Game cover crops significantly boost farmland biodiversity by providing shelter, breeding habitats, and food sources for a variety of wildlife including gamebirds, songbirds, small mammals and insects.
Around 25,000 hectares of game cover crops are planted in the UK every year on land managed for shooting, usually as linear habitats of up to 10m width on field margins, particularly in areas where pheasant and partridge are released.
Explore our case studies and guidance on creating and managing game cover crops.
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The Monkwood Shoot had limited options for game cover crops and has provided 20 acres, mostly funded by club members.
Central to the success of the Peppering Biodiversity Project has been the creation of a 30-mile network of ‘nature highways’ via hedgerows, flower margins, winter cover strips and conservation headlands.
Game cover crops adjacent to field margins and hedgerows provide some of the biggest gains for game and wildlife. Read the advice.
Most shoots will keep a mapped record of where and when game cover crops were planted for future reference, but few record the wildlife species that were found in them.
Having actual data on the wildlife that is benefitting is not only interesting for the shoot and but it transforms the way you can communicate that value to others and could help with applications to new agri-environmental schemes and other grants such as Defra’s new wildlife rich habitat fund.
Birds, butterflies and invertebrates are key groups that benefit from game cover crops and you don’t need much resource other than time to collect high quality data. Read our advice.
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Salary/Vehicle: Circa £42,000Location: Home-based (with travel around the UK and to BASC head office)Reporting to: Deputy director of shooting and operationsClosing Date: 8 November 2026Reference: EM/OCT/2026 Role information The events manager is responsible for the successful delivery of BASC’s flagship events, which are central to member engagement, public presence, stakeholder relationships, commercial partnerships and BASC’s
Salary/Vehicle: Circa £42,000Location: Home-based (with occasional travel to BASC head office)Reporting to: Head of land and wildlife managementClosing Date: 8 November 2026Reference: HDWM/OCT/2026 Role information To lead BASC’s strategic approach to sustainable deer and mammal management across the UK, with deer management as the principal focus. The postholder will develop and implement BASC’s strategy, ensuring
