JOHN Barum's column on pheasant shooting (April 23) was, in my opinion, a bit of sloppy journalism.

Filleigh estate is not the true face of pheasant shooting in North Devon. It is a huge operation, I guess they release 100,000 birds a year and a day's shooting for 10 guns would cost £25,000.

A typical local shoot would be made up of 10 or so syndicate members and 20ish beaters on shoot days. They will all be local people coming together for a great day of sport, shooting and working dogs. Not a banker in sight and no pits filled with shot pheasants. They are invaluable for bringing people in rural communities together and there are dozens of them all over North Devon, but you can't see them from Tesco's car park and JB needs to get out of Tesco to find pheasant.

Supermarkets on the whole do not sell local produce, that is why the A361 is full of supermarket lorries. If he went to a local butcher or a farm shop he would have no problem buying pheasant.

To sum up, JB needs to spend less time reading what I consider to be bigoted press packs from the anti-shooting brigade and spend a few days out with a local shoot instead. He should also spend less time in Tesco and do more shopping in local butchers and farm shops.

MARTIN REED,

Bradiford,

Barnstaple.