What do you do ?

[sikamalc]

Ran and keepered a small part time shoot back in the late 1970's and into the early 80's. Had a westernette incubator and 2 still air hatchers. Put down about 1500 Pheasant, 200 partridges and 200 ducks a year.
10 gun syndicate 5 working, 5 paying.

Gave it up as the same problem, working guns didn't attend sometimes, and when my wife was diagnosed with cancer after the birth of our 3rd daughter I had to take a back seat from the shoot, even though I lived on the estate. I handed over the feeding to the working guns for one season, and hardly anyone turned up.

Closed the shoot the following year. All syndicates are the same, Pheasant shooting is like throwing chickens in the air, and they are the most stupid bird nature created, from the moment they roll out of the egg they are on a suicide mission.

 

[patrickt]

Some very intersting stories, and all have a commonality throughout. It starts and ends with the shot captain, or who vets/accepts new members. Bad or ineffective Shoot Captain = bad decisions etc. My suggestion is a contract which is renewable each year.

The contract would contain certain conditions, relating to safety, production of certificate.BASC/NGO etc membership. Also a condition regarding work days ie: don't attend send someone else, or pay a fine £20:00 is reasonable, that money may be used to pay for another member/beater/helper who attends the shoot. If that person does not accept payment they accrue a credit, so many credits = a free days shooting, game, pigeons, or whatever, and the money saved could be used for shoot related activities.

Iam sure site members will add to this non exhaustive list, which goes to prove that some of the syndicate members are just taking the proverbal, and should be kicked out of the shoot, named and shamed to prevent the same thing happening to any other syndicate the attempt to join.

Please feel free to add to this thread, and we all may learn something.....and hopefully some of the lazy @@@@@** may pack up, or buck their ideas up. But of course you could get your own back when a nice bird comes between you and the lazy syndicate member, OOH sorry I thought.... it was MY BIRD!!!

Patrick

 

[FISH BOY]

The contract would contain certain conditions, relating to safety, production of certificate.
Please feel free to add to this thread, and we all may learn something.....and hopefully some of the lazy @@@@@** may pack up, or buck their ideas up. But of course you could get your own back when a nice bird comes between you and the lazy syndicate member, OOH sorry I thought.... it was MY BIRD!!!

Patrick

Haha if only... The worst offender on my syndicate not doing a work party ever is a judge who can shoot!!!

 

[shakey jake]

As soon as you put a fine or charge on not coming, it makes it easier for them to pay than work and still get shooting, id say either adjust the shooting say fourdays work for eight days shooting miss onework miss two shoot at shoot captains descretion or not invited next year.
Shakey

 

[simonl]

Don't let it get at you. Life's too short. Appreciate the extra fitness you're getting from banging those posts in or carrying that wheat...

 

[User00001]

To be honest, you might as well forget the 'work party' idea and just put the fees up a few quid and pay a man to do the work. Generally with anything like woodland work, fencing, stile/bridge/pen building etc a professional guy will achieve more in a day than a team of semi-willing, unskilled volunteers will in a week. No disrespect intended but its a fact.

 

[Pedro]

Tried a few things over the years. The financial thing doesn't work. Mostly the idle rich (or slightly better off) will just pay up. I've tried cajoling and that has limited effect. To be honest, even when they do come, they bring no tools, so they have to be supplied. They don't know what to do, so have to be shown and you end up thinking it'll be easier and better if I just do it myself.

I also tried having a rota for feeding. But if there was any problem such as a drinker leaking or more feed needed brought to the bins at the pen, all they would do is come away and ring me. Again - easier to do it myself.

Some people won't help out meaningfully whatever. What's more, they all want a driven shoot for stand one, walk one prices.

 

[miffy]

Simple, tell them to get there wallet out.

 

[kes]

Start with a spreadsheet and any new gun is TOLD they will need to put in 8 half days or pay an extra £100 for subsidised help. Update as you go through the year and at the end calculate next years subs. Many guns do ore some do less (a lot) substantially reward the good and loot the bad but make it clear before you start the year. The lazy ones will drop out if the 'fine' is hefty enough. I have known local guys willing to do extra for a day or £50 a week etc.
Its the ones who agree to work, misrepresent how much they have done (filling feeders) and the birds are lost without the fines - an active shoot captain is essential.

