DOCSLIB.ORG

The Impacts of Non-Native Gamebird Release in the UK: an Updated Evidence Review

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Impacts of Non-Native Gamebird Release in the UK: an Updated Evidence Review The impacts of non-native gamebird release in the UK: an updated evidence review Lucy R. Mason, Jake E. Bicknell*, Jennifer Smart, Will J. Peach RSPB Research Report No. 66 October 2020 RSPB Centre for Conservation Science RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL Suggested citation: Mason, L.R., Bicknell, J.E., Smart, J. & Peach, W.J. (2020) The impacts of non-native gamebird release in the UK: an updated evidence review. RSPB Research Report No. 66. RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Sandy, UK. This report updates an earlier review: Bicknell, J., Smart, J., Hoccom, D., Amar, A., Evans, A., Walton, P. & Knott, J. (2010) Impacts of non- native gamebird release in the UK: a review. RSPB Research Report 40. RSPB: Sandy, Bedfordshire. *J. E. Bicknell current address: Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK. Cover images: © Mike Langman (rspb-images.com) 1 Contents List of Tables and Figures .................................................................................................................... 4 Common abbreviations ........................................................................................................................ 7 Scientific names of species mentioned in the text ............................................................................ 8 SYNOPSIS 10 1.1 Executive Summary..................................................................................................... 10 1.2 Background ................................................................................................................. 11 1.3 Methods ....................................................................................................................... 12 1.4 Results overview ......................................................................................................... 13 Ecological impacts ....................................................................................................... 13 Socio-economic impacts ............................................................................................. 14 1.5 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 15 Ecological impacts ....................................................................................................... 15 Socio-economic impacts ............................................................................................. 15 1.6 Key knowledge gaps requiring further study ............................................................... 15 1.7 Impact theme summary tables .................................................................................... 17 Table 2: Ecological impacts ......................................................................................... 17 Table 3: Socio-economic impacts ............................................................................... 22 MAIN REPORT 24 2 Background .................................................................................................................................... 24 2.1.1 Annual release of non-native gamebirds ......................................................... 24 2.1.2 The lowland game shooting industry ............................................................... 32 2.1.3 Best-practice guidelines for sustainable gamebird releasing .......................... 35 2.1.4 Impacts of gamebird releasing ........................................................................ 36 3 Review methods ............................................................................................................................. 38 3.1 Aims and scope ........................................................................................................... 38 3.2 Literature search .......................................................................................................... 38 3.3 Assessing the impacts of gamebird release ................................................................ 40 3.3.1 Quantifying the evidence for ecological impacts ............................................. 40 3.3.2 Quantifying the evidence for socio-economic impacts .................................... 45 4 Ecological impacts ........................................................................................................................ 46 4.1 Ecological impact score results overview .................................................................... 46 4.2 Game estate management .......................................................................................... 52 4.2.1 Impact summary .............................................................................................. 52 4.2.2 Background ..................................................................................................... 54 4.2.3 Farmland management ................................................................................... 55 4.2.4 Woodland management .................................................................................. 59 4.2.5 Woodland creation and retention .................................................................... 65 4.2.6 Supplementary feeding ................................................................................... 66 4.2.7 Legal predator control ..................................................................................... 68 4.2.8 Rodent pest control ......................................................................................... 70 4.2.9 Key knowledge gaps and recommendations .................................................. 72 4.3 Shooting practices ....................................................................................................... 