Whats happening in the countryside!?

[SussexFallow]

Dickyboy I agree totally. I asked to shoot on my farm and was told to shoot rabbits, squirels, fox. Then after 6 months was allowed to shoot some deer. Now I have free reign on anything and have picked up the next farm. Been asked to shoot the foxes on the neighbouring estate! All done to hard work

Atb Steve

 

[bogtrotter]

Stalking or any type of shooting has a value, how you pay for it is down to you, Dickyboy rewards people who have helped him a perfectly good way of working, some have neither the time nor the inclination to work in return for their shooting fine then pay the going rate no problem with either method, what is guaranteed to get up my nose is those that turn up looking for stalking for nowt or next to nowt with the attitude that they will be doing you a favour, well I only have two words to say to them and the second one is off.

 

[norma 308]

Limulus -mYou are exactly the sort of person who would be welcome to help me with sitting in highseats, you have done/are exactly what I was talking about how to get shooting, unfortunately you have had no luck.

Norma so you enter others in the same way, let them be on the shoot a fair bit,

didnt quite get that dickyboy ,think it was a complement

 

[Jagare]

In my 40 years of stalking and longer than that with a shotgun i have done beating ,dogwork, helping on the shoot ,etc,etc to get stalking, then came word of mouth. I to worked in agriculture for 20+ years but i still had to work for my shooting.
I moved to Sweden and while i own my own ground for hunting i have had to work my dogs on shoots, some thing i enjoy more than shooting these days to get more hunting.
There is a certain etiquette in the countryside, shooting world that many who come from towns don't get.
To many " stalkers they think they are the most important people in the countryside. To a farmer deer are not the most important thing they think about on a day to day basis unless they are eating there crop.
As for those who say stalking costs to much, that tough and you need another hobby to suit you pocket

 

[User00003]

Cockyboy,,(sorry, had to)

I agree with you mate (assume a lady wouldn't pick that name), but on the other hand, not all farmers are interested in their tenants getting their hands dirty and getting involved with the day to day activities either, some just want some rent and be left alone. Some farmers actually prefer their tenants to stay away as much as possible, so prefer it when the foxes take care of the rabbits, and the stalkers just come for the deer once a weekend or fortnight....on the other hand, for some the differentiator in picking a suitable tenant lies in the added extra's and help around the farm/grounds they can offer. Like I said in my other comments on another post, winning land is just tendering like in business, putting your best offer on the table, it may suit one farmer, but not another.

One place I shoot at just wants the cash every year, and prefers it if I just come every few weeks and shoot a deer or two. Another I am deeply involved in, where I help with work, planting, preparing my own release pens, putting down birds, etc. A third is a mix between the two, because I help with the annual red deer cull, but only come 5 times a year or so, I have free reign over 10,000 acres to also take the big stags free of charge..and the odd bottle of whiskey helps too of course.

I think you just have to learn via factfinding/or guessing, what a landowner is ideally looking for in a tenant, and if you can/have time/will to provide that, put your best offer on the table, even if there's an existing tenant in place.

my rant over.

 

[Dickyboy]

PKL I didn't mean purely to get your own land or directly to a land owner but for your instance if I was new to stalking in your area and had no money to pay or even if I did and said to you, Can I come stalking with you but I have no money.....I can guess your answer......If I lived near you and said Please can I give you a hand if your putting up a highseat, I really love the countryside and would like to see what its about? Or if you go shooting could I watch and help you gralloch and drag out the carcasses? That might be an offer you can't refuse and open a door.

You also might find that with/without you knowing you are widely respected in your area and therefore your tenders are accepted, for what you thought was because ou put in the best price, but the farmers may have accepted for other reason as well!

Norma yes, but only slyly lol

 

[crouch valley]

Dickyboy I am far from being a free loader I have and am currently bringing new blood into the sport I am currently mentoring a fourteen old lad into all the aspects of game keeping and shooting he actually got to shoot on our beaters day last season as he had worked so hard on the shoot. And I to have done my fair bit of ground work to get what I have now plus at Christmas it dose not hurt to take a nice hamper and bottle of scotch around for them. I would offer to take any one out shooting ferreting that did not have an opportunity to shoot rabbits pigeons rooks and duck in the season as at the moment a friend and I currently rent 200 acres of wild marsh. As for trying to out bid people that's not what I meant. what I meant was I get fed up with the old codger that keeps the land so he can drive around it once a week for old times sake I have never tried to push out some one that is doing what we all love to do. And to be fair I do apologise for jumping down your throat about your mate shooting the buck but not a fox im sure you would not let someone take a dodgy shot at a deer I was having a bit of a bad day and to be fair I am exactly the same with the fox's on my shoot no one shoots them bar me unless I am one hundred percent happy with there shooting so once again sorry for the nasty comment. And as I have stated I will take out any SD member that would like to have a go at something different as long as they are insured just PM me to arrange something.

 

[Dickyboy]

Crouch - No offence taken, alot is lost in translation on here so misinterpretations happen. I also did not mean any comments at any one person in particular just a succession of threads and posts there within. Obviously every persons situation is different and was meant as a rant at those just wanting to shoot or a suggestion to those who are struggling to get a foot in the door but are possibly asking the wrong questions. Either way nothing personall meant to anyone