Beaters and Picker ups

[BUCKSHOT1]

Looking for picker ups and beaters on farm syndicate , 4000 poults and 800 mallard Shooting over 7farms in South Devon.

no payment ,bacon baps in morning sausages midday pasties dinner time .

BUT two outside days and a full day BOXING day shooting on all driven drives ( 5drives a day ).

must be friendly men or woman ( we have over 5 woman beaters and the are good ) 

 

[activeviii]

You can put 4800 birds down but can't give people fuel money. Put 500 less birds in and pay the poor ******* their due. I would not dream of have someone on the shoot and not pay them.  Each gun pays or brings a beater. 

Shoots around me are always short or beaters just don't turn up.  Why, because their not paid their fuel fund.

To me, that's just greedy guns. PAY THE BEATERS AND PICKERS. give them some respect. Tight wad.

 

[Sprucey]

11 hours ago, activeviii said:

You can put 4800 birds down but can't give people fuel money. Put 500 less birds in and pay the poor ******* their due. I would not dream of have someone on the shoot and not pay them.  Each gun pays or brings a beater. 

Shoots around me are always short or beaters just don't turn up.  Why, because their not paid their fuel fund.

To me, that's just greedy guns. PAY THE BEATERS AND PICKERS. give them some respect. Tight wad.

 

Seconded! £16,000+ on Birds minimum. Crazy.

[JDog]

I expect that Buckshot will be advertising for beaters quite a lot more if the shoot continues to try to operate on that basis.

Edited February 12, 2020 by JDog

[MacSxS]

The money is not just fuel tokens, but a sign of respect and appreciation for a job well done. On our small syndicate shoot, the guns all pay £25 each on the day which is shared equally between the beaters, including the children.  

[BUCKSHOT1]

Hi

How many syndicates offer Two outside days shooting approx up to about 60 birds each day and one full day driven and shooting up to 120 birds and we are only a small syndicate.

re

[BUCKSHOT1]

3 hours ago, Sprucey said:

Seconded! £16,000+ on Birds minimum. Crazy.

 

[udderlyoffroad]

Also, it's probably not helping that you don't have a location on your profile.

I know you don't want to put down your precise location, but at least narrowing down to the nearest town would probably help people, 'South Devon' on its own isn't very helpful.

[BUCKSHOT1]

How many small syndicate shoots offer two outside days shooting up to 60 a day and full days Boxing Day driven shooting up to 120 a day and love training there dog’s including dog in pheasants , with a dinner and presents drinks at a top class hotel at the end of the season. If the shoot could afford it we would pay , I run the shoot for nothing cause I like being in the countryside and working with the Boys and Girls they are a great lot ( they have been with us for up to 15 years so we must be doing something right ) biggest problem is the ground rent and cover crop ground rent .

11 minutes ago, udderlyoffroad said:

Also, it's probably not helping that you don't have a location on your profile.

I know you don't want to put down your precise location, but at least narrowing down to the nearest town would probably help people, 'South Devon' on its own isn't very helpful.

Near TOTNES South Devon 

[Ferret664]

I think all these comments are a bit harsh . Im a part time keeper , i also I beat on several shoots . Some I get paid some I don't doesn't bother me it's the passion and love of it I do it for . I think 2 boundary and full day is more then fair . If You have no luck on here . If You have it try Facebook there's a group called beaters and pickers -up . I'm sure you will find many who think your offer is more then fair .  

[chesterse]

Obviously there are different levels of “shoots” from the small walk round to the large commercial driven shoots but I think the main thing is that beaters and pickers up are treated with respect and not taken advantage of. A nice friendly day with like minded folk is one thing but what causes resentment in my book is when beaters are looked on as glorified serfs. Also on some commercial shoots the massive anomaly on what is charged at the guns end and what is paid to the beaters. Beaters and pickers up should not be subsidising the guns/shoot owners.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

18 minutes ago, chesterse said:

Obviously there are different levels of “shoots” from the small walk round to the large commercial driven shoots but I think the main thing is that beaters and pickers up are treated with respect and not taken advantage of. A nice friendly day with like minded folk is one thing but what causes resentment in my book is when beaters are looked on as glorified serfs. Also on some commercial shoots the massive anomaly on what is charged at the guns end and what is paid to the beaters. Beaters and pickers up should not be subsidising the guns/shoot owners.

I quite agree and have stopped beating now. 

Far too often an extra drive was requested and the Keepers tip never seemed to get to any of the Beaters.

Strange thing is most shoots rely on the old retired people who have the spare time and could make good use of a fair days pay. But I know it will NEVER happen.

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, less of the old !!!!! tightchoke ha ha, just thought to say what happened to me on a shoot in Gloucestershire, on the last drive for Duck we were all in the enclosed covered  beaters trailor chatting  as you do when the keeper bellowed out SHUT UP GORDON, you could have knocked me down with a pheasant feather, !!!! hence to say i do not go there anymore,

Edited February 13, 2020 by oldypigeonpopper

[WalkedUp]

1 hour ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

when the keeper bellowed out SHUT UP GORDON, you could have knocked me down with a pheasant feather, !!!!

A few years ago on a grouse moor, half way through a drive the under keeper who was in charge of the beating line started balling out a woman over the radio. Swearing and blinding. It was her first ever upland shoot. She knew no one, was exhausted and just started crying. At the end of the drive needless to say I caught up with Sam and put the little fella in his place. It was easy for me, a 6ft man with many other shoots to fall back on, but no one else dared speak out. A little bit of power goes to some people’s heads. 
 

The woman, like all of us, was paid £40 for our day but I don’t think she will ever be going back! 

