Dilemma - should I call it a day and pack up

[Kersnow]

Am relatively new to stalking. I have done my DCS1 a couple of years ago and finally got a rifle last year after long Covid related delays.

Have been doing 4 or 5 paid stalks a year with mixed success but that's the way it goes and was quite happy with this.

This season I packed up shooting reared game as it no longer sits comfortably with me and thought I would be fine with a bit of stalking and wildfowling where you take a surplus from a stable/sustainable wild population.

I recently joined a stalking syndicate where we have been given an expectation of how many deer we are expected to shoot in a year and don't feel comfortable with this to the point where am debating whether or not to pack up all live shooting and stick to clays.

Have paid my fees for the year but cant see me enjoying the stalking much so not sure if I should just call it a day now.

 

[Husky]

If your not happy doing it, why do it ?

 

[south-nofolk-stalker]

Am relatively new to stalking. I have done my DCS1 a couple of years ago and finally got a rifle last year after long Covid related delays.

Have been doing 4 or 5 paid stalks a year with mixed success but that's the way it goes and was quite happy with this.

This season I packed up shooting reared game as it no longer sits comfortably with me and thought I would be fine with a bit of stalking and wildfowling where you take a surplus from a stable/sustainable wild population.

I recently joined a stalking syndicate where we have been given an expectation of how many deer we are expected to shoot in a year and don't feel comfortable with this to the point where am debating whether or not to pack up all live shooting and stick to clays.

Have paid my fees for the year but cant see me enjoying the stalking much so not sure if I should just call it a day now.

I feel for you, it is a struggle to find a balance between grubbing about the woods looking for the next animal for the freezer and actually managing deer.

but unfortunately we are now In a position with regards to deer numbers that things are out of control.

 

[Druid]

There is nothing to stop you deciding to cease the stalking. If you no longer feel like shooting live quarry that is your choice
and is perfectly reasonable.

we should all respect the quarry. If that means taking humane shots and despatching cleanly or just not shooting at all that is for the individual to choose.

Sometimes different stages of life change our views of what we consider acceptable.

 

[tom308w]

Graham if you feel you can't shoot animals chuck it in mate.

 

[Lloyd90]

It sits easier with most hunters the thought of taking ani animals they can and do eat themselves.

The idea of shooting lots of animals only to see the demand for them is none existent is a sad sight to see.

I have no desire to join a syndicate where you’re shooting multiple deer every week.

Happy to take one for the pot every now and then. Enjoy the stalks and the experience and I remember each one.

If I was you I’d just carry on with the paid stalks. Nothing wrong with it.

The guides should insist the stalkers take the deer they shoot home for consumption.

 

[arron]

Just stick to paid stalks as and when the urge /freezer demands it ?? I get what your saying and there is surely some middle ground

 

[Donkey Basher]

What your syndicate is being asked to do is, in your words, "take a surplus from a stable/sustainable wild population."

You are not being asked to shoot reared animals & I imagine that the wild animals you cull will be processed into the food chain either by the syndicate members or sold into a game dealers.

If you cannot reconcile yourself with this then you already know the answer.

 

[Nickb]

If your not happy doing it, why do it ?

Exactly my thoughts. If you cant cull deer why join a syndicate?
I think you need to give up your place to someone that can justify the position.

 

[ColinBr]

Carry on with the paid stalks for as and when you need to fill your freezer.

It's obviously not sitting well with you in regards to shooting for numbers. It's not for everyone and you've obviously realised this isn't for you.

No point in doing it if your not enjoying it.

 

[Heym SR20]

I really don’t get this syndicates being asked to pay good money and then being given unrealistic targets to achieve. If the landowner wants the deer gone he should pay for contractors.

If the landowner wants an income from stalking, he can either employ his own stalkers to manage the deer and to take out fee paying clients, or he let a syndicate take the stalking for a fee and let them manage it for deer stalking purposes.

Its not very long ago when Scottish estates were valued on the basis of no of good Stags, braces of grouse, no of Salmon and trout etc they produced on a yearly basis.

Now they are valued on the basis of Carbon credits or some other mythical trading value.

 

[south-nofolk-stalker]

I really don’t get this syndicates being asked to pay good money and then being given unrealistic targets to achieve. If the landowner wants the deer gone he should pay for contractors.

If the landowner wants an income from stalking, he can either employ his own stalkers to manage the deer and to take out fee paying clients, or he let a syndicate take the stalking for a fee and let them manage it for deer stalking purposes.

Its not very long ago when Scottish estates were valued on the basis of no of good Stags, braces of grouse, no of Salmon and trout etc they produced on a yearly basis.

Now they are valued on the basis of Carbon credits or some other mythical trading value.

The problem with that is, contractors cost money, syndicates make money.

 

[Heym SR20]

The problem with that is, contractors cost money, syndicates make money.

Exactly. And if you want syndicates to pay good money over several years they need to be allowed to manage the deer to provide a good sustainable crop of animals over many years. Then they will continue to pay good money for the sporting rights.

If they are being forced to adopt a shoot anything that moves policy, come year two and three there will nothing there and it becomes a very expensive armed walk and syndicates go elsewhere.

 

[lincolnjefferies]

In these days of industrial meat production, distributing sustainable, carbon neutral, high welfare wild venison into the food chain, whilst simultaneously protecting threatened British diversity and maintaining a healthy deer population, is an ethically sound and remorse free activity.

 

[Rake Aboot]

If you don’t like shooting them , give it up.