 

[Freeforester]

Start with good intent; yr 2nd let all know they didn't all pull their weight equally, therefore
a) a bond is required equal to 3x membership fee from all those who did not appear at last year's work days( i.e. doesn't apply to the loyal yr 1 worker members), this being slowly redeemable (say 1/6 part for each of say six work days): advantage is that the money is either in, or you've already ridden yourself of the errant parties, and their monies are returned pro rata, according to their making an equal (if usually unequally valuable) contribution as the rest, and

b) they are placed on the "2nd class" pegs/areas on their shoot days as penalty for the year before' absences - they tend not to be too keen on turning up but not shooting! Best spots and pound seats reserved for loyal workers, more input = more enjoyment.

But alas I must agree with Glyn, most were as much use as a chocolate fireguard when it comes to practical assistance, but if they didn't turn up, at least their extra sub monies could be then reallocated to get done what they were incapable of anyway. 2nd class rule still applies!

 

[potshotpat]

Tell them to go clay birding,

 

[NigelM]

If you try to have a price difference for working vs non working members then those who can afford it will usually just pay the extra and enjoy the shooting. You might be fine with that, but if you want them to work you have to hit them where it hurts. The only solution is the brutal one. If you don't attend and fully participate in xx work parties each year you will not be invited back the following season, or you will miss out on the January "work party" shoots.

You may find in practice that it might be better to hit them in the wallet rather than force them to work. Set the rate so that it will pay for hired help and you are likely to get twice as much work done.

 

[sikasako]

If every syndicate member pays the same money, then make the number of allocated shooting days for each person proportionate to the number of work parties they have attended.

 

[John Gryphon]

For every work day that they miss FINE them one shooting day,simple.

 

[countrryboy]

To be honest, you might as well forget the 'work party' idea and just put the fees up a few quid and pay a man to do the work. Generally with anything like woodland work, fencing, stile/bridge/pen building etc a professional guy will achieve more in a day than a team of semi-willing, unskilled volunteers will in a week. No disrespect intended but its a fact.

Really thats the only way.

As everyone has said the problems been happenig as long as syndicates have existed.
Have heard other captians trying all sorts of things, and to be honest never heard 1 that has worked yet.
The money most syndicates charge for a season its almost impossible to hit them hard enough financially to make it worth their while coming
Soneone mentoned £80 earlier for 4 work days thats only 20 quid a day ur better of paying the 20 quid and going to work instead.
Shame with the bond u can earn back, great idea but u end up for folk tunering up for 1-2 hrs or doing bugger all for 4 hrs and expecting it to count the same as someone who worked hard all day.
But quite often u do have to go round a check any work done and often redo or fix it.

I just went for a regular day every month and hoped to get a few, and we usually did and finish it off with some dog training or clay shoot, and kept a few early season duck flights and boundry days for the helpers

In my area we have so many syndicates its not that easy to pick and choose guns, infact the guns really have the choice of syndicates and often a struggle to fil ur syndicate

 

[RichardSmith]

Its very old. But still I would like to say that if there is any buddy, I roam and roam to stalk............

 

[chanonry]

If they are not prepared to work then bin them and get someone who is. After you get rid of one the rest will soon change.

+1.

If they want to just turn up and shoot then they can pay the prices associated with it. In effect they are getting everybody's work for free.

Tell everybody at the start that they need to do x days or they don't qualify for the following seasons syndicate. If they don't have time then tough the syndicate isn't for you and you are not for the syndicate as it only works if the members do the work. Then have a public hanging and bin somebody the next year.

People will self-select and you have been fair to everybody.

 

[Chasey]

I run a Pheasant and Duck shooting syndicate . All members are reminded at the start of a new season that they must attend work party's throughout the year . My problem is it's the same people who turn up to the work party's . I have had all the excuses why they are unavailable but always reply they are never to busy miss a shooting day. My question is has got a system that will help in getting the non attenders to work party's or compensate the people who do turn up ?

Chill

In my syndicate its simple

Don't do the formal work party and its a £150.00 fine

The 150.00 goes into the syndicate and covers incidental gifts etc for the clients. IE this year we have fitted an outside tap and sprayed the log cabin to treat for rot as "gifts" to the client. Last year we baught them a multi tool strimmer.

We also have informal work parties for odd jobs in the syndicate and the same people do all the work. They get first choice fo shooting in November and December which are historically our most productive months.

ATB