Edited February 12, 2020 by WalkedUp

[BUCKSHOT1]

5 hours ago, Ferret664 said:

I think all these comments are a bit harsh . Im a part time keeper , i also I beat on several shoots . Some I get paid some I don't doesn't bother me it's the passion and love of it I do it for . I think 2 boundary and full day is more then fair . If You have no luck on here . If You have it try Facebook there's a group called beaters and pickers -up . I'm sure you will find many who think your offer is more then fair .  

 

Thanks for your words we all muck in and I run the shoot for nothing , and always look after all my beaters , the land we Shoot on are very testing birds and steep valleys in South Devon. Regards Alan

[marsh man]

To be fair to the op he is offering two outside and one full day although unless I missed it he didn't say how many shoot days they have and weather the ( free ) days are walk and stand or if the beaters / helpers are standing on all the drives .

If it was on our shoot one of the problems would be is we have women , young boys and old uns who don't shoot and still beat on our beaters day , some of them we have had for many years and they turn up on every shoot and are well thought of but they still expect to be paid , if the guns are paying good money to shoot then without the beaters you couldn't have a shoot .

We are surrounded by shoots and the majority are now paying beaters £40 a day , refreshments at dinner time and a brace of birds if they want them , I honestly don't know of any shoots that don't pay, and if they didn't then around our way they would find it hard , or impossible to be more precise to get beaters for free  . 

Also a lot of the bigger shoots are now having two beaters days as some shoots have the same day so they put on another day for the odd ones who can't make one of the dates and there is nothing to stop the ones who can make it to go on them both , maybe things are different in other places but that is how it is around our way . 

[Mickeydredd]

On 11/02/2020 at 18:55, BUCKSHOT1 said:

Looking for picker ups and beaters on farm syndicate , 4000 poults and 800 mallard Shooting over 7farms in South Devon.

no payment ,bacon baps in morning sausages midday pasties dinner time .

BUT two outside days and a full day BOXING day shooting on all driven drives ( 5drives a day ).

must be friendly men or woman ( we have over 5 woman beaters and the are good ) 

 

price up the value of the days offered in return and if you are a beater who shoots then that's a fair offer in my opinion.  Obviously depends on number of days you have to beat but looks good enough to me.

[Lloyd90]

I love beating, if my dog is listening then I enjoy it more than a day shooting. 
 

But I would feel very hard done by if I ended up taking a day off work, driving miles and miles, doing a full day hiking about through rough cover, and then I left at the end of the day without even some petrol / beer money!!
 

Leaving beaters seriously out of this pocket is a p take! 

[scutt]

I have gone beating on a few shoots for no pay just the chance to work the dogs and loved it most guns appreciate you and a syndicate always did.

But one place I went to for nowt was a small syndicate offering just the normal beaters day plus a meal at the end of the season .

The shoot was mid week  although the guns could make the mid week day when they shot they could not make it a mid week day for the beaters day.The problem was most of the beaters also had other shoots to attend on Saturdays and could not be at two shoots at once ,upshot was we did not get a midweek day only an offer most could not accept.

As for the meal one of the persons running the shoot got a bit to much to drink and asked the beaters if they could help out next season as he wanted to now if we all are still daft  enough to come for nowt .

The shoot struggled to get beaters the next few seasons.

I now only go to beat if payed.

Edited February 13, 2020 by scutt

[Tollerman]

Don't worry Buckshot 1I think you treat your beaters very well. It's not always about the money it's if you feel part of the shoot and enjoy the day.I beat on two shoots and on one I get paid and the other I don't .One small one large.I'm well looked after ( food, cakes drinks on site and birds to take home) plus beaters days ,vermin days and roost shooting.

[BUCKSHOT1]

Thanks for your comments , 

[Old farrier]

Good offer for anyone wanting to get into beating or picking up 👍it’s a chance to start the apprenticeship 
have to be honest here there’s some beaters and picker ups that aren’t worth the money

a few examples noisy dogs  Walking on the path more interested in finding a new stick than flushing birds shouting and swearing at their dogs for running around like headless chicken 

dogs running in halfway through the drive picking dead birds in front of the guns 

(tin hat on and I may buy the stab jacket)🤭

we don’t pay our beaters although each gun does buy there allocated beater a meal at the end of the day 

and they have a few perks as well 

[bigmcg]

I beat on two shoots, one you don’t get paid for and one you do.

The one that doesn’t pay is 50 miles from my house. you are treated well, well fed, watered, full driven day inc lunch for beaters day plus a few rough days late season.

The other shoot is 10 miles away and pays and your treated like skivvies by the owner. Lunch is supplied, if he bothers to make enough to feed the beaters, so need to take your own unless you want to go hungry. 

pay or not there’s one shoot I’ll be working on next year. It’s not all about the money, I do it for the pleasure of the day and working my dog. Looking after the beaters and pickers up is more important the a few quid at the end of the day.

[BUCKSHOT1]

On 11/02/2020 at 22:46, activeviii said:

You can put 4800 birds down but can't give people fuel money. Put 500 less birds in and pay the poor ******* their due. I would not dream of have someone on the shoot and not pay them.  Each gun pays or brings a beater. 

Shoots around me are always short or beaters just don't turn up.  Why, because their not paid their fuel fund.

To me, that's just greedy guns. PAY THE BEATERS AND PICKERS. give them some respect. Tight wad.

 

 

[BUCKSHOT1]

Bit harsh all my men and woman have been with me for about 15 years they all shoot, they have two boundaries days shooting up to 60 pheasants and mallard all driven ,full beaters day on Boxing Day bag around 110 pheasants and duck and a last day clear up bag this year was 85 in total.

I book a meal in one of our top hotels , beaters have free meal drinks and allows presents for farmers and beaters a raffle money going to Air Ambulance .