You don’t have to eat them , I’m vegetarian and shoot loads of deer and feking hundreds of rabbits
One thing I stick by though is if they don’t need shot I leave them alone.
I only shoot where numbers need reduced. Doesn’t bother me who eats them, they all go to either game dealers of other folk to eat.

I think people get confused once they start paying for stalking though. They forget that what they are actually doing is pest control. They just think it’s some elevated activity because they pay for it.
It’s not mystical. It’s shooting pests to keep population numbers at an acceptable level.

 

[Pedro]

To you (and to most) really it's a hobby, whether you are contributing to deer control or not. The meat is handy though. As for killing reared birds, well it's much the same ethically as killing reared cows, sheep, pigs etc. if it comes to that.

The thing is, as a hobby whatever else it achieves, it should be something you like to do. If you don't and you can't reconcile your thoughts so that you can enjoy it, then that's the time to look for another pastime. Of course if shooting is something you want to continue to pursue, then there's clays and for rifles, there's ranges. Although many can't get the same buzz from shooting paper and ashtrays. But some can in the strive for excellence.

 

[ruger77]

I have a good friend who stalks with me we go all over the UK had some great times ,so we would normally stalk over a weekend it’s more of a social weekend shoot a few deer have a few beers and a big steak somewhere back home job done

 

[Overlay]

Nothing wrong with what your thoughts are, wildfowling I’ve done since a lad and I find that my to go to place for what I look for a sustainable filling for the pot and a superb sport it is my anchor to be honest and I love it, stick with wildfowling the rest, don’t give up on stalking, there is now and over the let’s say 5 years been a huge amount changes have come about within stalking, landowners wanting more, paperwork, training and probably the harvest being the hardest beast to control not getting the numbers, no outlet when you do, it has put a different spin on things in the way of operation and expectations, some syndicates are run ( some purely for money) differently in some quarters you pay your money, high seat shooting only, can only shoot on certain days and only if the wind is blowing at 10mph from the east then moan about cull numbers not enjoyable but bums on seats as always and what do you actually take home
Other syndicates loosely said turn up when you like and keep a record take all the deer home but high price
There’s lots of choices, my thoughts would be to ask if you could share some of your stalking year with a friend after showing the guy around etc go solo using your prescribed stalks up and play the game, to half the visits yourself to what you want and to take the pressure off of you for numbers
there is no harm in asking, my thoughts would be it’s better to have someone on the ground who wants to be in it, rather than someone who just turns up to do his stalks = no cull numbers if( that’s the be all and end all of the group, going out for what is a sporting syndicate with high cull numbers will create pressure

Horses for courses really if high culls don’t sit easy with you and it’s not your day job see if you can work something out, after a season or two you may look at it differently
Good luck and ENJOY the ride

 

[25 Sharps]

Am relatively new to stalking. I have done my DCS1 a couple of years ago and finally got a rifle last year after long Covid related delays.

Have been doing 4 or 5 paid stalks a year with mixed success but that's the way it goes and was quite happy with this.

This season I packed up shooting reared game as it no longer sits comfortably with me and thought I would be fine with a bit of stalking and wildfowling where you take a surplus from a stable/sustainable wild population.

I recently joined a stalking syndicate where we have been given an expectation of how many deer we are expected to shoot in a year and don't feel comfortable with this to the point where am debating whether or not to pack up all live shooting and stick to clays.

Have paid my fees for the year but cant see me enjoying the stalking much so not sure if I should just call it a day now.

That is quite normal for a syndicate with a lease, you are still taking the surplus. It’s no different from me knowing I need to take 5-7 does off of a farm each year to keep numbers steady. If I don’t numbers rise, farmer asks why there’s so many about.

If you can’t reconcile yourself with actually managing deer, give up and let someone else take you space. Maybe take up target shooting or something like CSR.

 

[Heym SR20]

Nothing wrong with what your thoughts are, wildfowling I’ve done since a lad and I find that my to go to place for what I look for a sustainable filling for the pot and a superb sport it is my anchor to be honest and I love it, stick with wildfowling the rest, don’t give up on stalking, there is now and over the let’s say 5 years been a huge amount changes have come about within stalking, landowners wanting more, paperwork, training and probably the harvest being the hardest beast to control not getting the numbers, no outlet when you do, it has put a different spin on things in the way of operation and expectations, some syndicates are run ( some purely for money) differently in some quarters you pay your money, high seat shooting only, can only shoot on certain days and only if the wind is blowing at 10mph from the east then moan about cull numbers not enjoyable but bums on seats as always and what do you actually take home
Other syndicates loosely said turn up when you like and keep a record take all the deer home but high price
There’s lots of choices, my thoughts would be to ask if you could share some of your stalking year with a friend after showing the guy around etc go solo using your prescribed stalks up and play the game, to half the visits yourself to what you want and to take the pressure off of you for numbers
there is no harm in asking, my thoughts would be it’s better to have someone on the ground who wants to be in it, rather than someone who just turns up to do his stalks = no cull numbers if( that’s the be all and end all of the group, going out for what is a sporting syndicate with high cull numbers will create pressure

Horses for courses really if high culls don’t sit easy with you and it’s not your day job see if you can work something out, after a season or two you may look at it differently
Good luck and ENJOY the ride

Pretty much my sentiments exactly. I have done big culls in the past, I have shot large numbers of phaesants in the past. I don’t think it takes a genius to work out that I think the current government, environmentalists view on deer management is just so wrong on many accounts. But as others have said, do the type of stalking you enjoy and don’t listen to others.

It me many years but I am now in a happy place with enough stalking that I can manage well, with landowners who are now good friends and with no real pressures either way.