Gamekeeper's gibbet? *Gruesome pic alert!*

[Gytrash]

Hi folks

Anyone know about gamekeeper's gibbets? I recently came across this bird in a hedge, whilst walking around the Howgill Fells.
Is it typical of a gamekeeper's gibbet? It wasn't in plain view, and the body was alone, near a farm. There seems to be some nifty skewering of the birds beak with a thorn too? The bodies of animals I've usually noticed being hung out to deter 'vermin' have always been several at a time, and strung out in plain view.




(Apologies if you're eating whilst surfing!)



Cheers
Dave

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by Gytrash

(Apologies if you're eating whilst surfing!)

i was lol. but im too hungry to let that put me off. cant say ive come across this but i dont go on to farms if i can avoid it

[Gytrash]

Originally Posted by Ukwildlifeo

i was lol. but im too hungry to let that put me off. cant say ive come across this but i dont go on to farms if i can avoid it

Lol! Glad it didn't put you off your nosebag!

(It was in a hedgerow by a farm track which was also a public footpath. I tend to avoid the actual farms themselves - too many Collies on guard duty with inquisitive teeth... )

[wildlifesnapper]

Hi

if it was a gamekeepers gibbet I can't see it being at the side of a public footpath.Like you the couple I've seen have been away from public access such as at the side of a field tied to wire etc. (Moles on that one). Could someone with a sick sense of humour found it dead and sqewered it on the hedge??

neil

[Gytrash]

Just had an email from a friend that I sent the pic to...

His first thought was that it could be the work of a shrike - except shrike are too small to take corvids.

His partner reckoned it might be a variation of an 'execution' by a community of rooks. Apparently they (usually) hang the offending member of their group by forcing their necks into the fork of a branch...
Anyone else heard of this?

[eeyore]

nah i would say that its gamekeeper/farmer at work - some people hold that if you distribute your dead corvids arround theedges of the fields after shooting them it acts as a detterent to the others - I cant say i've ever tried it myself (as i only did corvid control on nature reserves where we tried t keep it low key) but i'm fairly sure thats what you have here

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by wildlifesnapper

Hi

if it was a gamekeepers gibbet I can't see it being at the side of a public footpath.Like you the couple I've seen have been away from public access such as at the side of a field tied to wire etc. (Moles on that one). Could someone with a sick sense of humour found it dead and sqewered it on the hedge??

neil

Not my experience, I've known gamekeepers (presumably - but could have been any simple sadist) deliberately do this sort of thing near public footpaths, especially barbed wire by stiles. Serves the added benefit of deterring the public from access to the country.

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

Not my experience, I've known gamekeepers (presumably - but could have been any simple sadist) deliberately do this sort of thing near public footpaths, especially barbed wire by stiles. Serves the added benefit of deterring the public from access to the country.

I was thinking that. U often find those sorts of paths are over grown or have some nasty looking dogs nearby

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by Ukwildlifeo

I was thinking that. U often find those sorts of paths are over grown or have some nasty looking dogs nearby

... or horses. Ignoring the alleged or real threats from dogs and the age-old bull which has learned to stand across a footpath, it does seem to be horses that are now used by farmers to deter people using footpaths - I think that I could cope with most dogs singly, and probably outrun a bull (and, let's be honest, you can usually see them from some distance) but skittish (nay [neigh] manic) young horses are my least favourite encounter when out walking (have no problem with the Dartmoor [or are they Exmoor?] ponies which have been introduced to Cressbrook Dale).

[aeshna]

Originally Posted by Gytrash

Hi folks

Anyone know about gamekeeper's gibbets? I recently came across this bird in a hedge, whilst walking around the Howgill Fells.
Is it typical of a gamekeeper's gibbet? It wasn't in plain view, and the body was alone, near a farm. There seems to be some nifty skewering of the birds beak with a thorn too? The bodies of animals I've usually noticed being hung out to deter 'vermin' have always been several at a time, and strung out in plain view.


(Apologies if you're eating whilst surfing!)



Cheers
Dave

Hi Dave,

come across this type of incident and Larsens traps many times.

They don't have to really be in full view, especially if it was the landowner/associate that did it. Anywhere to hang it and as crows generally mate for life, there's a good chance they can shoot the mate who is staying around their 'partner'.

Once saw a dead crow on the road and twice drove past it on consecutive days and another crow was on the road verge sitting next to the squashed corpse, on the third day, what I presume was the partner had also been ran over.

Gibbets are more likey to be in full view if it was done for 'M'lud' as part of the 'forelock pulling' regime. It shows how active the gamekeeper is in protecting 'M'luds' game.

