Outrageous behaviour

Dorset

Well-Known Member
I had a phonecall from one of my landowners last night whilst I was out lamping to let me know there would be a truck parked on the land but not to worry it was his mate Bob who would be out stalking the deer. Well unfortunately what the landowner does is up to them although up till now no-one else has stalked this piece apart from me. What stunned me was that I have taken Bob out on a few outings for free, shown him everything from shot placement to gralloching and butchery, he has been out and bought all the equipment that I use.

Basically he is a complete novice who told me he's got loads of land on the levels but hasn't got the confidence to go out on his own and now obviously shown himself to be a complete ****** into the bargain. I know he is out after a buck that I turned him down on as it was too much to shoot on a free stalk and the only thing that makes me feel slightly better is that I took out a mate off here's son and he shot it this summer on a freebie because he is a genuine lad. I can't believe that someone who I've helped so much would do something like that but I suppose it goes to show that if you help enough people out someone will turn round and stab you in the back in the end. I've spoken to him about it and he basically said thanks for your help I now feel ready to go out on my own, I haven't spoken to the landowner yet.

The main thing that's going to suffer here unfortunately is the deer.
 
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Ben, sorry to hear that. Some people have very short memories when it comes to the generosity others have shown them. Thankfully, they are in the minority; but it's a real kick in the teeth when it happens to you.
I hope the landowner sees sense.
ATB,
Rupert.
 
Benc May i ask a personal question do you pay for the ground also do you charge to take people out. It might be that this chap has seen what can be made from stalking . But if you have shown him properly then there is one saving grace the deer and all should be safe. I hope it is not your only bit of ground because you might loose it .I had a farmer lad take up stalking and lost the ground for years before the lad got married and decided stalking deer was not what he wanted to do as a hobbie.Deer stalking is full of bad people who take your trust then take your ground .
 
Its happened to me but wont happen again.My son is the only one I will be taking now as i have a fair amount of land .
I only found out when the farmer said " Your mate was up the other day " The worsed thing about it was he had someone else with him .
 
Hi Sikashooter, no I don't pay for that piece of ground and luckily I have plenty more, I do normally charge but haven't done so with this bloke. it has always been on a venison/trophy splitting agreement and as I said the landowner can have who he likes on, it's his land. Stalking comes and goes and I've got no problem with that but what riles me here is that the bloke has gone behind my back after I've taken him out. The bloke isn't in it for the money as he really hasn't got a clue, he still hasn't gralloched him one himself and has no idea about management. I'll put it down to experience and be much more wary who I take out.
 
Ben, sorry, it is not entirely clear from your first post, was Bob already a pal of the landowner before you met him, or did you introduce Bob to the landowner?
 
ben sorry to hear that not nice when someone does that to you especially when youve helped them so much
thanks for the thumbs up will keep an eye out for this chap .
look on the bright side you have loyal friends just up the road who have helped you settle in and have shown
you the ropes on the gamekeeping side of things :D:D
regards pete .
 
Where is your beef? Sorry if I am misreading your post but seems unfair to call the lad. You say it all in the first sentence, You take the farmer's mate out it is obvious that the lad will ask the farmer for a shot. What you are saying is I will teach you but then end of. If I shoot the farmer's ground FOC and he wants to give his mate a chance to go solo to me that is not unreasonable behaviour. If he gives his mate shooting rights and tells you to take a hike then moan. If you had words with me as the farmer I would tell you to take a long walk of a short pier. If I was the farmer and read this on this site I would give you a call and tell you to keep of my land. You have picked up a freeby and want to dictate. There is another on here where there is an item running directly counter to yours where the stalkers attitude is possessive agrivation to other users. Jim
 
Brian, he knew his son which is how he's managed to get in. Regardless of who he knows it's not something you do to someone who's helped you out. Pete, you are priceless, I should put a big ad in the blackmoor vale dedicated to you :)
 
Where is your beef? Sorry if I am misreading your post but seems unfair to call the lad. You say it all in the first sentence, You take the farmer's mate out it is obvious that the lad will ask the farmer for a shot. What you are saying is I will teach you but then end of. If I shoot the farmer's ground FOC and he wants to give his mate a chance to go solo to me that is not unreasonable behaviour. If he gives his mate shooting rights and tells you to take a hike then moan. If you had words with me as the farmer I would tell you to take a long walk of a short pier. If I was the farmer and read this on this site I would give you a call and tell you to keep of my land. You have picked up a freeby and want to dictate. There is another on here where there is an item running directly counter to yours where the stalkers attitude is possessive agrivation to other users. Jim

Egg zackly...
 
i have had the same thing happen to me on an occasion with a so called friend,
Any one i take out shooting now i just tell them what i want them to know.
and none of the details of land owners ,etc, real shame to have be like this but that is the way it is now days.
there are pleanty of people willing to throw good money at stalking .
bob
 
Got to agree with Jimbo. You need to think here. You have the ground without payment, the landowner is entitled to let anybody else on his ground that he likes. He is giving you your place to a certain extent by informing you of what he is doing. Maybe not to your liking but to me that is how it is. What I find a bit off is that you, having the stalking for nowt, decide that a particular buck is too good for this guy to shoot as a freebie. Also that you actually charge to take people out on ground that you pay nothing for. If I was Mr Farmer and I found that one out you would not be there.
 
