Venison Shortage reported by major gamedealers.

[Dan Newcombe]

irrespective of carcass value, the deer are not showing so much in legal hours this year. High amount of acorns holding them deep in the woods and it feels like it has not stopped raining in months so there normal places are waterlogged.

This is my personal thoughts. The use of digital scopes is pushing the deer to come out later and later. We have noticed a change in the deer movement pattern over the past few years.

I have cameras out and even places not heavily shot the deer are coming out later and going back into cover before light.

Is it the use of digital scopes? The weather ? Or in some places more foot fall of general public walking footpaths? Something is changing the movements.

The beauty of electronic scopes is that we can also shoot them later and later - shouldn’t really restrict too much these days with licenses being easier to get (in fact very simple in Scotland)

 

[Stephenbuck2489]

Another question here reading this.. (ive not shot and sold deer yet so its unknown to me.)

What "as a hunter" would everyones opinion be on a fair price?

just to keep it simple.

£ per kilo Red
£ per kilo Roe

Im intreauged to know what we really value it at.

 

[Bugsy]

The beauty of electronic scopes is that we can also shoot them later and later - shouldn’t really restrict too much these days with licenses being easier to get (in fact very simple in Scotland)

I can’t get my head around the fact that night licencing is so hard to get down in England , when we take on a lease the Land Agent up here applies for a night licence and an out of season to help , you aren’t under any pressure to use them but there at your disposal .

 

[Dan Newcombe]

Agreed - you just wrote to NS and say please can I have a night license and OOS and the next day it’s with you

 

[Bugsy]

Another question here reading this.. (ive not shot and sold deer yet so its unknown to me.)

What "as a hunter" would everyones opinion be on a fair price?

just to keep it simple.

£ per kilo Red
£ per kilo Roe

Im intreauged to know what we really value it at.

Even back to pre covid prices would turn me on £2 -£2.50 p/k and £3 for Roe then at least we could cover our costs and the dealers would have more intake to satisfy the demand but knowbody seems to backing down hence severe numbers of deer roaming about .

 

[HonestJohn]

Another question here reading this.. (ive not shot and sold deer yet so its unknown to me.)

What "as a hunter" would everyones opinion be on a fair price?

just to keep it simple.

£ per kilo Red
£ per kilo Roe

Im intreauged to know what we really value it at.

Whilst obviously market forces, supply and demand dictate prices; I personally would say that for reds anything below £2.50/kg is not worth pursuing, and £3.50 for Roe. When I say pursuing, I mean it in the sense of bothering to sell it vs keeping it, or pursuing it to create revenue. However, the issue is that few stalkers shooting decent numbers will not be able to consume large amounts of venison, so are forced to accept the market prices.

I suspect the bottle neck on venison supply arises from a mix between local stalkers not bothering to sell due to low prices, and commercial stalkers/contractors running out of deer to sell, and that the likes of highland game have captured most of the commercial venison sales in Scotland contractually at fixed price/qty agreements.

If instead of stalkers operating on a lone wolf basis, would start conducting culls with neighbouring estates in joint deer drive efforts, esp on fallow (being very transient), this would not only deliver more venison, but help solve the fallow overpopulation crisis. Picture 3-4 farms / estates arranging a deer drive with 30-40 stalkers in high seats, instead of them shooting a couple of fallow on a lone wolf basis, in one day, possibly 50-100 could be harvested: then left to rest, and repeated a month or two later.

However, the issue with the above is people are very protective and defensive of their stalking, and not willing to engage with larger deer management groups to arrange local deer drives as a community approach.

 

[Stephenbuck2489]

Even back to pre covid prices would turn me on £2 -£2.50 p/k and £3 for Roe then at least we could cover our costs and the dealers would have more intake to satisfy the demand but knowbody seems to backing down hence severe numbers of deer roaming about .

so what would you say yourself as a hunter would feel is a fair price?

 

[Tim.243]

Whilst obviously market forces, supply and demand dictate prices; I personally would say that for reds anything below £2.50/kg is not worth pursuing, and £3.50 for Roe. When I say pursuing, I mean it in the sense of bothering to sell it vs keeping it, or pursuing it to create revenue. However, the issue is that few stalkers shooting decent numbers will not be able to consume large amounts of venison, so are forced to accept the market prices.

I suspect the bottle neck on venison supply arises from a mix between local stalkers not bothering to sell due to low prices, and commercial stalkers/contractors running out of deer to sell, and that the likes of highland game have captured most of the commercial venison sales in Scotland contractually at fixed price/qty agreements.

If instead of stalkers operating on a lone wolf basis, would start conducting culls with neighbouring estates in joint deer drive efforts, esp on fallow (being very transient), this would not only deliver more venison, but help solve the fallow overpopulation crisis. Picture 3-4 farms / estates arranging a deer drive with 30-40 stalkers in high seats, instead of them shooting a couple of fallow on a lone wolf basis, in one day, possibly 50-100 could be harvested: then left to rest, and repeated a month or two later.

However, the issue with the above is people are very protective and defensive of their stalking, and not willing to engage with larger deer management groups to arrange local deer drives as a community approach.

Peter you are trying to cast your net over a wide number of people, it reads like a Libour proposal from some idea out of thin air

 

[rutland]

Who was offering help a few years back When you couldn’t get rid of your carcasses. We decided to start and process all ours and have no problem using all ours which equates to over 300 last year. Now they are struggling they want our help. Tough !!!

 

[Bugsy]

so what would you say yourself as a hunter would feel is a fair price?

