Gamekeeper job

What's it like?

You would be responsible for maintaining the area that is utilized for fishing and hunting. For your customers, you would organize activities such as recreational shooting, deer stalking, and fishing.

You would be responsible for ensuring that there is a enough supply of game such as deer as well as birds such as pheasant, partridge, and grouse for customers to shoot. In addition to this, you would work to increase the number of fish available for fishing in rivers.

The duties would change depending on the season, but generally speaking, you would:

Make preparations for and run fishing and shooting parties.

During shootings, it is necessary to hire and manage employees such as beaters in order to shoo away birds.

Maintain a record of what is shot and what is captured, as well as make arrangements for the sale of game.

Learn how to work with gun dogs and train them.

Breeding birds with the purpose of releasing them into the wild

Shooting and trapping may be used to keep predators like foxes, crows, and rats under control.

By conducting nighttime patrols of the beat area, you may protect wildlife from poachers.

Restore broken down machinery and structures, as well as clean and maintain firearms.

Clear wooded areas with smoldering heather

Collaborate with the authorities to combat illegal activities such as hare coursing and badger digging.

There is a possibility that you will also be responsible for designing strategies for the management of the wildlife and environment on a rural estate. Depending on the size of the estate, you may also be responsible for completing administrative activities and documentation connected to the estate.

You would be referred to as a river keeper or ghillie if you worked as a keeper to preserve and maintain rivers and streams as habitats for trout and salmon.

You'll need to be content working by yourself for extended stretches of time, in isolated locations, outside in all kinds of weather, and so on.

Working with weapons may be risky; you will need to have a solid understanding of health and safety precautions, in addition to a mature mindset.

Conditions of employment

Hours

Since a gamekeeper, your work schedule would typically be variable, as it would be determined by the time of year as well as the tasks that needed to be completed. You could have to put in long hours that are often unpredictable, with early beginnings, late finishes, and even work on the weekends.

Environment

You would spend the most of your time working outside in every weather condition, as well as the countryside, where you would often be in remote locations.

Travel

Because you may need to travel over big distances on a daily basis, you should probably have a valid driver's license.