Permissions - The Ongoing Struggle

I’m sure there are members on here with thousands upon thousands of acres of permission to shoot on. I am also sure there are members on here with very small shooting permissions.

Now my question to you all is - How?

I’ve really been struggling recently to find any permissions for any type of shooting. With most replies (if I get any reply at all) being “we already have somone” or the more prevalent one being “we have an old guy that’s been doing it for years, he never really comes but we don’t want to tell him to leave and upset him”

I’m all for everyone having a bit of ground to shoot on - However, it seems to be that a lot of ground, around me at least is taken up by “old boots” for lack of a better phrase.

I always offer to shoot vermin and never ask for permission to shoot deer straight away. But even this is a struggle.

I have over 15 years shooting experience, over 10 years of experience in the military and police (firearms), fully insured and DSC1. I have tried door knocking, calls, emails, letters, business cards, even Facebook adds.

How does everyone do it? For context I live close to High Wycombe

 

[Tf223]

It’s all chance. Being asked by an unknown to go around your land with a rifle is normally receives a no thanks response. Same as I’d give to anyone who asked me and wasn’t a known entity.

All my shooting land is ours or through our farming contacts, except one in which someone asked me for some advice and I offered to shoot it.

If starting from scratch pick and choose the land - most arable farmers couldn’t care less about foxes being shot, but might care about pigeons and corvids wrecking crops. Many just don’t have that bigger problems to care at all! Sheep farmers are a good one to approach around lambing, offering fox control.

Put together a professional looking ‘pack’ with your details, any relevant courses/qualifications, insurance cert and copy of FAC front page - pick the right land for the right permission, ask at the right time of year and of the day when they’ll be interested but not flat out busy. Leave a ‘pack’ with them and pop back if needed to see if they’ve thought about it. But always speak in person if possible - most farmers won’t call you, and the only way they’ll find out you are not some form of toerag is to stand and have a chat with them for a bit.

Once you get in with one farmer, achieve what they want (I.e fox culling) it’s then easier to get info from them on their farming contacts who would be likely to be open to shooting.

One farming contact (who I never asked, as he had a gun on his ground) called me during lambing due to losses and the fact his usual gun came too slowly when asked, and didn’t produce the goods when predation was a problem. A quick blitz of 9 foxes over 2/3 visits and the ground is mine - handily he’s also an agri engineer and has returned the favours by means of doing some lathe work for me etc. I’m now two lambing seasons in and he’s had no losses lambing outside, and would recommend me to anyone who wanted foxes/rabbits culled. From that sort of thing you can build other permissions.

But overall I’d say keep asking

 

[Jax]

There are a lot of shoots in your area. There are pros and cons to this. Most estates will have long established relationships with stalkers/foxers(?). The pro is that there are plenty of opportunities for beating or picking up. This is typically how I’ve gained permissions over the years. I’ve shot a few estates and still shoot on an estate over your way. Most of the stalkers I know that shoot that way don’t pay for stalking. Some even get paid to do it! Building trust through the likes of beating and helping keepers with pen maintenance etc goes a long way. Estates close to you don’t need the money. Trust and rapport are priceless

 

[Stalker62]

Eating a lot of sh*t from older shooters

If you are engaged in coprophagia (in any form), you need to reassess what is important to you and how you live your life.

 

[Rutland lad]

As Stalker1963 has already noted, it’s being in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing.
I had some nice stalking nearby which was controlled by a good friend who mentored me. For various reasons that was taken away and I thought I was done for. But I met the new gamekeeper in the local CoOp, introduced myself and I was back on there helping him out with deer. Also then beating for the bird shoot they’d set up. What luck - but those days off work to help with the beating were costly. 10 days A/L off my yearly allowance was a chunk, but what it has brought me was well worth it and has been repaid by kindness and help from those people who I needed things doing.
Integration in the local community helps massively.

