Erik Hamburger
Well-Known Member
Last year I was confronted with a situation where I found out the landowner on one of my permissions had sold the sole stalking rights to another person without telling me (I didn't have to pay), and without telling the other person, and as a result we have both been stalking the same ground happily for over a year, until the inevitable meeting/confrontation when we bumped into each other one evening. I pulled out of this permission as I felt I couldn't trust the landowner any more, in particular thinking about the safety issues.
I now work together as an amateur stalker with a professional who holds the stalking rights on another farm. The prof. has been on this ground for 10+ years and has heavily invested in time and money (high-seats, rides, etc. etc.). The prof. doesn't pay for the stalking rights but makes his money selling the venison from this and other permissions. Once again we find ourselves in a situation where the farmer/landowner has given permission to a third party to shoot/stalk the land, this is a neighbour with a nice garden who is upset that the deer have destroyed his orchard, this guy has now done the DSC1 and is in the process of getting a FAC and rifle. Currently he shoots Muntjac with a shotgun (hmm) and he has asked me if I would please shoot any badgers near his property. Yes, really. So far for the knowledge picked up from doing the DSC1
The farmer/landowner is a very kind gentleman who can't say 'No' easily but obviously hasn't quite considered the implications of his kindness. Implications for someone making his living, and safety implications. It looks as if the landowner just wants the deer controlled, by anybody, and never mind if there are two or three rifles on the ground at the same time, who may not know about each others presence.
I have not been shooting or stalking for that long so you could say I am relatively inexperienced, but the more people I meet in Stalking the more horror stories similar to this I hear, and the more I learn about how much bad practice, backstabbing, cheating, lying and betraying is rife within the stalking world. Many shooting/stalking agreements are simply sealed with a handshake, but even when there are written stalking leases in place we cannot really trust our landowners/farmers any more, sad but true.
I cannot see a solution to these issues - after all there is little point in threatening a landowner that you will take Legal action, as it would be a quick route to loosing your permission altogether. Where do we stand..is there a constructive solution?
I now work together as an amateur stalker with a professional who holds the stalking rights on another farm. The prof. has been on this ground for 10+ years and has heavily invested in time and money (high-seats, rides, etc. etc.). The prof. doesn't pay for the stalking rights but makes his money selling the venison from this and other permissions. Once again we find ourselves in a situation where the farmer/landowner has given permission to a third party to shoot/stalk the land, this is a neighbour with a nice garden who is upset that the deer have destroyed his orchard, this guy has now done the DSC1 and is in the process of getting a FAC and rifle. Currently he shoots Muntjac with a shotgun (hmm) and he has asked me if I would please shoot any badgers near his property. Yes, really. So far for the knowledge picked up from doing the DSC1
The farmer/landowner is a very kind gentleman who can't say 'No' easily but obviously hasn't quite considered the implications of his kindness. Implications for someone making his living, and safety implications. It looks as if the landowner just wants the deer controlled, by anybody, and never mind if there are two or three rifles on the ground at the same time, who may not know about each others presence.
I have not been shooting or stalking for that long so you could say I am relatively inexperienced, but the more people I meet in Stalking the more horror stories similar to this I hear, and the more I learn about how much bad practice, backstabbing, cheating, lying and betraying is rife within the stalking world. Many shooting/stalking agreements are simply sealed with a handshake, but even when there are written stalking leases in place we cannot really trust our landowners/farmers any more, sad but true.
I cannot see a solution to these issues - after all there is little point in threatening a landowner that you will take Legal action, as it would be a quick route to loosing your permission altogether. Where do we stand..is there a constructive solution?