Lloyd90 Posted February 19, 2019 Report Share Posted February 19, 2019 Looking for some advise from experienced members please, I’m a member of a rough shooting club at present and we have various bits of land spread about, however a lot of it has never had much work put into it. Pending permissions from the land owners, If clubs are looking to do bits of work on patches that the farmer doesnt use, what have you found to be the most productive things to improve shooting and general diversity? Habe you found cutting clearings in woods best? Trying to plant certain things? Trying to add ponds? Adding feeders? Would appreciate input from anyone who’s done some rough shoot development Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sako751sg Posted February 20, 2019 Report Share Posted February 20, 2019 All of the above help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted February 20, 2019 Report Share Posted February 20, 2019 1 minute ago, sako751sg said: All of the above help. ....... plus time, dedication and hard graft from a team rather than an individual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted February 20, 2019 Report Share Posted February 20, 2019 All of what you wrote help. Also help to push up the rent after you've done all the work. Make sure you have a long term agreement in place if your going to Improve the sporting habitat of the land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp Posted February 20, 2019 Report Share Posted February 20, 2019 Increase cover / anything you can do to make woods warmer / more comfortable places to be will help along with game plots if thats possible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted February 20, 2019 Report Share Posted February 20, 2019 All of the above are good ideas. Is your land near any other organised shoots? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misser Posted February 20, 2019 Report Share Posted February 20, 2019 figgy is correct...I got stung in this way, you do all the work improve things and the rent goes up or someone with a fatter chequebook comes along...I was lucky enough to purchase a bit and have done all the above, most enjoyment was digging a deepish pond (few fish in it now) and a seasonal scrape that floods in winter...the increase in different species especially with the seasonal scrape is unbelievable...as chrisp says few bits of cover always help...my reasoning in creating the patch was based on habitat, food and disturbance...I might have missed other things and others may disagree but it seems to have worked so far...if theres a few keen folk doing it the rewards and satisfaction are well worth the effort...good luck...atb...misser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jall25 Posted February 22, 2019 Report Share Posted February 22, 2019 Lloyd - coppice some of the woods - this really increases diversity - stack the brash - and again homes for everything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted February 23, 2019 Report Share Posted February 23, 2019 It will depend on the habitat u already have. There is no 1 size fits all answer. Generally feeders and feeding right through till April is an easy improvement. I think feeding alone in Gwct studies increased biodiversity by about 30% alone (look at work done at Allerton project Depending on ground digging ponds might not be an option, same with coppicing great if he woods/species are suited to it not all woods are. Also farmers hands may be tied due to grant schemes or woodland management plans already in place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clodhopper Posted February 24, 2019 Report Share Posted February 24, 2019 As already stated, all of your suggestions will be of benefit. Without knowing what you do/ don’t have it is difficult to make any accurate suggestions. In general I would try to create sunny areas with cover nearby for the birds to use. This may involve thinning dense wooded areas or planting sparse areas. Feeding well into spring is beneficial but to really reap the rewards this needs to be accompanied with a good trapping regime. It will be a lot of hard work but will be very rewarding. Listen to all advice and work which bits will suit you both in terms of time and situation. Best of luck and keep us updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redogi73 Posted February 28, 2019 Report Share Posted February 28, 2019 Whatever you do good luck, sounds like exciting projects ahead, please let us know how you get on, sounds really interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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