Ben, Welcome to the world of stalking :rolleyes:
I still have no ground of my own, other than a syndicate membership, but would never dream of moving in on someone that has taken me out by going to the land owner direct.
If I wanted a bit of venison or to 'vent my spleen' in the countryside with a rifle, I'd approach the person that had the land in the first place or if there were more than one stalker, I'd ask the 'primary' stalker and then have expected him to have cleared it with the others and the landowner first.
I lost all my stalking in Somerset and Dorset through sons taking it up or daughter's boyfriends or husbands, but that can be expected and is completely different.
 
This type of thread seems to become more and more common. I think its a sign of the times, turning into a dog eat dog pastime. Its a crying shame. I can see why your gutted because of the fact you have helped this guy out. On the flip side, with free ground theres little you can do. I try to politely give the landowner the bigger picture regarding experience and any problems which may arise, with the hope that the landowner thinks twice before letting any tom, dick or harry onto the land..

I feel for you bud, hope it works out in some way or form.
 
tricky one....given that you don't pay for the rights, and don't have an exclusivity arrangement with the farmer....have you ever discussed it, or have you taken it for granted?

I do agree that perhaps the chap should have come to you and said, "look I'm friends with the farmer, he says I can go stalking now and again,,do you mind?"..clearly he didn't, but maybe he should have. then again, the younger chap might have thought you were stalking on the same basis as him, on a very informal basis sort of thing, so may not have thought anything of it.

I'd say you should be very happy having stalking for free, and learn to share if the farmer wants his other friends to have access - there just needs to be a clear understanding between all parties, share cull plans, etc. etc. there can be a good and happy end to this, the quicker you teach the young chap what deer management is all about, perhaps the better the whole situation can become. because he is a friend of the farmer, if you become an 'alliance', you may protect yourselves from paying syndicate offers better too...this may be a benefit for you in the long term!

ps. friends and family, sons, sons in law etc. can easily be the reason one is ousted from a peice of land, hence the importance of staying close and being friendly and willing to share!...jamross might freak out if I tell him I've got good friends with the owners of Stobo who told me the other day "oh, if you want some stalking, just let us know"...had I not known Jamross runs it, etc. etc. I might have taken the offer up, knowing what the status quo is, I will dismiss the offer and buy days off him if I want, it's the right thing to do;):british:
 
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Obviously if you have not talked to the farmer you do not know who initiated the invite. You do not know if the farmer did. You don't know if the lad asked the farmer to clear it with you hense the phonecall. Still say this thread warents your marching orders. Do roe stalkers take on the persona of the quarry, fighting for territorial rights?
 
Ben, I don't mean to be nasty at all, but jimbo has it correct.

You are in the farmer's ground as a guest, it is costing you nothing. Another lad who is a personal friend of the owner goes onto the ground and you are hacked off?

This relates in some ways to the earlier posts Paul At Barony made relating to a stalker abusing a young lad out pigeon shooting. I am not suggesting you abused anyone.

If you are on ground gratis, and are not paying for exclusivity, you can have no gripe when a family friend of the owner wants to go stalking.

I see this attitude all the time on this site. Permission to shoot or stalk does not imply any sort of exclusivity unless there is a contract in place and you are paying for this exclusivity.
 
I am afraid this is the downside of free stalking,you have no rights, if you pay a lease then you have a legitimate complaint, if not then you just have to live with it.
 
I am afraid this is the downside of free stalking,you have no rights, if you pay a lease then you have a legitimate complaint, if not then you just have to live with it.

I would go even further, even if you do pay for a lease, you would be well advised to smile and make nice if the owner occasionally allows a family friend onto the ground.

There is no mileage in falling out with farmers.
 
Regardless of whether the stalker was an existing friend of the landowner's or not, a phone call to Benc to ask if it was OK would have been the very least to be expected. I would not have been happy to step on another stalker's, however, even if the landowner was a mate.

I have benefitted from Ben's generosity, as have other members of this site, and it is unreasonable to accuse him of having a possessive attitude; he took this guy out on a number of occassions without charging him, and that is a gesture of friendship. A shame it wasn't reciprocated.
 
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