Gamekeeping anyone?

[Jack Merlin]

I wonder if there are many others here who do some gamekeeping in return for access to ground for hawking?

I have about 800 acres on my doorstep which I can access at any time. I managed to persuade the owners that it would suit them if they allowed me on in return for some vermin killing.

It is working really well. I have killed about 40 hoodie crows this season and had five foxes this week. I also feed the birds over winter and control rabbits and roe deer.

In return, I get unlimited access for working my dogs and flying a gos. Last year the owners dug a pond behind my house. I have fed this continually and the duck are now getting through a bucket of barley in three days!

[NightOwl]

me and a mate have just picked up 2 thousand acres. happy birthday to us.lol. in return for giving them a hand now and again with fencing, getting pens ready, help with birds when they arrive. they are putting down 14,000 birds this season. its been quite alot of work for us this season with alot of new fencing around game crop areas etc. but next season should be a bit less hectic. the shooting rights is 3,500 acres in total but they only shoot 1,500. plus they said we're welcome over the whole ground after the end of the season. october seems such a long way off. btw we're only after rabbits. :lol: :lol: :lol:

[ColdZero]

i would like to work over the summer holidays helping out a gamekeeper, but i don't know how to go about it. I need to find an estate that needs the help i suppose.
The land i have permission on let me on with my rifle, and don't care how much i shoot as just my presence scares the crow for the day (as i pointed out :lol: ) Also, all quarry goes to their cats which they readily accept. The other permission simply likes falconry, which is good because he will understand about entering on quarry and not expect too much too fast.

[Jack Merlin]

i would like to work over the summer holidays helping out a gamekeeper, but i don't know how to go about it.

You need to get on your bicycle and go and visit gamekeepers, help with beating, etc. Join BASC, lay pigeon club, and so on. In short, meet people. You could also try a Letter to the Editor of magazines such as Shooting Times, Countryman's Weekly, etc.

Be prepared to answer questions about what you've done, achievements at school, etc. I think most will want to know a bit about you before taking you on. I have had a few here which have turned out a disaster because they think they are interested, but not when it means work!<g>

[Jack Merlin]

Good for you, NightOwl, that's the way to do it! I started out leasing this ground but it made a loss as a commercial shoot. I'm told it is very difficult to make money out of a shoot. Besides, I ran a sporting agency for 15 years and really don't enjoy shooting any more. All my ground is planted up with young trees so there is a bit too much cover, but OK for a gos now there is telemetry.

I also buy in ex-layer grey partridges and use them on the pen system (some in, some out). It works very well and the birds outside get fit and wild. It has also helped to recolonize the area and there are now several pairs of wild partridges where there used to be none. Two years ago there was one covey of 20, but last year was a near disaster for partridges.

[NightOwl]

the keepers boss has leased the sporting rights off the estate for ten years and reckons it will be 3 years before he starts to show some good profit. as i said earlier there is alot to be done this 1st year but hopefully it will calm down abit from then on. seems like a real tidy bloke and knows his stuff .he's been at it for 38 years.

[Jack Merlin]

it will be 3 years before he starts to show some good profit

Well, I think he is an optimist!<g> But at least he will have some fun.

I used to make a good living off those blokes. They would work hard to produce the bird but forget about selling days. That is where I'd come in. I would produce the clients and add my percentage. Great stuff in the exploration stages of North Sea Oil. Then the accountants came in and spoilt things!<g> On top of that, the costs of entertaining foreign nationals was no longer allowed to be offset against tax. I had 32 shooting days cancelled when that change in the law came in.

The best way is to treat it as a hobby and be satisfied with modest returns. Then it is fun. Treat it like a business and it is a continual worry.

[Falcons7]

I have been very busy over the last 8 years with partridge and have an article in the resent'' Falconer''for the BFC.
I also have quite a few ducks who go through 3 fertilizer bags of food per night at the end of August then a steady bag per night through the season.I had above 500 wild Grey's per 400 acres and around 5-600 ducks per night which give me more than 1000 head of game which is more than 2 per acre.
JEFF


I wonder if there are many others here who do some gamekeeping in return for access to ground for hawking?

I have about 800 acres on my doorstep which I can access at any time. I managed to persuade the owners that it would suit them if they allowed me on in return for some vermin killing.

It is working really well. I have killed about 40 hoodie crows this season and had five foxes this week. I also feed the birds over winter and control rabbits and roe deer.

