Starting a Game Conservation Club for Red Grouse.

Hunter21

Some of ye may know that from previous posts by me that in my area I can frequently spot red grouse in full flight.
I have pondered with the idea of starting a "Game Conservation Club" for awhile now, it will also be a gun club but only a gun club that shoots vermin, corvids, foxes and traps vermin as well.

Have any of you on here experience of starting such a club, if so how did you go about it?
Did the NARGC or any other game council help with funding in regards to would such a club be allowed the fees given to normal game clubs when they present wings of corvids and tails of foxes. I feel these small sums of money would be beneficial to our conservation clubs financials to help manage the habitat of the grouse in my area.

All help and tips appreciated

Birdnuts

Various NARGC member clubs run a couple of such projects in association with the NPWS and other conservation bodies. I think one or 2 of the posters on here are involved with these projects. Your best bet is probably to contact the NPWS/NARGC to see about getting started in terms of financing, expertise, logistics etc.

Hunter21

I looked at various websites already for info including NARGC but started this thread to get first hand information from posters on here and also to have a reference thread for the future when other people go about starting such a scheme.

snipe02

have a little book on how to start a gun club if you want to borrow it ya more than welcome, if its an affilliated club then ya can claim subsities for conservation and vermin control and habitat management and release progs but dont know how that would work with grouse

TriggerPL

Hunter21 wrote: »

Some of ye may know that from previous posts by me that in my area I can frequently spot red grouse in full flight.
I have pondered with the idea of starting a "Game Conservation Club" for awhile now, it will also be a gun club but only a gun club that shoots vermin, corvids, foxes and traps vermin as well.

Have any of you on here experience of starting such a club, if so how did you go about it?
Did the NARGC or any other game council help with funding in regards to would such a club be allowed the fees given to normal game clubs when they present wings of corvids and tails of foxes. I feel these small sums of money would be beneficial to our conservation clubs financials to help manage the habitat of the grouse in my area.

All help and tips appreciated

Can I ask why you would make it a grouse conservation club , why not try to manage the land as a club and shoot it on given days of the month that the season open .

The minute you get funding then the shooting is over and you will have what we have in Leitrim here a spill over from one mountain to another and now all the hard work being done by one group is been benefited by other .

Doing it right will bring grouse on and still enjoy the fine shooting they are . And you will run the risk of npws just taking over !

Tawny Owl

We started early this year all the signs are up and the vermin control was set up I am told the survival of the Grouse is all due to making sure you stay on top of the foxes and any other vermin 80% is the figure stated though we stopped all gun club members shooting a certain area there is a course to attend to help with the management of the Grouse and yes we did get help traps supplied but with something as big a project as this the Club will have to buy Larsen traps and any othe traps needed and most of all everyone in the Clubs backing and anyone within the area once people hear there are Red Grouse on a bog or heather area they want to see them and what do they bring with them there DOGS although ours is only starting it can be all set back with the loss of a couple of breeding pairs and you have to start all over again best of luck as there a lovely bird.

TriggerPL

Tawny Owl wrote: »

We started early this year all the signs are up and the vermin control was set up I am told the survival of the Grouse is all due to making sure you stay on top of the foxes and any other vermin 80% is the figure stated though we stopped all gun club members shooting a certain area there is a course to attend to help with the management of the Grouse and yes we did get help traps supplied but with something as big a project as this the Club will have to buy Larsen traps and any othe traps needed and most of all everyone in the Clubs backing and anyone within the area once people hear there are Red Grouse on a bog or heather area they want to see them and what do they bring with them there DOGS although ours is only starting it can be all set back with the loss of a couple of breeding pairs and you have to start all over again best of luck as there a lovely bird.

i highlighted this because although vermin has to be controlled if you cant keep sheep off the land your working on your fighting a loosing battle .
sheep will eat heather and then you have a battle for food source.
that is if that land ye working on is sheep farmers land like us

you should control the dog walking during the breeding season and then get lads with pointers in to do a count , this is a great expeirence for dog handler and dog alike .

ace86

TriggerPL wrote: »

i highlighted this because although vermin has to be controlled if you cant keep sheep off the land your working on your fighting a loosing battle .
sheep will eat heather and then you have a battle for food source.
that is if that land ye working on is sheep farmers land like us

you should control the dog walking during the breeding season and then get lads with pointers in to do a count , this is a great expeirence for dog handler and dog alike .

Sheep will help the grouse a small bit by keeping the place nice and trim and will help the grouse pick the fresh shoots and insects after they have eaten the large ones. The problem is too many sheep on a mountain and they will destroy all the vegetation which was one problem that lead to grouse decline. Contact the boleybrack project and the Irish Red Grouse Association for help and the N.A.R.G.C There is loads of groups doing conservation in one form or another.

