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Develop a game-shooting programme

URN: LANGWM1
Business Sectors (Suites): Game and Wildlife Management
Developed by: Lantra
Approved on: 2022

Overview

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This standard outlines the competencies required by individuals who are responsible for developing a game-shooting programme. It has been developed so that it can be applied to any game-shooting programme on any area of land used for game shooting.  

When carrying out your work you must consider the impact it will have on the environment and work towards preserving and improving habitat and biodiversity and responding to and mitigating the effects of climate change.

This standard is for those working in game and wildlife conservation who are responsible for developing a game-shooting programme and organising the tasks associated with the implementation of this.

For you to fully understand the content of the standard, and the activities it describes, it is important that you are able to understand the terms used within the standard. See the Glossary for some definitions that should help you with this.

Performance criteria

You must be able to:

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  1. establish realistic objectives for the game-shooting programme based on an analysis of the relevant information and data from records and other external sources
  2. confirm that objectives are in line with wildlife management area objectives and designed to benefit wildlife and the environment
  3. establish an outlet for the shot game
  4. determine the resources necessary to support the successful implementation of the game-shooting programme
  5. complete a risk assessment to establish guidelines to support the safe implementation of the game-shooting programme
  6. establish the roles and responsibilities of all those involved in the implementation of the game-shooting programme
  7. organise the resources necessary to maintain the hygiene of dead game for its entry into the human food chain
  8. confirm that contingency planning is in place to deal with factors that may affect the game-shooting programme, including human influences, unexpected game behaviours, weather conditions or deliberate actions to disrupt the programme
  9. confirm that the planned game-shooting programme takes account of other activities carried out in the wildlife management area, and complies with the relevant legislation, national policies, codes of practice, sector guidance and organisational requirements
  10. establish management systems to support the implementation of the planned game-shooting activities, including insurance, staff contracts, communication on shoot days, health and safety and shooting records
  11.  develop a game-shooting programme that makes best use of the area’s characteristics to provide shooting objectives, including habitat, wildlife populations, other activities, public access and rights of way and land designations
  12. communicate the requirements of the game-shooting programme to those involved in its implementation 

Knowledge and Understanding

You need to know and understand:

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  1. the data analysis techniques used when developing a game-shooting programme, in order to determine the potential return from game populations 
  2. the options available for the disposal of shot game
  3. the process of objective-setting in regard to a game-shooting programme, for example, the number of planned shoot days, the potential return from available game, the required economic return and the constraints
  4. how to plan and utilise the resources available, for example, people, transport, equipment, finance and animals
  5. the principles involved in risk assessment and its importance to the health and safety of game-shooting programmes
  6. the influence of wildlife management area objectives and characteristics, including land designations, habitat, game populations, other activities on the development of the game-shooting programme 
  7. contingency planning linked to the factors that can disrupt game shooting, and its value to game-shooting programmes 
  8. national and local regulations that control game-shooting programmes relating to the use of firearms, access to the countryside and public rights of way, animal welfare, game meat handling and the use of casual staff and volunteers
  9. the role of the relevant legislation, national policies, codes of practice, sector guidance and organisational requirements that support the implementation of a game-shooting programme
  10. how the wildlife management area objectives and characteristics can be used to optimise sporting potential
  11. how game interacts with its environment and how this behaviour can be used to optimise shooting potential
  12. public opinion regarding game shooting, how it can be influenced and how it influences game-shooting activities
  13. types and sources of insurance cover for game-shooting activities

Scope/range

Scope Performance

Scope Knowledge

Values

Behaviours

Skills

Glossary

Designations could include:

• National Park
• Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
• Special Areas of Conservation (SACs)
• Special Protection Areas (SPAs)
• RAMSAR
• Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
• World Heritage Site (WHS)
• Archaeological site
• National Trust
• Nitrogen Vulnerable Zone (NVZ)
• Drinking Water Safeguard Zones
• Scheduled Monuments (SMs)
• Listed Buildings (LBs)
• Registered Parks and Gardens (RPGs)
• Registered Battlefields (RBs) 
• Sites identified on the Historic Environment Record (HER).

Game – any legal quarry species in the nation in which the shoot takes place. The legal restrictions for shooting “game” differs in each of the four UK nations and should be checked with the relevant national authority.

Game-shooting programme
planned shoot activities covering a shooting season

Gun
participant in shooting activities

National authority controlling shooting activities:
• England – DEFRA
• Northern Ireland – NI Environment Agency
• Scotland – NatureScot
• Wales – Natural Resources Wales

Sector guidance could include:
• The Code of Good Shooting Practice
• Deer Initiative Best Practice Guides 
• Scottish Wild Deer Best Practice Guides
• British Game Alliance Shoot Assurance Scheme

Wildlife management area
Any area of land used for the provision of game-shooting activities

Links To Other NOS

External Links

Version Number

3

Indicative Review Date

2027

Validity

Current

Status

Original

Originating Organisation

Lantra

Original URN

LANGWM1

Relevant Occupations

Estates Manager, Game and Wildlife Manager

SOC Code

5119

Keywords

game; wildlife; shooting; estate