The ShootHub Podcast

This month on the ShootHub Podcast, Gemma and Avian are joined by Marcus Janssen, Managing Director at Schöffel Country. The conversation focuses on The Schöffel Countryside Awards, exploring why they were created and the important role they play in recognising those working to protect and enhance the British countryside. Marcus shares how the awards began, what the judges look for, and why celebrating good work on the ground matters more than ever.

This month on the ShootHub Podcast, Gemma and Avian are joined by Dr Conor O’Gorman, Head of Policy and Campaigns at BASC. With more than two decades at the sharp end of conservation and legislation, Conor talks through the pressures facing shooting today, from general licences and ammunition to public perception, policy changes and what shoots should be focusing on over the coming years.

This week on the ShootHub Podcast, Gemma and Avian are joined by Paul Childerley, deer stalker, shoot manager, Fieldsports Channel regular, and all-round country legend. With the season in full swing, the trio talk all things hosting: what makes a great day in the field, the small touches Guns remember, and how to strike the perfect balance between sport, food, and fun. Proudly sponsored by: St Davids Vets: https://www.stdavids-poultryteam.co.uk/ Solway Feeders: https://www.solwayfeeders.com/ Marsdens Game Feeds: https://www.forfarmers.co.uk/game-feeds/marsdens-game-feeds Treesco: https://linktr.ee/TreescoUK?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabz1B1XNyaTuPfOqU-5T-WibckDUuGZWvMAIzFHEaEfiU8Ey2RBtYszJ38_aem_uBNKIPHBLe_N8TF8celeTA Scott Country International: https://www.scottcountry.co.uk/

This month Gemma shares an episode from the GunsOnPegs Podcast, where George and Digby unpack the 2025 Game Shooting and Shoot Owner Census. The pair discuss everything from rising costs and shifting buying habits to the vital conservation work carried out by shoots. They round things off by building their dream shooting line-up of characters past, present, and fictional.

In this episode, Gemma is joined by Avian (from The GunsOnPegs Podcast) and special guest Dr Joah Madden, a leading researcher in gamebird ecology. They explore the science behind post-release survival and discuss what breeders and keepers can do to improve outcomes. The conversation also covers predator control and the wider environmental impact of gamebird releasing. Links to some of Dr Joah Madden's research: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10344-018-1199-5 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.160008 https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2656.12401

In this episode, Digby and Gemma dive into the world of Gamekeeping with Curtis Mossop as this month's guest. The three explore the steps to becoming a gamekeeper, including insights into the current gamekeeping courses and the skills they cover. They also discuss the BASC outreach programs, which are helping to bridge the gap between rural communities and the shooting world, inviting those unfamiliar with gamekeeping to engage and learn.

As we head into a brand new shooting season George and Digby delve into the results of the 2024 Game Shooting and Shoot Owner Census to answer the biggest questions in shooting: How much does a pheasant cost this year, and how does it compare to last year? What is the average bag size that guns shoot, and has that number changed over time? And, perhaps most importantly, what is the most popular fine for shooting the white pheasant?

Ross Guyton, woodland division manager at Oakbank, joins Digby and Gemma to talk all things Woodland on this month's episode. Ross shares industry insights into woodland management, the most common mistakes and misconceptions, and what you can do on your shoot to improve your woodland. Changes in government subsidies and funding mean that there are lots of exciting and new opportunities to improve the Woodland on your shoot, increase bio diversity and create new habitat for game birds and wildlife.

In this episode of the ShootHub Podcast Gemma, George and Digby are joined at the microphones by Dylan Williams.Dylan has spent his career in the shooting industry, founding the Royal Berkshire shooting school and now is heavily involved within a number of different shooting businesses and organisations. He was instrumental in the formation of British Game Assurance in 2017 and continues to have a major role to play in Eat Wild and the marketing of game to the wider public. Dylan shares some some of the latest triumphs of Eat Wild and underlines the importance of assurance to the future of shooting in the UK. He also discusses the #BackBritishGame campaign and how shoots of all sizes can support the vital work that Eat Wild carries out.Louisa Clutterbuck, CEO of Eat Wild, told us:None of this Eat Wild's would have been possible without the donations we have received from guns and shoots and I want to express our thanks to every person who shoots, be it 10 birds or 200 in a season. Your support is vital when it comes to Backing British Game as it will ensure that Eat Wild can continue to promote game as a high welfare, sustainable and free-range meat to new audiences and secure new markets in order to protect the future of shootingTo learn more about Eat Wild or #BackBritishGame, follow the links below:Eat Wild - https://www.eatwild.co/Back British Game - https://backbritishgame.co.uk/

Syndicates are the building blocks of the UK game shooting community, 45% of shoots run primarily as a syndicate. Syndicates not only provide wonderful shooting opportunities and conservation, but are often keystones in their local communities, bringing likeminded folk together to share a passion for the countryside. Sam Phillips, who runs a syndicate in Lincolnshire, joins us to discuss the joys and challenges of managing a shoot like this, and how he's managed to keep everything going despite the difficulties of the last few seasons. To complete the Game Shooting Census, click hereTo complete the Shoot Owner Census, click here

Jamie Horner, recipient of a Special Commendation at the 2019 Purdey Awards and game feed specialist at Marsdens, joins Digby and George to discuss something that all shoots, no matter what the size or style, have to think about: budgets and budgeting.The trio discuss the input costs, including feed, poult and egg prices, rent and more, and how those might shape up for the 2023/24 season. Jamie dispenses wisdom on false economies, the importance of wild bird cover crops and looking after the birds that you have.He also helps us to rate not one but two beating sounds, and shares the one thing he'd like to change about the shooting sector.

Will Horner of Cambrian Birds joins George and Digby for a chat. Will rates another listener’s beating noise and we learn what one thing he would change about shooting. George and Digby quiz Will about what smaller shoots can learn from commercial shooting operations, the challenge of producing sporting ducks, keeping exacting teams of guns happy, the Cambrian Birds breeding and rearing operation, and how to handle negative PR.