Discover Your Countryside – Gamekeeping

For centuries, gamekeeping has helped maintain some of the UK’s most precious wildlife and parkways. Employed to manage land, a gamekeeper works the open countryside to ensure there will be enough game for shooting and fish for angling. A big part of his role also involves actively managing areas of woodland, moorland, waterway or farmland for the benefit of game birds, deer, fish and wildlife.

Often employed by a landowner, today’s UK gamekeeper will often work the land within a country estate and is employed to rear and release game birds such as pheasants and partridge whilst encouraging more endangered species, like wild red grouse, onto the grounds too. Today’s gamekeeper has perfected his role so much that the very act of managing and establishing game for a shoot is somewhat of an art form, with year’s of hands-on experience needed and knowledge of a variety of wildlife, including the health of different wildlife species, key to succeeding in such a role. With the shooting seasons pre-determined in the UK, the timed preparations needed to manage a shoot also become essential.

At the start of the century, when labour was cheap, there were over 10,000 gamekeepers in Britain. Today the numbers are much lower, but nevertheless stable, with around 3000 full time gamekeepers in the UK and a around a similar number working part time. A very old profession, gamekeeping originally involved the protection of wildlife on an estate from the threat of foxes and poachers. Today’s gamekeeper however takes on a great deal more of responsibility, concerning himself more with controlling predators such as foxes, and helping pheasants, partridges, hares and grouse thrive out in the open countryside.

Managing such game wildlife often includes looking after the habitats and woods in which they live. From hedgerows to fields, to ensuring birds have plenty of food and adequate cover from predators, today’s gamekeeper involves himself so much more with his surroundings, allowing other wild birds and animals to benefit from his care too, helping to ensure a balanced countryside with plentiful wildlife.

A trade that is often learnt from their fathers and through family links, gamekeeping can be learnt through agricultural colleges and the like, but remains a job that demands round the clock attention as well as many anti-social hours.

The National Gamekeepers Organisation (NGO) works for gamekeepers and gamekeeping across the country. Part of their huge task involves promoting greater awareness of the role that gamekeepers undertake. Formed in 1997, Britain’s gamekeepers came together and set up the organisation to represent the gamekeeper, whilst encouraging high standards and promoting the benefits of such a role to the general public.

To find out more about gamekeeping and the crucial work they do for our wildlife and environment, visit the NGO’s website at www.nationalgamekeepers.org.uk where you can also find out how to become a member and learn all about the current game and wildlife issues affecting Britain today.

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