Sad day for me...

Max115

Member
Jul 15, 2018
1,701
1,272
BC, Canada
All good things must come to an end? Perhaps, but for now I have to take a break from air gunning and video production. I have decided to unplug my YT channel because of some legal issue I am dealing with currently. I apologize if you are unable to watch my contents.

A couple of officers pulled up the the farm yesterday where I had just setup to do some pest control work for the farmer. Apparently someone had reported me to the conservation office about me shooting a specific migratory bird in my videos. I don't want to get into the details, but I am under investigation for not having the proper permit.

I was introduced to the farmer years ago to help out with some pest control work, free of charge of course. A permission that was a win-win for me because I have a private and secured location where I could set up target practice and some starlings shooting. Starlings have always been a major problem on these farms with their droppings that carried nasty diseases and causing sickness to livestocks. Not to mention property damage and crop lost for the farmers. The farmers were delighted and happy that I was able to reduce the number of some pest birds and scaring them away every time I was on site.

My only mistake was not knowing to obtain the proper documentation for this particular specie. And my wrong understanding that I was on a private farmland with permission from the owner to dispatch these pest birds. I guess I was wrong. I was told I didn't commit any criminal offence other than violated some by-law. I am waiting for the judgement.

It is very unfortunate for me, not because I was doing something illegal, at least not to my knowledge. I was simply trying to help out the farmer and to the public as a whole by using my airguns. Unhealthy cows produce bad milk and we the public could be drinking contaminated milk.

I am disappointed because when I first started my channel, my sole intention was to share my memories with my families and friends oversea and most importantly, for my daughters to be able to access these memories via the internet when they miss me after I am gone.

To my comfort, the farmers shared my frustration and offered me full support.

I am posting this not to get sympathy or to create arguments, but to let you guys know that I am okay and that I will be offline for a bit. I don't think I will quit this wonderful hobby of mine and certainly not to stop producing (selective) videos memory for my children and for those who care to share my experiences with air gunning.

But for now, this is a short good bye. Cheers.
 
@Max115 In your videos over the years it has been apparent that you use a hobby that you enjoy to help out farmers, which is in turn (as you mentioned) a public service. Without domestic farmers many of us would have to rely upon subsistence farming, imports, or foreign aid. Because I live in an agricultural and industrial area that also has numerous farms (primarily beef and chicken) that help feed America, I understand issues that some farmers face with vermin and avian pests. I’ve seen conditions and environments that foster pest problems and they’re exponentially worse than one can imagine resulting in very real monetary losses for the farmers. So the services that you provide are necessary and do help to put a dent in lost feed, contaminated feed, lost livestock, contaminated food products, etc. Are you eradicating these pests? No, but you can deter them and help control their populations with a steady presence.

Through your recordings, you have documented enough about pest animal behavior that it has educational value by illustrating some of what’s already been written by state agencies and academic institutions. In your pesting process you have remained consistently transparent and as well as placed emphasis upon safety. I hope this counts for something as you appear to be a law-abiding citizen and responsible airgunner. I applaud your efforts and thank you for sharing the good and bad experiences in our airgun hobby. I find it helpful. I hope that the involved authorities view your efforts similarly and are not harsh in judging your for any mistakes made in ignorance.
 
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Which State are we talking about? Also, are you saying you need a government permit to shoot Starlings?
@orangeokie He is in Canada according to his profile. He didn’t mention the specific species in his post and it seems intentional as he is having legal issues. At least that’s the way I understood what he posted.
 
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I am frustrated with myself in the number of my uploads i make public, really i should stop doing that all together.
As some might have noticed, some of the videos i have shared in here, are actually private and so not videos that pop up in searches
Even if i had like 4 mill stalkers on youtube i would not turn on money making, CUZ i would not take Googles dirty money if they threw them at me.

Now that might sound very stupid to many, but that is how i roll and it is not at any peoples expence, so you must deal with that ( i would prefer in silence )
I do my thing as long as i feel it is funny, and maybe could be helpful to some, and i try very hard to not make videos that is just entertainment.

Mind you i still fail, even if i am aware of my own problems.

Mind you i do think people should get paid when they do something, i just dont like the way it happen when google is the middle man.
Just like i do not like the way my government play philanthropists with the money they have taken from me in tax, actually it have made me very much not wanting to help other people at least in regard to money, but just helping nice people i care for,,,, well i will break my back or what is left of it.
 
