Beaters wages

[weatherby]

are beaters get £25 and tax paid soup at lunch time shoot next door get £20 no tax paid

 

[nick100]

All being well I am going beating on friday, there is a good chance I won't get paid.
Lunch yes, do people do it for the money ? I don't think so.
It will help the keeper out too.
It gives me another chance to work my dogs, we are on on saturday too. But it's a day out with like minded people, and IMHO the season is short enough so I am going to take every opportunity to get out.

 

[BSAvale]

I drive 50 miles each way to beat and get paid nothing except lunch and a brace if the guns manage to shoot anything! I don't do it for money, but for a nice day out with great company and a good laugh.

​i wouldn't be complaining at £25!

 

[Rake Aboot]

I get £30, and sometimes soup, pies, whatever.

The thing is though, I get all my stalking from the same source, so when they ask, I jump. I spent all summer building pens etc, for bugger all cash, and I got a bargain.
I don`t do it for the money.

 

[weatherby]

I go beating at my brothers I would do it just for fun but I live an hour away often have to take other beaters up with me so by the time ive paid petrol food for the day ther is not much of £25 left probley enouth to buy the kids some sweets

 

[limulus]

I get £25, beating or picking up.
I get verbally abused by the keeper for free and love every minute of it......Thanks Sam

 

[teyhan1]

I don't do it for the money either. It's the principal.
We can't shoot on our bit next door on Boxing day now as she now wants to shoot that day and it conflicts too much.
She wants to put the wages down.
We don't get to shoot on the estate the rest of the year, so no perks.
She complained last year when we shot more on beaters day than she did.
Like to see her do a full days beating. I often turn up at 7am to hold covers until 9.30am when they can be arsed to bless us with their presence.
It's the 'we're doing you a favor even paying you' attitude that's starting to get to me.

 

[Bumble]

I love working my dogs and the great outdoors, rain or shine.The money is here nor there for me.I do a lot of foxing, pigeon shooting,and rabbiting.I sometimes get paid by the estate for tree work and a few other bits, but sometimes its just for free to help my mate the keeper out.
Wages are mostly 25 quid on all the local shoots, but a big one pays 35.Pickers get a bit more.Some provide a stew at lunch, some dont provide anything apart from tea and coffee.
​

 

[Bomag]

Beating is £25 and Picking up is £30 to £35 on an average in our area

Do you know of any Beating in the Builth area Gaz? Im struggling to find a Shoot to work my dogs on Unless I go back to Surrey, but that's not really cost effective!!

 

[bobt]

we dont pay our beaters, the guns have a "whip round" that manages £10 for a lad, £20 an adult, plus a fiver if they have a useful dog,

we had more beaters than we knew what to do with last week, some had no idea (one lad was asked, he brought his wife who brought 2 mates who asked 4 more etc, its 9,30am to 2,30pm with half hour for lunch, hardly a full day.

 

[bobjs]

when i go i get £30 beating, lunch and home by about 5pm (5 drives) £35 with a working dog, lunch and home at the same time

same fees paid if we shoot through but we get home earlier.

i get paid coz its my job.

bob.

 

[Chris Rob]

I beat on a large shoot in the Cotswold's, £25 plus elevenses plus meal after, beaters day at the end of the season.

On my own small syndicate shoot we pay £20 plus a brace if we shoot enough & invite the beaters that shoot (3) to our last day.

Cheers

Chris

 

[jamross65]

My cousin who does not shoot and makes a good living could never grasp why anyone would go and work for a day to earn £15 or whatever it was back then.

I was picking up regularly with several dogs and quite honestly did it for the work for them and the end of season shoot. In fact the large shoot down here had 5 keepers days at the end of the season. I would probably fire more than 200 cartridges over those days. What is that worth to me? It was certainly the quality of shooting I was experiencing that I could never afford to do myself on a proper driven day, yet here I am standing on my peg every second drive firing at the same birds that for the last 3 months I had been watching wealthy men pay £25-£30 plus vat for the same privilege. I was doing it with a bunch of close pals, having an absolute hoot when a bird was missed, watching my dogs have a great days work, listening to the craic.....

5 days is exceptional but a single day would have been just as enjoyable. For me the wage for loading or picking up is a bit of pocket money, it covers the expenses in getting there in fuel, it gives the dogs far more work than if they were relying on me going out with a shotgun, its fresh air and exercise and its a days fun and sport at the end of January.

If folk go out beating or picking up and see it as a wage, I think they will always be disappointed, who wouldn't be at £3 per hour but that's not what its about...

 

[8x57]

The only time that I have beat was yonks ago on a little walk one and shoot one syndicate that I belonged to. No one got paid, we provided our own sandwiches which were shared with the dogs sometimes by choice and sometimes not, and we were lucky if we shot enough by the end of the day for half of us to take a bird home. I wish that small syndicate was still going as the company was fantastic and we normally went home extremely tired and wet and with sore ribs from laughing.

Now I don't want to put the cat amongst the pigeons but if anyone within 25 miles of Pontypool/Monmouth wants a cheap beater for the remainder of the season drop me a pm. I'm available most days and I really need the exercise. Just as long as you don't shout at me or abuse me I will do it for nothing and good company.

 

[Ronin]

I think it's about time for a national strike by all beaters.
It's bloody disgusting that they think that because we love the sport they can take the pi$$.
She says she can get as many beaters as she likes from the syndicate she's in. Honestly, f**k her, it's not that much of a shoot and I just do it as my best friends the keeper and I don't need the money.

Then dont take any money, do it for free and "politely",, stop whimpering about it.

 

[goldypurple]

I go on a few shoots, one pays £30 with a dog £25 without no questions asked.
another pays £30 and asks for nat insurance number, and i will pay tax at the end of the season, no dog required, and another pays £25 but the shoot pays the tax on that one also no dog.

so the going rate around Norfolk is £30. Some of these are big Norfolk estates.

Shadwell i believe pay £50

another local farm shoot pays £20 with a dog, and you get lunch as well, sometimes they will also give you a bag of dog feed.

one last one i went on last year, is a family shoot, the guns pay the beaters i walked away with nearly £200 for a days beating

 

[243 fallow]

most people do it for the enjoyment and not to make money out of. nobody forces anybody to go beating. I do agree some shoots take the p**s on what they pay but if like us you have 15 beaters 7 pickers up plus food and drink there is £850 gone straight away before a bird is shot. and if its just a 150 bird day at £30 per bird =£4500 less your £850 for beaters leaves £3650 by the time you take into account price of the birds and feeding and keepers wages it just don't add up and can not afford to pay higher money.

Well said that man

 

[nick100]

I am sure most people think shoots are raking it in.
No doubt some of the big boys make money, but the smaller ones are a different story.

 

[Little Jon]

£30 or £35 (weather dependant) & a pint or 2 ,after with dinner & add a £5 with a dog ..The abuse , aches, pneumonia , bad weather, verbal baba & dog scrapping goes hand in hand ,ahhahaah free !

 

[PointBlank]

....Just as long as you don't shout at me or abuse me.....

I don't think you will find a shoot in the country that won't have shouting and abuse amongst the beaters