One of the SD brethren mentioned a name in an email.

[John Gryphon]

I looked up the name and almost choked on my breakfast lobster roll washed down with Kopi luwak

Tariff for 2025​

Red stag	£660.00 incl. VAT
Sika stag (on foot)	£480.00 incl. VAT
Sika stag (high seat)	£24.00 incl. VAT for a single-rifle outing, plus £450.00 incl. VAT per beast taken for an early morning or evening outing.
Red hind (single rifle outing)	£390.00 incl. VAT during which one hind/calf may be taken.
Red hind (double rifle party)	£510.00 incl. VAT during which two hinds/calves may be taken.
Sika hind (single rifle outing on foot)	£240.00 incl. VAT during which one hind/calf may be taken.
Sika hind (double rifle party on foot)	£360.00 incl. VAT during which two hinds/calves may be taken.
Sika hind (high seat)	£24.00 incl. VAT for a single-rifle outing, plus £210.00 per adult beast taken, for an early morning or evening outing.
Estate Rifle	£60.00 incl. VAT per week/part week for use of an estate rifle for stalking.

Notes:​

1. For any of the above, a wound, a miss or a failure to fire when presented with a safe opportunity, counts as a beast shot. Should there be a genuinely blank outing (which in the case of a double rifle party means that both rifles have a "blank"), no charge will apply.
2. For a full week of red or sika hind stalking (being Monday – Friday) the charge is capped at £1,800.00 incl. VAT for each single or double rifle party, and £3,600.00 incl. VAT for two single or double rifle parties, regardless of the number of outings or beasts taken.
3. All rates quoted are for outings accompanied by an Estate stalker and are inclusive of VAT
4. Carcasses remain the property of the Estate, but venison joints, burgers and sausages are available for purchase.

 

[Stevie/P]

Plus tips

 

[Malxwal]

Red stag fee actually not near the top of the tree...

 

[chriswjx]

Red stag fee actually not near the top of the tree...

And also don't seem to include additional charge based on number of points...

 

[John Gryphon]

660 quid for a red deer boy oh boy the world has gone mad.

 

[Malxwal]

The more prestigious fieldsports are subject to laws of demand and supply. For example, expect to pay upwards of £60 per bird for high driven partridge....heard of one shoot up at about £80 per bird just the other day. And there's still the money there to shoot 300+ day after day.

 

[Mike1979]

660 quid for a red deer boy oh boy the world has gone mad.

If its a 16 point stag it will cost a hell of a lot more then that ... however are you really surprised that those of us from the UK are mad....course we are

 

[John Gryphon]

If its a 16 point stag it will cost a hell of a lot more then that ... however are you really surprised that those of us from the UK are mad....course we are

That is an airfare to Victoria where the deer are free.

 

[VSS]

I notice that they've included a fee (£60+VAT) for use of the estate rifle, which is illegal unless the person hiring it out is an RFD.

 

[Apthorpe]

The more prestigious fieldsports are subject to laws of demand and supply. For example, expect to pay upwards of £60 per bird for high driven partridge....heard of one shoot up at about £80 per bird just the other day. And there's still the money there to shoot 300+ day after day.

The difference is that it costs a lot of money to run a decent driven shoot, which cannot be said about stalking where the cost is simply a reflection of supply and demand. Which is another reason why the politically motivated near-eradication of deer from.areas is harmful.

 

[Heym SR20]

Accompanied Stalking on an Estate for a Red Stag - prices haven’t really moved in the last ten to fifteen years. For many, let stalking fits in with their life and work. They haven’t the time to take on a piece of ground with all that entails. Instead they a few days on the hill after a stag or two.

£660 - well you will pay a similar amount for a good seat at a Rugby match. A round of golf at a top course will cost more. A basic days phaesant shooting. Or take out a few friends or family for a good meal and you don’t much change out £50 to £60 per head.

From an Estates perspective this is income that allows them to continue doing what they do. Most highland estates are loss making and the temptation to turn it over to farming wind, or rewilding etc is very high.

 

[Malxwal]

It does, and the economics of it means big bag days are the only way of making it pay.
As noted by others, estates offering deer stalking aren't making profit on it, likely just barely cleaning their faces on carrying out der management and continuing some form of traditions.

 

[Mike1979]

That is an airfare to Victoria where the deer are free.

Is that an Invite

 

[muddy42]

For an accompanied stalk you are paying for the stalkers time, experience and local folklore. These charges will not even come close to covering the estate's costs of salaries, insurance, vehicle(s), fuel, cottage, dog food etc.

Plus you are keeping alive a traditional rural way of life that is being eradicated by the rewilding, shoot-any-deer-out-of-season brigade.

Yes I like solo stalking, but I am in awe at some of these guys - how they know the ground so well, all the tricks, cover and places to spy and what the deer will do in a given weather.

