We were in on one of the leases and had a heads up it was ours. We attended the meeting and past the shooting test. But inside the lease conditions in very small writing was the wording that explained the entire lease was not ours and that only 20 (10 Roe bucks 10 Fallow Bucks) were to be shot between 1st April and the end of October.
Needless to say as I have the estate bordering the north of the 700 odd acre block and also land to the south which bordereds their car park I was well aware of the potential cull that needed to be achieved and to then find that the bid we had put in would work out at over £100 per deer was a non starter for me!
We were asked at the interview how much we would be prepared to pay and I told them even a grand would be an insult to us. They did not let the block, as I understand it the forester still maintains it, even though he lives over an hour away, and the Fallow doe cull they had in place was about 40 beasts a year. Which with the numbers present is scratching the surface.
So that is my experience of the FC, not impressed. Oh during the interview we asked about other species of deer being present. We were told that Muntjac were thought to be in the wood but none had been taken. I asked about any other species and was told there were not any others present. I then told them a client of mine ha shot a Manchurian Sika that winter in the wood opposite. The response was that any other species would have mean contacting the FC first before shooting
yeah right at 4.00am in the morning.
I am not saying that it is like this every time with the FC, but I was not impressed at all with my first, and possibly only time of working with them.
Will be signing off now as I am packing to go away with clients.