-ben- Posted June 13, 2015 Report Share Posted June 13, 2015 Hello Im looking into the ins and outs of starting up a small pheasant shoot not sure on how many days a year no more that 10 probably about 6 . Im struggling to find information on cost involved such as pens costs feeding land rental before i approach the farmers, cover crop per acre. Im looking to do it next season depending on if i can make it feasible and find people to help and get involved. I have knowledge into the running of shoot days and helped but never to this extent. Thanks Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinF Posted June 13, 2015 Report Share Posted June 13, 2015 You need to think about what you are trying to achieve. There's a big difference between 6 and 10 days, and you need to know roughly how many birds you expect to shoot per day, or over the season. Once you know what you are aiming for, you can work out how many birds you need to release, how big the pens need to be, how much feed will be needed, how many feeders, how many drinkers etc etc. The rent and cover crop costs will depend on how good the ground is and what the farmer wants out of it, he may prefer a days shooting instead of rent? If you are looking to get something started in time for the 2015/16 season I think you've left it a bit late, especially if you haven't got any land yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul T Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 There's a lot to figure into this first and your initial set up costs are going to be pretty significant e.g. pens and feeders that you won't need to purchase every year. We are lucky in that we have 6 small woods to hold our birds, so we put some decent sized pens in 4 of them - there are reasons why we don't have pens in the other two. Last year we had a lot of repair work to do, but fortunately we had funds in the bank to cover this. We also have about 50-60 large feed barrels. From memory and to enable us to shoot 12 'reasonable' days (75-80 head at best)... Our rent is approx £2.5k Birds cost us £3.5k Food about £2.5k Misc about £2k In the miscellaneous there's stuff like new units for electric fences, rolls of wire mesh & posts, gas for day old chicks, mustard cover crop etc. The first question has to be 'Is your land suitable?' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 I would start small and move from there. If you can find a farmer who shoots all the better, syndicate membership for him instead of rent, you may also be able to to get wheat a bit cheaper also he may also be more willing to put in cover crops for you. For a first time I would think about ex-layers around £3 per bird, a ton or so of wheat £150 per ton (Not sure of this years prices yet) prices for fencing is all online as are electric fencers. If you have a google for suppliers you can get prices for the water system and feeders as well, but a lot of these bits you can do it yourself and save money or check out a local farm sale or auction . This should give you a basic minimum cost but expect to spend more, so build that in as well. One syndicate I am in release about 450 pheasants and 150 duck shooting 10 days, 9 guns £480 per gun. Bag somewhere in between 20 & 50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markm Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 This seller is very reliable for feeders. http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=371350475131&globalID=EBAY-GB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-ben- Posted June 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 Thanks for your advice at the moment its just looking into it for the 2016/2017 season we would be more than happy with a 50/60 bird day 6 times a year its more of a social gathering between friends and family. The land has potential for some reasonable days just got to see how it goes as its never been shot before. Some of the farmers might be interested in a day in return. Thanks Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 Thanks for your advice at the moment its just looking into it for the 2016/2017 season we would be more than happy with a 50/60 bird day 6 times a year its more of a social gathering between friends and family. The land has potential for some reasonable days just got to see how it goes as its never been shot before. Some of the farmers might be interested in a day in return. Thanks Ben Exciting times ahead for you. 6 days at 50-60 bird day at 50% returns which is good means you should be looking at about 700 birds to wood. We get about 35% returns which would mean for us about 1000 birds to wood. The more birds the more starting costs will obviously be, bigger or more pens, cost of birds and cost of feed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennett Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 Would 50% returns on a completely new shoot not be exceptional? We started a new shoot last year, put 700 birds to wood and had 4 driven days and a Cock day. We probably averaged 60ish and had 35% returns with no shoots around us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 The honest answer would be not worth the hassle, there are usually plenty of syndicates around looking for guns, or treat urself and mates to a few small paid days. Lot of work involved just chasing guns down and getting subs paid on time. I bought some 2nd hand stuff of a local keeper who ran a nice wee semi commercal shoot specialising in smaller days and he said he lost money every year on the shooting side of things, and i'm often amazed how cheap it is to go shooting on some estates, £28-30 a bird is very cheap when u have keepers wages etc to pay Shooting 6x 50-60 bird days may not seem a lot when u see some of the commercial days advertised, but for a small syndicate shoot it is, there