why do game dealer want head shots

see it shoot it

Well-Known Member
Ive been called to cull some Fallow this weekend but the landowners wants so much per pound for the meat,I called a well known game dealer today to see what they were paying,the call went something like this
"good morning can you tell me what your paying for Fallow"
repy
"were paying £3 per kilo neck or head shot"
me
"oh I see what about chest shot"
reply
"depends on the damage to the saddle"
me
"well a good chest heart and lung shot isn't going to damage the saddle"
reply
"well we will pay £2.75 for clean chest shot and deduct any damage"

now my problem is how can you argue the damage once they have been collected.I don't have a problem with head or neck shots but it seems the dealers are taking the urine with the prices.especially when the ribs are no good them anyway
 
Ive been called to cull some Fallow this weekend but the landowners wants so much per pound for the meat,I called a well known game dealer today to see what they were paying,the call went something like this
"good morning can you tell me what your paying for Fallow"
repy
"were paying £3 per kilo neck or head shot"
me
"oh I see what about chest shot"
reply
"depends on the damage to the saddle"
me
"well a good chest heart and lung shot isn't going to damage the saddle"
reply
"well we will pay £2.75 for clean chest shot and deduct any damage"

now my problem is how can you argue the damage once they have been collected.I don't have a problem with head or neck shots but it seems the dealers are taking the urine with the prices.especially when the ribs are no good them anyway

We have a deal that if the driver picking up is in any doubt he leaves them in the chill, that way saves any arguing when they arrive at the depot..
 
so people are financially incentivised by game dealers to take trick shots and have more wounded beats...nice one!

problem is, when money comes into the equation, rules around ethics usually go out the window
 
mine doesnt , £3 on the hook for red/fallow BUT if you balls up and wollop it through the haunches you gonna get deducted
 
so people are financially incentivised by game dealers to take trick shots and have more wounded beats...nice one!

problem is, when money comes into the equation, rules around ethics usually go out the window

Spot on, I bet game dealers don't ask for head shots with poachers.
 
to be honest , for 25pence per kilo ,not pound, but kilo , i wouldnt even think about taking risky shots , dont get me wrong i have and will do but only rarely when EVERYTHING is good for it , 98% chest shots ,is he going to re-imberse you for a deer running of with its jaw hanging off , is he feck , and if moans about chest shot deer ,tell him to shove it , sooner or later they will have to take them , dont feel presured into it , there you go ,rant over ,happy hunting arron.
 
It's a buyers market I'm afraid and every game dealer has the right to pay more for a head shot animal. It doesn't necessarily mean that you have to take head shots though if you are not comfortable with it! The onus is on the stalker to ensure that deer are culled humanely. What the game dealer pays should not influence shot placement. If it does, then finger of blame should point at the stalker and not the game dealer!
I get £3/kg and have never had any deductions for chest shot animals. I also don't get any more for a head or neck shot animal.
MS
 
As MS says price should not influence shot placement,also like him I don't get any more for head shot beasts nor deductions for clean chest shots,however anything else will result in a deduction, more and more dealers are classing any shot that touches the spine a saddle shot, hit the spine say in the shoulder area and they will class it as saddled, wrong in my opinion but the ball is in their court I am afraid.
 
As per MS and BT, i have never had a difference in price offered depending on where they are hit, unless saddle is damaged.

For the sake of 25p per kilo I certainly would not be dictated to as to where they were shot. I have said it before on here, neck and head shots I use all the time, but it has absolutely nothing to do with revenue.

I spoke to a friend the other day who I am not naming but the price he gets for fallow down south is per pound what I get per kilo for sika and I thought I was getting a reasonable fee! It got me thinking that if we all pulled together into some kind of union or co-operative like they do in some fishing ports and told the game dealers to ram it :finger: with their current prices, could we hold them to ransom for a better price? he he he :evil:

The venison is clearly worth a lot more than we get paid for it but for years the gamedealers have always dictated that worth, no questions asked. How much do they actually rely on us to keep them in business because I cannot believe they make their money out of birds!
 
never had anything knocked off for good cheats shot, can someone send me the details of the game dealers payin £3.00 a kilo please as no one down this way is payin that much for red or fallow.
 