In return, I get unlimited access for working my dogs and flying a gos. Last year the owners dug a pond behind my house. I have fed this continually and the duck are now getting through a bucket of barley in three days!

[Hawkmaster]

Sounds GOOD, what you use to hawk them with? :twisted:

[Falcons7]

I work with home bred Peregrines,flying of late only imprint falcons as its falcons I need for breeding although if I was free to fly what ever I wanted it would be imprint tiercels then imprint falcons.
JEFF


Sounds GOOD, what you use to hawk them with? :twisted:

[Hawkmaster]

if I was free to fly what ever I wanted it would be imprint tiercels then imprint falcons.
May I ask why and how you fly them, gamehawks or pursuit?

[Falcons7]

All my falcons are or were game hawks as thats probably my only interest in falconry.
I prefer imprint tiercels due to there attatude,what I mean is that everyone I talk to who is looking to buy a tiercel peregrine is almost always looking for a big one and there arn't that many out there.A imprint tiercel is as big as the biggest tiercel you'll find.What I mean by that is there aggression ,they might just weigh 1lb 6 but they can't read the scales and think its 1 stone 6lb.
I've never had a imprint refuse anything I've flushed for them,I even had one kill a herron which was unplaned ,cock pheasants and mallard are all in there capabilities .I have a hat bird who killed 13 partridge in 13 flights from sometimes huge pitches and after all this at the end of the day come home and have half an hour lying down on the arm of the chair watching telly with me so I suppose the relationship between falcon and man is also greater.
Finally ,if they do make exellent game hawks I know I will breed some eyases out of them and not just hopeing I will.
Females can be a pain in there first season vocaly but that stops in there second` season and everything above is revelant to them but on a grand scale.My 1 year intermewed falcon killed a Grey Lag Goose at the beginning of the season with no help from me due to distance I was from her.I tried to put photos on here but kept coming up saying it was to big what ever that means.
Oh and there all kite trained which I have done for 10 or more years




if I was free to fly what ever I wanted it would be imprint tiercels then imprint falcons.
May I ask why and how you fly them, gamehawks or pursuit?

[Hawkmaster]

I would love to see the pictures, If you can resize them to 600 pixels wide they will work or just email them to me and I will happily do it for you? Hawkmaster@eclipse.co.uk

[Falcons7]

I don't know how to do it so I'll send them to you
JEFF

I would love to see the pictures, If you can resize them to 600 pixels wide they will work or just email them to me and I will happily do it for you? Hawkmaster@eclipse.co.uk

[Hawkmaster]

No Probs! :wink:

[Hawkmaster]

8)

[Tim Laycock]

Exellent!

[LanczSpringer]

Thats a good photo there Jeff, cracking effort from the bird ;-)

Just read your article, it was nice to read about someone putting somthing back into the nature, and showing consideration for the quarry.

My girlfirends grandparents farm is mainly dairy, and I have seen low numbers of birds on there (1 covey with about 5-7 birds), how would you sugest that I build the numbers up?
Vermin control then regular feeding?
I has a little worry that the birds could wander to the near by shoot and get blasted away or that the silage, hay, harvest etc etc could interupt the birds also?

How do they cope with the intensive farming of today?

[Falcons7]

LS, the best thing to do right now is put a feeder where the covey is seen the most.This will keep the birds there ,don't kill any is the second thing and they will breed near to the place that has been good to them,its common sence realy and vermin,kill,kill,kill
JEFF


LThats a good photo there Jeff, cracking effort from the bird ;-)

Just read your article, it was nice to read about someone putting somthing back into the nature, and showing consideration for the quarry.

My girlfirends grandparents farm is mainly dairy, and I have seen low numbers of birds on there (1 covey with about 5-7 birds), how would you sugest that I build the numbers up?
Vermin control then regular feeding?
I has a little worry that the birds could wander to the near by shoot and get blasted away or that the silage, hay, harvest etc etc could interupt the birds also?

How do they cope with the intensive farming of today?

[Rokaku]

Cracking photo ! Love the built in game carrier on the Land Rover back door.

[Moritz]

Cracking peregrine and bloody well done. You got PM.

Moritz

[Falcons7]

Thanks for that, her ''Block ''is one of the back seats!


Cracking photo ! Love the built in game carrier on the Land Rover back door.