Syndicates

It's all down to market conditions. If folk are prepared to pay a couple of grand a year to stalk and can only take home two deer, there's a market for that. If there were no takers, it'd soon stop.

There are, of course people who don't have that much time to spare and to whom a few grand is pocket change.

75 said:

I do agree to a certain extend but it also depends a lot on how much investment has gone into the operation. If you have to invest in a quad for extraction, a dozen hightseats and a chiller back at home then it's going to set you back north of £20k before you've shot a deer. Versus free use of someone else's facilities and an easy route to dispose of as many carcasses as you need. Which shouldn't be underestimated for larger deer.



I'm playing Devil's advocate to a degree but there is a counter argument here that a professional larder installed and properly maintained by an estate, with onward refrigerated transport to the gamedealer before being cut and packed by a professional butcher in an inspected premesis is "better for the image of stalking and deer" than a "Fred in a shed" operation with an old coke fridge in the corner of a garage and some freezer bags labelled with marker pen...

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I dunno, its a point of principle aswell as an economic one. Stalkers shouldn't be prevented from eating/buying what they shoot and bragging about it round the BBQ to their mates. Its democratises and normalises stalking and brings in more supporters. Even then how many deer can the weekend warrior actually shoot? The additional revenue from say 10 roe deer is pretty meaningless in the scheme of things and comes with the hassle of policing and potential for a whole batch to be condemned. Just charge accordingly and ensure the stalking tenants are suitably qualified to avoid poisoning his mates at the BBQ or bringing the estate into disrepute. I know plenty of lands where syndicates are totally self sufficient from the estate - retrieve/sell/eat what you kill.

Syndicates are a way to make money. a way to control deer numbers, a route into deer stalking for some etc etc. A lot depends on how they are run, who by and for what purpose etc etc. To me if they are clear and transparent then fair enough ...you pay your money you make your choice. As I have said before the minute money comes into it the dynamics and expectation level changes. If you had a mate who said go out on their ground 6 times and you have blank outings ....oh well one of those things. Pay to undertake the same thing and you will (likely) be annoyed as you are paying for a result that is not guaranteed.

Ref the aspect of taking what you shoot and how many deer "hobby" stalkers can kill it really depends on species. I live in a very deer sparse area so have to travel a few hours to shoot deer. I shot around 50 last year and most were fallow so I need an outlet before I will pull the trigger. My wife and I eat maybe 5 fallow a year which is a decent amount ...but in the majority of cases I need a method of moving the carcass on (which I have no issue doing).

Like all things stalking...lots of differing opinions

Paying to be a syndicate member where you only retain a few carcasses isn't any different to paying for individual stalks where you have to pay extra for the carcass. If the cull figures and the syndicate membership cost work out it could be a more attractive option, especially if the syndicate is flexible about access.

Dealing with roe or smaller animals is fine, but when you shoot reds or adult fallow, it becomes a problem unless you have a chiller and space/privacy at your property to deal with them.

When I lived in my previous property dealing with a carcass was problematic so I can see the attraction for part time stalkers who can take one or two carcasses and have a solution to get rid of any more they shoot each year.

Also if you’re paying a fair chunk for the sporting rights then you generally aren’t expected to drop down to the land the same day to deal with a fence tangled deer or a fox causing problems that you would be if you got the stalking for free. Sometimes it’s easier to pay, especially if life is busy and you live far away from stalking.

hendrix's rifle said:

Can anyone shed some light on these syndicates popping up of recent charging thousands of pounds to only allow you to keep a couple carcasses a year?

One seen recently over 2k a year and allowed to keep 2 carcasses and then buy from the estate after that? Would anyone in their right mind put the graft in to meet a cull target whilst paying for the privilege to actually keep the deer you shoot?

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I do wonder whether there might be a correlation to region/geographic location here. We have areas of the country that are overpopulated with deer and close to high levels of the human population as well, this makes extensive ground that is safe and continuous enough to support responsible deer management a premium. Where one has a premium product it becomes a seller's market as with anything else and those that are satisfied with the conditions (carcasses included) will be prepared to engage with it.