73 4.3.1 Impact summary .............................................................................................. 73 4.3.2 Background ..................................................................................................... 74 4.3.3 Accidental shooting of non-target species ...................................................... 77 4.3.4 Direct ingestion of lead by wildlife ................................................................... 79 4.3.5 Environmental lead concentrations ................................................................. 80 4.3.6 Secondary poisoning of predators .................................................................. 81 4.3.7 Key knowledge gaps and recommendations .................................................. 83 4.4 Illegal persecution........................................................................................................ 85 2 4.4.1 Impact summary .............................................................................................. 85 4.4.2 Background ..................................................................................................... 85 4.4.3 Impacts of illegal persecution on protected species........................................ 86 4.4.4 Key knowledge gaps and recommendations .................................................. 89 4.5 Direct impacts of gamebirds ........................................................................................ 91 4.5.1 Impact summary .............................................................................................. 91 4.5.2 Background ..................................................................................................... 92 4.5.3 Browsing by gamebirds ................................................................................... 92 4.5.4 Predation by gamebirds .................................................................................. 95 4.5.5 Resource competition ...................................................................................... 98 4.5.6 Soil enrichment .............................................................................................. 100 4.5.7 Density dependent effects of pheasant releasing ......................................... 102 4.5.8 Key knowledge gaps and recommendations ................................................ 104 4.6 Disease transmission to wildlife ................................................................................ 106 4.6.1 Impact summary ............................................................................................ 106 4.6.2 Background ................................................................................................... 107 4.6.3 Diseases and parasites carried by gamebirds .............................................. 109 4.6.4 Key knowledge gaps and recommendations ................................................ 114 4.7 Impacts on predators and predation.......................................................................... 116 4.7.1 Impact summary ............................................................................................ 116 4.7.2 Background ................................................................................................... 117 4.7.3 Food source for predators and scavengers .................................................. 117 4.7.4 Impacts of gamebird release on predator abundance................................... 121 4.7.5 Predation rates: impacts on native prey species ........................................... 125 4.7.6 Key knowledge gaps and recommendations ................................................ 126 5 Socio-economic impacts ............................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Pages Farm House Oxfordshire Pages Farm House Oxfordshire
    PAGES FARM HOUSE OXFORDSHIRE PAGES FARM HOUSE OXFORDSHIRE A charming secluded Oxfordshire farmhouse set within a cobbled courtyard in an idyllic and private valley with no through traffic and within 1.5 miles of livery yard. Reception hall • Drawing room • Sitting room • Family room • Dining room Kitchen (with Aga)/breakfast room • Walk-in larder • Utility room • Cellar Ground floor guest bedroom and shower room • Wooden and tiled floors. Master bedroom with en suite bathroom • 1 Bedroom with dressing room and bathroom 3 Further bedrooms with family bathroom Staff/guest flat with: Living room • Kitchen • 2 Bedrooms both with en-suite bathrooms Separate studio Barn Guest cottage/Home office with: Large reception room • Shower room • 2 Attic rooms Gardens and grounds with fine views from the southfacing terrace over adjoining farmland • Vegetable garden • Duck pond orchard In all about 1.1 acres (with room for tennis court and swimming pool) Knight Frank LLP Knight Frank LLP 20 Thameside 55 Baker Street Henley-on-Thames London Oxfordshire RG9 2LJ W1U 8AN +44 1491 844 900 +44 20 7629 8171 [email protected] [email protected] knightfrank.co.uk These particulars are intended only as a guide and must not be relied upon as statements of fact. Your attention is drawn to the Important Notice on the last page of the text. Situation (All distances and times are approximate) • Henley-on-Thames – 5 miles • Oxford – 24 miles • Central London – 40 miles • Heathrow – 30 miles • M40 (J5) – 11 miles • M4 (J8/9) – 14 miles • Henley-on-Thames Station – 5 miles (London Paddington from 45 mins) • High Wycombe Station – 18 miles (London Marylebone 30 mins) • Rupert House School – Henley • Shiplake College • Queen Anne’s – Caversham • The Dragon School • Radley College • Wycombe Abbey • The Royal Grammar School – High Wycombe • Sir William Borlaise School – Marlow • Henley Golf Club • Badgemore Park • Huntercombe Golf Club Cellar Barn Ground Floor Barn First Floor First Floor Approximate Gross Internal Floor Area House - 591.9 sq.mts.
