Syndicate warning

[Tommy2bucks]

Just a heads up in a hope of protecting people in the future.

I found a syndicate position through social media (not TSD) had a lengthy discussion with the gamekeeper about cull no.s, walked the ground did the research and paid my fee.

Syndicate was based in much Wenlock, Brockton, Shropshire.

Putting aside the times I was not allowed to visit the ground as they were working on the farm, including muck spreading at 6am in winter on a Sunday, the times I had visited I saw not 1 deer (I have thermal too) .

Although I cannot garuntee there are not deer on the ground (they should be in the area) what is clear is the gamekeeper is overselling the syndicate. Statement was that there were only 6 people and only me and one other were new members. This was not the case. I was added to a WhatsApp ground where everyone was a new member.

The result of all the above has ended with me and many others getting our money back but I have a strong feeling the gamekeeper has only been able to refund me and others is because they’ve had new payments off other unsuspecting joiners.

Lesson learnt from myside but this whole experience has left a bitter taste. Syndicate seems to be sold under various names and slight changes in location. Proceed with caution people.

He need to be named and shamed so nobody else gets caught out

 

[sikadog]

You may have have managed the deer well but syndicates like this are why Forestry and Land Scotland have stopped offering leases - they simply cant get the require

I did my best but you can only do so much when you are on your own

 

[User00040]

You may have have managed the deer well but syndicates like this are why Forestry and Land Scotland have stopped offering leases - they simply cant get the required culls.

There are still a few active ones.

 

[sikadog]

The reason they don't get their culls is its nearly impossible, even the contract stalkers struggle.

 

[Dave_45]

The numbers I've seen required for some leases are astronomical, even for the contractors.

 

[sikadog]

About 20 years ago some mates and I had a syndicate on FC land in D&G the cull was 30 Reds and 75 Roe, we stalked it hard and managed 8 Reds and 15 Roe.
There was at least 2 of us on the ground every weekend for the full year, and some weeks every day.

 

[Dave_45]

There's a place in D&G

Their cull is 500 a year , they manage it just fine with weekends , long weekends, some lads do their weeks holiday there and they get it done.

All red deer

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

One could take it that some forestry companies (whether the private ones or the Scottish QUANGO) are doing stalkers a favour by leasing the ground out, and any fees charged are there to cover time spent on admin and potentially crop damage.

If you are among those being paid to shoot deer, you will either be expected to shoot every last one you see, at night and out of season (common for QUANGO contractors) or be an estate stalker who is expected to maintain a delicate balance between a sustainable population and age classes and grazing pressure/habitat damage.

Very few have the patience, skill, knowledge and self control to accomplish the latter, but it seems anyone with the right tickets (FAC, DSC2, etc.) thinks it's easy peasy to do the former...

Yet, most would be better off sticking to paid stalking...

Thats the most common sense I think I have read from you!

 

[slider]

There are still a few active ones.

a very few, and I expect these will be phased out

 

[slider]

I did my best but you can only do so much when you are on your own

my point is made

 

[slider]

There's a place in D&G

Their cull is 500 a year , they manage it just fine with weekends , long weekends, some lads do their weeks holiday there and they get it done.

All red deer

That's a contract, they get paid to do the job

 

[Dave_45]

That's a contract, they get paid to do the job

They pay to be on the place.

The only payment they get is from venison sales.

 

[slider]

They pay to be on the place.

The only payment they get is from venison sales.

Fir enough, but that must be private forestry, its certainly not on FLS (FC)

 

[Dave_45]

Fir enough, but that must be private forestry, its certainly not on FLS (FC)

You are indeed correct there pal.
Private but well ran.

 

[HonestJohn]

The reason they don't get their culls is its nearly impossible, even the contract stalkers struggle.

because they're shot out and the few left have high heeled it to the neighbours after being blasted at from the back of a pick up with a spotlight

 

[griff]

There's a place in D&G

Their cull is 500 a year , they manage it just fine with weekends , long weekends, some lads do their weeks holiday there and they get it done.

All red deer

500 D&G reds is a lot of work... who is buying the carcasses..

 

[Dave_45]

500 D&G reds is a lot of work... who is buying the carcasses..

Peterborough game I think amongst other outlets

 

[homer]

There's a place in D&G

Their cull is 500 a year , they manage it just fine with weekends , long weekends, some lads do their weeks holiday there and they get it done.

All red deer

Must be a fair acreage!

 

[griff]

Peterborough game I think amongst other outlets

25 ton + of venison over a 6 month period is a logistical nightmare.

Must be a fair acreage!

There must be at least 2000 to sustain a 500 pa cull and there is only one place in the whole of D&G that has that number of reds, and it is more than a "a fair acreage".

 

[homer]

25 ton + of venison over a 6 month period is a logistical nightmare.

There must be at least 2000 to sustain a 500 pa cull and there is only one place in the whole of D&G that has that number of reds, and it is more than a "a fair acreage".

If they're taking 500 reds off 2000 acres, there must be a sh#t load of deer on it!
If they are taking 500, sounds like they'll have to be at them more or less all the time, so would that not either make them nocturnal, or push them elsewhere. Theg must have a night license too though.