I fully understand that a shoot is a business but for a gamekeeper it is a job that allows very little time for anything else, as with any job that looks after animals it is 24/7. The days are long and the work has to be done regardless of the weather or personal commitments. So this leads me onto when is there time for family?
My husband was very lucky to find me, an outdoor loving shooting riding country girl! But joking aside if a keeper was with someone that wasn’t interested in what they do when would they spend time together? And I know I’m not talking about everyone’s situation but many gamekeepers wives/girlfriends that I know are out feeding, they work their own dogs, they beat/pickup and just generally help out on the shoot giving them time with their keeper.
I fully embraced the lifestyle after not being involved in anything shooting related until I met craig at 18 and I have beat/picked up on every shoot we have been on and got involved in as many jobs as I can which was so much easier pre having kids! I have done so many days beating with the girls wrapped up warm in a carrier with their ear defenders on and to be honest it kept me sane, not only was it good exercise but it also enabled me to spend time with craig and have an adult conversation. I remember one year having Hattie on my back in a carrier and having to carry a 3 year old Olivia on my front over a rough patch in the wood and I tell you what I felt like super mum! I know this all sounds like the dream life and moments of it are however it can also be so lonely, you find yourself doing a lot on your own and it can have a big impact mentally. I have felt like the job rules our life sometimes and I have definitely resented it in those moments. I found it very difficult having Olivia mid shooting season as there was no way craig could have time off and I couldn’t be out with a newborn in the middle of winter when the weather was bad so I would spend a lot of time stuck in the house on my own. On the flip side I know craig feels like he misses out on so much due to work and being on a shoot that allows us to go out with him is so important because in the busy times it is the only way to spend time as a family. So what do you do if you cant go out on the shoot as a family?
I go back to what I first said about understanding a shoot is a business and there is some risk in having kids out on the shoot with vehicles, guns, dogs, people ect. I have always be conscious not to have them too close to the guns not only for a safety aspect when they are actually shooting but also when they are socialising as I get they have spent a lot of money to be out for a day and don’t always want to see or hear kids however I have had a lot of moments where the guns have loved seeing the girls out and will come over to speak to them but we have always been on more ‘family run’ shoots however we have moved to a shoot now that is very prestigious and I feel like its not the place to have young kids out. We are not sure how much this will affect us being able to come out behind the scenes for the arrival of birds, feeding and dogging in and it concerns me that we are going to really struggle to have family time when things get busy but only time will tell as we are in our first season here.
I write this blog just to share a few of my experiences and feelings on this life as a gamekeepers wife and hope that it can resonate with whoever is reading this and let them know they are not alone.