gamekeeping as a career.

[contrysports]

hi i was thinking about going to bishop burton or similar collages next year to study gamekeeping but i have spoke to others who have gamekeeping and they all say its a horrible job but i think its what i want to do. also others have said its very hard to get a job in the career.

has anyone got any advice on the subject or should i start to look for a different path.

[al4x]

Its a very hard life and not a well paid one, you'll be outside which is good but under pressure to produce. So basically nothing like fun, getting in to start as an underkeeper you will forget about time off and time outside work you will spend your life on a quad for months on end. Fun to start with but a definite chore in the end as a way of life its hard but its pretty honest work. Jobs are fairly hard to come by and a lot is about who you know.

[MattSoanes]

If its your passion and its really what you want, go for it, if your good at it, doors will open and you should get a chance to start somewhere.The pay may not be the best but you live within your means.

I had the chance too be i Keeper when i first left school and foolishly turned it down, i do part time keepering (as well as a full time job) but wish i had grabbed that chance with both hands.

[keeper23]

hi, its a difficult decision, all i would say is you have to be really passionate about gamekeeping not just shooting. it is a very rewarding job at times but it can also be a nightmare. i would say try and get a trade or other qualifications behind you as it is always handy to fall back on if keeping jobs dry up or if the antis get their way like they did with the hunting ban. good luck

[matone]

Definitely get trade first !

[sitsinhedges]

I always wanted to be a gamekeeper when I was a lad and went to the local estate office for an interview when I was 16. It probably didn't help that I was known to some of the keepers as a local poacher, snares, ferrets, airguns etc that teen kids do so didn't get a start.

 

Bloody glad I didn't, the work is hard and the wages are a pittance.

[scolopax]

I know a few gamekeepers, not a bad job if single handed or head.

 

But there are some very bad bosses out there, whether manager or head keeper, who almost pride themselves in burning out new underkeepers, they know there are plenty out there to fill the vacancy so work the lads like horses until they quit, if something goes wrong it is the underkeepers fault and if it goes right they take the kudos and the tips for themsleves. Maybe a bit of scaremongering as most keepering jobs are pretty good, just be wary if the shoot has gone through four underkeepers in three years!

 

one thing I will add though is that all the keepers I know do very very little shooting, a bit of rifle work and maybe a day on a neighbours end of season day and athst is about it

[JKD]

Hi fella, don't listen to all this doom 'n gloom It's hard starting out in any proffession.

If your mind's set on it, give it a go,,,, you can allways pull out, and look back on the experience

 

Good luck !!!

[CharlieT]

Keepering is not only a job, it's a way of life. Just think about what keepering involves. It's basically fencing, rearing and feeding poultry, growing game crops and beating. For 9 months of the year the hours are dawn till dusk.

 

As has been pointed out, apart from a little rifle work most of vermin control is trapping, so don't go into it thinking you'll get to do any shooting.

 

However if you enjoy working outside, being on your own much of the time and love producing healthy spectacular birds over a good team of guns then the job is for you. Expect to get accommodation, a vehicle and agricultural wages plus tremendous satisfaction.

[cumbrian top shot]

Hi mate, If it's keepering you want to do then go for it I myself know quite a few keepers and underkeepers, I do agree with its not a well paid job and can be long hours but it depends on if you want to be a lowland keeper or upland keeper,its good to see young lads who still want to be keepers its what we need to see, whatever job you get you will always have some ******** thinking he his above you, but believe me I know lads this year who have all finished college and all got jobs if your prepared to move anywhere in the country and not one of them are wishing them they didn't do it, some of the lads I know are working on huge estates all with new house's vehicles and fairly descent wages and some of them do shoot all be it nearer the end of the season, but some people forget its not all about shooting yourself but you to provide memrobable days for paying guests,and if you get that right you will get alot of credit and make yourself known, but be praped to work in all weathers and long hours, you will do alot of vermin control with rifles etc and shotguns so go for it and ignore all the doom and gloom on here.

[contrysports]

thanks for all the replie's guys has anyone had any experiences with bishop burton or rizhome or i might consider going away to sparsholt for the better education

[cumbrian top shot]

Try Newton Rigg college in cumbria, very well run gamekeeping course I had a load of students with me burning up on the moor this year,they were from all over the country and not one of them said anything negative about it, as far as I know they all have aquired keepering jobs now.

[bignoel]

i know quite a few keepers on big and small estates that have given 10+plus years upto 30 years on there estates so it cant be all bad they dont complain nice trucks homes TIPS are excellent wages are not brill but managible [sp] else they wouldnt be doing the job they holidaysand days off of work like the rest of us they dont moan about there jobs at all . one shoot we have a mini bus load of students each week from sparshot and they dont complain only the teachers do lol , if its what you want give it a go .