wil be an awful lot of hard work to get them and a good chance of things going wrong along the way, 1 fox in pen could almost be a season breaker If say ur looking at 1000 birds to wood ur talking 8k ish just to buy and feed ur birds, plus the many other overheads (rent, fencing, hoppers for 1000 bird ur a lot of hoppers) Not wanting to put u off but there is an awful lot of thankless work that goes on behind the scenes and it does not take an awful lot of birds until ur costs starting mounting up, esp starting from scratch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pothunter Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 I think whether it's worth the hassle depends how much/whether you enjoy the work. But there's no doubt that it is a helluva lot of work. I'm just an ordinary member of our syndicate, and it takes up a significant chunk of my leisure time, all year round. And ours is quite a big syndicate, so the load's quite spread. And the guys who do the serious work are at it almost full time in several cases. I wouldn't say don't do it. You may love it. But don't underestimate the scale of the commitment, for sure. You' said you've run shoot days before; have you been in a syndicate and helped run a shoot year round? If not, might be your best best is to join one now for this season and get stuck into learning what's entailed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 I co captain a small shoot. On the time side I worked it out one year that I spent over 500 hours on trapping alone. Then you have preparation of pens, I allow 8 hours a pen, we have 8 pens but I am only solely responsible for 3 of them, then once the birds have arrived its a pretty busy 2 weeks until they get settled in, then you can move to maybe 4 hours a day on them. At the same time you have a job, and a wife who wants to see you and have a holiday. I have been away once in the last 14 years. When building pens time needed will depend if you are digging the wire in to stop foxes digging under, if digging by hand a 300 bird pen will take me 2 weeks on and off to dig the channel, but I am pretty old. You have really really to want to do this, be fit and under 50, you won't have the stamina needed after that. Of course getting a team into place will ease the workload. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocknee Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 I certainly agree it is an awful lot of work specially starting from scratch I am now a youngster of 58 and am finding it more and more difficult every year. I don't know how experienced you are but there is a mountain of work that the guns / beaters / pickers up never see. Sighting of pens and cover crops is really important as is the flushing points on the drives which you will need to establish from a blank canvas.Building pens is hard work and needs doing right no square corners etc a water supply needs to be found feeders have to be made. Then after all that 1 fox in the pen or in a drive or a beaters unruly dog can destroy all the hard work in a heartbeat. Having said all that there is no better feeling than when a drive goes right and you get loads of birds to your flushing point and you push them out a few at a time over the gun line who congratulate you at the end of each drive on a job well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-ben- Posted June 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 Im very keen in the shooting and the country side im out lamping 2 times a week weather permitting and usually out pigeon shooting if i haven't had it in the ear from the other half. The land already holds allot of bird but is fairly open in places and seems to hold allot of partridges often see cubbys of 40 or so sitting on the fields. Im going to find out what other friends want to contribute toward the shoot before any figures are put together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 Im very keen in the shooting and the country side im out lamping 2 times a week weather permitting and usually out pigeon shooting if i haven't had it in the ear from the other half. The land already holds allot of bird but is fairly open in places and seems to hold allot of partridges often see cubbys of 40 or so sitting on the fields. Im going to find out what other friends want to contribute toward the shoot before any figures are put together. Put a few ex layers down this year, they wont need pens. Then when you get a reliable team build a pen or two and take it a step at a time from there. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pothunter Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 Put a few ex layers down this year, they wont need pens. Then when you get a reliable team build a pen or two and take it a step at a time from there. A I'm no expert, but sounds like wise advice to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted June 16, 2015 Report Share Posted June 16, 2015 Put a few ex layers down this year, they wont need pens. Then when you get a reliable team build a pen or two and take it a step at a time from there. A There are many many different ways of doing things and if that works for u then great, i have to say i'd never advise anyone to try doing that and would never do it myself, in my opinion it could well be a complete waste of money but it will depend on ur ground/habitat etc, like eveything wot works on 1 shoot won't neccesarly work on an other. I thinkk u'd be very lucky to hold many ex layers by simply emptying them out crates with no pen, but not saying it does not work somewhere for other folk Depending wot u actually want and how u want to shoot them, walked up or mini driven etc. If ur ground holds partridge already they might be easier to release in temp pens? But Reds are a nightmare to walk up as will run on