What can I do about marauding pheasants in my garden?
Pheasants pecking around the garden aren't always welcome.
Q: I live near a shoot, and my garden is inundated with pheasants celebrating the end of the shooting season and enjoying the calm. Every year they arrive and wreak havoc with seeds, vegetables and plants. What am I entitled to do with these marauding pheasants?
A: The law says that it is illegal to catch or kill gamebirds such as pheasants when they are out of season. (The pheasant season runs from 1 October until 1 February in England Wales.) Perhaps your best bet, as recommended by BASC, is to contact the local gamekeeper and try to persuade him to place hoppers strategically to entice the birds elsewhere. You can get in touch with BASC here.
Strategically placed hoppers containing feed could entice a pheasant away from your garden
Alternatively, you will have to use some form of deterrent – one of the most effective is to run a dog through the area on a regular basis. During the season any person with the appropriate licences and abiding by the law can kill the birds.
Read how to keep rabbits out of your garden.
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