National gamebag census

The National Gamebag Census (NGC) was established by the GCT in 1961 to provide a central repository of records from shooting estates in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The records comprise information from shooting and gamekeeping activities on the numbers of each quarry species shot annually (“bag data”).

They also include data on the numbers of gamebirds released each year.  Through the inclusion of data from historical game books, records for several species extend back to the early 20th century and for a few game species the early 19th century. Data on predatory species allowed by law to be controlled have also been collected systematically since 1961. The scheme is voluntary, and we are most grateful to all the owners and keepers who send in their returns at the end of each season.

The long runs of well-documented data on many predatory and game species make bag returns an important source of information on the changes in numbers killed and, by inference, on population densities. They also provide a unique historical perspective on changes in shooting itself.

Because a substantial proportion of the countryside is managed for shooting, the data potentially reflect trends in national and regional abundance for a wide range of species, many of which are poorly monitored by government schemes. It is, however, important to realise that bag data depend on effort as well as on abundance, so the interpretation of trends is not necessarily straightforward.