Farmer fired shots over my head, what if anything can I do?

[unexpectedplaces]

Can I ask if anyone knows if this is illegal or not in relation to a right of way across a farmers' land?

To explain what happened and give context. I was walking my dog through a field full of sheep and lambs, dog was at my heel the whole time (no issue whatsoever with the livestock) and we were then away from the sheep and heading for a kissing gate which is where the right of way footpath leads. It crosses a small field and ends up in a village, you can also veer to the left of the kissing gate and continue through the same field ending up at the same point near the village.

I elected to take the left hand path which is about 2 feet away from the official path but divided by a hedge because the small field with the footpath was full of sheep and lambs resting by the gate - I didn't want to disturb them.

I was walking into the sunlight so couldn't see properly but could just about make out a figure a short distance away, a shot was fired into the air followed by 3 more as I walked the length of the hedge. I was really quite worried and hurried through the gate at the end whereupon the shots stopped.

I believe that the gun was either a rifle or a shotgun as the report was pretty loud.

I appreciate that I was off the official footpath strictly speaking but was doing so for purely altruistic reasons (of course he didn't know that).

Should I take this further or was the farmer within his rights? I wish he had just approached me and I could have explained what I was doing and why. The whole incident was pretty unnerving if I'm honest.

Have spoken to a couple of locals who say that the farmer is well known for getting irate about people walking off the right of way.

Any advice please gratefully received

In our area all farmers get irate re sheep worrying and all are entitled to shoot dogs caught worrying.

Frankly I doubt the police would give a shit as regards the op and would probably give her a polite warning as regards sheep worrying.

You should phone the police!! He wasusing a firearm to intimidatw you!

adlib.everysite.co.uk

Op committed an offence.

Link doesn't work but you can search for Defra and look for dogs protection of livestock act.

He may well have photos of you with your dog not on a lead.

I hate misleading thread titles and YABVVVU for that alone.

Farmer fired shots over my head becomes "someone in a field who I couldn't make out, fired some shots probably in the air, might have been shooting rabbits or rats and I can't even tell you if they were in my direction or if it was the farmer!"

You have no evidence that the farmer was even aiming the gun in your direction.

You were walking your dog off the lead near the farmer's sheep.

YABVU.

Even the most obedient of dogs will chase after sheep. The lambs will be very young. You weren't even walking on a right of way. You were trespassing.

So - to recap. No evidence the farmer committed an offence. Plenty of evidence of your thoughtlessness and stupidity.

Someone has already quoted the law and it is lawful to have a dog around livestock if it is on a lead or under close control.

For her own protection the op should put the dog on a lead in future, but she wasn't actually around livestock at the time and the dog was under close control so she was not committing an offence.

It is perfectly possible that the farmer was also not committing an offence but when there are firearms being discharged near people, the police should be informed.

Glad to know that in MN world thoughtlessness and stupidity would potentially justify being shot at!!

I agree with TheFairyCaravan and Collaborate, the police will laugh you out of the station OP.

I would never walk a dog in a field with livestock in it off the lead. Of course you were in the right but you are 100% safe with your dog on the lead and open to false allegations and your dog being shot at if you let it off. I'd report the farmer as he has an irresponsible attitude to firearms use and people with this tendancy have been resonsible for serious gun crime in the past.

There were no signs anywhere. I do understand about livestock. The clause says dog can be under close control, the dog was under close control. We were no-where near the sheep. I am beginning to tire of having to repeat that because people can't be bothered to read what actually happened.

I have also agreed several times that I have no concrete evidence that he was shooting with regard to me or a rat, I've also said at least twice that I'd be very happy to be proved wrong.

TheFairyCaravan maybe it was a complete coincidence that the shots were fired when I was level with the wrong side of the hedge and stopped as soon as I had reached the end? The fact that he has form on rights of way is what made me think it really might have been me that he was trying to intimidate.

No-where have I said that he was shooting at me. He's in his '70's, I'm not casting aspersions but I'd like to hope he has a steady hand and eye if a serious accident could be guaranteed not to have happened or happen in the future.

If you had woken up to the news this morning that a middle aged woman and her dog had been shot dead because they had veered two foot off a marked footpath for 100 yards would you just clap your hands and think 'yes good on him, she was totally in the wrong'?

Off a lead is classed as at large.

At large is classed as sheep worrying.

She had gone through a field of sheep and lambs with a dog at large( possibly photographed). We don't know the exact proximity of the next field.

Op trespassed and had enabled her dog to worry sheep both of which there may be evidence of.

I suspect the op would come out of this far worse than said farmer.

I've also said a number of times that I was thinking of having a word with the local community officer who knows the area and the residents. Funnily enough I wasn't thinking of dialling 999.

My whole point of asking the question was whether or not the incident was worthy of even bringing it up at all.

So, he could have just been firing shots up in the air because you were deliberately trespassing on his land?

Ivy the dog was at heel, under control why do you keep going on about him worrying sheep?

Quite happy to be photographed if that's what it takes.

i have to agree with fairy and collaborate too.

i can hear a shit load of shot guns going off near my house right now, goodness knows what they're shooting though, i don't think it's shooting season! but, if i were walking along the footpaths and bridleways i wouldn't assume they were shooting at me one bit.

If you had woken up to the news this morning that a middle aged woman and her dog had been shot dead because they had veered two foot off a marked footpath for 100 yards would you just clap your hands and think 'yes good on him, she was totally in the wrong'?

shooting at someone is somewhat different to shooting somewhere else and just spooking them with the noise.

Only got to page 2 and had to post because I was so shocked by certain posters saying that the farmer has an absolute right to shoot your dog despite the fact that it was standing right next to a human being. How anyone ever contemplate that as a justifiable course of action give how close the dog was to a person and the chance of hitting the person and missing the dog. Will read the rest of the thread now.

As someone suggested upthread, this thread seems to have been taken over by the Texan chapter of the National Rifle Aassociation.

What utter nonsense.

"the dog was under close control."

The thing is that you know that because you know your dog. The farmer wouldn't have known that. He would have assumed that because the dog wasn't on a lead it could potentially be a danger to his livestock.

You need to understand this from another point of view. For exmple, when I'm driving if I see a dog with its owner on the pavement and the dog is not on a lead I always slow down because I don't know if the dog is suddenly going to see a cat or smell a bitch on heat and dash out in front of the car.

That said, what the farmer did sounded irresponsible and dangerous, so it is probably a good idea to talk to the police, but expect a lecture about keeping your dog on a lead around livestock, which is basic common sense anyway.

BTW I live in a rural area and I thought everyone knew to do this.

You are casting aspersions because you are assuming the farmer was doing the shooting and he was doing it to intimidate you. You have no evidence of either.

Really not getting the hysteria from both sides here.

Someone fired a gun a few times, it happens, it's not all about you and certainly not something to call the police about.

Don't take dogs in fields with livestock. You do actually realised that sheep/cows are stressed by dogs on leads too? The Daily Mail is already running the 'trampled/savaged by cows' stories.

Stay out of the fields with livestock, you have no need to be there, it's not all about you.

I've also said a number of times that I was thinking of having a word with the local community officer who knows the area and the residents. Funnily enough I wasn't thinking of dialling 999.

My whole point of asking the question was whether or not the incident was worthy of even bringing it up at all.

I'd do this.

Yes dog should have been on lead - next time it will be.

In meantime have a chat to the local community officer - they may decide it was all nothing or it may fit a worrying pattern of behaviour. If no one tells them they can't judge - and they are probably in better position to than OP.