St Huberts Club of Gt Britain?

Malcom

We have all made mistakes. So people just make bigger ones than others.
Claiming that their basic firearms safety is lacking is a sweeping generalisation, and we all know about those.

You are correct rules are rules.

I have no connection with St H's or the individual concerned.

You appear to have an insight into the Clubs membership figures that no one else here has. Your experience of their approach to the owners of some stalking appears to have soured you views some what.
 
Don't knock DSC 1&2. This is a readily available course of traning that brings novices up to a basic threshold standard, testing people in areas that they simply would be pushed to pottering around on their own bit of ground.

The St Huberts training is exacting but in my experience they do not cover stalking techniques outside a forest, do not accept anything other than a heart shot and completely disallow shots over 100m.

I took a Roe buck one morning at around 50m with a heart shot and the round exited through the shoulder, my A stalker tutted and said "ooh alot of meat damage you will probably have to pay for the carcass".
What do they want?

Their ideas are fifty years out of date, they do not accept new input, they do not accept technology has brought into the stalking arena new materials other than tweed and wood and this why there is little young blood.

The club has around 300 members of which the vast majority are so old they would struggle to carry a Muntjac out of the field, and there were to many references to initiate me anally :(
 
I once made enquiries about joining and I have to say that my impression, and it is only an impression, is that it was the deerstalking equivalent of the Flyfishers Club in Stockbridge. Snobbish, set in their ways and disapproving of anyone that they might see as Hoi Poloi.

I also have to say that some members and branches of the BDS give the same impression and are not welcoming to young inexperienced stalkers.

I decided not to persue my membership enquiry despite what seemed to be a good set of written ethics and an excellent training regime.
 
I have no axe to grind with the St Huberts Club, I am not a member, have no inclanation to join, now or in the future.

I am a BDS and Gamekeepers Association member.

Yep we all make mistakes, me included, but not one like that. God forbid.

I have known a number of St Hubert members, one very senior ranking member, wouldnt take them stalking if they paid me, nice guys, but, well lets not go there.

One member I knew 25 years ago, he had been in the club three years still hadnt shot a deer at the time. Couldnt hit the side of a barn door at 20yds.

I am sure there are many good stalkers in the club, and I am not saying the St Hubert Club is all bad. BUT trying to cover this all up because of the rank of the person involved is grossly unfair to the other members. I have no idea how many are in the club, someone will probably let us know. Cant see it changing my opinion about the whole affair.

Enough said. ;)
 
I am a member of the Club and have been for about six years. I just happened on this thread this evening and did ponder whether to post on what seemed to be turning a witch hunt.

The ND incident did happen broadly as stated. For what ever reason, the gentleman concerned did not offer his resignation.

The Club has a set of rules, and they detail the due process that should take place when disciplinary action is to be instigated . As far as I am aware, the gentleman was "suspended" while this process took place and eventually the process resulted in the issue being decided by a members vote at the next quarterly meeting.

I wasn't at that particular meeting, but I believe various other sanctions were discussed as alternatives to resignation, but eventually thats what was voted for.

It was not a good time for the Club, and in hind sight, it probably could have been handled better. However, I believe the right result was reached in the end, no matter how unpleasant it is excluding a member of long standing, especially when it occurs against their will.

As to some of the other comments made...In the years I have been in the Club, I've never known of a dinner to be held at the Army & Navy, nor have i ever been required to wear green smoking jacket with blood red cordage! The Club generally has an annual dinner which is a black tie affair...The other dinners, which are held after the quarterly members meetings are just a suit or blazer and trousers...

On a typical weekend at the cottage, people turn up in everything from army surplus to shooting suits...the majority are somewhere in between, with Loden or Deer Hunter being popular...pretty much like any other stalking syndicate I've been in really.

Members come from all walks of life. Some are in the Club mostly for the social side, while others are in just for the stalking...the majority enjoy a mix of both aspects.

Ability and experience within the Club also runs the full spectrum from novices to people who have been stalking 40 years plus..again its a mirror of other syndicates I have been on..

Membership is currently capped at 350 I think, and generally we are pretty full...

Because of the structure of the Club, its certainly not for everyone, and conversely, sometimes the Club decides they don't want certain people for members; thats life I suppose...

Having said that, I've enjoyed my time in the Club, and have made some very good friends along the way. The Club is not perfect by any means, and neither are its members, but I am proud to be a member and look forward to sharing time with others who are passionate about deer and deer stalking..

regards,

Pete
 
Thanks for this Pete.

I was hoping someone from St Hubert would enter the fray! It might be worth mentioning this thread to your Chairman (or similar) to see if they would further defend/promote the values of the Club.

Cheers,

Rob
 
Rob,

To be quite frank, Ive never been a fan of some of these slanging matches that seem to develop on the various forums over contentious issues.

Rarely are things "black and white" and very often the people doing the arguing are at least one step removed from the incident that occurred, as is the case here. Nor is it often apparent what real agendas or motives are for the various parties entering the affray.

That said, I've tried to present the facts as I know them. I don't feel the Club has anything it has to "defend"...An incident happened, and after due process, it was dealt with in what I feel was an appropriate way..It wasn't a straight forward process, and it was in fact quite painful, both from the Club perspective and the individual concerned, I am sure.

Regards,

Pete
 
Pete states guys typically wear hunting suits and army surplus on a typical cottage weekend. Rubbish! The St H's forbid camouflage of any type and will openly tell you to remove it.

