What does the average deer hunter spend ? UK.

[John Gryphon]

Tend to focus on what i'm after and how to go about it safely, more than the welfare of the rifle i'm using

That`s about it imo too. If you are fair dinkum about your deer hunting here your rifle WILL get scars,there is no doubt about it and when I see the shiny ones with nary a mark on them and listen to their owners hunting tales around the fire I admit that I feel like jumping up and exclaiming BS.
One thing is that often new chums get taken in by these types and then feel the need to get a better rifle ($$$ wise) instead of utilising what they have and concentrating on getting closer!

There are far more valuable rifles here than my 7mm but she is the chosen one 99% of the time and is a daily carry.

BUT! I would love one of those new Rigby`s

 

[devon deer stalker]

This is the difference when there is an abundance of public land to hunt. It's even better in Victoria ATM because there is also an abundance of deer.
Just north of the boarder in NSW public land only accounts for 11% of the area although we can only hunt State Forests which bring it down to only 4%, though thats still several million hectares. Freehold & land under private tenure suitable for hunting is about 60% of our land area. This private land also has more abundance of game than state forests. Hunters are now realising that there is value in paying for access as it improves their opportunities. It's nice to have a choice, particularly when one of the least expensive choices is the best hunting & the best game animal on public land like Victoria has. I doubt many on this forum could actually comprehend how good it is ATM.

Spot on, no public land here.

And I just noticed a poster paying £150 per outing, that's twice what I charge, in fact you could have 2 stalks with me for £130, maybe I need to re-visit my costings!

The guides provide a good service in the UK, we cater for all abilities, and in my opinion its the guy who only wants to go out stalking a few times a year that employs me, a lot can't commit to the time to control the deer that the landowner wants.
Unfortunately that is how people lose ground, when the farmer never sees the stalker, but keeps seeing deer, I can understand them getting frustrated, wouldn't you?
I often read on here people complaining the land is all taken, but just last week a farmer spotted me glassing, he asked me to control the deer on his land as nobody else does, red and roe.

Cheers

Richard

 

[John Gryphon]

And I just noticed a poster paying £150 per outing, that's twice what I charge, in fact you could have 2 stalks with me for £130, maybe I need to re-visit my costings!

Buy me a slab of Coopers Pale Ale stubbies and you`ll get plenty of hunting ( before the beer is opened)

Seriously though I can understand the need for blokes like yourself that cater for those that have no access or land of their own. Its tough to read of the problems with no public hunting over your way when a young bloke here can get a permit for basically any calibre walk out the door,take a relatively short drive and start his life as a deer hunter with 18 million acres of public deer forest to learn the trade.

There are those that pay people even down here for something that is freely available,that I cant understand.