TriggerPL

ace86 wrote: »

Sheep will help the grouse a small bit by keeping the place nice and trim and will help the grouse pick the fresh shoots and insects after they have eaten the large ones. The problem is too many sheep on a mountain and they will destroy all the vegetation which was one problem that lead to grouse decline. Contact the boleybrack project and the Irish Red Grouse Association for help and the N.A.R.G.C There is loads of groups doing conservation in one form or another.

but most farmer dont keep just a few sheep !

its boleybrack that is having the over spill onto the other side of the mountain , there trying to close off the whole mountain now , and i worrie about the effect the over population of grouse on the mountain will do in the future, a land can only hold so many birds .

have to say they are doing great work in boleybrack , we hunted the other side of boley brack with pointer and put up over 40 grouse and with the summer we had it a credit to them ,

before anyone starts giving out there were no birds shot , it was just a day of fun for us and the dogs .

ace86

TriggerPL wrote: »

ace86 wrote: »

Sheep will help the grouse a small bit by keeping the place nice and trim and will help the grouse pick the fresh shoots and insects after they have eaten the large ones. The problem is too many sheep on a mountain and they will destroy all the vegetation which was one problem that lead to grouse decline. Contact the boleybrack project and the Irish Red Grouse Association for help and the N.A.R.G.C There is loads of groups doing conservation in one form or another.

but most farmer dont keep just a few sheep !

its boleybrack that is having the over spill onto the other side of the mountain , there trying to close off the whole mountain now , and i worrie about the effect the over population of grouse on the mountain will do in the future, a land can only hold so many birds .

have to say they are doing great work in boleybrack , we hunted the other side of boley brack with pointer and put up over 40 grouse and with the summer we had it a credit to them ,

before anyone starts giving out there were no birds shot , it was just a day of fun for us and the dogs .

Yes I see your point there is every only a few 100 sheep at any one time there. I was talking to Eamonn brennan in birr this yr who is stuck in that project and he told me they started out with 4 and the lst count had 80. They are contemplating maybe shooting a few or else trying to capture and relocate a few to other projects that are being managed to help boost numbers and inject new breeding and genetics.

TriggerPL

ace86 wrote: »

Yes I see your point there is every only a few 100 sheep at any one time there. I was talking to Eamonn brennan in birr this yr who is stuck in that project and he told me they started out with 4 and the lst count had 80. They are contemplating maybe shooting a few or else trying to capture and relocate a few to other projects that are being managed to help boost numbers and inject new breeding and genetics.

i love to get a day on the whole mountain and see what there is id say they far more , we put up birds every 20 mins it was an enjoyable day

staghunter

TriggerPL wrote: »

Can I ask why you would make it a grouse conservation club , why not try to manage the land as a club and shoot it on given days of the month that the season open .

The minute you get funding then the shooting is over and you will have what we have in Leitrim here a spill over from one mountain to another and now all the hard work being done by one group is been benefited by other .

Doing it right will bring grouse on and still enjoy the fine shooting they are . And you will run the risk of npws just taking over !

agree one hundred percent with this you would find it far more rewarding if you put the effort in to keeping numbers of grouse up to a sustainable level and having a shoot on it twice during open season

ace86

Here is a link to facebook to the Irish Red Grouse Association
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Irish-Red-Grouse-Association/176710729121279?fref=ts

There is a 1 day Seminar this saturday in the grounds of ABGN Gun Club so if anyone is interested here is what the day consits of or log onto facebook for further updates.

The Irish Red Grouse Association will host a Moorland Management Day on the grounds of ABGN Gun Clubs near Goatenbridge, Ardfinnan, Co. Tipperary on

Saturday 16th February, 2013
9.15 am – 4pm

The venue is the GLENVIEW LOUNGE, Goatenbridge

The programme will consist of

• Tea/Coffee on arrival
• Short talks on heather management
• Demonstration of heather-cutting machines
• Demonstration of heather burning
• Predator Management levels
• Question/Answer session
• Light Lunch (Soup & Sandwiches)

The outdoor part of the programme will, of course, be subject to the vagaries of the weather, but this is an ideal opportunity for all Grouse Projects ( and those intending to start such Projects) to meet and discuss specific problems.

The caterers have asked to be notified on 15th February of exact numbers, so we would appreciate email Gooddogs@Ericom.net /text/phone call 00353 (0)504 31190 on Thursday, 14th Feb., 2013 of numbers from each Group who will attend.

Tom Dunne
Hon. Secretary
30/1/13

ace86

Hey just wondering has any guys been out on their grounds lately to see if they have alot of Grouse around, I'd be hoping a few extra numbers should be around with the good year we have. There is also an open day this weekend in Bolleybrack if people are interested in going.Unfortunately I can't attend myself as I have other commitments.

GROUSE OPEN DAY
The annual Open Day for the Red Grouse Project,
Bolleybrack, Co. Leitrim will take place on August
10th 2013. For further details, please contact your
County RGC Secretary