Permissions

[lou71]

Hi all …. Firstly been shooting for many years mainly wildfowling ,rabbits, foxing held a fac for 20 years , got into shooting the deer 5 years ago alongside my rabbit shooting as the landowner had so many muntys/ roe , and must say I love the stalking and getting to know the deer on your permission.

I now want to venture out further it’s so hard to get anymore land /permission woodland would be ideal , I must be honest there a element of snobbery when asking fellow stalkers about any land /permissions , It’s very difficult to get anything without spending a fortune on syndicate membership fee plus ,a fee for a stalk it’s getting expensive, to the point that the average person can’t afford to stalk .

 

[Taff]

Does the landowner you shoot for have any friends who have land?

 

[VSS]

Hi all …. Firstly been shooting for many years mainly wildfowling ,rabbits, foxing held a fac for 20 years , got into shooting the deer 5 years ago

According to your intro posted in April, you started shooting deer a year ago, not 5 years ago.

alongside my rabbit shooting as the landowner had so many muntys/ roe , and must say I love the stalking and getting to know the deer on your permission.

I now want to venture out further it’s so hard to get anymore land /permission woodland would be ideal , I must be honest there a element of snobbery when asking fellow stalkers about any land /permissions , It’s very difficult to get anything without spending a fortune on syndicate membership fee plus ,a fee for a stalk it’s getting expensive, to the point that the average person can’t afford to stalk .

It's mostly just a case of being in the right place at the right time, having the right conversations with the right people, and making sure your face fits the frame.
You've already done the difficult bit, which is gaining your first bit of ground. If you're doing a good job there then more opportunities are likely to drop in your lap on the recommendation of your current landowner, particularly as you gain experience and he sees that you are able to do a better job of managing the deer on his ground.
As for it being expensive, I think you'll find that a significant number of stalkers have access to ground for free. It's only when you start looking at paid days or syndicate membership that it gets expensive.

Do you actually need more ground? Have you got time to manage another area effectively? Because if you can't manage the deer effectively then you're not likely to hold onto the ground for long.

 

[Sea trout]

in my experience, sequencing is everything. Once a landowner has declined your request the door is closed. Better to leave the door ajar and wait for the right moment to ask. Get involved in conservation groups etc to give you some visibility of when an opportunity might be available.

Qualifications help reassure a land owner that you know what you are doing, get those under your belt before asking.

 

[homer]

Hi all …. Firstly been shooting for many years mainly wildfowling ,rabbits, foxing held a fac for 20 years , got into shooting the deer 5 years ago alongside my rabbit shooting as the landowner had so many muntys/ roe , and must say I love the stalking and getting to know the deer on your permission.

I now want to venture out further it’s so hard to get anymore land /permission woodland would be ideal , I must be honest there a element of snobbery when asking fellow stalkers about any land /permissions , It’s very difficult to get anything without spending a fortune on syndicate membership fee plus ,a fee for a stalk it’s getting expensive, to the point that the average person can’t afford to stalk .

Be patient, it can take many, many, many years to aquire stalking ground. Took me nearly 20 years to get mine, and its not that big a bit, and thats me being in the right circles. One of the problems is, theres always someone willing to pay far more for the ground than what its actually worth, and unless your really friendly with the landowner, they usually want paid.

 

[Tim.243]

Hi all …. Firstly been shooting for many years mainly wildfowling ,rabbits, foxing held a fac for 20 years , got into shooting the deer 5 years ago alongside my rabbit shooting as the landowner had so many muntys/ roe , and must say I love the stalking and getting to know the deer on your permission.

I now want to venture out further it’s so hard to get anymore land /permission woodland would be ideal , I must be honest there a element of snobbery when asking fellow stalkers about any land /permissions , It’s very difficult to get anything without spending a fortune on syndicate membership fee plus ,a fee for a stalk it’s getting expensive, to the point that the average person can’t afford to stalk .

Most of mine came from fox shooting which rolled along as my main job is repairs and when farms break things it is never a good time.
This works for me and I get that many others go about it different ways, I remember looking at a field for pigeons and the farmer turned up rolling down his window with their std "how can I help up?" They had parked there cultivator in the gate (and I do work for the people who made it)
Looks like you are going to direct drill it! Have you spoken to John and Arthur lately? He laughed and I went over for a chat, got to shoot it lol

 

[kieran222]

Hi all …. Firstly been shooting for many years mainly wildfowling ,rabbits, foxing held a fac for 20 years , got into shooting the deer 5 years ago alongside my rabbit shooting as the landowner had so many muntys/ roe , and must say I love the stalking and getting to know the deer on your permission.

I now want to venture out further it’s so hard to get anymore land /permission woodland would be ideal , I must be honest there a element of snobbery when asking fellow stalkers about any land /permissions , It’s very difficult to get anything without spending a fortune on syndicate membership fee plus ,a fee for a stalk it’s getting expensive, to the point that the average person can’t afford to stalk .

It sounds like you aren't doing too badly if you already have land to shoot on. There are plenty on here who don't have any permissions. Getting the first is always the hardest.

 

[lou71]

See what you’re all saying … it’s perhaps I’ve been shooting this land for the past 20 years , I doubt I’d lose ( fingers crossed ) and yes this landowner gets asked all the time … it’s not that I’m bored , different place and challenge, it’s a funny old game asking fellow stalkers for land ! Just have wait for some to get too old ! I’m 55

 

[ashray]

good luck with your search

 

[Dickie]

Be grateful for what you have, if it’s not enough or boring you then pay for a stalk somewhere totally different as and when you can afford.
There’s people on here have been trying for years to get in the position you’re in.

 

[Tregullon]

Be patient, it can take many, many, many years to aquire stalking ground. Took me nearly 20 years to get mine, and its not that big a bit, and thats me being in the right circles. One of the problems is, theres always someone willing to pay far more for the ground than what its actually worth, and unless your really friendly with the landowner, they usually want paid.

Yup. For some of us, it's too late. So what if there's too many deer? Someone else's problem

 

[User00056]

What's wrong with paying for stalking? Find local guides, and stalk with them. Avoids you joining a syndicate, or paying fees, committing to cull targets, etc. Unless you want to be out stalking every other day that would seem to be the answer, to my mind?

But the long and short of it is yes, stalking costs money. If you can't afford it, or just don't want to pay for it, perhaps it's just not for you

 

[Chris Richardson]

Yup. For some of us, it's too late. So what if there's too many deer? Someone else's problem

The problem is there’s not actually enough stalkers who are a , willing to put the time in , and b , actually good enough at the job to make a difference, don’t get me wrong threats lots of “ stalkers “ but few have the time / skills and experience to actually make a dent in deer numbers