[gamekeeper1960]

I do know that easton college in norfolk has a very good coures and a good reputation for getting lads onto good estates

[Keeperchris]

I can recommend Newton Rigg good guys up there and a good course. Bloody hell I left there 10 years ago!!!

[captainhastings]

Give it a go by all means why not. But it is hard work with longs hours and little money.

I remember a few times still working boxing chicks up at 2 am after starting work at 7 am the day before. Then get a few hours kip and start again.

You also get fed up of the site and smell of pheasants they look great strutting around some little wood all pristine looking but not quite so when you have hundreds in a pen.

But saying that I am glad I did and in hind site wish I had stuck with it as I was heading for a position with a cottage provided and a good future. So by all means give it a try and see what you make of it

[hillmouse]

I've been doing it 32 years.

 

Hours are long, forget lie-ins, holidays, Bank Holidays, free time and normal social life.

You probably won't get rich for the first 25 years at least.

You may be lucky and get a good Boss and good terms. There are still plenty about. Beware of instant syndicates and commercial leaseholders, not all bad by any means and there are good and bad Bosses in all areas. Sadly there are also a lot of sharks out to make a living from commercial shooting which is almost impossible unless you are the one covered in pheasant poop, or you are abusing good young keepers with long hours, poor pay and rubbish housing.

 

It needs dedication and determination to succeed. Many get by on 90% but you need to do that extra 10% to get to the top.

 

Oh, and remember a gamekeepers job is to provide sport for others, not for himself.

[Pheasant Feeder]

Although only done keepering as a hobby, it is hard work, and can be stressful, but it is very rewarding and enjoyable. From what I gather the pay isn't brilliant, and the hours are long beyond belief, but as said previously its a way of life more than just a job. If the prospect of all this hasn't put you off and you find that you are happiest working outside and find doing odd jobs like repairing fences and generally helping uncle Fred cut down a tree etc. It might be for you. Bear in mind there are many aspects, including deer management that you can find yourself getting involved in, but also I suspect that there will be a certain amount of paper work, health and safety etc.

 

Remember, If you find a job you enjoy you'll never do a days work again.

[Bleeh]

Try and do it as a college based apprenticeship, rather than a college diploma. You'll be applying to jobs with hundreds of lads with Diplomas, where as you'll have a much better chance with the personal contacts and experience from an apprenticeship.

 

The job market for keeping is ******, and the majority of lads that I know that got Game-keeping courses did so on personal contact only, rather than formal application.

Edited September 29, 2012 by Bleeh

[pippy96]

I do know that easton college in norfolk has a very good coures and a good reputation for getting lads onto good estates

 

i am currently doing my course at easton im doing Level 3 Extended Diploma in game & Countryside Management. its a good course.

[RubyTex]

I know a few gamekeepers, not a bad job if single handed or head.

 

But there are some very bad bosses out there, whether manager or head keeper, who almost pride themselves in burning out new underkeepers, they know there are plenty out there to fill the vacancy so work the lads like horses until they quit, if something goes wrong it is the underkeepers fault and if it goes right they take the kudos and the tips for themsleves. Maybe a bit of scaremongering as most keepering jobs are pretty good, just be wary if the shoot has gone through four underkeepers in three years!

 

one thing I will add though is that all the keepers I know do very very little shooting, a bit of rifle work and maybe a day on a neighbours end of season day and athst is about it

 

Exactly this. I was an underkeeper on my local shoot, did it for the love of it...however i did it part time, as in two days a week plus shoot days in season.

 

I went abroad to work as a paid gardener *** underkeeper and it was unbelievably hard. 18 hour days in 40 degree heat, waking up at 6am to go out feeding with the other underkeeper, then didn't get in till about 6pm, tea and a sit down for an hour, back out doing something or other up until it got dark...7 days a week. Usually went lamping 3/4 times a week between 1am-4am too....i'm not putting a dampener on it but that's the reality of it.

 

Now i'm back home working on my local syndicate shoot as a paid underkeeper getting more money part time than i was full time for a millionaire abroad, work that one out!

 

Best parts of it were the craic with the other underkeeper, the very rare shooting opportunities (boar ), and the extra knowledge learnt from a different head keeper.

 

I say go for it mate, got nothing to lose

[contrysports]

thank for all the advice guys i have decided to go for it but i don't know if if im making the right choice but im going to the apprentership route.

[leeds chimp]

i am currently doing my course at easton im doing Level 3 Extended Diploma in game & Countryside Management. its a good course.

 

You will know a few of the people I go shooting with then as I am looking to beat this year on the estate for Andy

Edited October 3, 2012 by leeds chimp

[pippy96]

You will know a few of the people I go shooting with then as I am looking to beat this year on the estate for Andy

 

`yeah i know Andy hes a good bloke, im not sure if i can make the dates as i will be on a larger estate

[Davyo]

Go for it, and thats form someone approching 50 this month & sitting behind a desk, dosn't get more craper than this!As others have said get a fallback trade,wish i had.