Wildlife Crime?

On 18^th January I was walking along the Caldon Canal towpath through Cheddleton, using my binoculars as I was on the look out for birds. Among the various species I saw were some that surprised me. It was about eleven Mallards enclosed in a chicken wire cage on one of the local shooting estates (see photo). They appeared to be being used to lure more ducks into position to be shot (there was a flock of free Mallards outside the cage). I checked out the relevant legislation and so I'm pretty sure it is illegal to use wild birds in this way, and in any case the photo shows that one is hanging by its neck as it appears to have got stuck in the wire on the roof; this suggests that even if, in principle, the decoy is legal, its construction may not be. So I reported what I had seen to the local Wildlife Crime Police Officer, who it turns out is a PCSO http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_community_support_officer. When he eventually got back to me (and anyone who has reported any non-emergency to the police recently will know how many days that can take!), we had a lengthy conversation. At no time did the police officer suggest that I was wrong in my opinion that using trapped Mallards as a decoy is illegal, however he did say that the gamekeeper told him that the birds were being kept like that for their eggs. Sharp-eyed readers will notice the obvious flaw in this statement, as the ducks are nearly all males!! The policeman told me that he wanted to maintain his good relationship with the keeper so had suggested to him that in future any activities such as this should be done out of the public eye. 

Did the officer believe the ducks were for eggs or did he want to avoid spoiling his relations with a local business? I don't know, but I do know I will be keeping my eye out for other suspicious activities in Cheddleton.