THE PRETEND KEEPER

[Foxyboy43]

I have 16 members and it’s stand one / beat one, unless you are my guest, then you will stand all day and it’s free
They pay £550 and get 8 days, normally about 6 drives in the day, I’ve got between 4 and 6 really good drives depending on what part of the season we are in and the other drivers are smaller but fill the day in nicely
We aim for between 40/50 bird days, I don’t know of anywhere else around here that can offer shooting like this for that money, I’ve got a list as long an my arm of people who want to join

Sounds idyllic and excellent value too.

 

[Scotty99]

In the good old days before COVID we used to put down 800 birds and for full gun it would be £800, half that for a half gun. We would have 8 full gun equivalents and would shoot 8 or 9 days with a walk around on 1st Feb. We used to shoot on a good day about 30 birds, numbers shot was more dependent on the quality of the shooting rather then the number of birds shown.

Due to excessive costs last year we put down 300 and to be honest didn’t shoot many, lucky to get into double figures most days. They were just not holding, hence my earlier post.

We are putting in a lot of work this summer building extra scratchers, putting out more feeders and building as much artificial cover as we can from fallen tress and branches. We are hopefully going to put 500 down this year depending on how the cost of poults, pellets and grain goes.

 

[stavross]

Sounds idyllic and excellent value too.

Sounds idyllic, but you want to try putting up with them I was very close to rapping in at the end of last season, then at the end of season shoot dinner they gave me a massive tip/bribe

 

[jall55]

In the good old days before COVID we used to put down 800 birds and for full gun it would be £800, half that for a half gun. We would have 8 full gun equivalents and would shoot 8 or 9 days with a walk around on 1st Feb. We used to shoot on a good day about 30 birds, numbers shot was more dependent on the quality of the shooting rather then the number of birds shown.

Due to excessive costs last year we put down 300 and to be honest didn’t shoot many, lucky to get into double figures most days. They were just not holding, hence my earlier post.

We are putting in a lot of work this summer building extra scratchers, putting out more feeders and building as much artificial cover as we can from fallen tress and branches. We are hopefully going to put 500 down this year depending on how the cost of poults, pellets and grain goes.

Hi Scotty
Rather than building - may i suggest you chop -,and chop hard - Get the trees on the deck - get some coppice stools going - Get some sun into the woods

 

[Scotty99]

Hi Scotty
Rather than building - may i suggest you chop -,and chop hard - Get the tress on the deck - get some coppice stools going - Get some sun into the woods

Would love to, in order to get some sunny glades and to get the cover going, but the landowner doesn’t want it done. Hence the fall back option of making artificial cover. Remains to be seen how this will work. There are however a lot of deer and they browse the cover quite heavily. We are working hard on the deer numbers.

 

[jall55]

Would love to, in order to get some sunny glades and to get the cover going, but the landowner doesn’t want it done. Hence the fall back option of making artificial cover. Remains to be seen how this will work. There are however a lot of deer and they browse the cover quite heavily. We are working hard on the deer numbers.

Thats a shame buddy - If he saw the difference it makes to a wood im sure he would be all for it

 

[User00053]

Sounds idyllic, but you want to try putting up with them I was very close to rapping in at the end of last season, then at the end of season shoot dinner they gave me a massive tip/bribe

Bribery a big help all a bit of a lottery and really about like minded people who can get on and the pecking order imaginary or otherwise, right place wrong people , right people wrong place, but when it gels brilliant soo worth it.
All about people, keep going and see what other inducements are offered as a token of appreciation

 

[foxhunter]

Bribery a big help all a bit of a lottery and really about like minded people who can get on and the pecking order imaginary or otherwise, right place wrong people , right people wrong place, but when it gels brilliant soo worth it.
All about people, keep going and see what other inducements are offered as a token of appreciation

That's the hard part getting like minded people .
Every shoot I've been involved with always has a few knackers but that's life.
Jacked my last shoot as it's too tieing plus driven pheasants don't interest me at all rather go rough shooting and shoot them up the ass

 

[User00053]

That's the hard part getting like minded people .
Every shoot I've been involved with always has a few knackers but that's life.
Jacked my last shoot as it's too tieing plus driven pheasants don't interest me at all rather go rough shooting and shoot them up the ass

Only ever joined one and paid money and that was when keeper/ stalker upt north as shotgun hardly got used bar fox drives and was tempted by woodcock and duck, work for the dogs, and a bunch of great people I mostly knew and alcohol.. No desire to shoot driven pheasants and regarded them as vermin and kind of still do no disrespect to those who work with and shoot or produce them for others.

 

[willowbank]

I’ve been told between £5.50 and £6 but like everything it depends on energy costs closer to the time, the lad we get them from now only supplies small syndicates so it’s on a much smaller scale, hopefully we can keep the members fees the same because at the minute they are paying a little under £70 a day

£6.50 for poults this year here in Kent...... little tip, paint the IBC tank black it sure cuts down the alge etc and flushing is easier. No answer for the Squizzers except a .22 from a seat over a feeder, good couple of hours sport

Willowbank.