 

[Dickie]

I notice that they've included a fee (£60+VAT) for use of the estate rifle, which is illegal unless the person hiring it out is an RFD.

I thought that, you can charge for the ammo but not the rifle was my understanding.

 

[John Gryphon]

Is that an Invite

Queueing.

For an accompanied stalk you are paying for the stalkers time, experience and local folklore. These charges will not even come close to covering the estate's costs of salaries, insurance, vehicle(s), fuel, cottage, dog food etc.

Plus you are keeping alive a traditional rural way of life that is being eradicated by the rewilding, shoot-any-deer-out-of-season brigade.

Yes I like solo stalking, but I am in awe at some of these guys - how they know the ground so well, all the tricks, cover and places to spy and what the deer will do in a given weather.

I do all of that for nothing for the people that are worth doing it for.

 

[VSS]

I thought that, you can charge for the ammo but not the rifle was my understanding.

Exactly that.

 

[Biathlonjimmy]

I looked up the name and almost choked on my breakfast lobster roll washed down with Kopi luwak

Tariff for 2025​

Red stag	£660.00 incl. VAT
Sika stag (on foot)	£480.00 incl. VAT
Sika stag (high seat)	£24.00 incl. VAT for a single-rifle outing, plus £450.00 incl. VAT per beast taken for an early morning or evening outing.
Red hind (single rifle outing)	£390.00 incl. VAT during which one hind/calf may be taken.
Red hind (double rifle party)	£510.00 incl. VAT during which two hinds/calves may be taken.
Sika hind (single rifle outing on foot)	£240.00 incl. VAT during which one hind/calf may be taken.
Sika hind (double rifle party on foot)	£360.00 incl. VAT during which two hinds/calves may be taken.
Sika hind (high seat)	£24.00 incl. VAT for a single-rifle outing, plus £210.00 per adult beast taken, for an early morning or evening outing.
Estate Rifle	£60.00 incl. VAT per week/part week for use of an estate rifle for stalking.

Notes:​

1. For any of the above, a wound, a miss or a failure to fire when presented with a safe opportunity, counts as a beast shot. Should there be a genuinely blank outing (which in the case of a double rifle party means that both rifles have a "blank"), no charge will apply.
2. For a full week of red or sika hind stalking (being Monday – Friday) the charge is capped at £1,800.00 incl. VAT for each single or double rifle party, and £3,600.00 incl. VAT for two single or double rifle parties, regardless of the number of outings or beasts taken.
3. All rates quoted are for outings accompanied by an Estate stalker and are inclusive of VAT
4. Carcasses remain the property of the Estate, but venison joints, burgers and sausages are available for purchase.

Seems pretty reasonable £1,800 guided for the week.

I prefer unaccompanied, but only a few excellent outfits allow this.

 

[Heym SR20]

I notice that they've included a fee (£60+VAT) for use of the estate rifle, which is illegal unless the person hiring it out is an RFD.

Under the borrowing of rifles in the firearms act there it talks about borrowing and lending of the firearm. Makes no mention of whether or not a payment may be made for doing so.

However it does specifically say that the borrower may purchase ammunition on the premises for use of the rifle from the lender.

Therefore it would be totally reasonable IMHO to charge for ammunition. Given the cost of ammo, and the cost of the getting the ammo to the top of the hill then ….

Going back to £600 or whatever a day, once you take into account the cost of stalker plus probably a ghillie, and running a pick up and trailer, an argo cat, quad bike or pony etc etc it quickly adds up.

Many Sporting Estates do have an individual with an RFD ticket as it makes life so much easier with all their clients and storage of shotguns and firearms. Many of these estates will have a gun room with very secure storage so that clients can leave their guns there and not have all the hassle of travelling with guns, especially if they are coming from overseas.

Sport shooting is a cornerstone of many rural communities. The stalking and shooting is just the excuse. The real money is spent on the accomodation, food etc etc. A typical party of half a dozen couples will easily drop £10 to £20k over the course of weeks sport in October / November / December or January on bits of the country which otherwise would see very little trade during those months.

SNH and FLS policy of very culls has resulted in many estates having to give up let stalking. They simply do not have the deer on their ground to justify offering stalking when they may or may see a shootable beast in a whole week.

This has had a massive knock on effect to local hotels and other businesses and people. In large parts of Scotland many hotels shut their doors now when the clocks go back. It’s simply not worth paying the bills to keep them open.

 

[VSS]

Under the borrowing of rifles in the firearms act there it talks about borrowing and lending of the firearm. Makes no mention of whether or not a payment may be made for doing so.

There was a discussion about this on here fairly recently, and I'm pretty sure someone (may have been me, I can't remember) posted the relevant bit of legislation that made it quite clear that only an RFD can charge for the hire or loan of a rifle.