thinking of becoming a game keeper

[swompy]

ok this will be my first post. sorry for bad spelling and that sort of stuff not my thing. iv been thinking of becoming a game keeper some time in the future. i like being out doors animals wood craft all that stuff. just wonderd if anyone wood no how to go about it. when i was young i helped out with things like laming milking the goats rabbiting with ferrets shooting and on and on. if any one can help me out with this point me in the wright way it will be much thank you

bruce

 

[British Red]

Well now, start with the Natuional Gamekeepers Organisation. They have a page answering most general questions here

http://www.gamekeeperstrust.org.uk/index.html

There are two routes in mostly - being born onto an estate or studying through college courses and starting small (probably part time) and working your way up. There is a lot of competition for jobs!

If you haven't got shoot experience, I would start with NOBs

http://www.nobs.org.uk/

Red

 

[swompy]

cheers for that Red il look in to it.

 

[Buckshot]

Have a scout round your local area and see if you can help out at weekends or whatever for free to get some experience
You wouldn't believe the amount of poeple that think keepering is walking around a wood with a gun under your arm all day!
It's hard work but the best office ever.

Show commitment and estates will be interested in you. I went in through the college route not being born into an estate. worked well for me.

mark

 

[Klenchblaize]

I would definitely get some kind of college course behind you that's related. Just like farming there is more and more legislation and best practice to keep up with that I'm sure is expected of a "Modern Keeper".

As Buckshot said no more the Keeper with shotgun & mantrap to keep out those pesky would-be Bear Grylls types!

Good luck.

 

[HillBill]

Have a scout round your local area and see if you can help out at weekends or whatever for free to get some experience
You wouldn't believe the amount of poeple that think keepering is walking around a wood with a gun under your arm all day!
It's hard work but the best office ever.

Show commitment and estates will be interested in you. I went in through the college route not being born into an estate. worked well for me.

mark

I would suggest this also.

What i had to do was get experience before i could apply at college. I sent emails to all the shooting estates in Yorkshire. I ended up working on a an estate in N yorkshire for 6 months (start sept - end Feb) on roughly £75 - £100 a week, basically beaters pay, though i was provided free accommodation. Its hard work in all weathers, I was allowed to go shooting ( air rifle) but only on non shoot days and not at night when the pheasant season started.

Great fun, great folk, hard work.

 

[robin wood]

Do you still need to learn how to tug your forleock and doff your cap? I always fancied the outdoors aspect of keepering when I was a kid and used to go beating etc but I could not be happy being subservient.

 

[British Red]

How strange. I touch (rather than doff) the peak of my cap when I pass people I know. Always considered it to be a matter of good manners rather than subservience. I still hold doors and raise my hat to ladies though - I'm probably not at all PC.

The keeper on the estate I live on is certainly courteous and polite to guns. He does call them "sir". Then again its a service industry and the guns are paying upwards of a thousand pounds for a day's shooting. Equally well my staff are courteous to customers and use a formal mode of address until invited to do otherwise - thats both politeness and good customer service in some industries I find.

Red

 

[Buckshot]

Do you still need to learn how to tug your forleock and doff your cap? I always fancied the outdoors aspect of keepering when I was a kid and used to go beating etc but I could not be happy being subservient.

There's at least a weeks training on how to raise your hat when you do a college course Robin lol

 

[Wilderbeast]

How strange. I touch (rather than doff) the peak of my cap when I pass people I know. Always considered it to be a matter of good manners rather than subservience. I still hold doors and raise my hat to ladies though - I'm probably not at all PC.

The keeper on the estate I live on is certainly courteous and polite to guns. He does call them "sir". Then again its a service industry and the guns are paying upwards of a thousand pounds for a day's shooting. Equally well my staff are courteous to customers and use a formal mode of address until invited to do otherwise - thats both politeness and good customer service in some industries I find.

Red

I was always taught that if you were in a place other than your home, and not at the dinner table you should always stand up if a lady enters the room, seems no one does that anymore except from me

 

[harryhawk]

Do you still need to learn how to tug your forleock and doff your cap? I always fancied the outdoors aspect of keepering when I was a kid and used to go beating etc but I could not be happy being subservient.

A bit presumptuous Robin. I can assure you Gamekeepers are NOT subservient

Good luck Swompy. Work hard and the doors will open. Go prove yourself but it won't be easy.

Keepering skipped a generation with my Dad, who was a carpenter and my older brother became a accountant.
I Knew our local Keeper, Walt and used to help and beat whilst at school.It was a nice friendly, once a week shoot. Mid 80's I left school on a Wednesday and started as an Under-keeper on the Thursday. I was very lucky learning from a master. I went to Sparsholt for a year, 1x month at college, 3x months working on the shoot. Walt died in January aged 94.

From there I moved to a big commercial shoot, now that's a different story. Rearing 35,000 pheasant, partridge and duck. we had so many shoot days that we sometimes had 2x shoots running on the same day. VV hard work but the rewards were good.

From there I got a single handed position on a nice estate and enjoyed the freedom of working on my own.
In my keepering career I've yet to meet a subservient keeper and I'd like to see that said to one!
I was then approached by the MoD to work for them in Bird control.
14 years Keepering and Countryside management have left me with great memories.
7 Years ago I changed my position in the MoD.
Still part-time keeper, beater, picker up, tractor driver, lamper, ferreter, forrester............
All the best Harry.

 

[swompy]

thanks for the info every one. looks like il have a lot of hard work to do. even if i only end up being a helping hand il be happy. working out side on an estate or farm wood be wicked.

cheers every one

 

[lamper]

A bit presumptuous Robin. I can assure you Gamekeepers are NOT subservient

Good luck Swompy. Work hard and the doors will open. Go prove yourself but it won't be easy.

Keepering skipped a generation with my Dad, who was a carpenter and my older brother became a accountant.
I Knew our local Keeper, Walt and used to help and beat whilst at school.It was a nice friendly, once a week shoot. Mid 80's I left school on a Wednesday and started as an Under-keeper on the Thursday. I was very lucky learning from a master. I went to Sparsholt for a year, 1x month at college, 3x months working on the shoot. Walt died in January aged 94.

From there I moved to a big commercial shoot, now that's a different story. Rearing 35,000 pheasant, partridge and duck. we had so many shoot days that we sometimes had 2x shoots running on the same day. VV hard work but the rewards were good.

From there I got a single handed position on a nice estate and enjoyed the freedom of working on my own.
In my keepering career I've yet to meet a subservient keeper and I'd like to see that said to one!
I was then approached by the MoD to work for them in Bird control.
14 years Keepering and Countryside management have left me with great memories.
7 Years ago I changed my position in the MoD.
Still part-time keeper, beater, picker up, tractor driver, lamper, ferreter, forrester............
All the best Harry.

You're a lamper? AMAZING!

SO AM I! (well in name if not profession!)

 

[harryhawk]

Haha Lamper, yes I've been known to glow red late at night when traversing fields and go bang!