    [Show full text]
  • PDF the Whole
    Changes to legislation: There are currently no known outstanding effects for the Game Act 1831. (See end of Document for details) Game Act 1831 1831 CHAPTER 32 1 and 2 Will 4 An Act to amend the Laws in England relative to Game. F1 F2 [5th October 1831] Editorial Information X1 This Act is not necessarily in the form in which it has effect in Northern Ireland Textual Amendments F1 Act repealed in part (S.) (29.6.2011) by Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 (asp 6), s. 43(1), Sch. Pt. 2 (with s. 41(1)); S.S.I. 2011/279, art. 2(1)(l)(ii) (as amended by S.S.I. 2011/287, art. 2) F2 Act repealed (N.I.) (17.8.2011) by Wildlife and Natural Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (c. 15), s. 40(1), Sch. 3 Pt. 2; S.R. 2011/285, art. 2, Sch. Modifications etc. (not altering text) C1 Short title “The Game Act 1831” given by Short Titles Act 1896 (c. 14) C2 Act amended with the substitution for references to the term “game certificate” of references to a licence to kill game by Game Licences Act 1860 (c. 90), s. 6; amended (S.) by Game Laws Amendment (Scotland) Act 1877 (c. 28 SIF 4:3),s. 10 ; extended as to certain provisions by Game Licences Act 1860 (c. 90), s. 13 C3 Preamble repealed by Statute Law Revision (No. 2) Act 1888 (c. 57) C4 Certain words of enactment repealed by Statute Law Revision (No. 2) Act 1888 (c. 57) and remainder omitted under authority of Statute Law Revision Act 1948 (c.
    [Show full text]
  • Histories of Value Following Deer Populations Through the English Landscape from 1800 to the Present Day
    Holly Marriott Webb Histories of Value Following Deer Populations Through the English Landscape from 1800 to the Present Day Master’s thesis in Global Environmental History 1 Abstract Marriott Webb, H. 2019. Histories of Value: Following Deer Populations Through the English Landscape from 1800 to the Present Day. Uppsala, Department of Archaeology and Ancient His- tory. Imagining the English landscape as an assemblage entangling deer and people throughout history, this thesis explores how changes in deer population connect to the ways deer have been valued from 1800 to the present day. Its methods are mixed, its sources are conversations – human voices in the ongoing historical negotiations of the multispecies body politic, the moot of people, animals, plants and things which shapes and orders the landscape assemblage. These conversations include interviews with people whose lives revolve around deer, correspondence with the organisations that hold sway over deer lives, analysis of modern media discourse around deer issues and exchanges with the history books. It finds that a non-linear increase in deer population over the time period has been accompanied by multiple changes in the way deer are valued as part of the English landscape. Ending with a reflection on how this history of value fits in to wider debates about the proper representation of animals, the nature of non-human agency, and trajectories of the Anthropocene, this thesis seeks to open up new ways of exploring questions about human- animal relationships in environmental history. Keywords: Assemblages, Deer, Deer population, England, Hunting, Landscape, Making killable, Moots, Multispecies, Nativist paradigm, Olwig, Pests, Place, Trash Animals, Tsing, United Kingdom, Wildlife management.
    [Show full text]
  • O'er Crag and Torrent with Rod and Gun : Shooting and Fishing
    THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES ', \r . O'ER CRAG AND TORRENT 4 O'ER CRAG AND TORRENT 6un SHOOTING AND FISHING BY W. STANHOPE-LOVELL LONDON R. A. EVERETT & CO. 42 ESSEX STREET, STRAND, W.C. 1904 All Rights Reserved. CONTENTS fAGE DEDICATION 7 PREFACE - n OTTER HUNTING 13 FOOT HARRIERS 45 PSEUDONYMOUS FOOT BEAGLES - - - - 57 BADGERS ------.-. 7! GROUSE SHOOTING IN - - IRELAND OVER DOGS .105 ST. GILES' DAY II9 ON THE BORDERS OF DARTMOOR WITH THE PARTRIDGES 129 PHEASANT - SHOOTING I 4I SNIPE SHOOTING IN IRELAND 153 TROUT FISHING IN WICKLOW 165 " A RED LETTER - DAY ON THE CAMEL RIVER" 191 SEA FISHING AT ST. IVES 20$ SHEEP-DOG TRIALS 215 A SPORTSMAN'S CHRISTMAS .... 227 MY DERBY SWEEP ----... 239 ODDS AND ENDS 249 EXODUS 257 ' JOHN A. DOYLE, ESQ., J.P.D.L. AND FELLOW OF ALL SOULS COLLEGE, OXFORD THESE UNPRETENTIOUS EFFORTS ARE DEDICATED WITH EVERY SENTIMENT OF REGARD AND AS A SMALL TOKEN OF APPRECIATION OF THE MANY HAPPY DAYS OF SPORT I AND MINE HAVE SPENT THROUGH HIS INSTRUMENTALITY AND KINDNESS. WM. STANHOPE-LOVELL (Fiery Brown), Pendarren Cottage, July, 1904. PREFACE SOME of the reminiscences recorded in the following pages were originally written for Land and Water to whose editor I am indebted for unvarying courtesy and kindness and for other papers. The idea of publishing some of my recol- lections in book form was suggested in the smoking-room, after a very pleasant shoot, by some keen old friends, well known in the world of sport, who urged me to write a series of short anecdotes relating to various forms of our common pleasure, based on personal and practical experience.
