National Game-marking Scheme

In the late 1960s, we ran a national game marking scheme involving several hundred estates where pheasants were released. The scheme provided an insight into overall trends in return rates and how releasing factors such as the date and age of birds at release might affect these returns (see Table 1). This work contributed to the development of the current pheasant releasing system. Long-term members can refer to an article by Bray in the Review of 1970.

We would like to start a new game marking scheme, which we hope will enable us to look again at the current releasing system for pheasants and if necessary to refine it. We plan to collect some simple data from a large number of pheasant shoots. Firstly, we need an accurate return rate for one or more pens on each estate participating in this study and we would get this by wing-tagging a proportion of birds released into that pen.

To test whether different releasing strategies and management account for variation in return rates between sites, we would then need to collect information about the release specific to the individual pens from which we also measured the return rate. We can then pool data from our large sample of sites and look for relationships between return rates and whatever releasing factors we collect data for.

All estates would therefore be asked for information about their rearing-field methods, releasing strategy, and about management work/effort, for example disease management, feeding strategy and predator control in relation to the study pen(s). A project officer would visit each pen on each participating estate to make assessments that require a standardised approach, for example in relation to habitat. All information will be kept confidential in a secure database.

To get accurate shooting return rates, participating estates would also need to look systematically for tagged birds on shoot days to provide an accurate estimate of the return for the pen. We realise that to tag and then look for tags on shoot days is extra work but, in return, each estate will receive a report which provides a picture of the return from the participating pen in the context of the regional and national average. We will also provide participating estates with wings tags and a tagging gun if required.

Please get involved

We anticipate that if we can involve initially around 100 and eventually perhaps several hundred estates in this study we would be able to investigate how some or all of the following specific factors tend to influence return rates of released pheasants across many sites: 

• Source of birds and strain
• Rearing field practice
• Date of release
• Poult age at release
• Predator control
• Pen medication
• Pen size and stocking density
• Pen construction
• Habitat

To get an accurate estimate of a return rate for a pen, we think participating estates will need to tag all the birds for smaller releases, say between 100 and 200, and as pens get larger, a decreasing proportion. So, for pens with in excess of around 2,000 birds, 500 would be sufficient. Participating estates would be provided with a tagging pack including a tagging training guide.

Contact Maureen Woodburn mwoodburn@gwct.org.uk if you would like to hear more and to receive a tagging pack. This survey is kindly sponsored by Solway Feeders and Roxan International.