I FEEL the letter regarding “Hordes of people with shotguns” (February 3) shows a degree of ignorance.

Organised shoots, in my long experience, are always run to a high standard of both etiquette, safety and old-fashioned good manners, and certainly never ever blast everything that moves.

As to not caring less about wildlife, virtually all shooting folk have an affinity and a knowledge of countryside matters and wildlife identification that is almost non-existent with the majority of people in the UK.

Wildlife in the UK does in fact benefit dramatically from shooting interests that preserve woodland, headlands and hedgerows.

Our green and pleasant land, which most non-country folk seem to take for granted is, if anything, perpetuated by shooting interests.

To describe this as vandalism shows the letter writer to be totally uninformed about the realities of the countryside.

Philip Welch, St Michael’s Court, York