A Guide To Keeping Your Pheasants Close

On the ShootHub Podcast, host Avian put it to guest Rob Barnard about as directly as it's ever been asked - and the answer, it turns out, is refreshingly simple.

"Food, water, and being left alone," said Barnard, who runs two estates and documents the job on his YouTube channel A Gamekeeper's Diary. "That's the same for us as humans. You won't go somewhere you know you're going to get grief." Birds pushed out by relentless disturbance, he explained, will simply leave - the right stocking density and a quiet, undisturbed drive matter more than most people think.

Small Changes, Big Differences

Small tweaks can make an outsized difference. "We've only extended [the release pens] outwards by maybe ten yards," he said of two release pens reshaped this year, "but doing that has made a world of difference... it saves me hours throughout the season."

His estate has also been clearing woodland to let light back onto the floor - hard on the eye in year one, he admits, but transformative after. "I did have a big grin on my face," he said of walking newly thinned pens. "It's not just the pheasants and partridges that benefit - it's everything else."

Observation is Key

His other piece of advice costs nothing at all: sit still and watch. Whether it's an evening out for vermin control or simply observing birds in the rearing shed, Barnard treats quiet observation as core to the job, not time wasted. "Your birds will tell you most of what you need to know," he said, "as long as you're willing to sit there quietly and watch."

Listen To The Full Episode Now...

Professional gamekeeper Rob Barnard runs two estates and shares the reality behind the job on his YouTube channel, A Gamekeeper's Diary. In part one of this two part series, Rob talks about growing up on a small family shoot, the tough break into keepering, a year in Belgium, and turning down a headkeeper job in Romania. We also cover the isolation of rural work, leaning on the Gamekeepers Welfare Trust, his take on stopping birds from wandering off, and whether rearing your own poults is worth it.

LISTEN HERE