Venison Prices

[Norfolk Deer Search]

Have you ever lost a wounded rabbit, rat or fox? Or pricked a bird that wasn't picked?
Oh, the anguish! The sleepless nights!

You blow a jaw on a fallow or a red, within 15 minutes it can be over the boundary and gone, to suffer and starve, so don’t play the bumbling bishop with me!

Not shot game for 10 years, rabbits for longer than that and fox unless instructions say so I leave them alone.

DONT peach to me about wounded animals or deer because I’ve seen some horrific things as a tracker that I will assure you!

All for what? GREED nothing else.

 

[VSS]

You blow a jaw on a fallow or a red, within 15 minutes it can be over the boundary and gone, to suffer and starve, so don’t play the bumbling bishop with me!

Not shot game for 10 years, rabbits for longer than that and fox unless instructions say so I leave them alone.

DONT peach to me about wounded animals or deer because I’ve seen some horrific things as a tracker that I will assure you!

All for what? GREED nothing else.

I don't doubt you for a moment, and I'm not arguing with you (much).
Just poking fun, not at you specifically, but at the double standards that seems to exist between deer and other quarry whenever this subject comes up.

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

I don't doubt you for a moment, and I'm not arguing with you (much).
Just poking fun, not at you specifically, but at the double standards that seems to exist between deer and other quarry whenever this subject comes up.

I blanket tell everybody not to head shoot, too much risk of suffering.

I now have no dogs to track so I’m now permanently retired, all I can do is strongly voice my opinion

 

[VSS]

What amazes me is that a 50kg or so lamb will sell at market for £200, but a deer would be £62.50. Difficult to do halal on a wild deer though.

That's not a fair analogy without more detail.
It's true, a prime lowland or continental x lamb of a good weight and finish may well make close to £200 in the market at the moment, but at the same time a worn out old cull ewe of a native hill breed would be fetching closer to £30
So of course I sell them separately, and get a good price for the best animal.
However, if I were to put that prime lamb in a mixed pen of sheep, would I still get £200 for it? No, of course not! The price per head of the penful would be significantly reduced due to the presence of poorer animals in the batch.
And that's a better analogy. Deer submitted to the game dealer are such a mixed batch that the price tends towards the poorest.

 

[Keith Edmunds]

I think we have to remind ourselves that the head is the most mobile part of the deer. No matter how good your marksmanship, a fly buzzing round a deer's face - a quick, sudden flick and you could be looking at a horrifically wounded beast.

 

[nun_hunter]

Some people seem to make this overly complicated. Either head shoot a deer and present a clean quality carcass and try to get the best price possible. Or, chest shoot a deer and accept it's not going to command as high a price but then don't complain dealers aren't paying enough.

Either treat your game dealer as someone to sell a high quality food product to or as someone to offload dead deer on so you can keep shooting.

However, you can't treat them as a dumping ground for dead deer that you see no profit in and complain you're not getting the best price.

 

[AGR]

That's not a fair analogy without more detail.
It's true, a prime lowland or continental x lamb of a good weight and finish may well make close to £200 in the market at the moment, but at the same time a worn out old cull ewe of a native hill breed would be fetching closer to £30
So of course I sell them separately, and get a good price for the best animal.
However, if I were to put that prime lamb in a mixed pen of sheep, would I still get £200 for it? No, of course not! The price per head of the penful would be significantly reduced due to the presence of poorer animals in the batch.
And that's a better analogy. Deer submitted to the game dealer are such a mixed batch that the price tends towards the poorest.

Completely accept what you say, I know that there's more work and costs in rearing sheep.
The price of sheep vary, the price of deer not so much.

 

[sauer]

What's the difference between England and Scotland with regards to buying in carcasses?
I know after all the to and fro with FSS and EHO that under hunters exemption in wild game guidance we can only sell from an animal we had a hand in killing ourself ..ie you were there at least. If you didn't pull trigger but you can inspect it....

What's the England difference ? How you managing to legally buy carcasses if not a full AGHE ?

Never had it explained to me

Paul

 

[VSS]

What's the difference between England and Scotland with regards to buying in carcasses?
I know after all the to and fro with FSS and EHO that under hunters exemption in wild game guidance we can only sell from an animal we had a hand in killing ourself ..ie you were there at least. If you didn't pull trigger but you can inspect it....

What's the England difference ? How you managing to legally buy carcasses if not a full AGHE ?

Never had it explained to me

Paul

I explained it to you in an earlier thread, if I remember correctly, but I'll have another go:
Basically, a stalker can sell in-skin carcasses to small local retailers (ie, not AGHEs) within his own county and within a certain radius of the border of his own county (I forget the exact details of the top of my head). That much is widely accepted. The loophole, of course, is that means the same works in reverse, ie, a small local retailer (eg, someone registered as a food business for the purpose of processing and retailing venison) can buy in-skin carcasses from stalkers within the same geographical area.
As I said, it's a loophole. I'm not sure that's how the law was supposed to work, but it does.

I didn't buy many, but if I'd set my requirements that strictly I'd never have got any all. Which made me wonder where all the stalkers bemoaning the lack of outlets for their carcasses actually were So either most of them were happy enough with what they were getting from dealers, or there weren't actually that many deer being shot in this area in the first place

I set the spec before they've shot the deer, so basically they're shooting to order. Seems to work well for both parties.

Completely accept what you say, I know that there's more work and costs in rearing sheep.
The price of sheep vary, the price of deer not so much.

I think you missed my point slightly.
The reason the price of the sheep varies is because they're batched according to quality and marketed accordingly.
If they were all put in a pen together and sold as a mixed quality batch the price for the whole lot would be the same, and it would be low.

