Yamaha ATVs essential to conservation work on Inverness estate

The Kodiak and Grizzly models are used by head gamekeeper, Edward Jaundrell, and his team to manage the 10,000-acre estate, which is home to a healthy wild bird population of grouse and other wild birds such as golden plover and lapwings.

The estate also has a flock of 800 Blackface breeding ewes that graze the land and help protect the birds' environment. “We use the sheep to reduce tick numbers by treating them with Dysect and Crovect," said Mr Jaundrell.

"This helps to protect the birds from louping disease. Without our ATVs to reach the sheep quickly in difficult to reach parts of the estate, we would really struggle to achieve this.”

He rides the Kodiak 700 which has electronic power steering (EPS) and a winch as standard. “The Kodiak will travel far faster than I need it to. The attraction of the model for me was the automatic gearbox with low range that is perfect for the high ground here.

"It is good for the wet ground and, importantly, it is light enough to handle well and move if I get stuck. The winch is excellent and to have it as standard is a real tick in the box for me.”

The larger 700cc engine also helped when carrying feed and towing. The flock is fed during the winter months and into lambing, so many journeys are required.

“We can load the quad and a trailer so that as we feed, if our shepherd, Murdo, finds a problem ewe or lamb, we can bring them back after we have fed the rest of the flock. The Kodiak handles the weight very well and gives me the confidence to utilise the full 140kg carrying capacity and 600kg towing capacity.”

The estate is private and does not sell shooting days commercially, which means the demand for birds is significantly lower than those providing regular daily shoots.

“It is not like pheasant shooting, we don’t sell any day shoots to the public. This helps us to concentrate on our conservation work which enables the black grouse to thrive,” he pointed out.

This work also extends to helping other local farmers with crow and magpie control as part of his efforts to protect the estate and the birds.

An ongoing integrated pest management programme is continually reviewed by the team. Foxes, stoats, weasels, and rats all need to be controlled to enable the birds and other wildlife, such as hares, to thrive.

“We check traps for small predators and code compliant snares for foxes every day. This would be inconceivable without the ATVs. The bulk of our mileage is spent setting and revisiting traps, and we would not be able to maintain the balance of birds and predators on the estate without them.”

A careful balance between allowing the sheep to graze and using controlled burning helps the moorland to flourish. Mr Jaundrell described the heather as a ‘crop’ and giving it the same level of care and attention a farmer would any other forage.

“If you don’t manage heather properly, there is no food value. The birds, sheep and other wildlife depend on it, and our job is to make sure that it remains sustainable.”

To prevent overgrazing, the size of the flock is unlikely to increase as Mr Jaundrell is passionate about conserving the land and believes that controlled fires, as part of a wider conservation strategy, are essential.

“We could cut the heather, but on hot days any debris left behind is like a tinderbox. It is better to mark out an area to burn and confine the fires to that area to prevent wildfires. We don’t want to burn the moss or the seed beds of the heather.

"It is important the root systems stay intact to allow the plant to recover. The cool burning is just to reduce the size of the plant and take off the leaves.”

The heather burning finishes on April 15 to allow ground nesting birds to nest and that's when the ATVs are once again essential to monitoring this process but must not be taken on open ground.

“It is the time of year when we need to use our hill tracks only. We don’t want to risk disturbing the birds during nesting. The Yamaha machines are relatively quiet and we have planned our routes to enable us to reach the popular nesting areas quickly and easily, with minimal disruption.”

He is unapologetic about the harsh life his ATVs endure. All three are used every day, travelling through wet and challenging terrain. “We put them through pain and hell, but they just keep going," he said.

"The peat is acidic and we are constantly travelling through water, but all of our Yamaha ATVs have performed well, despite the conditions. We have superb support from our dealer, Raymond, at R and G Donald. The ATVs haven’t missed a beat and if any servicing or repairs have been needed, he has always provided us with a replacement.”

The team can cover in excess of 20 miles a day over challenging land, so comfort is an important factor when choosing an ATV. “Having an automatic gearbox is a luxury that I would not be without. We do so much hill work that it really makes a difference," said Mr Jaundrell.

"In low range, the ATV also descends very well and doesn’t pull away like some automatic machines I have experienced in the past.”

To cover the most challenging areas of the estate in the worst of the weather he fits dual wheels to the Kodiak. The suspension on the ATV can also be adjusted to allow for tricky terrain.