As far as I'm concerned hunting is ok as long as it doesn't wipe out an entire species and isn't totally inhumane (i.e. fox hunting). Hunting as a sport is a tradition that would be a shame to outlaw. I am a regular airgun hunter, and I shoot only pests. I am in fact helping to keep rats and squirrels from ruining our lives. I just found this in an article on www.doyourownpestcontrol.com:

"Squirrels communicate through ultrasonic clicks and sounds. The word will soon be out that your home is not a safe environment to live in and your home will be "Off Limits" and that they have been "Squirrel Evicted." With your house free of squirrels you have lessened the chance of a house fire. Home inspectors estimate that 20% of house fires in the United States are caused by squirrels chewing on electrical wires."

As for rats, I'm sure we are all aware that rats can carry many different diseases. You can see more information here. I'm sure the last thing we all need is our houses infested with any animal that carrys any of the diseases mentioned there.

Grey squirrels and magpies both have an undesirable effect on the population of most species of small bird by eating the eggs. This wouldn't usually be a problem, some people like to think that this is all part of nature's "cycle" when the fact is magpies and grey squirrels reproduce a lot more than most other animals and people like me help to keep their population under control and help other, more rare birds to keep a "healthy" number. Magpies and grey squirrels also like to drop their scraps of meat and other food all over the place. This encourages rats. The grey squirrel is the reason for the almost complete wipe-out of the red squirrels in the UK. They bring no benefit to the habitat in which they choose live, they feed on a great variety of things, such as nuts, seeds, fungi, fruits, and the cambium layer of tree bark, as well as eggs and chicks of many birds.

I help local farmers by keeping crow numbers down and protecting their crops.

Jays are technically "pests", but I leave them well alone. They are a member of the crow family, but they are responsible for more than 40% of new oak trees in the UK. They are considered pests because of their apitite for other birds eggs as a special treat when there are no acorns to go at. They are however relatively rare, which is why I have never killed one in my life - proof that I'm not only in it for the sport, I do care about things other than my own enjoyment of the sport itself. Pest control is really my first priority, then it's down to having fun.

Woodpigeons are a major damage to farmers crops, far worse than the crows. Hence the sport, clay pigeon shooting being invented, rather than little clay disk shooting!

Urban pigeons cause disease and encourage rats.

Rabbits damage trees and crops.

Animals are cared for by the law AND air rifle hunters such as myself. Recent animals to be taken from the pest list are the sparrow and the starlings. Pest species' numbers are closely monitered, and as an air rifle hunter I respect the rules of pest shooting, and I have great respect for nature and the enivironment.

Sorry for the extra long post, but this is a subject which I feel very strongly about. Hunting is good if it doesn't risk damaging the environment and natures cycle. It is a great traditional sport, and in my opinion it would be terrible to outlaw even if it is only recreational. We shouldn't just decide that it is "wrong" and put an end to it just for the hell of it.