Dear Secretary of State,
We are aware that the campaigning group Wild Justice have recently written to you about the woodcock shooting season and requested a shortening of the open season to aid the conservation of this species. In the letter they cite GWCT research to support their argument.
The GWCT has undertaken more research into woodcock ecology and conservation than any other organisation in the UK. We do not believe that a restriction on the woodcock shooting season would help recover our resident woodcock, in the long term, for three reasons.
First, there is an indication, at a national scale, of a reduction in hunting pressure over the last 20 years, with many people deciding voluntarily that they no longer wish to shoot woodcock.
Second, a ban could remove the motivation for many landowners to manage their woods in ways that will maintain suitable habitat for woodcock. The importance of this ‘enlightened self-interest’ in delivering practical, privately funded conservation should not be underestimated.
Third, parts of western Britain have no history of breeding woodcock, but host large numbers of migrants, so shooting in these areas early in the season does not put residents at risk except during cold spells when residents might move south and west.
However, until we better understand the reasons for the decline in our breeding woodcock and the effects of shooting, we believe it is prudent for those that intend to shoot woodcock to:
1. Improve their understanding of their local woodcock populations before shooting
We advocate improving local knowledge about both the presence of resident breeders and the numbers of woodcock typically present at different times during the winter. For instance, on the east coast of Scotland the largest numbers of migrant woodcock are often present in November, whereas in southern England migrant numbers are typically highest in January.
2. Show restraint even where resident birds are absent
Restraint when shooting woodcock makes sense even in areas where there are no local breeders, because we know from our satellite tracking and annual ringing of woodcock that the majority of migrant woodcock are extremely faithful to the same wintering site year on year. Overshooting will therefore break the migratory link with a shoot and is likely to lead to fewer woodcock being seen in future.
3. Shoot flight lines with caution
We urge local caution when shooting woodcock flighting from woodland at dusk owing to a higher risk of overshooting.
4. Curb shooting in freezing weather
We have conducted research to better understand the effect of cold weather on woodcock. Every effort should be made to reduce additional mortality when woodcock are at higher risk of starvation and predation during freezing spells. We are aware that most shoots stop shooting woodcock before a statutory cold weather suspension comes into force after 13 days. Our current advice is that shooters should stop shooting woodcock after four days of frozen conditions and allow the birds at least seven days to recover after the end of the cold period before shooting recommences.
In recent years, we have been heartened by the approach that responsible shooters have taken with regard to the sustainable harvesting of woodcock and we are firmly of the view that a shortening of the shooting season would not benefit the conservation status of our resident breeding woodcock. It could, in fact, be counter-productive by removing the incentive to undertake pro-active conservation work in our woodlands. We would be delighted to discuss woodcock conservation in more detail with you if that would be helpful.
Yours sincerely
Dr Roger Draycott
Director of Advisory, Education and Gamebird Policy