Syndicate - what is good value

Hi,
I have never been part of a syndicate but will need to consider it if I am to expand my stalking. What represents good value and what to be wary of, can somebody offer me some advice?
 
Start with the important questions:

how many deer/how many stalkers/how much?

For your 'even share' expect to pay between £100 - £300 per deer depending on area, species present and location. Good value involves a lot of competition unless you're lucky and have been invited in.
 
Start with the important questions:

how many deer/how many stalkers/how much?

For your 'even share' expect to pay between £100 - £300 per deer depending on area, species present and location. Good value involves a lot of competition unless you're lucky and have been invited in.
£100-£300 per deer holy smoke are they gold plated
 
they would be pretty if they were,

guided prices on roe does for a day if you're lucky enough to connect will be a lot more than £100 per day to take home with most providers. On syndicates though you're also getting the opportunity to stalk when you want and as many times as you are able. That's actually a pretty good deal to be fair.
 
I pay a set amount, and anything that I shoot comes home with me... Up to me when I stalk, so if I go out once in the year and don't get anything it's been a bl**dy expensive year, but if I shoot 5 deer over the year, then it's pretty good value.

All that said, for me it's not so much the cost, or even the return on that cost, it's about having land that I can stalk on pretty much when I want to. I get to know the land, when and where the deer tend to appear. I know back stops, crop cycles, wind directions and where the sun rises/sets. All this adds up and means that I get onto the land before dawn with some semblance of a plan rather than only being able to stalk in an afternoon so that I can physically see everything to make snap judgements.

Do your research on any syndicate and you'll find those that others have been bitten by! There's one in Yorkshire that regularly gets mentioned on here, so ask the right questions and you'll get the feedback you need.
 
What Farticus and Paul said - the opportunity to stalk pretty much at will on land where reasonable numbers of deer are present is valuable and increasingly hard to come by, particularly in parts of Englandshire.
 
Forestry commission ground expect to pay £100 per cull figure roe divided by the number of stalkers allowed on the lease.
Private ground can be cheaper and often hold more deer.
If there are red or sika on the ground expect to pay £2-300 per cull animal.
There's plenty of ground near you that you can stalk for £50-60 a stalk and pay about £30 for the carcass. This is often the best way to start out but does restrict you to going when it suits both parties rather than just being able to get out when you want.
 
That's based on borders. The further up you go the cheaper it gets. It seems to be related to border prices divided by the number of miles north of a line between Glasgow and Edinburgh. So £600 in the Borders could well be £3 by the time you reach Inverness!
 
That's based on borders. The further up you go the cheaper it gets. It seems to be related to border prices divided by the number of miles north of a line between Glasgow and Edinburgh. So £600 in the Borders could well be £3 by the time you reach Inverness!

£3 POUND MY ARSE!!!!!!:rofl: Show me the way to that farmer... lol
 
I have been on a few syndicate grounds now and i have to say i have been fortunate all the grounds have been productive and a joy to be on.
I let one go last year but it wasn't due to not having deer and in fact far from it it had plenty of roe I wanted a variation in species.
I love to be out and i can at the drop of a hat get out so wanted ground to go as and when i please.
I have one piece that is quite difficult ground in respects of getting carcasses out but plenty of deer and i do like a challenge. I have also found the people in each ground good to get on with and we all have a good time so for me its worked well.
I have my own ground local as well but nothing beats getting out into the Scottish hills to be eaten alive by those pesky midges but i am a glutton for punishment on the upside there might be a lot more grounds available soon after the survey's are finished on the deer stalking qualifications, or a huge influx in the level2 :D:stir:
 
If you think £100 a deer is expensive then you must be very lucky with stalking availability in your local area!

Guided stalking even on just winter does say is at least £100 per day and you haven't shot anything yet but also the weather is very often against you! On syndicates the time you put into your stalking is what you can afford and at your leisure, that is the pleasure and the advantage of the system and not the number of deer you shoot. So you might only shoot a couple or even none, but any that you take were 100% your deer and earned by your efforts and not your guides.

On the other side I know clients who spend upwards of £1,500 on stalking but go where they feel like it and a syndicate is not for them. Not everyone can throw money at their interests. Syndicate places at the right price provide access to stalking that for some stalkers that put the time in works out at £20 or even less an outing over the year. Most of the younger lads I know throw more into a round of drinks on a weekend.
 
It depends if you are able to keep the vensison.
If you can then £100 per dear is good value.
If not then its expensive in my opinion.
 
Forgive my ignorance but what stops syndicated ground being totally shot out by numerous members all trying to get their moneys worth? I've always been curious. What one man will spare for another year another will whack on sight. How do cull plans work?

PH
 
Forgive my ignorance but what stops syndicated ground being totally shot out by numerous members all trying to get their moneys worth? I've always been curious. What one man will spare for another year another will whack on sight. How do cull plans work?

PH
Exactly!thats why I'd only have trusted friends !!!!
 
Forgive my ignorance but what stops syndicated ground being totally shot out by numerous members all trying to get their moneys worth? I've always been curious. What one man will spare for another year another will whack on sight. How do cull plans work?

PH

There's two sorts of syndicate leases really, private land owner agreements and Forestry company leasing which is a bit more official and regulated. The forestry companies set cull targets and the cull records are readily available but quite often the cull targets are a little hard to make because the ground is challenging or has a high percentage of tree cover. A FC lease I have is 1200 acres, with about 50% forestry so you just can't shoot that out.

On private agreements with land owners there is less control and depending on the lease holder you might find that the information is a little bit sketchy. There's certainly some very good private leases out there with good numbers of deer and very well managed cull plans but as a stalker looking for syndicate places you need to satisfy yourself that what you are getting is legit and worth it.

Also, for both types of lease there seems to be this assumption that the syndicate members will compete for the deer to get their moneys worth? I've never seen that and for the leases I have, guys enjoy their stalking sure but you can end up chasing them to get more outings in to make the cull!!
 
Not for reds or sika in terms of supply and demand. If I had a reds lease for £3k and offered 5 places to shoot 10 red deer between them amoungst glorious surroundings with any roe in season seen for £600 each, would I fill those places? Pretty sure it would take one post because the demand far outstrips supply.

You might think £300 a deer is expensive but a half decent CWD buck rep would cost you that on one outing, so would an average red and a good 8p Sika, double that.

But on a syndicate place you get a years stalking at your leisure for the price paid, how many deer you shoot is down to commitment and luck. On syndicates your paying for the stalking, not the deer. The price averaged out per deer is just a simple guide for example purposes.
 
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