in front all the time. Possibly if u have no near shooting neighbours just putting some hoppers out may be enough to provide some sport, try feeding all year and u might get a few wild broods, but obviously u dinae want to be going out of ur way to attract all ur neighbours birds, just causes trouble. If u have some stubble mibee ask the farmer if u can broadcast some small areas with mustard/or other catch crops if being ploughed in spring so saving a lot of expense There is a hell of a work involved as well as a lot of hidden expenses too, so not long in ammounting to thousands of pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 (edited) If there are birds already on the land then why not start out small with very little commitment in both time and money by putting out as many feeders as you can and buying a few ex-layers as others have suggested, say around 100, or 50, and take it from there. It's not ideal buts long as you feed them well then they usually don't stray far. A good shoot local to us just lets their ex-layers go on their shoot, no pen or any enclosure of any type, just simply lets them go into the undergrowth, to supplement the birds they have remaining from the previous season. They had returns of around 70% last season, but I have to confess there are loads of shoots around here, and I mean loads. Feeders can be found for pennies at many places such as car wash outlets ( detergent drums ) or bakeries ( syrup comes in fairly large tubs ) or the hatchery where you can pick up ex-layers always have a few lying around. If you made enquiries now you may just be in time to get some ex-layers for next season. We found it cheaper and more convenient to buy our own crates and bought enough for 125 birds ( 16 birds per crate ) so there's an outlay there, then your birds at around £2.75 each, then your feed. We don't pay rent as the landowner is a shooting nut and a good mate, so we don't have that expense, but otherwise that's to be taken into account also. It doesn't take long for figures to mount up. If you don't buy Larsen traps then you have to spend the time and money to make them and then there's the time to monitor them. We found we have no problem in getting money in from the other members, but rather getting people to commit time to the shoot, so it's fallen down to mate and me and landowner. The others are very rarely seen up at the shoot from one season to the other. Start small and see how it goes would be my advice. If all goes well you may feel you are happy enough with ex-layers again next season, or you can go down the route of 6 week olds after building your own pen etc. Edited June 18, 2015 by Scully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geordieh Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 If you are getting it in the ear off the other half for a couple of trips out shooting wait till you are doing it 7 days a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill425g6 Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 I've been running Pheasant shoots now for over 40yrs and all the above comments are relative and true. I think what you need to save yourself time, effort and money plus all the pitfalls is somebody who has been doing this a long time to show you the ropes and look at your ground to see if is viable first of all for the shooting you propose to do. He will also tell you what to do and more importantly what not to do. (might make a good topic Ill start it and you might pick up some tips.)Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-ben- Posted January 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 Shot the land for the first time had 12 birds for 8 guns no birds released some drives with good potential we had 40 shots and every gun got shooting which made it a very successful day in my eyes. Only fed one rough patch and they got straight up and all flew back over beaters but that drive we saw about 60 birds in there which is quite good considering only been feeding it for 3 weeks and with a couple of feeders. so next season we are planning on releasing some more birds now we have a idea of how the land works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 That sounds like it worked well. Thats quite a few birds are there other shoots next door? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pheasant Feeder Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 What sort of acreage do you have, how much woodland? Is the rest arable or pasture and what type of crops are grown. Is there many footpaths and dog walkers that are likely to be a problem? Is there any wet areas that could create a flighting pond? Are the other guns happy to, and likely to share the workload? It can be a rewarding enterprise but if it is all left to you it is hardwork and can be stressfull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-ben- Posted January 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 I imagine i will take the majority of work load and put the same amount of money in but i dont mind as its a hobby more than anything. most of it is open arable land with some small woods and some spineys and rough ground there is a few footpaths but we will have to just deal with that there is the odd pond that has a possibility of becoming a flight pond. found out its defiantly stressful but its all part of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennett Posted January 28, 2016 Report Share Posted January 28, 2016 Feed feed feed! That and habitat are the most important things you need to consider. It sounds like you are getting birds from elsewhere but without easily accessible food they won't hang about, especially once you start shooting more regularly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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