Gamekeeper Abroad

British gamekeepers are considered the best in the world — and several have already made the move abroad, says Jeremy Hobson

- Jeremy Hobson

The 19th century rural author Richard Jefferies famously wrote of ‘The Gamekeeper at Home’ in a collection of essays chronicling gamekeeping life as it was lived in his time. The keepers he talked of were, in the main, ‘hefted’ to their area and rarely, if ever, strayed far – quite often taking over from their fathers on the same estate on which they themselves had been born.

Nowadays things are very different, and almost anyone wanting to take up a keepering life needs to be prepared to travel considerable distances to find a suitable position. Like ripples on a flight pond after a mallard has landed, they spread far and wide. While employment can often be found in various parts of the UK, there are some who decide to move abroad and accept the challenge of replicating driven game shooting in foreign climes.

One such is Lewis Rudd, who now keepers in New Zealand. Asked about the move, Lewis replied: “There were a few things that encouraged me to find a gamekeeping job abroad; the main thing was probably travelling while I’m still young but still having the opportunity to continue with my gamekeeping career.”

He said the uncertainty of the shooting industry in the UK had also played a big role. “It’s getting harder to do the job, and moving to where there are not as many limitations has made gamekeeping a lot more enjoyable for me.”