm boundaries, along with comments regarding the specifics of the area provided by the Farmer / Landowner. These can be changed at any time subject to that persons wishes. To highlight areas, days, times to be avoided. Specify times before or after which there is to be no shooting. Giving permission for Members to use their dogs, or clarify wishes concerning what may or may not be shot.
No Member will commence shooting without permission having been obtained. When shooting is finished, all rubbish is taken away. As is anything that has been shot. A Member will not knowingly leave a carcass behind unless he feels that searching for it will cause unnecessary damage to crops or property.
We are looking to increase our shooting area and would be pleased to discuss the possibility of our covering your crops, please use the contact form and someone will call or email you. However if rather than shooting you would be interested in our Ferreting and Netting Rabbits, do make contact in the same way.
We are happy to let you have the names of those Farmers / Landowners whose crops we currently protect.
The Club endeavours to respond to every callout request.