Game dealers are expected to accept a mixed quality of deer, hence the price is pegged at a fairly low level, with very little variation or scope for negotiation.

So, it's the same thing really.

 

[Grand Slam]

I explained it to you in an earlier thread, if I remember correctly, but I'll have another go:
Basically, a stalker can sell in-skin carcasses to small local retailers (ie, not AGHEs) within his own county and within a certain radius of the border of his own county (I forget the exact details of the top of my head). That much is widely accepted. The loophole, of course, is that means the same works in reverse, ie, a small local retailer (eg, someone registered as a food business for the purpose of processing and retailing venison) can buy in-skin carcasses from stalkers within the same geographical area.
As I said, it's a loophole. I'm not sure that's how the law was supposed to work, but it does.

Interesting. Been selling venison for a number of years now and have been turning other stalkers away due to the whole "not an AGHE" issue. I never once thought of this even being a thing. The SD has its uses after all.

Cheers mate

 

[Grand Slam]

Has anyone considered approaching the Country Food Trust? CEO SJ Hunt is a great person to speak to and deal with and I know she is working hard to not only get high quality, game into food banks but also securing fair and consistent prices for stalkers.

Not sure where in the country she is working on next but I think the goal will be a nationwide network of venison being provided and utilised to provide excellent meals for those less fortunate than ourselves.

Home - The Country Food Trust

www.thecountryfoodtrust.org

 

[VSS]

Interesting. Been selling venison for a number of years now and have been turning other stalkers away due to the whole "not an AGHE" issue. I never once thought of this even being a thing. The SD has its uses after all.

Cheers mate

You read the FSA guidelines very carefully, and you'll find that it is a thing, even if unintentionally so.

 

[devon deer stalker]

That's exactly how it should be.
Badly shot or badly gralloched carcasses should be flat refused, and the good ones (mostly head shot) should command a much better price.

I agree, in part, I have seen some horrendously gralloched/shot carcass's in my local game dealer.
But I strongly disagree regarding this fairly new 'fad' of head shooting.
It has it's place in a fenced area, but not in the wild.
Think of the welfare of the deer and not the £ in your pocket!
Just take a step back for a minute, would you like a fairly quick death by a well placed chest shot, or die of starvation whilst in terrible pain?
I know you will never agree as we have been down this road before, all I ask is you think about it a little more if you shoot deer in the wild

 

[VSS]

I agree, in part, I have seen some horrendously gralloched/shot carcass's in my local game dealer.
But I strongly disagree regarding this fairly new 'fad' of head shooting.
It has it's place in a fenced area, but not in the wild.
Think of the welfare of the deer and not the £ in your pocket!
Just take a step back for a minute, would you like a fairly quick death by a well placed chest shot, or die of starvation whilst in terrible pain?
I know you will never agree as we have been down this road before, all I ask is you think about it a little more if you shoot deer in the wild

I wouldn't advise anyone to head shoot wild deer.
I think most stalkers are not half such good shots under field conditions as they think they are.
But there are some stalkers for whom routine head shooting of wild deer is well within their capabilities, and they shouldn't be criticised for doing so.

Anyhow, the point that I was making, as I believe was @nun_hunter, is that everyone has to accept that, whether they approve of head shooting or not, it does produce a much better carcass that in consequence is worth more. A head shot, cleanly gralloched carcass from a prime animal is the "gold standard", and should be priced accordingly. Everything else is worth less, so stalkers mustn't grumble when they get paid less.

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

Here with me anyone head shoots they WILL be banned never to return, I will not have the risk of suffering END OF!

Everyone is instructed to bust shoulders, this is why I sell all my days to the lady stalkers, no male ego and they follow instructions to the letter.

 

[VSS]

Here with me anyone head shoots they WILL be banned never to return, I will not have the risk of suffering END OF!

Everyone is instructed to bust shoulders, this is why I sell all my days to the lady stalkers, no male ego and they follow instructions to the letter.

You're missing the point of the above comments Lee, and getting all worked up about it!
Take a breath and read stuff properly.

 

[HonestJohn]

Here with me anyone head shoots they WILL be banned never to return, I will not have the risk of suffering END OF!

Everyone is instructed to bust shoulders, this is why I sell all my days to the lady stalkers, no male ego and they follow instructions to the letter.

Anyone who stalks with me is no head shots, no thermal and no digital. I allow one friend to use a thermal because it’s actually grown into an extension of his right eye socket, I don’t think it will ever come off, both physically and emotionally. At least he apologises for it and says, “sorry, I know I’m a cheating Tw8t”- I don’t disagree

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

Anyone who stalks with me is no head shots, no thermal and no digital. I allow one friend to use a thermal because it’s actually grown into an extension of his right eye socket, I don’t think it will ever come off, both physically and emotionally. At least he apologises for it and says, “sorry, I know I’m a cheating Tw8t”- I don’t disagree

That how it is here exactly that

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

You're missing the point of the above comments Lee, and getting all worked up about it!
Take a breath and read stuff properly.

I’m not missing the point at all, you preach about producing a grade a carcass by head shooting and getting the appropriate price accordingly, I don’t disagree with your head shooting does produce a grade a carcass, but is it worth the risk of suffering?

In my opinion, no

 

[Dave_45]

You blow a jaw on a fallow or a red, within 15 minutes it can be over the boundary and gone, to suffer and starve, so don’t play the bumbling bishop with me!

Not shot game for 10 years, rabbits for longer than that and fox unless instructions say so I leave them alone.

DONT peach to me about wounded animals or deer because I’ve seen some horrific things as a tracker that I will assure you

Saw a chap shoot a sika stag , side on , in the head

Professed to be a gamekeeper too.

Dropped on the spot

Got to tbe the shot strike site

No deer

Shattered bone fragments

You can work out the rest