To ask my neighbours not to hang dead animals from their fence?

[Bdg212]

New neighbours like to shoot. That’s their choice, but they hang the animals they kill from their front garden fence for all to see. It’s usually pheasants and sometimes rabbits. Aibu to think this is pretty inconsiderate behaviour? I’m veggie and find it quite upsetting. There are kids about too.

Was always told squirrels rats that live in trees and pigeons rats that can fly lol

It's a bit odd to hang meat outdoors. Our next door but one neighbour is a gamekeeper and there are always dead creatures hanging up in his garage but I have never seen anything on the fence! If he brings us recently shot pheasant I hang them in the shed. Foxes or birds would soon get anything hung outdoors anyway.
The only things I have ever seen on fences round our way are rats or moles. The catcher hangs them out, I presume to demonstrate to the farmer who has employed him that he has actually done the job.
I agree it's a bit weird OP but mot sure you an do anything really. It's their property and they aren't doing anything illegal.

I'd probably just tell them you've seen local cats/dogs at the carcasses, if they genuinely want to hang them to eat them this should encourage them to move them somewhere less obvious.

I’m rural and I’ve not seen dead animals hung on fences for many years, it used to be common enough, usually crows, squirrels and other vermin. Although some do hang pheasants the only place I’ve seen it recently is the local butchers shop, personally I prefer pheasant casseroled so it doesn’t need hanging

I’m a long time vegetarian, but have never been ‘squeamish’ about things like this. I’m all for people being confronted by the realities of food production. In my experience it’s often meat eaters who don’t want to know the gory details. Not looking doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.

If more people knew what most animals who end up on their plates have to endure, I think at the very least they’d be campaigning for higher standards of animal treatment and welfare. I don’t think I could get worked up about animals who have lived freely and been dispatched quickly.

No way Jose.

I’d ask them nicely if they can hang it somewhere else, if it didn’t happen I’d be burying them.

Well that’s disgusting. What wankers.

I’d drop them a note asking if it’s possible to hang out of view as it’s upsetting your children.

@TyrannysaurusXXrightshoarder

Arrrgh it’s only normal - not not normal!!!!

It certainly used to be normal to hang any shot corvids from fences to deter others. Game I'd expect to hang in a shed or outbuilding to prevent scavengers

@SoupDragon

it is to hang the meat before they eat it.

Do people generally leave it to "hang" outside for this?

Unless they're wealthy enough to have a game larder, yes, although when I had a BF who was into shooting, we use to hang the pheasants in the (disused) outdoor lav.

It's perfectly normal in rural areas.

I'm surprised they've still got pheasants hanging though. I thought the season ended on 31 Jan, and a pheasant hung for a fortnight would be ... let's say very ripe.

Used to see pheasants and rabbits hanging from the butchers opposite my primary school, it's good for kids to know where food comes from.

Could always ask them to hang them out of sight, but be prepared for them to say no.

Maybe it's an advert for shooty swingers?

I remember years ago, a poster came home to find a pheasant hanging from her door and thought it was a threat 😂.

If they're hanging on the outside of the fence, I would assume those are surplus birds that are being offered to passers by. Much like people with a glut of apples or courgettes put them out front to be taken.

But the threat of them being lifted by a passing fox/dog/cat/crow is very real. Some lucky owner may find one dragged through the car flap.

"I'm very pheasant and I like a good duck" sort of code

I'm a church bellringer at our village church and I use to a member of the village amateur dramatics group. We must have missed the memo about these practices.

@WhoWants2Know I was just going to say about that. I seem to remember they had moved to the country and thought the locals wanted them gone. We were like nope, that's a welcome gift!

Some (many) country people are backwards and grim.

I see the Enlightened one has arrived.

I cannot imagine why they're choosing to do this, but nothing dead hanging from a fence is going to be there long, so they're not very good at looking after their kill.

I don't think you'd be unreasonable to ask them to hang the kill elsewhere.

@Skinnydog

I remember my mil absolutely disgusted when she met my 3 year old who told her eggs come from chickens bums, she could also identify which animals they used to be eg sausages are pigs. Nothing gross just as she grew she was informed where things came from, mil on other hand was completely horrified that she knew this and especially didn’t want to know as it put her off. I found her approach as weird and as horrifying as she did mine

We kept chickens for several years. My teenage son liked to announce that eggs were a chickens period.

getting back to the question, its their fence and on their land, so unless its a public health issue yes they can do it. I am going to guess that they don't much care what you or others thinks. If its rotting maggotty carcases then you might talk to the council public health but otherwise its tough titty.

Grim. Back garden fence at least. Why on earth would you hang them out front

^This

@Thewindwhispers

Well that’s disgusting. What wankers.

I’d drop them a note asking if it’s possible to hang out of view as it’s upsetting your children.

and wait to hear the loud laughter

Unless they're wealthy enough to have a game larder, yes, although when I had a BF who was into shooting, we use to hang the pheasants in the (disused) outdoor lav.

Don't they get taken by foxes? I live in a suburban environment and they would last overnight here. Possibly even shorter than that given the boldness of the foxes and the scavenging nature of my pet spaniel (he had a good munch on a fox killed pheasant in the woods near a pheasant enclosure recently)

The shooting season ended on 31 January so they should no longer be shooting and hanging birds.

Next season ask them to hang them in their back garden or in a shed if they have one.

It used to be foxes I saw in the country hung up outside (Northumberland) but not game birds because there is a risk of other animals getting them although they would be hung inside and even here in outer London our butchers have them hanging inside.

I’m a country person and have never heard of anyone hanging game birds on a fence. They will be gone by morning, surely, to the fox?

Moles (especially), rats etc- yes, to prove they’ve been caught.

If it bothers you then maybe ask politely if they could do something else? But fwiw shooting pheasants is far less cruel than factory farming- I’d far rather be a pheasant than a battery chicken.

@BigPantsLittlePants

I think it's revolting and very 'look at me the country squire-in-training'. I've lived in a village for the last 20 years and have never seen anyone do this. Mainly because they know better, the foxes would have them straight away. I would hate it though. Same way I don't wear dead rodents my cats catch as earrings. All a bit Damien Hirst twattery.

Personally I think people who shoot live things for their own entertainment have some issues and I could never be attracted to someone who found enjoyment in it. They don't need to shoot to eat, the eating is a byproduct of a hobby which involves taking the life of another to succeed. Gross.

Pheasants are a crop. They are not particularly bright and would have a hideous life if they were not fed by gamekeepers. If they are not being raised to shoot there is no point in them existing . Feed costs money. If there is no return on the crop there is no crop.