 

[Mungo]

View attachment 382318

I’m sure there are members on here with thousands upon thousands of acres of permission to shoot on. I am also sure there are members on here with very small shooting permissions.

Now my question to you all is - How?

I’ve really been struggling recently to find any permissions for any type of shooting. With most replies (if I get any reply at all) being “we already have somone” or the more prevalent one being “we have an old guy that’s been doing it for years, he never really comes but we don’t want to tell him to leave and upset him”

I’m all for everyone having a bit of ground to shoot on - However, it seems to be that a lot of ground, around me at least is taken up by “old boots” for lack of a better phrase.

I always offer to shoot vermin and never ask for permission to shoot deer straight away. But even this is a struggle.

I have over 15 years shooting experience, over 10 years of experience in the military and police (firearms), fully insured and DSC1. I have tried door knocking, calls, emails, letters, business cards, even Facebook adds.

How does everyone do it? For context I live close to High Wycombe

Personal connections.

All the variations of ‘we already have someone’ are a polite way of saying ‘I don’t know you and I’m not really keen to have an unknown wandering around armed in my land’.

The more integrated you are into the community, the more you’ll find opportunities magically appearing.

I have yet to start shooting anywhere as a result of a direct approach to an unknown landowner. It all comes via personal relationships that build over time.

 

[Heym SR20]

Trouble with around High Wycombe is that there are thousands of people. Land is very expensive when it comes on the market, and many of landowners have been there for centuries passing down through the family. Most is for game shooting, much of it either smart corporate or family and friends type large shoots.

And there is plenty of money about that will buy up shooting rights.

Even up here in Scotland there is plenty of shooting pressure from those in the South East with money.

 

[KimE]

Trouble with around High Wycombe is that there are thousands of people. Land is very expensive when it comes on the market, and many of landowners have been there for centuries passing down through the family. Most is for game shooting, much of it either smart corporate or family and friends type large shoots.

And there is plenty of money about that will buy up shooting rights.

Even up here in Scotland there is plenty of shooting pressure from those in the South East with money.

Have the opposite problem here in the north to few people to fill the hunting teams. The little money we pay mostly comes back to the hunters in for the cost of slaughter house and the quad.

 

[kevtherev]

First post here and coming from an agricultural background is there any livestock markets near you that you can go to meet and chat to farmers it’s a good way to introduce yourself.
Also working or lending a hand on farm is another good way to build a relationship with farmers even if it’s doing a bit of farm maintenance work FOC as a way in.
I’ve been dealing with hundreds of farmers throughout my working time and they are mostly a good bunch.
Good luck with getting permission's.

 

[NatureNimrod]

Offering a hand is often a good way to gain permissions, but keep in mind some farmers may see that you are offering a hand and ask you to return more than what you would like to help (This is coming from a farmer, i know from experience.) so, when you offer to help i would recommend that you try to put your point across that helping is a occasional thing, otherwise he may call you every week or so .

There are a few nice Estates in the area, some of which i have experience with, I am also close to High Wycombe (few miles away), but our land failed to be cleared for .22 which a few people have told me was unfair as apparently its more than suitable for .22, and i don't know if my family would allow it if i asked, so unfortunately i don't think coming here is likely.

If i was you i would ask my current permissions if there was any local farmers he knows with quite a bit of land who may need or allow people shooting on his land, you are more likely to be trusted then.

 

[NatureNimrod]

Perhaps offer help to new permissions on events when he needs more help, haymaking or TB testing as a example.

 

[GlennUK]

FOr me it was a mixture oif luck and manners. We moved into this house just over 6years ago and we share a hedge and ditch with my (now) friend, who farms a 1000acres round here.

A week or two after we moved in i drove round to his house to say hello, and say i understand hedges and ditches can be the source of disagreements between landwonbers, and if there were ever any iossues i would work with him to resolve. As it turns out that was quite naiive from me as formwhat i can work out, he doesnt seem tto worry about the ditches and hedges, but nevertheless, it was my introduction and we have become friends.

