Working with gamekeepers

[Paulfreebury]

The biggest problem with game is they are very susceptible to stress! You wouldn't think a chainsaw buzzing away in the distance would cause to many problems, however it does start a chain of events happening, firstly the birds will find cover,because they've been disturbed they stop feeding for a couple of hours, this then makes them stressed! The stress then triggers disease which in a release pen can cause high mortality!! each pheasant has a value of between 25 to £40 per bird shot!! Last season I lost 600 pheasant poults due to starve out due to stress at £35 a bird you can understand why we get up are own ass!! In my experience lack of communication with the keeper will result in heels being dug in further!!

Just my opinion!

[Paulfreebury]

you can say all you want about keepers but untill you have actually been a keeper with a tied house you really cant say anything!! it makes not an ounce of difference to a shoot owner that you have been working 7 days a week from april rearing the birds from day olds or you have been out all night after that fox that has been causing you problems and have only had half an hours kip, if the birds aren't there its your fault, been there, done that. so any keeper will not want to run the risk of it disrupting his birds even if in the long run it will benefit the shoot. just work with them as much as you can and when you get the green light work as fast as you can

 

Well said!! I urge anyone that doubts this statement to spend time with one.

[Sam Thompson]

you can say all you want about keepers but untill you have actually been a keeper with a tied house you really cant say anything!! it makes not an ounce of difference to a shoot owner that you have been working 7 days a week from april rearing the birds from day olds or you have been out all night after that fox that has been causing you problems and have only had half an hours kip, if the birds aren't there its your fault, been there, done that. so any keeper will not want to run the risk of it disrupting his birds even if in the long run it will benefit the shoot. just work with them as much as you can and when you get the green light work as fast as you can

 

[Paul Smith]

Most keepers are under enormous pressure to produce birds but in all honesty I can say the birds and the deer soon get used to what is danger and what is not. I have had tracked chippers and saws buzzing only to see a dozen Fallow watching us. Birds quickly come to the clear fell.

[dent]

i was having a conversation with some mates on the gamekeeper course at college annd we came to the conclusion that no gamekeepers and foresters get on professionally

not just for scarring the birds but how they want the woods managed

its fine if one or the other are in charge but if they are both under an estate manager it will just cause arguments as both want what is best for them

[screwie]

hi paul where abouts are you a keeper if you ever need a hand give me a shout starting to miss it again was a single handed keeper, ive sent you a pm wiv my number

[Matthew Arnold]

i was having a conversation with some mates on the gamekeeper course at college annd we came to the conclusion that no gamekeepers and foresters get on professionally

not just for scarring the birds but how they want the woods managed

its fine if one or the other are in charge but if they are both under an estate manager it will just cause arguments as both want what is best for them

 

Thats tarring the people with the same brush isnt it:lol:. I know several shoots large and small and the foresters and gamekeepers work in harmony with eachother. The foresters are given the shoot dates and the day before they are given the drives that will be done the next day. The foresters and keepers have a gathering pre and post season about works that need doing in various woods and they are carried out at the appropriate time. The one big shoot i beat and shoot on has an estate manager that is both shooting and conservation minded. You dont get many of those now.

[blazer]

I help out P/T on a large estate for 15 yrs, since the shoot grew I can get little woodland work can be done in the winter. Roughly it's end of shooting 1 Feb - but then it's catching hens etc till end of Feb. Then don't disturb the Deer (big earner) plus vernim shooting. So it's hard to get access to woods untill the leaves are coming out = sap up. followed by pen building etc ***.

 

Then at the other end birds are out of the pens by the end of summer and if hot and dry like the last few years 'Dogging in birds' is a full time job, working on an estate boundry may help hold birds, then it's the shoot season again. So getting useful work slots is difficult.

 

Rule 1 - get it all sorted out with the estate manager at a meeting with keepers involved and get it down in writing. It helps if you can get on with the keeper by helping out Pen building ***and clearing boughs and tracks etc and updating the keeper on deer movement.

 

Keepers vary, some are ok with me shooting squirrels during the season and doing some woodland work with birds walking around me others want the whole estate as a 'no go area'

 

One tip is if the shoot is rotating drives over say 2 weeks to give the birds a rest, you may be able to get access to do some vermin/woodland work.

 

Good luck