I also seriously doubt the offending A stalker would have been ousted from the club had Trevor Banham of the FC not been at the meeting and it made clear the clubs lease was at risk should they not be seen to address the situation adequately.
 
"H",

I have no idea who you are how long you were in the Club or the circumstances of why you left..

There is absolutely no ban on cammo clothing within the club..I wear some of it myself at times as do plenty of others. There may be some members who dislike cammo, but thats a personal preference. If you would like to refer to which rule forbids it, I will be happy to double check..

As for the comments about Trevor Banham, I don't know as I was not there (were you?) but "due process" was already under way...Personally, I think it would have been a lot better if the chap who had the ND had resigned, but he didn't, so that meant the issue was always going to be protracted...

Peter
 
Pete,

I was with the St H's for my full probationary year, the quarterly meeting which resolved the gentlemans fate was my last.

The camo issue as I recall was enforced ridgidly, during my first weekend the cottage coordinator ordered an A stalker to remove his Realtree camo jacket.

The reason I left the club was because I was fedup of following A stalkers around that I felt positively superior to.
 
H,

So you never got past your probationary period? Probably only did about 5 weekends?? An you left because you felt "positively superior"...You mention threats of anal initiation and A Stalkers enforcing non existant rules...and you then start a thread to whine about it...

I think you and the Club departing their seperate ways was probably for the best :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

And BTW the period for a probationary member is 24 months as per Rule 3.3...

Peter
 
Pete E said:
H,

So you never got past your probationary period? Probably only did about 5 weekends?? An you left because you felt "positively superior"...You mention threats of anal initiation and A Stalkers enforcing non existant rules...and you then start a thread to whine about it...

I think you and the Club departing their seperate ways was probably for the best :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

And BTW the period for a probationary member is 24 months as per Rule 3.3...

Peter

Peter

Glad I'm not the only one starting to smell something fishy! ;)
 
Part of the 'rich tapestry of life'.

Not everyone likes my local pub, but I do. Were all different.

Now let's agree to disagree and get back out in the woods.......!
 
Good Morning all,

Douglas, theres nothing fishy here.

Pete, just read your last post, I was fast asleep whilst you were tapping away, you must have been fired up.

We can argue for all eternity and i do not think we will ever agree, but I think your ability to quote rules by paragraph and sub paragraph only enforces the overbearing image the club has to alot of people. (and it is a 12 month probation, get a new rule book)

The St Huberts is a dying organisation because it can not attract young blood.

Food for thought!
 
I'm a member of the BDS, but as already mentioned in a previous post they all seem to be a bunch of old farts, who dress funny and like their photos taken drinking Champagne.
What does that say to potential members? It would seem to say:-'Don't bother joining unless you are over sixty years old, own half of Devonshire and served in the Bengal Lancers'! Okay a bit far fetched, but don't you fellow BDS members, open page one of the Deer Journal and see a bunch of Champagne Charlies at some 'cock and arse party' and then go to page two and read an article about needing more funds! BASC is the same.
So why am I a member of both? Well I like the magazines and the BASC insurance is helpful. Thats it really.
 
Rob Mac If you want to start a club, I will join! But we need some house rules:-
1. All members must be able to down a pint of snake bite in 30 seconds.
2. All members must like pork scratchings.
3. All members must get tearful when Ivor Emmanuel starts singing in Zulu.
4. All members must be able to enter their house, with a rifle without sniping at the lady in the bath next door.

We could call the club 'The Spotty ST Urbets Club', not to be confused with The Popular Peoples Front of Judea! :D
 
Beowulf said:
I'm a member of the BDS, but as already mentioned in a previous post they all seem to be a bunch of old farts, who dress funny and like their photos taken drinking Champagne.
What does that say to potential members? It would seem to say:-'Don't bother joining unless you are over sixty years old, own half of Devonshire and served in the Bengal Lancers'! Okay a bit far fetched, but don't you fellow BDS members, open page one of the Deer Journal and see a bunch of Champagne Charlies at some 'cock and arse party' and then go to page two and read an article about needing more funds! BASC is the same.
So why am I a member of both? Well I like the magazines and the BASC insurance is helpful. Thats it really.

I've been a BDS member for 30 years. I've always found them a most helpful bunch of guys and girls. I'm beginning to think you have a chip on your shoulder for some reason. I've never been to a 'cock and arse party' wouldn't know what one looked like for a start. Is it traditional for saliors to attend such events. Like it is for the Boot tops to dress up as women on mess nights.

Why not just quit both organisations and join the NGO. Great team of people. Run by the keepers for the keepers and the insurance is just as good.
 
I think this refers to a spotty herbert? Made me laugh, and also I will add before signing off that there is also nothing fishy from here either.

BDS I am a member, good magazine, I have held several events for the SE Branch where I work, and they have always been ok. But some are a bit clickly, but then most clubs can be a little bit like that, the Huberts slightly more than most I feel.

Well lets get back to the stalking shall we, hope everyone is looking forward to the Fallow kick off soon.
 
Mark,
A Sturbet is what you get if you force feed sherbet to a sturgeon.
Or is it an Anglo-Saxon stirrup pump?
Or a device to remove whinnets from a Lurchers bum?

Don't you just love 'Call my Bluff'.

Douglas,
On chips on my shoulders, just don't like seeing a small percentage of the membership on the 'lash' when our money could be better spent on deer management and conservation projects.
 
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