    [Show full text]
  • Game Bird Farm and Shooting Preserve Programs
    Game Bird Farm and Shooting Preserve Programmatic EIS 3 - 1 Game Bird Farm and Shooting Preserve Programs FINAL PROGRAMMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT December 2001 Final PEIS Game Bird Farm and Shooting Preserve Programmatic EIS 3 - 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................1-1 BACKGROUND FOR PROGRAMMATIC EIS ...................................................................................1-1 PURPOSE AND NEED .......................................................................................................................1-2 ROLE OF FWP AND OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.............................................................1-2 PUBLIC SCOPING..............................................................................................................................1-3 Issues Raised During Scoping Period...................................................................................1-3 Wildlife ......................................................................................................................1-3 Vegetation.................................................................................................................1-3 Noise.........................................................................................................................1-3 Socioeconomic .........................................................................................................1-3 PUBLIC COMMENTS
    [Show full text]
  • Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill
    HOUSE OF LORDS Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee 20th Report of Session 2005–06 Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill Ordered to be printed 24 May and published 7 June 2006 London : The Stationery Office Limited £price HL Paper 192 The Select Committee on Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform The Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee is appointed by the House of Lords in each session with the orders of reference “to report whether the provisions of any bill inappropriately delegate legislative power, or whether they subject the exercise of legislative power to an inappropriate level of parliamentary scrutiny; to report on documents and draft orders laid before Parliament under the Regulatory Reform Act 2001; and to perform, in respect of such documents and orders and subordinate provisions orders laid under that Act, the functions performed in respect of other instruments by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments”. Current Membership The Members of the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Select Committee are: Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville Lord Dahrendorf (Chairman) Baroness Gardner of Parkes Lord Garden Lord Harrison Lord McIntosh of Haringey Baroness Scott of Needham Market Lord Shaw of Northstead Lord Temple-Morris Publications The Committee’s reports are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee are on the internet at http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/dprr.cfm General Information General information about the House of Lords and its Committees, including guidance to witnesses, details of current inquiries and forthcoming meetings is on the internet at http://www.parliament.uk/about_lords/about_lords.cfm Contacts for the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee If you have any queries regarding the Committee and its work, please contact the Clerk to the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee, Delegated Legislation Office, House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW.
    [Show full text]
  • Deer Legislation
    Introduction This guide describes the general principles of the law relating to wild deer, it is not a full description of It is therefore advisable to carry written permission that law. It is important to study the full legislation as proof of your right to be on the land. to which this guide relates (see Further Information) Practitioners need to be fully conversant with current Exemptions. An offence is not committed if the legislation in order to make informed management perpetrator did so in the belief that he would have decisions and be sure that their actions are legal. been given consent if the owner or occupier knew of his doing it and the circumstances, or he has other The following defi nitions apply: lawful authority. “Deer” means deer of any species and includes the Ownership of deer. Deer which can roam carcass or any part thereof freely are wild animals and are not owned by, or “Night” means the period between 1 hour after the responsibility of, anyone. A wild deer becomes sunset and 1 hour before sunrise the property of the landowner when “reduced into “Vehicle” includes any vehicle including aircraft, possession” i.e. killed or captured, thus a culled deer hovercraft or boat is the property of the owner of the land on which it dies, a deer killed in a road accident is the property The law specifi cally relating to deer in England and of the owner of the highway, verge or land on which Wales is contained in the Deer Act 1991(Deer Act) it falls.
