Get the  best from your shoot – go APE

One of the commonest questions put to our gamekeeping team is ‘How can I  improve my shoot?’ the answer lies in careful planning – and start now.

Pick up any book on shoot management and it is likely to show idealised plans for establishing woods and spinneys, often accompanied by grandiose management schemes only a wealthy few can afford. But let’s face it, not every piece of ground which is shot over is blessed with deep valleys, rolling farmland or acres of mature, mixed deciduous woodland from which a steady stream of high flying pheasants can be beautifully presented throughout the season.

Ultimate Aim: Improving the shooting exerience for Guns.

For the majority of shoots it is simply a question of finding ways to manage whatever they have, within a limited budget and with a volunteer workforce. Whatever the size of shoot, however, there are always some improvements that can be made which will, eventually, reap results.

Well, where do we start? Firstly, has your shoot gone APE? By this I mean have you carried out an Assessment, implemented a Plan and then Executed a strategy? I thought not. Planning lies at the heart of any successful operation and the old army adage that “prior preparation prevents poor performance” still holds true.

Post-season Assessment

The first task is to carry out a basic assessment of the shoot involving everyone - Guns, beaters, pickers up and other shoot helpers. This is important because everyone will see things from a slightly different perspective and, in my experience, a more holistic approach to problem solving, lies at the heart of achieving a successful outcome. A meeting at the end of the shooting season is the ideal time to get everyone together for a post season review whilst things are still fresh in everyone’s mind.

Don’t forget to include beaters’ opinions in your post-season assessment

Simple questions such as did all the drives go as planned? Are the cover crops in the right place or do they need to be moved? Can any gun stands in woodland be improved? Are the release pens in the right place? A hundred and one questions to ask and consider but this kind of reflective assessment is necessary if problems are to be identified and steps put in place to address them. Ideas can then be added to the work programme for the coming year and tasks allocated.

The assessment should also establish whether the shoot is complying with the Code of Good Shooting Practice. If not then measures need to be put in place to ensure that it is.

Release Pens

In my experience one of the fundamental requirements for a successful shoot is regularly overlooked - the management of the pheasant release pen. 

Great thought is usually given to establishing or extending cover crops and justification is easily found for spending extra on them, as it increases the opportunity to increase the bag, but little regard is given to either the quality of the birds bought for release or to the pen that will house them. Too often poults are bought on price alone without due regard to the conditions under which they might have been reared. Questions are rarely asked as to why someone is selling poults cheaply.

Check release pens – and make sure there’s plenty of time
for repairs before the poults arrive

Do you visit the game farm that supplies your shoot to see their rearing facilities? Are they members of the Game Farmers’ Association? Is contact made with them well in advance to agree a delivery date to ensure the release pen is ready and enough people are on hand to help with the task?

The usual scenario for the release pen is that it was erected years ago when the shoot was first established and was perfectly adequate in size for numbers being released at the time but in subsequent years the numbers released have slowly increased without a corresponding increase in the size of the pen. The classic tale of trying to get a quart in to a pint pot!

Release pens must be regarded as the engine room of the shoot and, as such, need to be managed and maintained in such a way so as to deliver what is required. Now is a good time to assess whether the pens are fit for purpose.

Buying cheap poults can be a false economy – always check
their rearing conditions

If relocation or an extension is required then time is in hand to ensure tasks are completed well before the poults arrive. Given the entire shooting programme is dependent on sufficient birds being available to shoot, surely early attention to these two fundamentals has to be the top priority?

If you need advice on release pen design you can contact the gamekeeping and game shooting team on 01244 573019; their services are always freely available to BASC members.

To determine the number of birds you can sustainably release you should refer to the guidelines issued by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (formerly the Game Conservancy Trust.). 

In most situations, to avoid damage to habitat, shoots should avoid releasing more than 1,000 pheasants per hectare of pen, and more than 700 per hectare of pen in ancient, semi-natural woodland. Where shoots exceed these densities they should be able to demonstrate that their particular circumstances and management regime will, overall, secure a measurable benefit to the habitat and biodiversity.

Pheasant release pens should not, in total, take up more than about one third of the woodland area on the shoot.

Trees

If trees are to be felled then a licence issued by the Forestry Commission may be required. Certain types of felling, however, do not need permission such as lopping and topping which usually includes tree surgery, pruning and pollarding. Felling trees which, when measured at a height of 1.3 metres from the ground have a diameter 8 centimetres or less, or thinnings which have a diameter of 10 centimetres or less, are usually exempt but check first with the Forestry Commission.

Cover Crops

Early attention too to cover crops will also pay dividends. When was the last time a soil test analysis was taken on ground used for your cover crops? Understandably, ground given by the landowner or tenant farmer is often poor quality and may not be ideal for growing a variety of crops.

However, for a modest outlay you can have a visit by an expert from one of the companies supplying seed who will undertake a broad spectrum soil analysis, advise on which crop will be most suitable for your particular circumstances and, most importantly, on its subsequent management. All too often a great deal of time and effort is spent in establishing cover crops but little regard is given to after care.

It’s often worth getting expert advice on planting cover crops

Planning

Once an initial assessment has been carried out, and areas identified for change, you should focus on developing a plan.

One of the simplest aids to overall planning is a large scale map of the shoot where you can mark such things as release pens, cover crops, rights of way, any no go areas and the direction of drives. Other details can be added as deemed appropriate.

Maps and plans are invaluable for detailing improvements

I would always include the location of traps and snares to ensure the daily checks required by law are complied with; this is particularly important if the shoot operates some type of rota system for checking. The location of hoppers, too, should also be added.

The map will serve as a useful aide memoir for preshoot briefings and a copy should hang in the shoot or lunch hut.

A map can also be used as part of your shoot risk assessment which requires an emergency action plan to be drawn up in order to help minimise the time taken for the emergency services to reach an incident. Therefore additional details such as the location of first aid facilities, designated rendezvous points and access and egress points for emergency vehicles together with contact details for key personnel can also be added. A copy can then be carried in a vehicle on shoot days to help deal with any emergencies.

In addition to the map is the work plan, which need not be anything too elaborate, but something that shows which tasks need to carried out week-by-week.

A plan should be viewed as a statement of intent, not as a destination in itself, and something that can be changed as the situation changes.  The important thing is to ensure nothing is left to the last minute, when setbacks are likely to prove costly in the long run.

Execution

Now that the assessment and planning stages have been completed all that remains is for the work programme to be executed and tasks completed. Good luck, only eight months left until the start of the next shooting season!

To find out more

For further advice on gamekeeping, shoot management, the Code of Good Shooting Practice call BASC’s game and game keeping team - on 01244 573019 or email.

For further information on cover crops contact:

David Bright Ltd, Tel 0870 777 3208,  www.davidbright.co.uk
Kings, Tel 0800 587 9797,  www.kingscrops.co.uk
Oakbank, Tel: 01480 890686, www.oakbankgc.co.uk

The Game Farmers’ Association can be contacted on: 01242 890372, www.gfa.org.uk

For country and regional Forestry Commission contacts visit www.forestry.gov.uk