Evaluation of self-regulation by the hunting community: A case study on the voluntary restraint of woodcock hunting in the UK

Abstract

Behaviour change through voluntary action can be an important approach to reducing human impacts on biodiversity. One example is self-regulation in hunting, potentially a vital contributory factor in improving the sustainability of wild bird harvest. There has been a growing realisation among woodcock Scolopax rusticola hunters, reinforced by advice from sector organisations, that components of the UK woodcock populations are declining and that some aspects of woodcock hunting, specifically timing of harvest, may contribute to these. This study utilised five qualitative and quantitative data sets, collected for different purposes, to assess the behaviour and attitudes of woodcock hunters, both currently and over the past century. In the UK, relatively few woodcock are harvested and few hunters or species-specific shoots target them. An estimated 26%–29% of lowland shoots advertise or harvest woodcock, with fewer than 5% of shoots or hunters participating in ‘woodcock specific’ shoot days. The number of birds harvested has fallen in recent years and is estimated to be between 62,000 and 140,000. Qualitative data suggests that over 90% of hunters now report shooting woodcock only after the recommended date of 1st December, or not at all. This is reflected in bag data which shows that, since 2018, fewer than 3%–13% of woodcock shot were harvested prior to 1st December. Around a third of hunters have reported stopping shooting woodcock and it is likely the harvest will decline in coming years due to voluntary restraint. This work demonstrates both through self-report data and independent harvest data that behaviour change among hunters can be effected. This provides a working example where self-regulation in response to a collective sector-led effort has the potential to conserve wild quarry.