UK vs US deer stalking attitudes

[Jagare]

I don’t like to get involved in people business .. my mrs is good to me so I’ll just plod along

I also take it most folk on here are one generation older than me (I’m 37). My dad wouldn’t take being told what to do, but my generation and the one below me is a different story.

What it like being, pussy whipped? I hunt when I like, buy a new gun when I like and hang as many hunting trophies on the wall as I like. I'm happily divorced for nearly 30 years. Guns, dogs and hunting are cheap when you compare what having pussy on tap costs.
House work is easy and this week I'll be spraying the cobwebs silver and gold to give the house a nice Christmas feeling.

 

[Morkai]

I don’t like to get involved in people business .. my mrs is good to me so I’ll just plod along

I also take it most folk on here are one generation older than me (I’m 37). My dad wouldn’t take being told what to do, but my generation and the one below me is a different story.

Im 39, and this isn't a thing amongst my friend group.

 

[f17ant]

Im 39, and this isn't a thing amongst my friend group.

My friends is split 50/50 my mentor is 39 we can’t get our heads around it either

 

[Cootmeurer]

For those that like country music with a sporting edge to the lyrics - look up Whiskey Myers

Ballad of a Southern Man
Whiskey Myers
My first rifle was a .243
Papa gave Daddy and Daddy gave to me
And they taught me how to shoot with a steady hand
I guess that's somethin' you don't understand

 

[Camelfarm]

I'm afraid that we are rather allowing the antis tail to wag the dog. We have been browbeaten in believing that the default position of the public is unsympathetic but I don't believe that they are. One of the things that has led me to believe this is that I have been socialising my young spaniels by taking them to the pub and what I frequently get asked is if they are working dogs...even by Packhams mother in law!

I agree - most people I meet, through work and social life, are reasonably OK with it. One or two who don't get it including one relative. I'm often outside my own rural area and do a lot of work in towns and with townies and mostly either interested and want to now more or not interested but not anti as such. One or two vegans object and one asked me not to talk about it in front of her but not hysterically.

I have given a lot of sausages and haunches away over the years - most like it, some don't. Most think they could never afford to buy venison due to its status as the food of kings and lords. When I can point them to it at a lower cost than beef they are very happy.

 

[stevec]

The comments on here about wives is unfortunately very correct. I have several friends, mainly in their late 30's and early 40's who were really keen on stalking / shooting etc and have now given up due to the disapproval of their spouses. To be fair, I do know a girl who has just given up her FAC as her husband didn't like stalking as well.

I know of an ex-keeper who is now a vegan, I suspect because it is easier.

Interestingly, one friend's wife made him remove his guns from their house when they got married. He now stores them with an RFD. Police were happy with the arrangement and the RFD has spotted a gap in the market and opens late on a Saturday to allow people to drop their guns off after shooting. Apparently, he is doing well out of it.

I think it is probably a reflection of how the majority of the population view firearms / fieldsports.

Thankfully, my wife is very keen and a much better shot than I am. I would find it difficult to marry someone who did not show an interest in my interests. Also, rabbit shooting is a far better date than the cinema.

I live in a rural area, but I suspect the majority of the local population don't agree with or approve of shooting.

 

[hendrix's rifle]

I’ve been scrolling through various social media pages lately whilst quiet at work and stumbled across many US country music stars and other celebs posting pictures with their whitetails they have shot this season.

Reading the comments, 99% of them are people congratulating them on the deer etc, like it’s just normal every day stuff.

You can only imagine the outrage / front page news if some celeb over here posted a picture of themself with a nice roe buck or whatever it may be.

Is this just a massive cultural difference and attitude to hunting between the two countries?

After all we are both shooting deer and putting meat in the freezer…

I caused absolute chaos a few years ago when someone snapped a pic of me gralloching three reds. Stuck it all over the local Facebook page about how appalled they were that someone had shot these 'glorious' deer

There were however a number of positive comments with the majority being on side, although it's kind of expected in a rural village

 

[tarponhead]

I’m well aware.

But that is the public perception and the historic truth of that fact is the reason.