 

[stavross]

£6.50 for poults this year here in Kent...... little tip, paint the IBC tank black it sure cuts down the alge etc and flushing is easier. No answer for the Squizzers except a .22 from a seat over a feeder, good couple of hours sport

Willowbank.

I had tarps over them but the squizzers still chew everything, a kind chap has given me a cracking bit of advice to use silage rap

 

[jall55]

£6.50 for poults this year here in Kent...... little tip, paint the IBC tank black it sure cuts down the alge etc and flushing is easier. No answer for the Squizzers except a .22 from a seat over a feeder, good couple of hours sport

Willowbank.

Good tip Willowbank - but an even better one is buy the covers - they are only a few quid and do a better job and last longer too

 

[jall55]

That's the hard part getting like minded people .
Every shoot I've been involved with always has a few knackers but that's life.
Jacked my last shoot as it's too tieing plus driven pheasants don't interest me at all rather go rough shooting and shoot them up the ass

Yeah we are very lucky and a good 80 percent of guns and perhaps half the beaters join us with shoot work parties - days out at the footy - clay shoots - bowling etc
Sometimes it knowing when to bite your lip and when to bite full on.
Afterall - to us its just a hobby but an all encompassing one

 

[stavross]

Bribery a big help all a bit of a lottery and really about like minded people who can get on and the pecking order imaginary or otherwise, right place wrong people , right people wrong place, but when it gels brilliant soo worth it.
All about people, keep going and see what other inducements are offered as a token of appreciation

I’m lucky up here and they are a really good bunch and everyone gets on, they all understand the pecking order, it goes me ( and stops there ) the problem I had last year was people bring guests or send people if they can’t make it, some of the shooting was shocking, so much so at the end of the season I put a stop to it and only allowed members to shoot and my mate Mosh, but he’s like the shoot mascot, comes every shoot day, normally stands all day and doesn’t pay a penny

 

[User00053]

I’m lucky up here and they are a really good bunch and everyone gets on, they all understand the pecking order, it goes me ( and stops there ) the problem I had last year was people bring guests or send people if they can’t make it, some of the shooting was shocking, so much so at the end of the season I put a stop to it and only allowed members to shoot and my mate Mosh, but he’s like the shoot mascot, comes every shoot day, normally stands all day and doesn’t pay a penny

As long as you get pleasure from the days and making it happen matters not and horses for courses but can be frustrating when you have put the effort in plus with quite a few members some juggling to be done.
Sounds like your having fun for the most part long may it last for you all.

 

[stavross]

As long as you get pleasure from the days and making it happen matters not and horses for courses but can be frustrating when you have put the effort in plus with quite a few members some juggling to be done.
Sounds like your having fun for the most part long may it last for you all.

I do enjoy it for the most part, I don’t shoot it since I took over running it (well I’ll maybe have a go on a good drive once or twice a season) but it does give me an opportunity to invite people that otherwise wouldn’t get the opportunity to shoot somewhere like this which has led to some very nice invites for myself and as much as I complain about other people’s guests we need to remember that it’s customary to tip the keeper if you’ve had a good day

 

[User00053]

I do enjoy it for the most part, I don’t shoot it since I took over running it (well I’ll maybe have a go on a good drive once or twice a season) but it does give me an opportunity to invite people that otherwise wouldn’t get the opportunity to shoot somewhere like this which has led to some very nice invites for myself and as much as I complain about other people’s guests we need to remember that it’s customary to tip the keeper if you’ve had a good day

Everything for a reason, and horses for courses. Every cloud has a silver lining and one good turn deserves another have you considered some lady members?

 

[stavross]

Everything for a reason, and horses for courses. Every cloud has a silver lining and one good turn deserves another have you considered some lady members?

We have a couple and there’s a couple that come as guests, we also have a few young’uns which I always like to see on a shoot

 

[User00053]

We have a couple and there’s a couple that come as guests, we also have a few young’uns which I always like to see on a shoot

Yes, nice to have variety and a mixed bag.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Good thread lads.
I well remember an old keeper in a very large estate packing it in because he could no longer take visiting (foreign) guns blowing his birds to bits at ridiculous ranges. He turned his hand to taxidermy and did very well out of it. I have two of his pieces and cherish them - they bring back great memories of my first fox and first pheasant - both of which seem like only yesterday - I wish!
Same guy ended up with the contract for Belfast Zoo; I very well remember turning up to collect my fox and him reaching behind the sofa and pulling out a day-old tiger cub which he had set up - it was one of a pair of twins that the mother had killed when disturbed by an unsuspecting keeper and was the most beautiful thing I had or have ever seen. It’s other half was in his freezer. Some time later he scared the bejasus out of me when he sent me into a dark room which held a full grown tiger - his latest masterpiece. One of the old school and self-taught. Not many of his kind about nowadays - we are the poorer for it.