    [Show full text]
  • Where to See Red Kites in the Chilterns AREA of OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY
    For further information on the 8 best locations 1 RED l Watlington Hill (Oxfordshire) KITES The Red Kite - Tel: 01494 528 051 (National Trust) i Web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/regions/thameschilterns in the l2 Cowleaze Wood (Oxfordshire) Where to Chilterns i Tel: 01296 625 825 (Forest Enterprise) Red kites are magnificent birds of prey with a distinctive l3 Stokenchurch (Buckinghamshire) forked tail, russet plumage and a five to six foot wing span. i Tel: 01494 485 129 (Parish Council Office limited hours) see Red Kites l4 Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve (Oxfordshire) i Tel: 01844 351 833 (English Nature Reserve Office) in the Chilterns l5 Chinnor (Oxfordshire) 60 - 65cm Russet body, grey / white head, red wings i Tel: 01844 351 443 (Mike Turton Chinnor Hill Nature Reserve) with white patches on underside, tail Tel: 01844 353 267 (Parish Council Clerk mornings only) reddish above and grey / white below, 6 West Wycombe Hill (Buckinghamshire) tipped with black and deeply forked. l i Tel: 01494 528 051 (National Trust) Seen flying over open country, above Web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/regions/thameschilterns woods and over towns and villages. 7 The Bradenham Estate (Buckinghamshire) m l c Tel: 01494 528 051 (National Trust) 5 9 Nests in tall trees within woods, i 1 Web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/regions/thameschilterns - sometimes on top of squirrel’s dreys or 5 8 The Warburg Reserve (Oxfordshire) 7 using old crow's nests. l 1 i Tel: 01491 642001 (BBOWT Reserve Office) Scavenges mainly on dead animals Email:[email protected] (carrion), but also takes insects, Web: www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/berksbucksoxon earthworms, young birds, such as crows, weight 0.7 - 1 kg and small mammals.
    [Show full text]
  • South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Seasons Data Book
    The South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Seasons Data Book 100th Anniversary Edition Lonnie Shafer, Author The South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Seasons Data Book 100th Anniversary Edition 100th Anniversary Edition On October 30, 1919, South Dakota held its first pheasant hunting season. The South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Seasons Data Book 100th Anniversary Edition is a commemorative issue containing season structures and statistics for each of South Dakota’s first 100 pheasant hunting seasons. The objectives of the Data Book were three fold: 1. To assemble and record the history of South Dakota’s pheasant hunting seasons in a uniform manner, and to present the material accurately in a single document. 2. To present a document worthy of honoring South Dakota’s heritage as the world’s premier pheasant hunting destination over the past century. 3. To have a useful document that will benefit the future of pheasants in South Dakota and the Midwest. October 30, 2019—The 100th Anniversary of Pheasant Hunting in South Dakota Above photo: Lonnie Shafer, the author, and Josie by Jeff Shafer. Photo on front cover: South Dakota ring-necked pheasant rooster in flight at the Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge by Tom Koerner of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (public domain photo). Photo on back cover: Pheasant chicks by Pheasants Forever. Photo next page: NEBRASKAland Magazine/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission provided the photo to create the pheasant silhouette. ii The South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Seasons Data Book 100th Anniversary Edition Lonnie Shafer, Author Tracks of the Past Leading to the Future iii Published by the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, Pierre Copyright © 2019 by the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce any part of this book in any form, except brief quotations, without written permission of the publisher.