When he found out i had a SG he told me i could shoot over his land, and we formalised it in writing for me to shoot around my patch, some while back.

So as others have said its as much about who you know, and living in a rural community we embedded ourselves with the people who live here.

If you dont live i a rural community visitng rural events, over a period of time, getting to know people may be your best bet, it may take along time, but consider it investment.

 

[Liveonce]

So a farmer is suspicious of a firearm owner who has been vetted by the police and has insurance, but would let a random stranger approaching them to help around the farm? when theft from farms is a significant problem.

Funny world is it not.

 

[VSS]

So a farmer is suspicious of a firearm owner who has been vetted by the police and has insurance, but would let a random stranger approaching them to help around the farm? when theft from farms is a significant problem.

Funny world is it not.

No, they / we wouldn't let a random stranger help around the farm.
But for someone living locally (ie, already known, even if only in passing) the offer of a bit of labour at key times can be a door opener.

 

[3595wilk]

Think where you live had a massive bearing......just logical that there are more people chasing permissions near urban areas than those living a bit more rural.

A well crafted letter has also worked for me on several occasions, especially immediately post COVID when people were still reticent to meet up. Used that as cover to send loads out....and it can be frustrating, especially when you don't even get an acknowledgement, but has proven a useful tool.

I've had a couple come back to me months and even 18 months after, sending it to see if I was available...and picked up a 600 acre permission that way for Roe and Munty as well as Squirrels and Rabbits.

It's often about luck too; and like a lot in life, is about building a reputation via networks.

I manage rabbits and occasional foxes at a couple of golf courses and through that have (bizarrely), picked up stalking ground via the ground keepers and course Superintendents. They have networks too and often get approached to be asked for advice. I picked up a rabbit/squirrel one for a 60 acre (!) garden near me and his neighbour has over twice that with plantations and getting hammered by Munty.

Only advice is keep going, it will happen.

 

[Gunner223]

Ive always found crows/rooks to be a good opener, find some maize/drilled fields in your area that are
covered with corvids, find who owns it, ask if you can have ago at them , not many people waste there money
on rooks/crows, most want pigeons, its worked for me on a few occasions, or pop into Churchill's for a coffee
and have a chat to a few people in there, ive clay shot there a few times , there a friendly bunch, you never know your luck.

 

[The Singing Stalker]

Another good source is local gardeners. They will get asked to remove deer, rabbits and rats and if they can offload that they will as it is not core business to the .

 

[camodog]

One of my 'prize possessions/permissions came about in a rather unusual manner.
Regularly, when the salmon were 'in' I travelled to some water in north Cumbria. On the way I always passed a field in a remote location through which this river flowed. I was curious that there were no 'Private Fishing' signage in the gateways. There were no obvious farms nearby that would indicate to whom said fields belonged. One day on my way home I noticed there had been a tractor in one of the fields and unhitched a trailer. I wrote a short, polite letter introducing myself, where I was from and including my landline No. My enquiry being 'who, if anyone had the fishing rights' ? This I pinned to the trailer side.
Two evenings later I received a telephone call. We had a short exchange and he asked next time I was passing to call in.

Well, the outcome was I was shortly to have the sole permission to fish....and shoot on his farm. We have become good friends. Each year they receive the first salmon I catch from their water and a roe deer or two I shoot !

I have no doubt that my being from a farming family myself helped in no small way. This always helps !

 

[kevtherev]

Any rural pubs you could visit mostly frequented by farmers on a certain evening a week if so go in and get chatting.

 

[camodog]

My intention was to add to the afformentioned. The reason the farmer had no-one fishing nor shooting was he had previously 'entertained' individuals and clubs on his land. These had proved untrustworthy and shown a level of disdain and cavalier attitude towards stock, fencing, stone walls & litter etc.

 

[Stalker62]

These had proved untrustworthy and shown a level of disdain and cavalier attitude towards stock, fencing, stone walls & litter etc.

Just can’t help some folks.