Jump to content

Gamekeeper salaries - how much to get the best?


Recommended Posts

hard one that some like the money some like a challenge, depends what area they have worked before get one who has proved himself on same topography as you are looking at. also depends on size, number of birds etc once you get so big your talking under keeper to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I had recently purchased a sporting estate, and wanted a proven top-drawer gamekeeper, how much would I be looking to pay, salary wise? I appreciate there are benefits packages etc, I am more interested in the size of carrot one may need to dangle.

 

Cheers

 

B06

Type of estate low ground or moor

Private/ commercial

Size of estate

No of keepers

No of days

Background/age of owner (I always research the owner a job is no use if the owner doesn't have a pot to pee in or might die in the next 5 years)

Tenanted or owner farmed

Established or Virgin shoot

Budget

Public access

Estates other interests ie no point to points through the coverts etc

 

 

And about 10 other questions before a sensible keeper will even think about the remuneration

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The actual 'keepers wage' will be the cheapest part of employing a keeper, by the time u add on house, clothing, tweeds, dog food heating and phone etc for him personally.

 

Then u will have pick ups quads, tractor, beaters transport, tools rearing field? new pens ec for enough birds to make a FT keeper vaible.

Deepending wot stage/state the shoot/estate is in u can easily double the keepers wage for running basic costs but for intial start up cost u could easy be 4 or 5 times his wage and as bitfitter says a GOOD keeper will b looking at more thanjust the pay cheque.

Althou plenty of shoots run the oppisate way, and turnover a lot off young boys fairly quickly paying them a minium wage and expecting them to produce miracles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The actual 'keepers wage' will be the cheapest part of employing a keeper, by the time u add on house, clothing, tweeds, dog food heating and phone etc for him personally.

 

Exactly, a keeper friend of mine didn't realise how well off he was until he left keepering and realised what he now had to pay for that he had previously taken for granted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ill take the above deal please ill sign on the dotted line now ....

.im sure most keepers would ,base wage is from 15000 to 20000ish Plus benifits depending on alot of things if I had more info id cost it bit more better

:good: I'm sure as would as well mate better than sitting in an office! Just beating on the moors you get £80 a day!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tips must make up a fairly big chunk of money. I have a few paid days a season on top of my syndicate. On a paid day say 8 guns roughly £20 tip per gun, £160 per day 2 or maybe 3 days plus a week on a big shoot is a good cash bonus. Even if it's shared with an Under keeper. I have no problem with this, if I enjoy my day I give a tip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Setting up a shoot isnt cheap but there is money to be made from a well run shoot so overheads are soon covered but yes there is a large outlay. plus remember theres more to keepering then just rearing a few birds and putting on a shoot most keeper do estate maintenance help out on the harvest so not a bad Investment really

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bitfitter,

 

Estate is 18 000 acres (owned) and lowland - pheasants and partridge. The budget is really open ended - the head keeper can spend anything he can justify. The deal is simple - owner will provide everything needed to show a good standard of birds. BUT, the downside is if everything asked for is provided, if they fail to deliver, they shouldn't expect to stay long!!

 

I would guess at 4 to 6 underkeepers and all/any ancillary equipment as required. The estate is established, but first season will be kept for friends only, before deciding on commercial offerings/number of days. Stalking will not be leased or sold but taken by the owner and friends.

 

B06

Link to comment
Share on other sites

employ eastern europeans.....on the black economy...6 to a caravan.........14 hrs a day.......give them a knife and a AK47 each....tell them they can eat all the rabbits they catch ...nick a few spuds from your neighbor................jobs a gooden

 

you are quids in

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bitfitter,

 

Estate is 18 000 acres (owned) and lowland - pheasants and partridge. The budget is really open ended - the head keeper can spend anything he can justify. The deal is simple - owner will provide everything needed to show a good standard of birds. BUT, the downside is if everything asked for is provided, if they fail to deliver, they shouldn't expect to stay long!!

