Faith, hope and clarity

As the second national lockdown forces game shoots back under tough restrictions, it is important to communicate

- Liam Bell

Local lockdowns in Wales and Northern Ireland at the start of the shooting season were followed by tiered restrictions and then the second national lockdown in England.

Lockdown worries in spring were mainly centered around payments and cash flow. The vast majority of the smaller member-run shoots in my area decided to carry on — albeit, in many cases, with a reduced number of birds. Lowering bird numbers may mean a reduction in costs, but it doesn’t necessarily equate to a reduction in workload for the people who are responsible for looking after them.

Even though game shooting is temporarily suspended, the birds and the shoot still need looking after. Thankfully gamekeeping — whether it is classed as paid work or a voluntary service — is allowed under current rules as it was in March. And the new regulations do not impose any limits on how far you can travel.

Duty

Continuing feeding is vital, both now and in the event of the current lockdown being extended into December. Birds need to be fed and it is our duty to feed them, regardless of what we think the future might hold. Failure to feed and look after them properly now would breach the Code of Good Shooting Practice.

“Drives still need to be rested even if they haven’t been touched for a month”