Shoot owners across East Anglia can take advantage of a new practical advisory service to make their sport more productive and profitable.

With a third of shoots making a loss last year and higher feed and gas prices set to add more costs, there was clear potential to become more efficient.

Farmer’s son Charlie Mack, of Brown & Co, property agents with offices in Bury St Edmunds, and colleague Henry Barringer, will lead the new shooting and conservation service.

It aims to cover all aspects of shoot organisation, from design and management to environmental conservation and finance and will be tailored to any size of shoot, whether run for commercial gain or as a hobby.

“From start-up ventures needing advice on the basics such as organising contractors or cover crop placement, to well-established businesses needing to fine-tune operations by integrating environmental schemes or improving book-keeping, we can help,” said the firm’s consultant, Mr Mack.

Mr Barringer, an environmental consultant and professional deer stalker, has a keen interest in field sports and knowledge of rural grant schemes.

“We have detailed knowledge and experience across all aspects of sporting management and conservation as well as practical farming experience enabling us to deliver balanced and cohesive advice,” said Mr Mack.

“There are 1.7 million gun days being enjoyed in this area, the highest of any region in the country. However, shoot managers are having to think hard about their strategies. There is plenty of scope to help farmers and landowners improve their income and/or enjoyment from their shooting operations.”

The shooting and conservation service is backed up by Brown & Co’s agricultural business consultancy. In addition, the consultancy arm has acted for occupiers with more than 100,000 acres of land under environmental stewardship agreements, giving it unrivalled knowledge in this area, said Mr Mack.

“We also have a well established book-keeping service that can provide administrative support to commercial shoots as well as monitoring financial performance.”