 

I would guess at 4 to 6 underkeepers and all/any ancillary equipment as required. The estate is established, but first season will be kept for friends only, before deciding on commercial offerings/number of days. Stalking will not be leased or sold but taken by the owner and friends.

 

B06

18k acres 6 beat keepers shot commercially 100+ days

 

Assuming all the other perquisite are in place ie bupa, pension,accommodation etc I would expect 35-40k pa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18k acres 6 beat keepers shot commercially 100+ days

Assuming all the other perquisite are in place ie bupa, pension,accommodation etc I would expect 35-40k pa

That's good news - the initial punt will be 45 to 50, so should interest the 'big boys' out there. Maybe get a defector from one of the bigger shoots in the country. Cheers for the input.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's good news - the initial punt will be 45 to 50, so should interest the 'big boys' out there. Maybe get a defector from one of the bigger shoots in the country. Cheers for the input.

 

I know head keepers at the top of their game on £40+ with an anual bonus of around £10,000 plus every conceivable perk you can think of.

 

Underkeepers on £25 + £5 bonus, again with house, vehicle etc on top.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would guess u willl be talking about an anual budget of 1 million plus if ur looking at 5-6 keepers and al that entails, plus ur start up costs, wish my pockets were that deep..

 

Sounds a cracking opportunity for someone

 

The other thing to consider is the standard of birds, when u mentioned 'lowland' i think more and more emphisis on higher more sporting birds and there already is a lot of estates offering this.(althou i realise u probably just mean not uland/grouse)

I'm amazed how they all sell there days and make money at some of the prices they charge per bird, might be a dear day out but there cannot be much margin in it when u add in there overheads

Edited by scotslad
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bitfitter,

 

Estate is 18 000 acres (owned) and lowland - pheasants and partridge. The budget is really open ended - the head keeper can spend anything he can justify. The deal is simple - owner will provide everything needed to show a good standard of birds. BUT, the downside is if everything asked for is provided, if they fail to deliver, they shouldn't expect to stay long!!

 

I would guess at 4 to 6 underkeepers and all/any ancillary equipment as required. The estate is established, but first season will be kept for friends only, before deciding on commercial offerings/number of days. Stalking will not be leased or sold but taken by the owner and friends.

 

B06

That's not far off one of the largest lowland estaes in the country.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bloke I know has just left ( pushed actually ) his head keeper job locally after 30 odd years and reckoned he was on 30k plus a year. He's now moved to Fife where he is starting his own sporting agency business, made easy by all the contacts he's made over the years and now reckons he just slaps 500 quid on every shoot day he organises. Says he should have done it years ago.

As an aside, I was shooting with his former boss and landowner last Saturday who told me 'we never make any money of course'. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's not far off one of the largest lowland estaes in the country.

 

I'd be amazed if it is anywhere near he biggest lowland estate in the country, a couple round me that i'd call lowland 10- 20k acres plus, and i do not even reguard them as that big on a national scale

Be plenty bigger landowners than them.

Must admit it is a big chunk of land but i would just doubt anywhere near the biggest

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I'd be amazed if it is anywhere near he biggest lowland estate in the country, a couple round me that i'd call lowland 10- 20k acres plus, and i do not even reguard them as that big on a national scale

Be plenty bigger landowners than them.

Must admit it is a big chunk of land but i would just doubt anywhere near the biggest

Elveden is 22.5k and is reckoned to be up there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For an estate of your size you must have an estate agent. He will be experianced in the potential of what the estate could produce in theway of shooting. I would be guided by him in the early days , start in a modest manner and build up the shoot and personel. A couple of good keepers who understand what you want and how it can be acheaved are likely to produce the goods as they develope a feel for the ground rather than jumping in with a top flight keeper who is new to the area.

 

In short take it easy and aim to reach what you want in the future rather than expecting a top flight shoot in a season or two.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...