Deerstalking Fair, 24th & 25th March, 2018

jamross65

Well-Known Member
The 2018 Deerstalking Fair will be back at the Border Union Agricultural Showground, Kelso in the Scottish Borders over the weekend of the 24th and 25th March, 2018.

Sadly our close friend Stevie, who was instrumental in getting the first fair started and one of the organisers of the event, passed away in September following a short battle with cancer. Understandably this has meant some of the planning and workload for next years fair has been delayed but we are now well on track with several new exhibitors already signed up, as well as the regular supporters of the event.


One of the things asked for more than anything else is more demonstrations and seminars around best practice, with one of the most popular being carcass handling, butchery and cooking with venison. So, to address this we have approached a Game Dealer and butchers to get them on board with a demonstration on carcass preparation and what game dealers require to ensure the best product for consumers, butchery of carcasses so deerstalkers can enjoy their own venison and also the cooking of the meat. In this past this has always been a very well attended demonstration. Full details of this proposal will be published well in advance of the fair, along with all the other plans for the instructional/learning demonstrations. We even have an award winning local butcher coming with his award winning venison products for sale, who will also offer handy tips to budding sausage and pie makers!


Because these seminars have proved popular in the past, we will be setting up a dedicated and segregated area within one of the halls to accommodate them, thus removing issues we have had previously with noise from the rest of the fair.


Dogs for deer is another area that we will be expanding on with the UKDTR (United Kingdom Deer Track and Recovery) in attendance and providing a more general overview to working dogs in this discipline. Rudi Van Kets, the chairman of the Flemish Tracking Society provided a very informative talk a few years ago to a large audience of deerstalkers wanting to learn about working their dogs on wounded or lost deer and he is planning on attending the 2018 event to offer advice and assistance in conjunction with the UKDTR, the organisation he is now affiliated with in providing training advice and as co-judge on test days for their members.


There is a lot more that will be announced shortly with regards to exhibitors and events being held and this will be done so on here, the fairs website The Deerstalking Fair 2017The Deerstalking Fair and the Facebook page, but the usual array of rifles, optics, reloading equipment, lardering and venison preparation equipment, clothing/footwear, thermal equipment, ATV and 4x4’s as well as the shooting organisations, SGA, BASC and BDS plus the CIC offering trophy assessment and scoring.


Over the next few weeks we will publish an extensive list of exhibitors and the brands they will be carrying. Costs for the event will remain the same as the previous years, under 16 free, £10 for 16’s and over which includes entry to the prize draw (details of which to be announced). Parking is also free.
 
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Can't wait Brian, missed it last year due to the distance issue but looking forward to catching up with folk this time.
King regards
Jimmy
 
A very kind offer made by Frank Byrne and Carmel Royce Kirkley, details lifted from a thread on another Facebook stalking group advertising the fair.

‘Brilliant Brian
I will miss stevie and regret not getting to know him better
The Ukdtr will donate a roe buck stalk on Carmel Royce Kirkley Estate which I will sort out.
We will have a donation bucket on the stand where people can add their names and we'll do the draw after the event and contact the winner
Money will go to cancer research

The roe stalk will be organised directly with my good friend Carmel Royce Carmel Royce Kirkley

We will ensure full details are publicised of this offer. I lost my own mum to cancer in 2013. A very worthwhile cause.
 
Very sorry to hear about Stevie Brian.

All the best for next year.

John
 
Visited the event today and thoroughly enjoyed it. In particular the seminars were very interesting and very well presented. The presentation on diseases and carcass inspection was invaluable. Well worth the £10 entry fee. Thank you very much to all concerned.
 
Hi
Spent the day at the fair. Once again Jamross and his pals have excelled themselves. It was well worth the 4 hour drive.
The skinning and cooking seminar was the best for me, the food the Chefs cooked was brill. well done to all concerned.
Alan
 
Thoroughly enjoyed show.

Plenty to see - Limulus’s flame handled knives looked superb and were attracting a lot of attention
Buy - got new new moderator from Edinburgh Rifles.
Do - enjoyed the pig shooting video game (pigs are safe with me behind the gun)

As some of the lads have already said the seminar were particularly good,

Deer diseases - very informative with lots of pictures and well explained
Carcass preparation - novel way of skinning deer (head towards tail) and butcher made it look too easy
Cooking - what can I say, DELICIOUS.

Well done Jamross & Co.

Willie
 
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Thoroughly enjoyed the fair once again,though I admit to having been a bit apprehensive after reading some of the comments on facebook glad to find they were unfounded.

Well done Brian
 
Was OK.
Ed was doing a roaring trade, including a scope for me.

I saw those flame handled knives and whilst they looked cool I dont rate them for stalking much. The handles were glass smooth, a hand covered in blood and a slip down the blade would be enough to put me off.

I think Eds stall and the butchery , mincing equipment stall were the highlights. Not much in the way of bargains and nothing really sticking out.
 
Thoroughly enjoyed the fair once again,though I admit to having been a bit apprehensive after reading some of the comments on facebook glad to find they were unfounded.

Well done Brian

If I`d have known you were going Jim .. !! I went yesterday
 
I forgot to mention ........ well done the catering staff at the venue. Very good food and cheerful service at a sensible price! Thank you.
 
Great show, very enjoyable.
Thank you very much to customers old and new and especially the feedback from people still using Sticks they bought from me at the very first show and still going strong.
There was a lot of interest in my knives and being acrylic the handle really doesn’t become overly slippy when wet, I’m sure others who have the knife can comment better on that though....field testing really is the ultimate arbiter on a products usefulness.
my night vision spotter and wireless target cam saw a lot of attention with one gentleman ordering a wireless target for........his lambing sheds!
Some will always knock this show but it does what it says on the box, panders to deer stalkers and their needs and, with the future exhibitors to be at future shows, will only go from strength to strength.
congratulations to Brian, Moray and Kev on continuing with the original dream set out by Brian and Steve.

Tony
 
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A very nice day out to see stuff relevant to deer stalking.. not stalls n stalls of knock off tools and sweet stands like a game fair or two i can think off.
got some nice vfg cleaning gear at a good price and topped it off with a veni burger...
 
Great day out of Saturday, great chat, great seminars, stands all relevant. Oh and bought some stuff I didn't know I needed.........
 
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