    [Show full text]
  • Wildlife Law Volume 2: Draft Legislation
    Law Commission Wildlife Law 2: Draft Legislation Volume WildlifeWildlife Law Law VolumeVolume 2: Draft 2: Draft Legislation Legislation Law Com No 362 Law ComLaw No Com 362 No 362 The Law Commission (LAW COM No 362) WILDLIFE LAW VOLUME 2: DRAFT LEGISLATION This has been produced along with Volume 1: Report Presented to Parliament pursuant to section 3(2) of the Law Commissions Act 1965 Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed on 9 November 2015 HC 585–II Two volumes not to be sold separately © Crown copyright 2015 This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected]. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. This publication is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications. Print ISBN 9781474125796 Web ISBN 9781474125789 ID 04111508 11/15 Printed on paper containing 75% recycled fibre content minimum Printed in the UK by the Williams Lea Group on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office ii THE LAW COMMISSION The Law Commission was set up by the Law Commissions Act 1965 for the purpose of promoting the reform of the law. The Law Commissioners are: The Right Honourable Lord Justice Bean,1 Chairman Professor Nick Hopkins2 Stephen Lewis Professor David Ormerod QC Nicholas Paines QC The Chief Executive of the Law Commission is Elaine Lorimer.
    [Show full text]
  • Milestones & Waymarkers Volume
    MILESTONES & WAYMARKERS THE JOURNAL OF THE MILESTONE SOCIETY VOLUME ONE 2004 ISSN 1479-5167 Editorial Panel Carol Haines Terry Keegan Tim Stevens David Viner Printed for the Society 2004 MILESTONES & WAYMARKERS The Journal of The Milestone Society This Journal is the permanent record of the work of the Society, its members and other supporters and specialists, working within its key Aim as set out below. © All material published in this volume is the copyright of the authors and of the Milestone Society. All rights reserved - no material may be reproduced without written permission. Submissions of material are welcomed and should be sent in the first instance to the Hon Secretary, Terry Keegan: The Oxleys, Clows Top, Kidderminster, Worcs DY14 9HE telephone: 01299 832358 - e-mail: [email protected] THE MILESTONE SOCIETY AIM • To identify, record, research, conserve, and interpret for public benefit the milestones and other waymarkers of the British Isles. OBJECTIVES • To publicise and promote public awareness of milestones and other waymarkers and the need for identification, recording, research and conservation, for the general benefit and education of the community at large • To enhance public awareness and enjoyment of milestones and other waymarkers and to inform and inspire the community at large of their distinctive contribution to both the local scene and to the historic landscape in general • To represent the historical significance and national importance of milestones and waymarkers in appropriate forums and through relevant
    [Show full text]
  • Joshua Creek Ranch Boerne, Texas
    Joshua Creek Ranch Boerne, Texas Overview: Joshua Creek Ranch (Boerne, TX), a Premier Hunting Lodge and Texas Hill Country resort, is the 2018 Orvis Endorsed Wingshooting Lodge of the Year and a Finalist for the prestigious award in 2016, 2017 and 2020. Since 1990, Joshua Creek Ranch has redefined what “Hunting Lodge” means to those looking for an exceptional outdoor sporting experience complemented by luxury resort amenities. Renowned for its wingshooting, JCR is located 45 minutes northwest of San Antonio along the pristine banks of the Guadalupe River and easily accessible year-round. This Texas Hill Country paradise consistently delights guests from all over the world. JCR offers custom itineraries and unforgettable adventures surrounded by warm Texas hospitality. Lodging/Accommodations: Joshua Creek Ranch lodging reflects the western elegance of the Texas Hill Country combined with the comforts and conveniences of a modern ranch house. There’s a variety of lodging styles available to accommodate up to 60+ overnight guests (at double occupancy). The Ranch offers 19 lodge-style rooms, three private ranch houses and an exclusive 5,000 square-foot luxury home perched on a scenic bluff overlooking the Guadalupe River. All lodging is well-appointed with rustic décor and exquisite attention to detail. Spacious sleeping arrangements complemented by stylish private bathrooms and modern niceties such as complimentary wifi, satellite television, gun racks, stone patios and fire pits offer guests a comfortable retreat. Meals/Dining: Chef-prepared gourmet cuisine for lunch and dinner along with a fresh, hearty country-style breakfast are featured during the hunting season. To enhance your enjoyment while at the ranch, wild game lunches are served on the oak canopied limestone patio (weather permitting) and appetizers are served fireside before dinner during the hunting season.
    [Show full text]