| EXPERT ADVICE Biodiversity Assessments


n these days of ever closer public scrutiny of what we do, even well run shoots can easily be accused of bad practice. It was with this in mind that all the shooting organisations came together some 25 years ago to produce the first ever Code of Good Shooting Practice. This is a voluntary code that we can all abide by, and which demonstrates that shoots are doing things well. The newest edition will be published this summer at www.codeofgoodshootingpractice.org.uk. GWCT have been consultants to the Code from the very beginning, using the results of our scientific research to inform the conservation aspects of the Code in particular. Make no mistake, game management can have its down side. Released pheasant poults, for example, can have a significant impact on sensitive


Product review Longbow Nightvision


stalking. With this piece of kit, I can see foxes clearly at 400 yards at night and then by day I can use the scope the same as any other day scope.


The Longbow NIghtvision Gen 2 Plus gives clear vision at night and can also be used in the day. A


s a full-time gamekeeper my focus here at the Allerton Project shoot at Loddington is predator control. Gamekeepers often become surrounded by the ever-growing range of products we can use for our job, and choosing the right ones varies with individual preferences and is also highly dependent on the budget, landscape and the desired outcome. Completing a product review is therefore based on my own experience and the one product I just cannot be without at this time of year is my Longbow Nightvision Gen 2 Plus. The Longbow is a specially designed rifle scope that can be used either as a night vision


44 | GAMEWISE • SUMMER 2017


rifle scope or as a regular optical daylight scope by using interchangeable eyepieces. These can be switched back and forth as required, with no loss of the weapon’s zero. Adding to the list of positives is that it is compact in size, lightweight, waterproof, fog- proof and shockproof.


I have a matching pair of Longbow Day Scopes, as one is fitted to an FAC Air Rifle, the other my .243. I attached one to my silenced air rifle as I can control rats, rabbits, jackdaws and rooks around sensitive areas (ie. the perimeter of the village) and I then utilise my .243 for fox control and occasionally when I get the chance to go


www.gwct.org.uk/advisory


The quality and performance are outstanding, but investing from £4,200 upwards on a day scope and night module for this purpose is significant and could be seen by some as a huge drawback. However, I am a firm believer in having the right kit to do the job properly and for me the investment was the right one, and it has continued to prove its worth. The only thing I would mention is that depending on which rifle you mount the scope and unit to, the mounts can sometimes prove a little testing. Perseverance definitely pays off though and for some it won’t even be an issue.


Matt Coupe Allerton Project Gamekeeper


Shoots under scrutiny I


woodland environments, but shoots which follow the Code should have little to worry about. The Code enshrines relevant best practice; in this case the GWCT’s guidelines for gamebird releasing, and following these will result in a net conservation gain which more than balances any negative effects. To help make sure that your shoot is managed within the Code, the GWCT Advisory Service offer Biodiversity Assessment visits, so that you can be confident that you are delivering real conservation value without compromising the shoot as a whole.


More information For more information on Biodiversity Assessments go to www.gwct.org.uk/shootbiodiversity or please call 01425 651013.


Our Biodiversity Assessments help show that your shoot is managed within the Code and is delivering real conservation value.


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