Ive been called to cull some Fallow this weekend but the landowners wants so much per pound for the meat,I called a well known game dealer today to see what they were paying,the call went something like this
"good morning can you tell me what your paying for Fallow"
repy
"were paying £3 per kilo neck or head shot"
me
"oh I see what about chest shot"
reply
"depends on the damage to the saddle"
me
"well a good chest heart and lung shot isn't going to damage the saddle"
reply
"well we will pay £2.75 for clean chest shot and deduct any damage"

now my problem is how can you argue the damage once they have been collected.I don't have a problem with head or neck shots but it seems the dealers are taking the urine with the prices.especially when the ribs are no good them anyway

Hi mate you don't say whether its wild or park Fallow you have been asked to cull ? If its wild fallow and only culling a few animals. Then good chest shots will proberly suffice but if its park animals and large numbers head shots are the way to go ? For two reasons .. has soon as you put any pressure on the herd they will ball up and only offer you their head has a target. where safe body shots in these circumstances will be almost impossible prolonging the cull and causing even more stress on the animals. The second reason is if you are culling many animals it could add up many thousands of kilo's than that odd 25p is going to make a big difference to final price for owners and to you at the end of the day
Atb Dave (Jelen deer services )
 
I agree with many of the comments- dont be pushed into head shooting if you are not confident in doing so especially if you are talking about wild deer. I cull many hundreds of park deer per year, which I do head shoot, but only because I know my own ability, I still chest shoot nearly all my wild deer and refuse to deal with any game dealer that offers less for chest shot.
Hi mate you don't say whether its wild or park Fallow you have been asked to cull ? If its wild fallow and only culling a few animals. Then good chest shots will proberly suffice but if its park animals and large numbers head shots are the way to go ? For two reasons .. has soon as you put any pressure on the herd they will ball up and only offer you their head has a target. where safe body shots in these circumstances will be almost impossible prolonging the cull and causing even more stress on the animals. The second reason is if you are culling many animals it could add up many thousands of kilo's than that odd 25p is going to make a big difference to final price for owners and to you at the end of the day
Atb Dave (Jelen deer services )
 
It's a buyers market I'm afraid and every game dealer has the right to pay more for a head shot animal. It doesn't necessarily mean that you have to take head shots though if you are not comfortable with it! The onus is on the stalker to ensure that deer are culled humanely. What the game dealer pays should not influence shot placement. If it does, then finger of blame should point at the stalker and not the game dealer!
I get £3/kg and have never had any deductions for chest shot animals. I also don't get any more for a head or neck shot animal.
MS

+1. When shooting in Surrey/Hampshire area I use Blackmoor Game. They have never deducted anything from me in 10 yrs of using them. I have never taken them anything with haunch or saddle damage but will shoot through both shoulders every so often.

Conversely, I've also been told by the Deer Keeper on an estate that I shoot for that if I take anything but a head or neck shot (wild deer) it will be recorded as damaged. This is despite the fact that all so far have been either heart (well clear of saddle, shoulder and foreleg), or neck. - I will still be taking chest shots.
 
all my deer go to Simpsons Game, they pay well. they give you a deduction now and again for damage but very fair and up front with you through out the season
 
I agree with many of the comments- dont be pushed into head shooting if you are not confident in doing so especially if you are talking about wild deer. I cull many hundreds of park deer per year, which I do head shoot, but only because I know my own ability, I still chest shoot nearly all my wild deer and refuse to deal with any game dealer that offers less for chest shot.

Exactly as we did.
Make no bones about it,game dealers prefer head and neck shot deer but we can't have everything we want all of the time.
 
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