New syndicate visit help

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Matthew Thompson

Active Member
Hi all

I am after a bit of advice please. I am off to visit a possible new syndicate north of the boarder (my first deer syndicate) soon and would like to ask you all from your experiences what should I be looking for with regard to contracts land permissions etc? Or any other advice you are happy to give would be greatfully received.
 
Ask if you can go for a walk on your own look for signs of deer slots droppings fraying etc ask to look at the lease get the rules up front ask about booking on ask how many members if it’s your first ground proceed with caution don’t get carried away with the chance of becoming a member if in any doubt walk away
 
As above.
Ask to speak to/ or for details of the others in the syndicate to get their view on how its running, and be very wary if that is not forthcoming.
Find out how you arrange your stalks. If booking system used, how do the members feedback on how its running.
If historical figures are mentioned, see the cull records for yourself. Be very wary if that is not forthcoming.
Don't part with cash unless you are sure. First permission = you are more likely than average to be taken for a ride.
If there is a specific person you are dealing with, ask folk on here to PM you their experience. That way there is no axes to be ground, you can decide for yourself if its a one off or a pattern of poor feedback you are getting.
 
Matthew Thompson said:
Hi all

I am after a bit of advice please. I am off to visit a possible new syndicate north of the boarder (my first deer syndicate) soon and would like to ask you all from your experiences what should I be looking for with regard to contracts land permissions etc? Or any other advice you are happy to give would be greatfully received.
Click to expand...

www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

NOTES ON TAKING ON A SYNDICATE PLACE

We seem to be getting a number of posts offering syndicate places, so I thought it might be helpful to offer a bit of advice to those thinking of taking a place on any deer stalking syndicate/lease. 1. Before parting with ANY money, ask questions locally about the ground. Seek advice from other...
www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk
 
JockStalk said:
As above.
Ask to speak to/ or for details of the others in the syndicate to get their view on how its running, and be very wary if that is not forthcoming.
Find out how you arrange your stalks. If booking system used, how do the members feedback on how its running.
If historical figures are mentioned, see the cull records for yourself. Be very wary if that is not forthcoming.
Don't part with cash unless you are sure. First permission = you are more likely than average to be taken for a ride.
If there is a specific person you are dealing with, ask folk on here to PM you their experience. That way there is no axes to be ground, you can decide for yourself if its a one off or a pattern of poor feedback you are getting.
Click to expand...

Good advice there regarding previous history and members and if details for other members are not given for any reason - forget privacy and crap like that, I’d run a mile, you cannot manage ground even recreationally without speaking.

I’ve never been on a syndicate where you don’t all speak to each other at some point as cull figures need to be discussed and sort out stalking dates for the calendar bearing in mind everyone has to be a bit flexible at popular times like the rut.

I’d also be wary of a ‘booking system’ controlled by one person as if there is any forestry works going on it can be added to the calendar or forwarded/emailed to members by that company etc.

Ensure you physically see, read, understand and are happy with ALL of the lease details before parting with any cash.

Another good bit of advice is to ask about and see if you can find out who and what the immediate neighbours deer management plan surrounding you is as that can greatly impact on what you will see..... or not see!!!!
 
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One thing one of our tech savvy syndicate members has done recently is to produce a heat map showing where all the culls have taken place. This is handy, however it does require cull details including OS Grid Ref to be recorded in a timely manner.
Another thing we have done recently is to get a short letter issued to each syndicate member confirming that forestry company X gives the following individuals permission to stalk deer on ground Y.
Good luck.
JCS
 
All of the advice looks good and the only thing I would add from personal experience is that if when you ask for a copy of the lease the owner/organiser says something like..."I'll send that to you when I receive your money". then be careful and at very least get an email that very clearly states what you are paying for. I have come across several syndicates that are being run (sometimes for years) by people who don't really have formal permission to shoot the land. Yes they may have had a verbal ok from the owner but that's not worth the paper it isn't written on and if they don't have a formal written agreement then what they give to you is worthless. If there isn't a lease with a map showing the ground, it boundaries and any footpaths/bridleways then that should put you on alert. The age old excuse is that they don't want to give away the name of the owner to everyone in case someone goes in to undercut them....well all they have to do is blank out the name of the owner.
 
looking at some of the ,, without a doubt good, sound advice , its easy to see how someones integrity is called into question when the answers to many of the questions suggested in the many posts aren't forthcoming.
clearly it can be a bit of a minefield.
 
Two more things to consider:

Are larder facilities available to you if it’s hours away from home and your up for a few days, you don’t want carcasses sweating for two days in summer.

When you check out the ground ask yourself if you have the means to extract what you’ve shot, roe aren’t an issue but if your dealing with bigger stuff you need to consider it.

Are there good forestry tracks, will my motor get there and take a red, will I need a quad (do I have or can I afford one), can I justify towing the bloody thing up.

Of course you could be lucky and shoot everything near a track but I bet that’s what every other person on the syndicate is doing or trying to do and the deer won’t always play that game, the novelty of shifting reds through plantations and over clearfell quickly wears off!!!

It’s not all doom and gloom though ;)!!
 
Is it the type of syndicate that is run by a group of friends sharing out all the costs equally between themselves?
Or would you be paying for some stalking outings from someone running some kind of business out of it?
There is a big difference between the two types of “syndicate”
If it’s a group of friends then you probably know at least one of them already and will have been invited to join the group, in which case, you will likely be communicating with the other members and get a good idea of how things would operate going forward.
If you’ve responded to an advertisement of some kind then I would be asking myself why this syndicate place became available and whether it actually represents good value or not. Remember that the value is only what it is worth TO YOU and if you feel that you’ll be visiting the ground often enough and will enjoy your time spent hunting there then go for it. Many people seem to take on a place in Scotland and then realise that the reality of driving 500miles to go stalking is not what they thought and end up not visiting as often as they would have liked and then not renewing their place the following year.
I’d be very sceptical of anyone who says things like “it’s expensive because the venison value of all the deer you will shoot will cover the cost” If you start going out stalking looking to cover your costs (or even make a profit) then you will never really enjoy it, but if you pay your money and then look at venison/nice trophies as a bonus, then you will have a better experience.
Make sure you walk the ground and get an idea of terrain and deer numbers for yourself before parting with any money.
There’s a lot to consider either way and Sikamalc’s guide from post 5 has some good advice.
 
Thank you all for the outstanding advice. It has definitely given me plenty to go on. I have asked for some contact details of current and previous stalkers to have a chat with them. I am also thinking of putting a post on here asking if anyone has had any experience with the shoot.
 
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