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Thank you all for your kind words and support. It has been a rough day and night for me since this happened yesterday afternoon.

Yes, I am from Canada. Starlings are not an issue, just this one particular migratory bird. In my opinion and that of the farmer who called me this morning said that this specie is there all year round. So, how could this be a migratory bird? I guess it wouldn't matter as this was in the law book.

@Ezana4CE. Thank you for your understanding and recognize the benefit of my pest control work. I just hope the general public see it that way as well. Unfortunately, I can't discuss this too much in detail because this is an open forum and anyone can access this.

Hopefully I am not causing any issue with AGN for voicing my frustration. If so, please delete. Thank you.
 
Thank you all for your kind words and support. It has been a rough day and night for me since this happened yesterday afternoon.

Yes, I am from Canada. Starlings are not an issue, just this one particular migratory bird. In my opinion and that of the farmer who called me this morning said that this specie is there all year round. So, how could this be a migratory bird? I guess it wouldn't matter as this was in the law book.

@Ezana4CE. Thank you for your understanding and recognize the benefit of my pest control work. I just hope the general public see it that way as well. Unfortunately, I can't discuss this too much in detail because this is an open forum and anyone can access this.

Hopefully I am not causing any issue with AGN for voicing my frustration. If so, please delete. Thank you.
which is why i posted #7
 
A minor wildlife infraction is more times than not a learning experience. Major premeditated game infractions are a different matter. A mistake or oversight is nothing to lose sleep over but it is ok to be a little embarrassed. You owned it so I don’t think anyone will lose any respect for you.

A couple years ago I shot a chickadee as a sighter target before a night of pesting. A lady on here got pretty worked up about it. My property is crawling with them and I didn’t even consider they were protected. But I know now. Like I said, no ill intent, just a mistake.
 
I am sorry that you found out about the restrictions in that manner. I can guess what species is the one that generated the complaint, but my understanding is that it can be legally shot in at least some states in the USA, if certain conditions are met. Canada I have no idea about.

The Internet further extends the long reach of those looking for things to make trouble about. I’ll be verrrry careful about any pesting I do even though it is indeed an officially declared invasive species. No wonder the blanket standard around here is SSS.

Most of your videos I don’t watch due to our slow Internet connection, but I did watch and enjoy the one set inside a home being built. Take it easy during your time out, and thanks for posting what constitutes a warning.
 
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All good things must come to an end? Perhaps, but for now I have to take a break from air gunning and video production. I have decided to unplug my YT channel because of some legal issue I am dealing with currently. I apologize if you are unable to watch my contents.

A couple of officers pulled up the the farm yesterday where I had just setup to do some pest control work for the farmer. Apparently someone had reported me to the conservation office about me shooting a specific migratory bird in my videos. I don't want to get into the details, but I am under investigation for not having the proper permit.

I was introduced to the farmer years ago to help out with some pest control work, free of charge of course. A permission that was a win-win for me because I have a private and secured location where I could set up target practice and some starlings shooting. Starlings have always been a major problem on these farms with their droppings that carried nasty diseases and causing sickness to livestocks. Not to mention property damage and crop lost for the farmers. The farmers were delighted and happy that I was able to reduce the number of some pest birds and scaring them away every time I was on site.

My only mistake was not knowing to obtain the proper documentation for this particular specie. And my wrong understanding that I was on a private farmland with permission from the owner to dispatch these pest birds. I guess I was wrong. I was told I didn't commit any criminal offence other than violated some by-law. I am waiting for the judgement.

It is very unfortunate for me, not because I was doing something illegal, at least not to my knowledge. I was simply trying to help out the farmer and to the public as a whole by using my airguns. Unhealthy cows produce bad milk and we the public could be drinking contaminated milk.

I am disappointed because when I first started my channel, my sole intention was to share my memories with my families and friends oversea and most importantly, for my daughters to be able to access these memories via the internet when they miss me after I am gone.

To my comfort, the farmers shared my frustration and offered me full support.

I am posting this not to get sympathy or to create arguments, but to let you guys know that I am okay and that I will be offline for a bit. I don't think I will quit this wonderful hobby of mine and certainly not to stop producing (selective) videos memory for my children and for those who care to share my experiences with air gunning.

But for now, this is a short good bye. Cheers.