BACK in the late 1970s, when I started my gamekeeping career, the shooting scene was very different. Yes, there have always been those who do not agree with the sport, whether they are against tweed-clad guns or pro animal rights, but shooting has seen some seismic changes. It’s more accessible and more commercial than ever, yet operates in a world that is increasingly influenced by social media, vegetarianism, climate change, Brexit and disease.
In March, an unprecedented outbreak of avian influenza in France—where significant numbers of birds are reared—meant that it became almost impossible to source red-legged partridges and far harder to buy pheasants. With demand far outstripping supply, the cost of eggs, chicks and poults rose so sharply that many shoots had to scale back their programmes or cancel altogether. In such a perfect storm of challenges, has game shooting in the UK reached a hiatus?
When I started keepering in Nottinghamshire 40 years ago, most farms and small estates had a small shoot, employing a part- or full-time keeper to provide a few days’ shooting for the owner and his friends or a syndicate. Larger estates tended to host exclusive days for the family or a syndicate made up of friends, with the odd let day to known people.
I’m hopeful
