Highlight personal benefits for Defra: what shooting gives you is evidence

How wonderful to read the many emails you have shared with BASC for your submissions to Defra’s game shooting review. Thank you and please keep them coming.

To recap, Defra’s public call for evidence on the positive and negative impacts of gamebird rearing, release and shooting in England is open until 1 November. It covers pheasant, red-legged partridge, mallard and red grouse.

Your experience of the benefits of game shooting is valid evidence and it might come from one or more perspectives, including as a shoot or farm manager, a business owner or a participant in game shooting.

There is more detailed guidance on the BASC website, along with many more examples across all aspects of game shooting, but hopefully the following snippets on the personal benefits of shooting will inform and inspire you to get involved:

A new world for ex-servicemen and a family tradition

I have two friends who are ex-military, one of whom was on the front line in Afghanistan and, on leaving the Marines, felt rather redundant. He was also struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. I introduced them both to game shooting and it really opened up a new world to them. They made close friends and helped out weekly with the running of a shoot, which gave them purpose.

My dad is the gamekeeper, and before him my grandad, who has sadly passed away, was also a gamekeeper. It has been passed down through our family, and beating is something I have grown up with and continue to be proud to be involved in.

For me, game shooting is about far more than simply a day out in the countryside. It is about family, friendship, being outdoors and being part of a community. Over the years I have made many friendships through beating, and there is a real sense of belonging when everyone comes together to work as a team. Being outside, walking the countryside and being around nature has a hugely positive effect on my wellbeing. It gives me something to look forward to, keeps me active and provides a sense of purpose.

It is also something that is being passed on to the next generation. My daughter, who is only five years old, is already coming along with us. She joins with her friends, whose parents have been involved for years. For them this is normal life. It is what they have grown up knowing, just as I did. I hope she will have the opportunity to continue enjoying and understanding the countryside and traditions that have been such an important part of our family.

Beating for five months of the year gives me a goal to keep fit. A good example is that I had a full knee replacement at the end of April, and beating was my motivation to do all my exercises and recuperate fast, which I am delighted to say I have.

In the countryside, social events can quieten down through winter, so having the ability to meet like-minded people two or three times a week is a huge benefit.

A focus for fitness, friendship and mental health

On a broader note, I beat with a number of people in their seventies and a few in their eighties and, as it does for me, it gives them a focus to keep fit for, which in turn helps reduce the load on the NHS.

When I attend shoots, I meet a diverse and interesting group of people, often quite old and retired. Many of these people receive huge mental and physical health support through participating in shooting.

The places I visit most often have an average participant age of over 60. These folks are kept physically healthy by the exercise and mentally healthy by the support of the friends they share their time outdoors with when shooting. I, for example, used to suffer quite badly with seasonal affective disorder during the winter months.

Going out picking up with my dogs gets me out into whatever small amount of daylight we have in the depths of winter and keeps me content during those dull days.

Shooting has had a measurable, positive effect on my mental health. A day in the field helps with stress and anxiety, not just on the day itself but in the weeks leading up to it, knowing I will be surrounded by good friends in the great outdoors. In reality, there is very little other reason to be outside when it’s wet and cold in winter, unless it’s for something you are genuinely passionate about.

It gives me a sense of purpose and routine, gets me away from screens and work pressure, and has helped me through several difficult periods of my life, including a whole host of unbearable family bereavements.

Shooting is one of the very few activities that bring three generations of my family together in one place. It is the main time I spend one-to-one with my father each year – a day in the field together, side by side, in a way our normal day-to-day lives rarely allow. These are not abstract social benefits; this is specific, irreplaceable family time that would simply not exist without the shoot.

I recognise that this call for evidence is explicitly evidential and analytical rather than a straightforward vote for or against shooting, and I have tried to set out specific, personal evidence rather than simply my personal opinion.

Game shooting, properly and sustainably managed, delivers real benefits: to my own mental health and family relationships, to our local rural economy, and to the wildlife and habitat on the land I shoot and beat over. I would urge Defra to weigh this kind of grassroots, on-the-ground evidence carefully alongside all the academic and organisational submissions it will receive.

Copy your response to BASC

If you are emailing Defra, please forward a copy to me at conor.ogorman@basc.org.uk. That will help us get a daily indication of how many responses our campaign is generating, tailor our communications and guidance, and inform our response to Defra.

As I explained last week, I may come back to some of you to suggest that we use parts of your submissions among our case studies to inspire more people to come forward. I will provide another update next week. Meanwhile, visit the BASC website for more guidance and stories.

Dr Conor O’Gorman is BASC’s head of policy and campaigns. He has over 25 years of experience in conservation and land management and a keen interest in wild grey partridges.