It’s a start , I’ve never been greedy but I always said if I couldn’t cover my running costs I would stop and if I was liable for this new sporting tax then I would have and taken my anger out on the pigeons . Any new comers don’t realise we were getting more in 1990 than we do now , it was worthwhile then . I’m actually selling more in the skin than I ever thought I would but that’s ok when you have 2-3 but when I’m hitting 10-15 then it’s to much so I have to go to a dealer but that’s also hassle - to much hassle . I was allowing a few friends to shoot what they could take and getting numbers down that way . Increase the price we receive and the dealers will see a big difference in supply . End off

 

[Bugsy]

Whilst obviously market forces, supply and demand dictate prices; I personally would say that for reds anything below £2.50/kg is not worth pursuing, and £3.50 for Roe. When I say pursuing, I mean it in the sense of bothering to sell it vs keeping it, or pursuing it to create revenue. However, the issue is that few stalkers shooting decent numbers will not be able to consume large amounts of venison, so are forced to accept the market prices.

I suspect the bottle neck on venison supply arises from a mix between local stalkers not bothering to sell due to low prices, and commercial stalkers/contractors running out of deer to sell, and that the likes of highland game have captured most of the commercial venison sales in Scotland contractually at fixed price/qty agreements.

If instead of stalkers operating on a lone wolf basis, would start conducting culls with neighbouring estates in joint deer drive efforts, esp on fallow (being very transient), this would not only deliver more venison, but help solve the fallow overpopulation crisis. Picture 3-4 farms / estates arranging a deer drive with 30-40 stalkers in high seats, instead of them shooting a couple of fallow on a lone wolf basis, in one day, possibly 50-100 could be harvested: then left to rest, and repeated a month or two later.

However, the issue with the above is people are very protective and defensive of their stalking, and not willing to engage with larger deer management groups to arrange local deer drives as a community approach.

Honestly John I’m not sure that would work , it sounds an idea but imagine 30-40 shooters on one estate or even 2-3 estates , trying to organise that would be a head buster I think . I stand by what I say , simple method to increase supply and reduce numbers is pay more .
Although not spoken about , its happening on big estates , there leaving the carcass on the hill because there’s no money in it . Good for the Raptors .

 

[Peakeyp628a]

Lets hope the possible shortages reflected in the price per Kg.

 

[HonestJohn]

Honestly John I’m not sure that would work , it sounds an idea but imagine 30-40 shooters on one estate or even 2-3 estates , trying to organise that would be a head buster I think . I stand by what I say , simple method to increase supply and reduce numbers is pay more .
Although not spoken about , its happening on big estates , there leaving the carcass on the hill because there’s no money in it . Good for the Raptors .

Works perfectly well in europe. But, it does require collaboration

 

[VSS]

Another question here reading this.. (ive not shot and sold deer yet so its unknown to me.)

What "as a hunter" would everyones opinion be on a fair price?

just to keep it simple.

£ per kilo Red
£ per kilo Roe

Im intreauged to know what we really value it at.

Depends on the cut. High value cuts, such as loin (£40+ per kg), will obviously be more expensive per kg than something like mince at £10/kg, for example.

However, if you average across everything, making allowance for the ratio of high:low value cuts in the carcass, it comes out at around £18/kg

But it takes a lot of work, and a lot of cost, to get it to point of sale in order to achieve those prices.

Edit:
Maybe I misread the question.
Were you asking what would be a fair price at the game dealers?

 

[wytonpjs]

Depends on the cut. High value cuts, such as loin (£40+ per kg), will obviously be more expensive per kg than something like mince at £10/kg, for example.

However, if you average across everything, making allowance for the ratio of high:low value cuts in the carcass, it comes out at around £18/kg

But it takes a lot of work, and a lot of cost, to get it to point of sale in order to achieve those prices.

Wish I could get £40/kg for loin - mine goes at £22/kg!

 

[Dave_45]

I know of a syndicate that works the best I’ve ever heard , it’s a friendly bunch who between them shoot 500 a year.
S/W Scotland

Some take them to make into burgers , some sell to game dealers.

It is possible with the right people.

 

[Apthorpe]

Another question here reading this.. (ive not shot and sold deer yet so its unknown to me.)

What "as a hunter" would everyones opinion be on a fair price?

just to keep it simple.

£ per kilo Red
£ per kilo Roe

Im intreauged to know what we really value it at.

Deadweight cattle prices are about £6.50/kg.
There's no particularly good rationale for a wildly different price.
I certainly won't bother selling at £2-3 /per kg, and obviously some others feel similarly.

 

[VSS]

Wish I could get £40/kg for loin - mine goes at £22/kg!

Is it worth putting in the hours for that price?

I did a lot of research before setting my prices. Spent many days online, perusing other people's price lists. I pitched my prices somewhere near the bottom of the top third.

Also, a bit of good advice I got from a neighbour who had a very successful business retailing pork from his own pigs: Don't ever discount your product.

 

[Bugsy]

Deadweight cattle prices are about £6.50/kg.
There's no particularly good rationale for a wildly different price.
I certainly won't bother selling at £2-3 /per kg, and obviously some others feel similarly.

Depends on the cut. High value cuts, such as loin (£40+ per kg), will obviously be more expensive per kg than something like mince at £10/kg, for example.

However, if you average across everything, making allowance for the ratio of high:low value cuts in the carcass, it comes out at around £18/kg

But it takes a lot of work, and a lot of cost, to get it to point of sale in order to achieve those prices.

Edit:
Maybe I misread the question.
Were you asking what would be a fair price at the game dealers?

That’s good money .

 

[Bugsy]

Deadweight cattle prices are about £6.50/kg.
There's no particularly good rationale for a wildly different price.
I certainly won't bother selling at £2-3 /per kg, and obviously some others feel similarly.
[