This book is a comprehensive gamekeeping manual for those enthusiastic amateurs who spend their spare time running a small DIY syndicate shoot, and for those who are professionally employed on a full-time basis. It shows the reader how to perform all the tasks required of the modern gamekeeper, including how to rear and release game and advises on many aspects of habitat improvement and conservation. It also covers important and sometimes controversial issues, such as public access on private land, the need for predator and pest control, and many other aspects which need to be considered by keepers, be they part-time or professional. You'll discover important information about: - The gamekeeper's calendar - Rearing and releasing methods - Safe and sensible use of veterinary medicines - Legislation and the law - Health & safety requirements - How to become a qualified keeper and the training needed. Bang up to date, this book also incorporates fascinating and interesting snippets and pictures from the past in order to show how this most traditional of countryside occupations has evolved. 'Jeremy Hobson does much in this book to apprise us all of the modern approach to keepering, from raising birds and habitat management to choosing coats and boots and training dogs. It is all here, and a fascinating read it is - both for those in the know and those who are curious to learn all about it.' Alan Titchmarsh, patron of the National Gamekeeper's Organisation