Point taken, Biscuit Boy. I know for a fact that the police are monitoring sites like this and indeed social networking sites in general. But because I don't shoot, nor do any gamekeepering, I'm never likely to face any problems for my views on raptors, or the craziness of protected species legislation.

Interestingly, I found a dead hen harrier in Cumbria a couple of years ago. Seems the carcass was examined and it was found to have died of natural causes (and no doubt the stress of being completely wired up to a transmitter). Did we ever hear about it? No.

One of the joys of the web, were plod's hand ever to alight on my shoulder, is that you can always say 'it was a joke', 'I never meant it' or 'it was just a wind-up'. Serious intent is, I suspect, very hard to prove.