Or as suggested to keep people of 'their' land.

Once came across a dead chicken tied to a 6' concrete post in the middle of a grouse moor, just outside of Slaley Forest. Only the cynical would say that chicken was stuffed full of poison. The reason 'plebs' are not wanted on such moors is not the excuse of protecting the wildlife, but so people do not come across raptor management as such. The was before the C.R.O.W act and of course I got caught by the gamekeeper. His statement of 'I'm calling the police' was met with 'Go ahead I've got something to show them'. I went back a week later and the chicken had flown!

[willing to learn]

I doubt it would not have been a game keeper gibbet, they tended to around release pens, and was away of showing there employer how good they where at vermin control. He be a poor keeper if it was his gibbet, with one loan crow. Gibbets seem to be a trait of the past and modern gamekeepers tend not to bother.
Regards
Colin

[ChrisJB]

There seems to be plenty of gamekeepers/farmers gibbets in the Dales and Howgills. I've seen allsorts of creatures festooned on them whilst on my walks there, namely Moles, corvids, Weasels, Stoats and Foxes. I'd rather not see them, but they don't overly distress me either. Though the practise does seem a trifle archaic.

Regards, Chris

[Meta menardi]

Originally Posted by eeyore

nah i would say that its gamekeeper/farmer at work - some people hold that if you distribute your dead corvids arround theedges of the fields after shooting them it acts as a detterent to the others - I cant say i've ever tried it myself (as i only did corvid control on nature reserves where we tried t keep it low key) but i'm fairly sure thats what you have here

I agree with you on this, the shepherd where I used to work used to pot crows esp. at lambing time, and he would rend them and scatter them. They are quite canny birds and it certainly seemed to work.

[willing to learn]

Originally Posted by ChrisJB

There seems to be plenty of gamekeepers/farmers gibbets in the Dales and Howgills. I've seen allsorts of creatures festooned on them whilst on my walks there, namely Moles, corvids, Weasels, Stoats and Foxes. I'd rather not see them, but they don't overly distress me either. Though the practise does seem a trifle archaic.

Regards, Chris

I thought it was a "custom" which was a thing of the past I know the BASC thought it was neither benifical, and could indeed upset the public. The years I have been Gamekeeping I have never had a gibbet, niether have any of my keeper friends. No need. I think DEFRA would have a blue fit if they thought keepers was hanging out dead birds on gibbet's with the threat of HN51.
Regards
Colin

[Geoff F]

At one time it was very common to hang up dead animals to deter others. Many farmers, gardeners, etc did it. I can remember when some people would hang up a dead Herring Gull to prevent others from making a mess on their boats. It didn't work and made a terrible smell, but some people were convinced that it did make a difference.

An alternative idea used by some farmers was to hang up dead animals, wild or domestic, and let maggots grow on the carcasses. The maggots would eventually fall to the ground where they were eaten by chickens. It was regarded as a way of 'feeding' dead chickens to live chickens without any risk of disease transfer.

Haven't heard of either idea being used recently but in some areas old theories still survive. There are a great many 'old wives' tales which are still believed.

[ChrisJB]

Originally Posted by Geoff F

Haven't heard of either idea being used recently but in some areas old theories still survive. There are a great many 'old wives' tales which are still believed.

I know of an old farmer near me who used to have a really nasty Fox Terrier, that got in to the habit of 'ragging' his ducks and hens.

After yet another duck bit the dust, Frank had enough and as a punishment to the dog, tied the dead duck round it's neck! The naughty dog was forced to endure this grisly embellishment for three days, when Frank decided it surely had learnt it's lesson.

Alas this wasn't the case. As soon as the dead duck was removed, the dog suddenly being free of it's feathery millstone, promptly flew out of the barn and 'ragged' another!

Regards, Chris

[nightshade]

In my younger days gamekeepers gibbets were quite common with Crows and Magpies featuring strongly, along with Stoats, Weasels, Rats and Moles with the occasional Fox it always suprised me that nothing came to eat the fresh victims

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by nightshade

In my younger days gamekeepers gibbets were quite common with Crows and Magpies featuring strongly, along with Stoats, Weasels, Rats and Moles with the occasional Fox it always suprised me that nothing came to eat the fresh victims

maybe some of them did and ended up joining them lol

[ladyhawk]

i remember this as a kid, the gamekeepers and farmers put the crows on the fences to deter the flocks taking the seeds of the fields was pretty common in scotland some farmers still practice this to this day.