Making stalking more accessible

[User00047]

How is it that we are back to comparing Victoria, Aus with the UK?
The question in this thread was how to make stalking more accessible. Giving everyone in the country unlimited access to stalking on forestry commission land for $100 a year is clearly not going to work here.
Stalking has become fashionable in the last 10years or so and we're now seeing a lot of people who want to get involved out of the blue without any other experience of the countryside.
I think we need to address the question of "who wants to make stalking available to people who are not otherwise involved with the countryside?"
What reason is there for people who have worked hard for their stalking access to want to make it easy for anyone else?
Stalking deer is not a given right. It is pretty much a luxury pastime for the folks who put in the money/effort to make it happen. Let's consider perhaps "how can we make living in mansions and driving a Bentley more accessible to people from rural communities?" Maybe for $100 a year we can all have unlimited access to stately homes and prestige vehicles!!

If you can't afford to take part in the sport, you either need to work harder to earn more money to pay for it, or put in the TIME and EFFORT necessary to enjoy the so called "free" sport. Simple as that!

 

[Lupus]

How is it that we are back to comparing Victoria, Aus with the UK?

After pointing out that the Public Forest Estate makes up a small percentage of a small percentage, and would be subjected to a huge demand for use by umpteen interest groups if it were 'open to all', our Australian cousin pointed out that Victoria also has open access for shooting in their National Parks. Despite saying he fully understands the UK situation he has obviously no clue as to what our National Parks are; basically an extra level of bureaucracy to protect the landscape from over development. Not a publicly owned area set aside for conservation and recreation.

Wolfie

 

[Jagare]

How is it that we are back to comparing Victoria, Aus with the UK?
The question in this thread was how to make stalking more accessible. Giving everyone in the country unlimited access to stalking on forestry commission land for $100 a year is clearly not going to work here.
Stalking has become fashionable in the last 10years or so and we're now seeing a lot of people who want to get involved out of the blue without any other experience of the countryside.
I think we need to address the question of "who wants to make stalking available to people who are not otherwise involved with the countryside?"
What reason is there for people who have worked hard for their stalking access to want to make it easy for anyone else?
Stalking deer is not a given right. It is pretty much a luxury pastime for the folks who put in the money/effort to make it happen. Let's consider perhaps "how can we make living in mansions and driving a Bentley more accessible to people from rural communities?" Maybe for $100 a year we can all have unlimited access to stately homes and prestige vehicles!!

If you can't afford to take part in the sport, you either need to work harder to earn more money to pay for it, or put in the TIME and EFFORT necessary to enjoy the so called "free" sport. Simple as that!

I agree with the above. When i lived in the UK i put a lot of work in to earning the stalking i had. Working in farming helped but so did all the beating and dog work. For all those that want open access to stalking in the UK, its not going to happen.
Like all pass times, if you can't afford stalking, find a cheaper hobby.

 

[Bladerunner]

Maybe for $100 a year we can all have unlimited access to stately homes!!

That's called the National Trust, and it's a little cheaper that a $100 for individual membership

 

[slider]

I was thinking more that if the public forest estate should be 'open to all' then that would include off-roaders, motorbikers, quad riders, bushcrafters, campers, paintballers, airsofters, airgunners, rough shooters, firewood scavengers, foragers; the list could go on and on.

The FC struggle coping with trying to manage forestry and recreation as it is, and that's with the relatively low impact use of walkers, horse riding, and cycling (though certain quarters of the mountain bike community are certainly anything but low impact). 'Open to all' would just be a complete mess. And just remember folks, although the FC is a large landowner/manager, the area constitutes a very small percentage of the total woodland cover in England, and that's a country with one of the lowest percentage of woodland in Europe; so it's not much ground for a lot of people and their pursuits.

Wolfie

Spot on

 

[User00047]

That's called the National Trust, and it's a little cheaper that a $100 for individual membership

I know! We have family membership.
I don't think they'll actually let me live there though