The Vital Role of the Grouse Moor Gamekeeper
- Rob Beeson
- 1 day ago
- 8 min read
This is a summary of an in-depth study which takes a close look at the reality of grouse moor gamekeepers in England today, revealing a role far more complex, vital, and demanding than commonly understood.
This report, the first of its kind to gather detailed information directly from the keepers themselves, paints a picture of individuals wearing many hats - from conservation managers and wildlife wardens to firefighters, educators, and even rescuers.
Forget the simple job title. The job is far from simple, and at a brief glance, its complexity might not be apparent. These aren't just people managing land for shooting; they are stewards of unique and globally important habitats, delivering significant benefits to local economies, the environment, and even public well-being.
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More Than Just a Job Title: The Many Hats of a Gamekeeper
The upland gamekeeper's fundamental role is to manage the flora, landscape, and wildlife of the moors to promote biodiversity and help wildlife, including red grouse, thrive. Unlike many other gamebirds, red grouse primarily breed successfully in the wild, making their perfect habitat crucial for their survival. Managing these habitats and legally controlling predators allows red grouse to flourish.
But this is just the starting point. The tasks and responsibilities extend far beyond habitat and wildlife management. The report title itself, Wildlife Warden, Conservation Manager, Fire Fighter, and Educator, only begins to touch on the scope of the role.
Here are just some of the diverse roles gamekeepers inhabit:
Wildlife Wardens & Conservation Managers: Their work focuses on managing habitats for biodiversity and predator control.
Fire Fighters: They manage land to reduce fire dangers and are often first responders with specialist training and equipment to fight wildfires. They even help train members of the Fire & Rescue Service.
Educators: They engage with the public, visit local schools, attend shows, and host visits to explain their work.
Rescuers & First-Aiders: Over a single year, gamekeepers helped people in distress on almost 2,000 occasions. This includes helping lost people, those needing medical assistance, or rescuing individuals.
Planners & Organisers: They are responsible for planning, managing, and monitoring various moorland activities, including habitat improvement projects and working with contractors.
Communicators: They interact with thousands of visitors, liaise with conservation organisations, wildlife trusts, neighbouring landowners, and meet with policy makers.
This broad range of duties means being an effective gamekeeper requires a wide array of personal and professional skills, alongside continuous training.
A Unique Study: Hearing Directly from the Keepers
This study is particularly valuable because it is the first to collect detailed information directly from grouse moor gamekeepers about their tasks, pressures, and impacts. It gathered data from gamekeepers on 58 grouse moors across England, a sample representing 43% of the 140 moors belonging to the Regional Moorland Groups (RMGs).
The methodology included focus groups and a detailed 13-page anonymous questionnaire. The survey respondents were highly experienced, with the majority having worked on their current moor and as gamekeepers for at least six years. Head keepers typically had over 20 years of experience. This ensured the data came from an informed and expert sample. The study also used methods like checking survey data against incident logs and accounts, and cross-referencing bird data with ornithological groups, to ensure accuracy.
The Economic Pulse of the Moor
Grouse moors generate significant economic activity, particularly vital for remote rural communities. The study found that the 58 moors surveyed have an annual expenditure of around £47 million in years when grouse shooting takes place. This doesn't even include the approximately £1.7 million paid to support staff like beaters and pickers-up.
Key economic impacts highlighted:
Expenditure with Contractors: Even in years without shooting, gamekeepers' non-shooting duties require expenditure. The 58 moors spend at least £7.4 million annually with contractors, important for often remote rural businesses.
Income for Support Staff: A driven grouse day involves many people beyond the Guns, including beaters, loaders, pickers-up, drivers, and catering staff, all of whom are paid. In a good year, the 58 moors collectively could spend up to £1.7 million on beaters and pickers-up alone. For some, especially those who might be unemployed or struggling, this money is very important.
High-Value Tourism: Grouse shooting is described as very high-value tourism. In a good year, the 58 moors generated an estimated £36.8 million from shooting fees.
Spending in Local Businesses: Guns and their partners spend money on accommodation, food, vehicle hire, and shopping. An indicative calculation suggests Guns and partners on the 58 moors spend over £1.2 million on food and accommodation alone. People involved in supporting roles (not Guns) also use local services, with an indicative spend of over £1.5 million in local pubs, restaurants, hotels, shops, and garages.
Boosting Off-Season Business: Most of this economic activity occurs outside the main tourist season, providing crucial income to local businesses in remote areas when other visitor numbers are lower.
The total projected expenditure generated by all 140 RMG moors in a good year is estimated to be as high as £121 million. This is a phenomenal figure, and the report states no other leisure activity generates a comparable impact on rural economies.
Stewards of Globally Important Habitats: Environmental Impacts
The English heather moorlands are a precious environment. This habitat, shaped by centuries of management, supports unique plant and animal communities. Gamekeepers' work is crucial to maintaining this globally important habitat.
Key environmental management activities include:
Vegetation Management: Gamekeepers actively manage vegetation using controlled burning (muirburn), mowing, and grazing. This encourages new, nutritious heather growth essential for grouse and other species, and helps prevent severe wildfires by reducing fuel loads. In a typical year, keepers on the 58 moors actively manage over 273,000 acres.
