cancelling due to bad weather

lister

Well-Known Member
has any pro stalker cancelled due the this bad weather and what terms do you offer to clients
do you watch the weather forecast how soon do you cancel
cheers lister
 
Mmmm, could be an interesting thread to get some views of the professional stalkers, in particular how much notice of a cancelation. Not that I have ever booked stalking as such but would consider for something different. My concern would be if I booked for say a Saturday AM stalk, I would probably be looking at travelling some distance so would travel the day before, this would mean a B&B possibly paid up front so if the stalking was cancelled I would be out of pocket for travel & accommodation
Wingy
 
I would have thought anyone with a ounce of common sense would be looking three days in advance, take today, Wednesday we decided to leave Saturday morning,but Sunday would be ok
 
No such thing as bad weather just poor clothing I've stalked in every type of weather the one which limits things the most for any Fieldsport is FOG .
I've never been cancelled before or cancelled a shoot or a stalk ,I wouldn't expect to be cancelled for anything other than fog or illness .
norma
 
Norma, I think Scotland is possibly a little different to Northants.

I have lost a couple of days up there over the years. 70 to 80 knots of wind tends to do it. The hill is not a safe place to be in conditions when you can't stand up. And if you did get a shot off you would be allowing a good 6 inches for wind at 100 yards with a .270 if indeed you could keep the rifle anything like steady.

Better at home in front of a fire with a dram and a good movie.

I have had one of my most exciting stalks in thick fog. It was during the rut and we were navigating by roar. It was very slow, but equally exciting and ended up with a cull. Can't see how it would be possible at any other time of the year though.
 
If the weather was forecast extremely stormy and WE had to cancel the day the estate would ether refund or offer another day . If the weather looked iffy i would phone the night before and suggest that the guest changes their day . If the guest cancels due to bad weather we will try to sort out another day ( everyone has a different bad weather threshold ) . We do this for a living and do go out in all weather. just that some days may be shorter !
 
I had a guy drive from Dundee this morning to meet me at our start time of 8am , when i met him he said is it worth even going out (the weather was terrible) , he,s a very happy guy tonight , one roe doe , one red hind and a goat
I never cancel unless really foggy
 
Just as I thought Colin theres guides like yrself and theres girl guides but I hope the weathers good for our visit :D Looking forward to it .
yrs doug
 
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our electricity has been off for the last 2 days just had a bit of bad weather 100 mph+ wind cracking weather for stalking not in the slightest bit dangerous
 
I generally avoid going out in strong winds. Roe especially do not like the wind and will try to crouch somewhere rather than get out and feed. If you know where they go for shelter though it might be a diferent story...
 
I once booked into a bb, on the morning it was cancelled due to the fog dropping, i was offered a pm stalk but couldn't he then offered to take me out another time and if I did he'd knock my traveling expenses off the stalking fee. I never was asked to pay a deposit. Yeh I lost out in a bb so did he in a no stalk happening.

I'm sure if decent enough you'd offer another date if it was your land. What would happen if you where the stalker on an estate taking clients out eg you paid up front got there cancelled due to fog would estates show kindness as it could put the stalker in a difficult position. Or say tuff.

Suppose it's like asking who charges for missed shots :D
 
Depending on the ground. We had winds here the other day of over 100mph. A 30 metre shot would have been out of the question. Some places have been without electricity, therefore no chiller!
It's common sense, many places are out of the question due to rain throughout the year, no point shooting deer if it's impossible to extract the carcass.
These are not new problems and in a lot of cases, new kit, roads, etc will make it a lot easier to access land. Every Stalker will assess the situation (in their head, not in a 100 page document!] and make an educated decision. I know of no Estates that would not honour a cancelled day.
There is no place for heroes, if it's dangerous, it's dangerous! The guys working in the hills know what they are at and to be honest, it'll be a client who chickens out long before the stalker [in most cases!]
 
As others have said fog would be the only stopper in my area and it hasn't happened to me yet but I have delayed going out on the ground for it though. I have had instances of clients cancelling me because of the probability of bad weather. I have also been out in the most awful conditions with clients and culled deer successfully, which is always very satisfying.
 
I suppose you can stalk in any weather, it just depends on what you are happy to call a success rate, as stalking is not my main job, I don,t have to walk around in strong winds and heavy rain.
 
Just as I thought Colin theres guides like yrself and theres girl guides but I hope the weathers good for our visit :D Looking forward to it .
yrs doug
See you soon Doug , Ive spotted a couple of good billies lately but they are on one of the bigger hills:lol:
 
Gales, fog, blizzards can all result in days being cancelled, every estate I know of will honour any days that are cancelled, however you can't expect to hold the estate responsible for any B&B costs incurred due to any cancellation.
 
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