Private land ownership is the main reason behind the difference in attitudes

I agree with you, but would focus on the exclusivity of shooting on that private land as the restriction, not the attitude. I have been out with a number of guides that have proudly told me of the tens of thousands of acres they have exclusive rights to shoot over -many of which they rarely get to. Better access to stalking, even if guided, would help change attitudes to the exclusivity of our sport. In relation to the rougher end of our community, with dodgy dress sense, dirty boots and just one old but serviceable deer rifle, in the queue at greggs after an outing - that’ll be me…

 

[25 Sharps]

The comments on here about wives is unfortunately very correct. I have several friends, mainly in their late 30's and early 40's who were really keen on stalking / shooting etc and have now given up due to the disapproval of their spouses. To be fair, I do know a girl who has just given up her FAC as her husband didn't like stalking as well.

I know of an ex-keeper who is now a vegan, I suspect because it is easier.

Interestingly, one friend's wife made him remove his guns from their house when they got married. He now stores them with an RFD. Police were happy with the arrangement and the RFD has spotted a gap in the market and opens late on a Saturday to allow people to drop their guns off after shooting. Apparently, he is doing well out of it.

I think it is probably a reflection of how the majority of the population view firearms / fieldsports.

Thankfully, my wife is very keen and a much better shot than I am. I would find it difficult to marry someone who did not show an interest in my interests. Also, rabbit shooting is a far better date than the cinema.

I live in a rural area, but I suspect the majority of the local population don't agree with or approve of shooting.

As said above, those men and one woman should have put their big boy pants on and not been told what to do by their spouses.

My wife has no interest in shooting, would probably rather I didn’t do it, but she’d never dream of telling me I couldn’t. She knows it’s my downtime from a fairly stressful job and we do t tend to tell each other what to do in the first place!

 

[Bugsy]

Our local minister is from South Africa and the day I met him he stopped into my workshop to ask me if I would do a job for him , he saw my collection of red trophy’s on the wall and he went straight into shooting stories he’s coming out with me soon to shoot one and recently he asked me for any offal from bigger deer to make some African sausages . He’s also told me if I want to go to SA he’ll put me to the right people . To me he’s a normal guy

 

[63]

The comments on here about wives is unfortunately very correct. I have several friends, mainly in their late 30's and early 40's who were really keen on stalking / shooting etc and have now given up due to the disapproval of their spouses. To be fair, I do know a girl who has just given up her FAC as her husband didn't like stalking as well.

I know of an ex-keeper who is now a vegan, I suspect because it is easier.

Interestingly, one friend's wife made him remove his guns from their house when they got married. He now stores them with an RFD. Police were happy with the arrangement and the RFD has spotted a gap in the market and opens late on a Saturday to allow people to drop their guns off after shooting. Apparently, he is doing well out of it.

I think it is probably a reflection of how the majority of the population view firearms / fieldsports.

Thankfully, my wife is very keen and a much better shot than I am. I would find it difficult to marry someone who did not show an interest in my interests. Also, rabbit shooting is a far better date than the cinema.

I live in a rural area, but I suspect the majority of the local population don't agree with or approve of shooting.

The issue might be with my generation, but I suspect it’s got more to do with the fact that most people in their thirties are still on their first marriage so haven’t got the hang of it yet.

As my dad used to comment - “First marriages are just practice marriages” and “When it comes to marriage, third times the charm”

Never failed to get a rise out of my ex wife.


(40, divorcing, just getting back into shooting)

 

[paul k]

The difference in private land ownership.

Hunting in the UK is for the rich and powerful , not for the scummy serfs.

Everywhere else , Joe Bloggs goes hunting on public land

Can you imagine the amount of incidents of people getting shot by accident or deer populations getting milked of trophies if we had hunting on public land in the same way as in the USA? Why do you think that hunters have to wear orange in most states? The main difference is that the USA has vast areas of public land with access for hunters, sometimes dependent on drawing a tag maybe once every few years especially outside their home state, and even then there are sometimes issues with too many hunters in the same area mainly due to the very short seasons for hunting. American hunters can’t hunt 365 days a year like we can in much of the UK. Also hunters on public land in the USA have to have good GPS to avoid going onto private land which often intersects with public land. I am not aware of any country where there is totally free access to all public land for hunting and no private hunting land, New Zealand is probably the closest to having total access to hunting land, even private property in many cases. In most of Europe the cost and availability of hunting does not compare favourably with the UK. I and many other UK hunters are “working” people, certainly not rich or powerful, and I have access to plenty of stalking at a modest net cost, and this will only get better with the burgeoning UK deer population currently requiring around 750,000 a year to be culled. Also, don’t forget that we can sell our venison into the food chain to offset expenses whereas I don’t think that Americans can.