Habitat Improvement: Since 2021, the 58 moors in the study have improved over 186,000 acres, an area larger than the county of Middlesex. This includes peatland restoration and rewetting.
Bracken Control: Bracken can reduce conservation value, cause problems for agriculture and recreation, is poisonous to livestock, and can harbour disease-carrying ticks. 97% of the surveyed moors actively manage bracken using methods like spraying, mowing, rolling, grazing, and tree planting.
Predator Control: Legal control of generalist predators is essential for the breeding success of many bird species, including ground-nesting birds. Species routinely controlled include foxes, carrion crows, stoats, and weasels.
Tick Reduction: Ticks cause disease in animals and humans. Over 90% of surveyed moors work to reduce tick numbers using methods like grazing and dipping sheep, bracken management, and deer culling.
Surveying and Monitoring: All keeper teams routinely survey and monitor red grouse and other animal species. Many moors also pay external organisations like the British Trust for Ornithology to conduct wildlife monitoring surveys.
A Haven for Wildlife: Supporting Red-Listed Species
Gamekeepers don't just manage for grouse; they enable many species of waders, raptors, and passerines to thrive. They are proud of the environmental results they achieve.
The study found impressive numbers of red-listed and other birds on the surveyed moors.
Extrapolating the findings suggests that approximately 53% of the UK's curlew population and 42% of the UK's lapwing population are found on the 140 English grouse moors covered by the RMGs. Given the significant national declines in these species, the moorland management carried out by gamekeepers is evidently vital for their survival.
The report notes that many gamekeeper teams were as proud of increasing raptor numbers (like hen harriers, merlin, and osprey) as they were of producing sustainable numbers of red grouse.
Contributing to England's 30by30 Target
England has committed to effectively conserving and managing 30% of its land and seas by 2030 (30by30 target). The 140 RMG moors cover approximately 1.07 million acres, about 3.33% of England's total area. This area is nearly four times bigger than all the National Nature Reserves in England combined. A significant portion is already designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and contributes to the target.
The study's findings on the extensive environmental management and habitat improvement undertaken by gamekeepers strongly suggest that many more areas within RMG moors will significantly contribute to the 30by30 target, even beyond the SSSIs. The report recommends assessing this contribution as a matter of urgency.
The Social Fabric: Community, Well-being, and Helping Hands
Grouse moors and the activities associated with them also have notable social impacts. Regular access to green spaces like moorlands positively impacts physical and mental well-being. Millions of people visit English grouse moors annually for activities like walking, running, cycling, and bird watching.
These visitors benefit immensely from the physical and mental health advantages provided by accessing and enjoying these landscapes, which are maintained by gamekeepers' work. These benefits represent a vast, though hard to calculate, financial saving to health budgets.
Beyond recreational access, the activities surrounding driven grouse shooting foster community connections:
Community Identity: Moorland communities, often remote, have a strong rural identity tied to the land and its management. Gamekeeping and associated management are seen as fundamental components of England's historic culture.
Inter-generational Connection: Driven grouse shooting days bring together people of all ages, from young children to those over 70, in shared activity. This inter-generational contact strengthens communities.
Physical Exercise: Beaters, who form the majority of support staff, walk significant distances (averaging 12.5 miles) over rough terrain on shooting days, providing considerable physical exercise.
Combating Loneliness and Supporting the Vulnerable: Taking part in driven grouse shooting has been shown to lead to statistically lower levels of loneliness among participants and moorland community residents compared to the national average. The study found that keepers knew of people involved as support staff who were living in poverty (92 people), unemployed (244), suffering from mental illness (110), physical illness (124), or loneliness (216) across the surveyed moors. The social benefits, like exercise and inter-generational contact, are particularly important for this minority who may be disadvantaged.
Gamekeepers are a constant presence and vital resource for the public using the moors. In just one year, they helped people in distress over 1,500 times, dealing with issues ranging from getting lost to medical emergencies or vehicle breakdowns.
Challenges and Achievements
Despite their crucial work, gamekeepers face significant challenges. They are at the sharp end of conflict and abuse, which can include rural crime, social media abuse, and disagreements over land management.
The report highlights a shocking finding: on average, an upland keeper is physically assaulted every 12 days. They also spend considerable time dealing with the mess and damage left by irresponsible public behaviour.
However, the job is also deeply rewarding. When asked about their proudest achievements, gamekeepers frequently cited their environmental management work. Improving habitat for red-listed birds, increasing numbers of species like curlew and raptors, controlling predators, and producing sustainable grouse numbers were key sources of pride.
They were also proud of educating the public and liaising with conservation groups. As one keeper stated, "I think a grouse moor is the best conservation model in the world. Being part of it makes me very proud".
The Essential Role
This study powerfully demonstrates that the work of gamekeepers on English grouse moors is economically and socially valuable, and environmentally crucial. They generate significant income for rural economies, manage and improve vast areas of globally important habitat, and support the well-being of both those directly involved in shooting and the millions who visit the moors for recreation.
Their roles are diverse, demanding, and constant. They don't operate in isolation but collaborate with a wide range of organisations and individuals.
The report concludes that the work of these gamekeepers, and the substantial positive impacts they have, should be more widely known, and celebrated.
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