Most of us will have had a quick look round our release pen by now. Rotten posts and rusty wire will have been noted and earmarked for work parties. Electric…
Liam Bell
Getting the best out of your beaters on a shoot
Running a line and managing a beating team is an art. It’s difficult to get right and easy to get wrong. There is a certain amount of pressure on the…
Payments for pest control is a great idea – if you can avoid the red tape
Tree planting is very much in vogue. Everyone, it seems, wants to plant trees. Many are doing it for selfless, altruistic reasons, others to improve their shoots and add variety…
Why countryside education for children is so important
The sun was shining last week during our annual Countryside Classroom Day, organised by Countryside Learning. For those who don’t know, Countryside Learning is a charity that, among other things,…
How to keep poults in the best of health
Keeping poults healthy The problems being caused by avian influenza (AI) in the UK and abroad have once again underlined the importance of biosecurity and best practice. (Read more on…
Running a shoot: how to make the numbers add up
It has often been said that the only way to make a small fortune from shooting is to start with a big one. There are so many variables, and so…
Stalking with a Bavarian mountain hound
We have as good as finished our fallow cull and only plan to take a buck or two before the end of the month if we feel the need. Thankfully,…
How to stop a fox in its tracks
Now is a good time to organise a fox drive to reduce numbers. Foxes eat more pheasant and partridge poults than all the other predators put together. You don’t always…
Using traps and snares: how to do it legally and effectively
Traps and snares play a vital role in gamekeeping. If you are looking to establish new ground for a shoot or simply increase the amount of wild game in your…
Non-lead ammunition works well
A few weeks ago, I said I would report back from a day I had been invited on where most of the Guns had decided to use non-lead ammunition. (Read…
How to keep your poults happy
Poults start to wander three to four weeks after release. Not very far initially but, as they grow more confident, they wander further and further from their pen. It isn’t…
The new GL43 general licence – here’s what you need to know
Defra has published its new and long-awaited general licence (GL43), to cover the releasing of gamebirds on European protected sites. These protected sites are Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Special…
Shoot bookings 2021 – it’s looking good for next season
I have been chatting to friends who let days and run shoots commercially, and others who manage small syndicates and run shoots of their own and, to a person, they…
Here’s why you should consider planting perennial cover crops
The cost of planting and managing game and cover crops is ever increasing and we, along with many others, are slowly expanding the acreage we plant with permanent and semi-permanent…
Are ex-layer pheasants worthwhile or a waste of time and money?
At first glance, buying ex-layer pheasants for £2.50 each appears to be excellent value for money when compared with buying in a seven-week-old pheasant poult at £4. But there are,…
Why keepering is a wonderfully rewarding job from beginning to end
Gamekeeping jobs – tips for finding one Network, network, network —if people don’t know you are looking to move, they are not going to let you know what’s coming up.…
What to look out for before taking a lease on some new land
I know of several local self-run shoots that have decided not to start up again this year. The catalyst for the decision for two of them was the reduced number…
Why I’m becoming increasingly confident about the next shooting season
I have been trying to get a handle on chick and poult prices for the next shooting season. Rather unsurprisingly, I am struggling to get any consensus from the keepers…
What do you do with birds leftover at the season’s end?
With the ever-tightening COVID-19 restrictions in operation in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, there is little hope for those of us longing for a return to driven shooting. It…
How can we tell a Gun that his dog isn’t welcome at our shoot?
Q: How do I ask one of our Guns, who has been a member of our syndicate for the past 10 years, not to bring his dog, without upsetting him?…