As soon as the clocks move forward by one hour once spring starts, the yearly battle about hunting begins.

With the hunting federation shooting from one side (excuse the pun), and BirdLife defending themselves on the other, this public tit-for-tat has become a characteristic of the weeks leading up to what was once a spring hunting season.

We use the phrase “what was once” deliberately, because, really and truly, it is not a real hunting season anymore. From the hunters’ point of view, it is certainly not, as the restrictions that have been imposed limit their practice to a bare minimum.

Yet, BirdLife seem to want more and more, and will not rest until hunting as a practice, or a hobby (call it what you like), is abolished once and for all. While the 5,000 quails and 11,000 turtledoves are small numbers for the hunters (barely one bird per hunter, and this also affects what they shoot in autumn), they total 16,000 birds too many for BirdLife.

While the hunters complain that the limit that has been imposed is ridiculous and say that it is scientifically flawed, BirdLife sulk and boycott an Ornis meeting which, they said, was only held to rubber-stamp a decision that had already been taken.

What seems strange to many – especially those whose views on the matter are not blinkered by the fundamentalist approach taken by either side – is how on earth can one really count the number of birds that are shot.

Hunters are expected to record each and every bird that they shoot down, and inform the authorities about it. We are sure that BirdLife will be monitoring what goes on in the countryside to check that this is actually done.

As much as possible, hunters will try to keep the numbers low (if they kill 10 birds, they will report seven or eight), while BirdLife will attempt to inflate the numbers (if they hear 10 shots, they will assume that 20 birds were killed; you know, the saying kill two birds with one stone will be changed to kill two birds with one shot).

At the end of the day, neither side is happy. The government, in its wisdom, tries to find a compromise, sanctioned by the European Union, which will please both sides. But it manages to please neither.

Hunting will feature regularly in the news in the next few weeks – until summer comes, when we will have a lull before the autumn season.

Next year, at this time of the year, we will hear the same arguments all over again.