Club membership query

R. Macleod & Son - The Best Hunting Companion
Before joining any club seek advice from this site and you wont go wrong.
You will get free advice and not ripped off.

My mentor as got me my first deer and every time i have been out with him as been a learning curve.

So many great folks on this site willing to help any one

Paying that amount of money is only a waste
 
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sikamalc said:
I charge £100 an outing. If you don't see any deer, you get a free stalk back. I have responded to your PM.

I would seriously consider taking your money else where with this type of so called Club or syndicate. But the choice is yours.
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Cannot get fairer than that. 👍
 
JRodgers74 said:
Hi All,

Thanks for having me here and hopefully you can read my previous intro.

I’m new to deer stalking and just completed the level 1 PDSC, I have also just joined a club thinking this was the best route to go down, which initially it might be in order to gain an FAC. I’m paying well over £1300 a year for membership to which I assumed would give me right to stalk on different land, but it actually does not. I also found out that this particular club charges anything from £150 to £1000 per deer shot and missed shots occur a near 80% fee.

Is this standard? I’m a newbie but this seems extortionate. Having already invested in binoculars, course fee, clothing, club membership fee, FAC application and awaiting to pay for a rifle once this is approved. Having to pay £170 per
Guided stalk along with paying for a shot deer of anything up £1000 is really unsustainable as a hobby unless you’re a millionaire. Its odd as they sell the shot deer onto a game dealer but yet I have to pay a high fee. It’s left me feeling disappointed but maybe I just didn’t do enough research before hand but it seems I’m not really getting anything and paying £1300 a year.

Cheers,

J
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BTW. I’m ordering to gain your FAC use the £1300 to book several stalls. Reason enough
S
 
Its no wonder they need to charge the amount they do when they make you tube videos going on about paying £40 per acre for ground.

As has been suggested they are aiming the club at people who may have a little more disposable income then the rest of us mere mortals.
 
JRodgers74 said:
Hi All,

Thanks for having me here and hopefully you can read my previous intro.

I’m new to deer stalking and just completed the level 1 PDSC, I have also just joined a club thinking this was the best route to go down, which initially it might be in order to gain an FAC. I’m paying well over £1300 a year for membership to which I assumed would give me right to stalk on different land, but it actually does not. I also found out that this particular club charges anything from £150 to £1000 per deer shot and missed shots occur a near 80% fee.

Is this standard? I’m a newbie but this seems extortionate. Having already invested in binoculars, course fee, clothing, club membership fee, FAC application and awaiting to pay for a rifle once this is approved. Having to pay £170 per
Guided stalk along with paying for a shot deer of anything up £1000 is really unsustainable as a hobby unless you’re a millionaire. Its odd as they sell the shot deer onto a game dealer but yet I have to pay a high fee. It’s left me feeling disappointed but maybe I just didn’t do enough research before hand but it seems I’m not really getting anything and paying £1300 a year.

Cheers,

J
Click to expand...
Get out of it if you can . regards stalking its way cheaper to book days , if you dont like the venue or the guide ? - Dont go a second time ! Yep i got a few who just took folks for walks , if your not seeing deer your guide is poor or the venue is very poor . Not getting a shot is just part of the sport though you should at least see deer on the land even if its out of range . wrong sex etc . On a friends bit not seeing any deer at all is fine but to be paying and not seeing deer ? That is in my book not on . I hardly ever go out for deer and don't see one , frequently i cannot get into a suitable position or range , the wrong one to take , does in buck season etc,etc Thats just stalking.
There is no need for this you should book with any of the guys and Estates who take day bookings . there are some good guys in guided stalks across the UK and there is absolutely no need for anything other than random guided days .
Like many me started with paid single bookings and yeah i soon found out who was worth spending with and who was not . That was a good few decades ago , now i have invites all over the UK from friends mainly and get asked to come help with culling
I detest these pay to join clubs and then pay again for your stalks etc . But the market has many people who will empty the pockets of the unwary . One of my early ones was from a guide who showed you all the deer on other peoples land ( because we never tried for anything on it ) and then we landed on the " better spot " and saw absolutely nothing " not even slots !
 
I suspect you thought you were getting their Plus membership, which allows you to stalk unaccompanied. They would probably require you to be at DSC2 or equivalent for that. And you would have to pay even more money. The Capreolus Club is really aimed at a niche end of the market - those who are cash rich but time poor. It caters for those people brilliantly. But as others have intimated, most people on this site do not wish to fork out that kind of money.
Paying for stalking as you go is the way forward for you. I started on the BASC scheme. Really good value. Also Sikamalc’s £100 per stalk and you get another stalk thrown in if you see nothing is, to me, a bargain.
Even better, if you have the time and inclination, buy any decent weight carcasses you cull (you should pay no more than the game dealers’ standard rate) and butcher them at home. The money that you save in the household meat bill will more than cover the cost of the stalking. One of the reasons that my missus has supported my rather antisocial hobby for over 20 years is the supply of fresh high quality meat that I provide throughout the year. And the offal is free and rather good too.
 
That Capreolus Club is a rip off and the CEO is rather pompous. I enquired about it as an info gathering exercise and one thing I can tell you is he’s not fond of regional accents!He does like helicopter clients who fly in and out to stalks!Nuff said!😉
 
I'm not sure some of this is quite fair, I to looked at the club back when I first started stalking and had a phone call with one of the team regarding costs and what was included, it wasn't for me so I didn't join, but it was clear in relation to what the membership gave you and the need to do the plus membership for everything

As others have said its definitely geared towards a certain clientele, and the cost is quite high, but we live in a country where people can try to make a business how they see fit (providing its legal)

There have been many syndicates advertised which sound good, but when you ask about keeping the deer shot you may only be able to keep 1 or 2 a year and then have to pay for the rest. So when looking next time just be sure to ask the question
 
I find it quite funny at times with some of these clubs. One often see's a post on social media claiming one of their members has just shot a gold medal Roe buck, with a photo on the post to accompany the claim.
Well I know at times its hard to judge a head, but honestly whoever judges such heads at times needs to get their eyes tested. Its all about placing bait in the water for novices to swallow, thinking they will be on ground that supports large numbers of deer with large heads. When in fact its more than likely ground that supports very little or is shot out, or its a photo of some one else's deer from ground not belonging to the club or syndicate.

Some of these people even put photos of ground that is not even theirs in the first place, and never was. The very same syndicate recently tried joining on here again.

Guess what :banned:
 
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As we all know money talks ,
So good job I had SD for advice and a stalking mentor and they all gave me there time for free.

So if you have money to burn join them
 
I can’t add much other than to echo the general view of that outfit. Designed to fleece rich londoners who know no better. I couldn’t imagine how much land they have outbid genuine stalkers on.

The fact this individual has managed to interject a training course into the industry that now appears to of gained credence is absolutely dreadful. As is the fact that when you type ‘deer stalking’ into youtube you need to wade through 30 of his videos before you find anything you want to watch.
 
I know that sikamalc and other's from this site who have fare more experience than him.
He can do the talk as we all see but can he do the walk .

Shows the SD guides do not need to blow there own trumpet and seek fame. 👍:hind::stag:
 
There are many reputable guides around the country that don't charge a fortune, I'd save your money and spend it with them, and it's valid reason for a grant, just keep your receipts.
 
Not my type of thing and way to deep for my pockets, but in some ways good on him he's found a hole in the market and is filling the hole and lining his pockets at the same time.
If it wasn't him it would be someone else, as long as people aren't being ripped off if you can afford it good for you if you can't look elsewhere there's plenty of choice of guides for all wallets out there.
 
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