To many, the gamekeeper is an anachronism from the Victorian era: an indiscriminate destroyer of wildlife, providing sport for a privileged few. In the case of the modern gamekeeper, nothing could be further from the truth. Today, there are some 5,000 full-time gamekeepers employed in the UK. In addition, there are many who spend their leisure time and money, rearing game and maintaining habitats on their own small shoots.
While today's gamekeepers are still responsible for the husbandry of both reared and wild game for sporting shooting, they are also land managers. Their skills play an important part in shaping the countryside in both upland and lowland areas.
A recent survey conducted by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, the gamekeepers' national representative body, showed that gamekeepers manage around 7.3 million hectares of land in the UK - an area almost the size of Scotland. The gamekeeper works closely with the farm manager and forester to arrive at estate management policies which are economically viable whilst at the same time conserving both game and wildlife.
Driven game shooting has become increasingly popular in recent decades. It is an accessible sport, enjoyed by many thousands of people from all walks of life. It provides huge benefits to the environment and a significant contribution to local economies.
Booklet produced by BASC to explain how driven game shooting is currently conducted, how the highest standards of husbandry and sportsmanship are fostered, and how self-government combines with a strict legal framework to produce levels of safety which are the envy of the world.
To many, the gamekeeper is an anachronism from the Victorian era: an indiscriminate destroyer of wildlife, providing sport for a privileged few. In the case of the modern gamekeeper, nothing could be further from the truth.
BASC Gamekeepers National Clay Shoot Qualifier
17 March 2010
West Kent Shooting School, Paddock Wood, Kent
18 March 2010
Edgehill Shooting Ground, Warmington, Warwickshire
19 March 2010
Coniston Shooting Ground, Skipton, N Yorks
20 March 2010
Podimore Shooting Ground, Yeovil, Somerset