Prepare sporting aids and equipment to support game shooting activities

This standard is about preparing sporting aids and equipment to support game-shooting activities. It relates to the activities that you undertake leading up to shoot days on a wildlife management area, including equipment and facility preparation.

This standard is aimed at those who work in game conservation in either an employed or recreational capacity, and can be applied to any area of land used for game shooting.

To meet this standard you will be able to:

• prepare shoot areas and equipment for use on the shoot -day

You will need to be able to recognise hazards in the workplace.

Your work must conform to all relevant legislation and codes of practice when carrying out this activity.

For you to fully understand the content of the standard, and the activities, it is important that you are able to understand the terms used within the standard. See Glossary for some definitions that should help you with this.

1. carry out all preparation activities safely in line with the shooting programme and relevant health and safety requirements
2. dress to provide protection from environmental conditions and to meet appropriate dress codes
3. prepare game transport and storage to a hygienic condition suitable for receiving dead game
4. ensure all transport is in a safe operating condition
5. prepare sporting aids and equipment to effectively support planned game shooting activities
6. establish gun stands accurately according to the shooting programme
7. prepare access points according to the needs of the shooting programme
8. maintain accurate records according to relevant organisational and legal requirements

1. the relevant health and safety requirements associated with preparing for shoot day activities
2. the relevant legal requirements (including nation specific) pertaining to game shooting activities
3. the purpose and requirements of the shooting programme
4. the appropriate shooting dress codes to suit shooting activities
5. the sporting aids and equipment used to support game shooting activities and how to prepare them
6. the legal requirements controlling the storage, transportation and carriage of firearms

7. the checks that need to be made to firearms and ammunition for use

8. the appropriate ammunition for the shoot and the wildlife management area

9. how the positioning of gun stands can impact on safety on shoot days

Prepare sporting aids and shooting areas to support game shooting activities for two of the following:

• driven game
• walked-up game
• flighted wildfowl
• decoying

Shooting activities – Any legal field sport involving the hunting of game with a firearm

Wildlife management area – Any area of land used for the provision of game-shooting activities

Gun – A participant in a shooting activity

Game – In this standard the term game refers to “small game”. Under EU regulations the definition of “small game” is much wider than the traditional game species and may include all or some of the following UK quarry species:

• Gamebirds – Pheasant, grey partridge, red-legged partridge, red grouse, black grouse, ptarmigan (Scotland only)
• Duck – Mallard, teal, wigeon, pintail, shoveler, gadwall, tufted duck, pochard, goldeneye, scaup (NI only)
• Geese – Pink-footed goose, greylag goose, white-fronted goose (England & Wales only) Canada goose;
• Waders – Golden plover, common snipe, jack snipe (NI only), curlew (NI only), woodcock
• Rail family – Coot (England, Wales & Scotland only), moorhen (England, Wales & Scotland only)
• Pest bird species – Woodpigeon, rook
• Mammals – Rabbit, brown hare, mountain hare, grey squirrel

Sporting aids and equipment:

• flags
• sticks
• sewelling
• communication equipment
• binoculars
• firearms