Price of driven birds nowadays
- Thread starter foxdropper
- Start date
Ill never pay to shoot vermin, its part of the cost of one of my deer permissions. Fox before deer... youre doing the landowner a favour.Aye, but folk now charge for vermin too
How long before fox and rat guiding becomes a thing?
Have paid to shoot deer, now Im fortunate to stalk and take home the meat for a nominal fee and the usual maintenance etc.
On the small pheasant shoot I was on, it was cheap ~ £150 for half gun and most days were capped at 40birds. But a club within a club and it wasnt that friendly, now moved on.
By far the most enjoyable days sport is on the pigeons IMO.
foxdropper
Well-Known Member
The birds are ,in all fairness ,very good with mixed flushes of partridge ,pheasant and duck off a few drives .
The ducks are fed into maze flush points .
The price though is staggering .All double gun days with a long waiting list to join the loading team .
Im on it but someone has to drop out or die to move up one place closer
.
Loaders paid a proper days wage plus tips .
Been a while since Ive shot decent driven birds but the beaters day promises to be top notch .
Was a time when I wouldn’t of bothered as I’ve seen my share of driven pheasants and a day on pigeons always was my thing when they are about .
Just thought the price was horrendous having overheard the shoot captain .
The ducks are fed into maze flush points .
The price though is staggering .All double gun days with a long waiting list to join the loading team .
Im on it but someone has to drop out or die to move up one place closer
.Loaders paid a proper days wage plus tips .
Been a while since Ive shot decent driven birds but the beaters day promises to be top notch .
Was a time when I wouldn’t of bothered as I’ve seen my share of driven pheasants and a day on pigeons always was my thing when they are about .
Just thought the price was horrendous having overheard the shoot captain .
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And you may shoot none if unlucky to get on a good stand, they may all fall to a neighbouring gun but you still pay.
foxdropper
Well-Known Member
The days are prepaid .If the guns don’t shoot the bag they still pay for the agreed bag as they will have had 40 times the bag limit over their heads .
The shoot captain is very good at monitoring what’s shot and we have pulled out of quite a few drives part way through because they are fast approaching the bag .Whether anything over the bag is to be paid for on top remains unknown .
The shoot captain is very good at monitoring what’s shot and we have pulled out of quite a few drives part way through because they are fast approaching the bag .Whether anything over the bag is to be paid for on top remains unknown .
Prices are serious!! I’m a keeper but what can we do to keep the estate going?? fuel is up,pellet is up,wheat is up £100+ a tonne,gas is up,wages go up every year,posts and timber is up,wire is up,chick prices are up, beater wages go up every year. so unfortunately you can’t charge what we could 10-20 years ago ( I wish it was still the same as then though) but it’s certainly becoming a even more sport for the wealthy. I remember getting £9 for a days beating in 1990 when I was 10 and being delighted. I shot 3 days this year and it cost me £4.5k. I won’t be doing that next year even though I really enjoy it, I will be away on the deer or trying to pay for some roost shooting after the season finishes.
foxdropper
Well-Known Member
I count myself lucky not to pay for any of my shooting whether deer ,walked up game ,pigeons or vermin .
Very lucky!!
I think most commercial shoots run between £38 and £60+ per bird. It often depends whether they pay rent on all or part of the land. It's an expensive operation these days.
glasshalffull
Well-Known Member
Ours is £40 Inc vat for driven pheasants for 120 birds between 10 guns over 4 drives so reasonable enough then? Includes chef prepared lunch and drinks and interlude nibbles. Only do this three or four times a season though 
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Tf223
Well-Known Member
The price is one of the reasons I have forgone my once a season mini-driven/walked up paid day, and instead opted for a simulated game day. It also helps that bang for buck you get miles more shooting, it’s more relaxed, better weather (May), just as socialable, and less formality.
Only if caughtIs poaching not a crime?
You can see why many shoots have switched over to simulated game - and to be honest I have as well and the last few days I’ve done on simulated game have been fantastic! A very good laugh, in summer months and great targets. I know I’m they will never be the same as a full regalia driven day but it’s just not an option anymore with more and more people walking places they shouldn’t be, antis, public perception, price for birds….if no one is taking birds home and you are getting 10p or less it isn’t worth shooting them.
Agreed - with the price of driven birds going ever higher the attraction of simulated game days increases.
However I can sadly see the cost of those days rising significantly too over the coming years, given the shift away from lead.
Shooting is in danger of reverting to being "a rich man's sport".
Does the conviction rate suggest it is ?Is poaching not a crime?
It certainly is and that suits the antis as less people shooting…again, it’s another brick in the wall…I really do believe the anti’s are quite clever in that they are grinding it down slowly.
“We can’t have these toffs running about the countryside killing things for fun”
Now we have “ we can’t have lead and clay pigeon debris all over the countryside”
Next will be - “we can’t have these laser projected targets and laser beams being projected into the sky causing light pollution”
You can see why the NRA fight so aggressively in the US!
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