A Bad Experience at Mallard Barn

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Lateral said:
Easy, common sense solution, for happy returning customers !
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I agree, this episode has not done anyone or stalking whether business or the pleasure from stalking any good whatsoever.

It could have been sorted quite easily by reasonable communication and common sense.

Hind sight is a wonderful thing
 
Yup me too !

Id be very surprised if the heads were actually incinerated.

Not very professional to lose clients trophy and follow by company sounds shockingly poor show

Whitebeard said:
This came into my mind two thirds the way through the thread, i bet there are more who thought the same.

Ian.
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I am quite surprised more people haven't jumped to the defence of the estate. I would assume that there must be several people who read these forums must have had experience of them.

Unless it is primarily foreign clients they deal with of course....
 
PointBlank said:
I am quite surprised more people haven't jumped to the defence of the estate. I would assume that there must be several people who read these forums must have had experience of them.

Unless it is primarily foreign clients they deal with of course....
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To be fair to the estate, they may not know this is ongoing. It is primarily a shooting estate that offers stalking as a side line, I doubt many of their regulars are hanging about here.

Ref the earlier comment about the estate being "over-run with deer", that is not accurate. There is a big muntjac population no doubt, it is very close to Thetford. There is a reasonable Roe population, but nothing like the numbers of Munties. I would guess the Munties out number the roe at least 5:1, maybe double that given Roe are more visible than Muntjac.

I am told there are Fallow and Reds about, but have never seen either while there.
 
Well this is my first post after introductions , but i`ve read it with interest as i`m what you would probably call a potential client.
I have a lot of shooting of various types here and am an experienced shooter of a lot of years standing but there are no deer on the island, and stalking is something i know very little about.Its something i will do when time and funds permit.Very likely with someone from this forum, as i wouldnt look in the ads in the shooting mags.I`d prefer to hear good word of mouth experiences from fellow shooters.
When i do have a day on it i will be paying someone for the day, plus shipping my car over on the ferry, probably staying in b&b, so i`ll want it to be right on the money.I`m just an average working guy with committments.
Experiences similar to those of the op dont enthuse me a great deal,however, its clear that there are some honorable people on here that are trade members.
If i`d had an experience like the op, then i`d very likely knock it on the head there and then.Never pay for a day again.The estate should have made good on their mistake and turned it right round to be a positive tale.Whether the op would have joined and posted in that case is another matter.But one things for sure, a negative post would not exist where interested parties could see it.The internet can be a very small place especially in a niche market like stalking.
It may be routine to the keeper, but a days stalking to the client might be the highlight of their shooting year and a significant expense in time and money.I`d expect a bit of enthusiasm and a great day out with my satisfaction being the centre of it all.Things go wrong, but its how its righted that counts.I wouldnt be bothered if i didnt shoot anything if the day had been sound, as that to me is what shooting is all about.
By the looks of things, various negative comments towards the op might be from folks who have their own land, have free shooting, etc.Great position to be in, thats what i do.I can shoot what i want anytime. The positives are from the people who appear to be trade members who see the importance of how paying guests are treated.That speaks volumes to someone like me.

Hope i havent spoken out of turn.
Cheers.
Andy.
 
What you should have done is said nothing booked another weeks stalking roe bucks for you and your sons said you would pay up on last day and cleared of without settling up !
 
Claret_Dabbler said:
To be fair to the estate, they may not know this is ongoing. It is primarily a shooting estate that offers stalking as a side line, I doubt many of their regulars are hanging about here.

Ref the earlier comment about the estate being "over-run with deer", that is not accurate. There is a big muntjac population no doubt, it is very close to Thetford. There is a reasonable Roe population, but nothing like the numbers of Munties. I would guess the Munties out number the roe at least 5:1, maybe double that given Roe are more visible than Muntjac.

I am told there are Fallow and Reds about, but have never seen either while there.
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I was there a few months ago, and on that occasion saw far more Roe than Muntjac, but took one of each. I saw in excess of a dozen Roe, with a couple of really nice buck, but they were out of season, and personally, trophies aren't my thing.

The situation is a real shame. They have some fantastic land, plenty of deer, and Alan the head keeper has always been brilliant at looking after me.

Taking the OP at face value, he's been very poorly treated, but I can't help thinking that the "Estate" has some how got their wires crossed /been occidentally rubbed up the wrong way (I still think there's a communication issue) for this outcome.
 
But you expect even when the weather (like right now, i'm going out again in terrential rain) that i dont get paid unless we grass a deer?
Both me and the client kow its going to be real hard tonight and almost impossible but he's travelled up for 4 stalks from the other end of the country so were going out. But to work in this for nothing?
and burn fuel, pay insurance and get wet through to boot......
He pays we go out. Simples, we score he pays more.
 
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Maybe if no deer seen a reduced fee !

I took a Danish client out last night in pooring rain and thick fog he turned down a fallow pricket, we spotted 1 fallow doe, 2 fallow bucks, 4 roe does and one roe buck but didn't get a shot but he turned the shot down so outing fee applies !

3 stalkers out over weekend and shot 2 Roe bucks each and turned more deer down !
 
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Bumble said:
Well this is my first post after introductions , but i`ve read it with interest as i`m what you would probably call a potential client.
I have a lot of shooting of various types here and am an experienced shooter of a lot of years standing but there are no deer on the island, and stalking is something i know very little about.Its something i will do when time and funds permit.Very likely with someone from this forum, as i wouldnt look in the ads in the shooting mags.I`d prefer to hear good word of mouth experiences from fellow shooters.
When i do have a day on it i will be paying someone for the day, plus shipping my car over on the ferry, probably staying in b&b, so i`ll want it to be right on the money.I`m just an average working guy with committments.
Experiences similar to those of the op dont enthuse me a great deal,however, its clear that there are some honorable people on here that are trade members.
If i`d had an experience like the op, then i`d very likely knock it on the head there and then.Never pay for a day again.The estate should have made good on their mistake and turned it right round to be a positive tale.Whether the op would have joined and posted in that case is another matter.But one things for sure, a negative post would not exist where interested parties could see it.The internet can be a very small place especially in a niche market like stalking.
It may be routine to the keeper, but a days stalking to the client might be the highlight of their shooting year and a significant expense in time and money.I`d expect a bit of enthusiasm and a great day out with my satisfaction being the centre of it all.Things go wrong, but its how its righted that counts.I wouldnt be bothered if i didnt shoot anything if the day had been sound, as that to me is what shooting is all about.
By the looks of things, various negative comments towards the op might be from folks who have their own land, have free shooting, etc.Great position to be in, thats what i do.I can shoot what i want anytime. The positives are from the people who appear to be trade members who see the importance of how paying guests are treated.That speaks volumes to someone like me.

Hope i havent spoken out of turn.
Cheers.
Andy.
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I think you will find quite a few posts from trade members speaking up on behalf of the OP! For the simple reason that those of us offering stalking really do want everyone to be successful, leave completely satisfied, and ask when they can come back next year. It is really no different to a joiner doing a good and getting work again in the future...
 
Being badly treated is one thing, not seeing deer is another.

On the strenght of dissapointment I suppose half the football fans in the country should get at least half of their money back each saturday, it the luck of the draw. The missing heads is another.
 
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