Arms and the woman

“I grew up around shooting and I understand that it’s part of that delicate balance which allows the countryside to thrive,” says Gareth, who previously worked for the North York Moors National Park. “However, I have spent all my career working in conservation and I know that for a lot of people being passionate about shooting and looking after the natural environment are somehow seen as mutually exclusive.”

Gareth points to the Twitter furore sparked by Chris Packham, who suggested the shooting fraternity were continuing to target lapwings despite a 53 per cent decline in numbers. As it turned out the birds are fully protected under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act, but by the time the presenter apologised many reckoned the damage has already been done.

It’s part of Gareth’s job to promote the benefits of shooting and increase the diversity of a sport which has traditionally been male-dominated.

“Take wood pigeons, whcih are listed as a pest bird in the UK. A conservative estimate puts the number in the UK at about 20 million. We have created a perfect environment for the birds to move out of the woods and onto arable crops. They have done extremely well from our growing need to feed the nation. In fact, they now have a plentiful food supply all year round.

“Harvesting them not only prevents crop damage and saves the country millions of pounds, but it also helps to manage the population to a more natural figure, while providing one of the tastiest, healthy meats, ethically sourced and wild. We think it’s vital that the next generation understand the wood pigeon debate because it really illustrates why shooting is important and is not something which should be vilified.”

The live game shooting season is just about to come to an end and won’t begin again until August and the Glorious Twelfth. However, between now and then the BASC, which runs a Young Shots scheme to encourage youngsters to take up the sport, and various other organisations are working to promote the sport.

Femmes Fatales launched in Yorkshire in 2014 as an all-girl clay shooting community. Founded by Lydia Abdelaoui and Rachel Carrie after they noticed a lack of female shooters taking part in competition, the organisation now has more than 7,000 members. As it approaches its third anniversary, the group’s founder members believe the sport is changing.

“Outside of country circles, it’s not something people know a lot about,” says Lydia who works in marketing for the shotgun cartridge company Gamebore. “To be honest, even though I have the job I do, it took me a little while to have a go, but as soon as I did I loved it.

“There are so many misconceptions surrounding the sport, women in particular are put off because they think they will experience kickback from the guns or that they need to invest in a lot of expensive equipment. It’s simply not true.”

As well as organising private shooting days, Femmes Fatales also run a series of open events throughout the year which often sell out.

“Our very first shoot took place in Brandesburton in East Yorkshire and when we put the feelers out on social media we realised that we had something pretty special,” adds Lydia. “Our membership is now spread across the country and what’s really nice is that our events cater for everyone from complete novices to experienced shots. The club is run entirely by volunteers who share a passion for the sport and who dedicate their spare time to encouraging more women to try it.

“And it seems the shooting industry is taking note. Shotgun manufacturers worldwide are now beginning to produce guns that fit the female form, led by Italian gun maker Caesar Guerini who recently introduced the Syren – a gun designed and created exclusively for women.”

According to the BASC, there has also been a rise in the number of women looking to the shooting community as a career and while the majority of places on gamekeeping courses are taken by men, the number of female candidates has shot up. It’s music to the ears of Amanda Anderson, who two years ago was appointed the Moorland Association’s first director. Previously head of communications, the mother-of-two now leads the organisation which looks after more than 850,000 acres of globally recognised heather moorland that is home to the £67m grouse shooting industry.

Before accepting the post she knew that there would be challenges ahead and one came last summer when a former RSPB conservation director led an online petition for an outright ban on driven grouse shooting. Dr Mark Avery claimed that because the sport is reliant on intensive habitat management, it damages protected wildlife sites, increases water pollution and flood risk and fuels greenhouse gas emissions.

As the number of signatures on the petition increased, Amanda, who had grown up on the edge of the moors in Scotland, took a deep breath and became the key witness for the defence.

“It’s probably because of shooting that we still have the heather moorlands we do. They are rarer than rainforest and yet three-quarters of the world’s remaining moorland is in Britain. We’re all a bit blasé about it because we see quite a lot of it, but it’s very rare and we did almost lose it.

“When there was a food shortage at the end of the Second World War, the Government looked at what they thought was effectively a wasteland and thought: ‘We could put some sheep on there’. Lots of sheep. It was a disaster. Much of the peat moorlands, which we now know play a vital role in storing carbon, were drained and about 200,000 acres were lost.

“More recently we have been working to turn back the clock and the shooting industry is part of that. The two main elements of grouse moor management are heather burning and predator control. The burning creates the different heights of heather each pair of grouse needs: short heather to eat, long heather to hide and nest in, and open bits to sunbathe and dry off in.

“Research has shown that keeping predators down gives all of the moor’s ground-nesting birds a three and a half times better chance of fledging their young, which leads to populations of curlew, lapwing, golden plover and other waders being up to five times more abundant.”

Amanda says that fearing they were being unfairly targeted for criticism many of those involved in the shooting industry went to ground and the sport has been seen as off limits to many.

“That’s what we want to change,” says Gareth. “It is possible for someone to shoot quarry and care for and benefit natural habitats at the same time. I know because I am one of them. If it were ever to be banned vast areas would eventually disappear under forestry and bracken. Surely no one wants that.”

• For more details about Femmes Fatales go to femme-fatales.co.uk. The Gamekeepers Welfare Trust will be at Swinton Park, near Masham, on March 28 and for more information about the British Association of Shooting and Conservation go to basc.org.uk