EXMOOR BOUNCING BACK AFTER COVID YEAR

AN Exmoor shoot manager told the WMN yesterday that things were looking good for the season ahead with guns who missed days last year booked in and ready to go.

He said most shoots had rolled over bookings from last season and, with new bookings added in, many shoot diaries were full with just a few days left unsold.

Far fewer foreign guns will be coming to shoot, however. His shoot would normally expect ten teams of Americans, plus guns from Europe. This year 90-95% of those shooting will be from the UK.

He said the vast majority of Exmoor shoots had kept all their staff, even if they had been unable to run shoots last season, because of coronavirus.

But he said losses had been incurred and jobs lost in hotels and hospitality because visiting guns were forced to stay away – which would have had a knock-on effect for the Exmoor economy, which relies to a large extent on shooting in autumn and winter.

“If a shoot turnover is around £1m a year, I would say nearly £900,000 of that goes back into the economy within a 25-mile radius of the shoot – it’s all reusable money for a rural economy that needs it,” he said.

He admitted staff shortages had affected shooting this year, with many beaters and pickers up – a vital part of the team on a shoot day – unavailable, often because they were needed at their full-time jobs in other sectors.

But he said good weather meant the pheasants were in good health and the cover crops – which support wildlife as well as game birds – had thrived in what had been generally a good year for the weather. “It’s all looking good and we’re raring to get going,” he said.