Goose shooting is a traditional and highly valued recreation for many people. If carried out responsibly it brings sustainable economic benefits to rural areas and helps prevent damage to crops.

• Agents and Guides must make their clients aware of the law concerning goose shooting, in particular that:

(a) it is illegal to use a semi-automatic or repeating shotgun with a magazine capacity of more than 2 cartridges for shooting geese or other wildfowl.

(b) it is illegal to use a tape recording to attract geese for shooting.

(c) it is illegal to sell, exchange or barter wild geese or any part of them (only sufficient birds should be shot to satisfy the requirements of the shooters or their friends).

(d) the shooting of ducks and geese in Scotland on a Sunday is prohibited.

(e) the penalties for each of the above offences would be a fine of £5,000 (maximum) and/or a custodial sentence of up to 6 months.

• Putting out food to attract geese for shooting is completely unacceptable and those responsible for shooting parties must ensure that farmers on whose land they shoot do not do so.
   
• There should not be more than 8 guns in a shooting party which must be supervised by at least one experienced guide who has been properly briefed as to his responsibilities.  Safety considerations must be paramount at all times.
   
• Those responsible for shooting parties must instruct clients in range judgement before taking them out and stop out of range shooting immediately, if it is observed.  Extra Guides must be provided to ensure adequate supervision of inexperienced guns.
   
• Shot sizes of 1 or 3 are widely considered the best for goose shooting at a normal maximum range of 30 metres.  However, experienced guns may use shot sizes BB or 4 in suitable circumstances.  If shooting on or over wetland areas all guns must use non-lead shot.  Recommended shot sizes for non-lead shot will either be the same as for lead shot or larger.   Every effort should be made to minimise wounding and to retrieve all shot birds.
   
• Those responsible must provide instructions on the identification of quarry and protected species and provide adequate supervision while shooting is taking place.  It is illegal event to shoot at some goose species.
   
• Generally, geese feed by day and roost at night on water or on large open areas.  Excessive disturbance can cause geese to desert traditional roosts and feeding grounds: it is therefore preferable to shoot them on the flight lines between feeding and roosting areas.
   
• Shooting geese leaving their roosts in the morning causes less disturbance than shooting them when they return in the evening.  Shooting should not take place at inland roosts more than once a fortnight.
   
• Geese must not be harried all day.  Shooting should generally stop two hours after sunrise and the ground left undisturbed for the rest of the day.
• A bag limit of 5 Pinkfeet or 2 Greylag per gun per shooting session should be observed.
   
• Because of possible changes in goose populations, bag limits may be altered from season to season.

This Code of Practice has been prepared by BASC.

 

Suggested Reading: Severe Weather