 

[Rake Aboot]

Yeh , all I read was lots of excuses
The permit system determines what you can take and the fact you have an fac determines that you can be trusted with a firearm

There are always people going to say it’s a bad idea , basically because they don’t want it cause they have plenty stalking. I’m afraid you sound like one .

 

[tarponhead]

My heart is bleeding for my British brothers in arms. Here in Norway sport shooting ( competitive shooting ) is the next biggest sport, only beaten by football. The big events, like our landsskytterstevne ( national shooting assembly) are broadcasted live on national tv in prime time with huge rating. And no one frowns upon them. Well, there might be some odd persons who argue against shooting sport, but even the media doesn't give them much attention. And hunting , what you call stalking and shooting, also has a large public acceptance. Every 10th Norwegian , adult, male, female, old person in care center, child and baby is a hunter. If you try to figure the percentage of hunters that are actually voters, you will understand why no political party in Norway dare to make hunters their enemy. And even if you aren't a hunter, you are likely to have a dad, uncle or aunt that hunts.

I’d like to hunt and fish in Norway - but if I did, I’m not sure I’d ever come back to UK. Been to Norway on business - awesome place and people!

 

[sauer]

I’d like to hunt and fish in Norway - but if I did, I’m not sure I’d ever come back to UK. Been to Norway on business - awesome place and people!

Worked there a bit over years and then dived in the north at Narvik at Norways scapa flow ...
As you say amazing country and people ...but bejesus they cannot make a decent beer ! And then charge a mortgage worth for it

Paul

 

[Robinson]

but bejesus they cannot make a decent beer ! And then charge a mortgage worth for it

Paul

I dont know how long ago it is, you had your beer around here. Quite a few breweries can, and do make a decent beer now. But you will still pay dearly for it. On the other hand, on my last trip to London I found that they too will charge you serious money for a pint now.

 

[sauer]

Was 6yrs at least ago and was a local brew called "Tau" ...worst hangover ever even with minimal consumption

Paul

 

[Heym SR20]

Can you imagine the amount of incidents of people getting shot by accident or deer populations getting milked of trophies if we had hunting on public land in the same way as in the USA? Why do you think that hunters have to wear orange in most states? The main difference is that the USA has vast areas of public land with access for hunters, sometimes dependent on drawing a tag maybe once every few years especially outside their home state, and even then there are sometimes issues with too many hunters in the same area mainly due to the very short seasons for hunting. American hunters can’t hunt 365 days a year like we can in much of the UK. Also hunters on public land in the USA have to have good GPS to avoid going onto private land which often intersects with public land. I am not aware of any country where there is totally free access to all public land for hunting and no private hunting land, New Zealand is probably the closest to having total access to hunting land, even private property in many cases. In most of Europe the cost and availability of hunting does not compare favourably with the UK. I and many other UK hunters are “working” people, certainly not rich or powerful, and I have access to plenty of stalking at a modest net cost, and this will only get better with the burgeoning UK deer population currently requiring around 750,000 a year to be culled. Also, don’t forget that we can sell our venison into the food chain to offset expenses whereas I don’t think that Americans can.

There is plenty of hunting in Europe that is very affordable to locals, certainly in places like France, Spain, Italy and Germany, where they have local hunting clubs, associations etc. If you know people within its also very affordable.

However there is of course plenty of hunting that is advertised and sold to visiting Sportsmen on the Continent. Come to the UK as a visiting sportsman and you will also pay high prices.

 

[Border]

I’d like to hunt and fish in Norway - but if I did, I’m not sure I’d ever come back to UK. Been to Norway on business - awesome place and people!

The UK is unique with 365 day season and 6 species of deer. Norway is also great but ALOT less game and more regulated than the UK.

 

[cjm1066]

We have lots of public land and lots of deer, alas it is managed by the Forestry Commission rangers as they are "professional" which actually equates to parasiting our taxes.